We’ve all been there, you skipped lunch and dinner isn’t due for another few hours. You didn’t plan this well and now you are feeling on the verge of throwing something heavy out the window. You feel twitchy on the inside, your blood sugar is crashing, and this sudden irrational rage is washing over you like a cold wave on the beach – even the cat has darted out of the warpath. There are only a few minutes to pull this back and this means stuffing your face with the nearest calorie-rich thing you can find. Stop. Put the grab bag of chips down – we have some simple five-minute fab foodie alternatives to get you out of this hangry spot.

Home-Made Hummus

Hummus is the perfect door-wedge between you and hunger. Skip the store-bought in favour of homemade to amp up the love. Simple - boil up some canned or cooked chickpeas for a few minutes in baking soda, rinse under cold water and tip into the blender. Be generous with adding the olive oil and tahini, some ice-cold water, a squeeze of lemon, throw in a clove of garlic or two and season liberally with salt. Whir it all up and serve with warm pitta bread, carrot sticks, crackers or whatever takes your fancy for a nibble. You can dress your hummus to impress with fresh herbs, sumac, or zaatar.

Egg and Asparagus Soldiers

Need a more substantial snack that ticks all the boxes in terms of greens and proteins? It’s as easy as a soft-boiled egg. They say five minutes is the perfect time to boil an egg if you want a yolk that is delectably runny. While the egg is boiling, take a few spears of asparagus and steam until tender. Cut the boiled egg in half, sprinkle with some cracked black pepper and use the asparagus for dipping.

Caramelized Nuts

Dumping some tired old nuts in a bowl just isn’t going to cut it when it comes to hangry emergencies but get sassy with your nuts and you will have a whole new level of snacking on hand. Take a bag of your fave nuts; walnuts work really well but cashews and almonds are fun to chew on, the latter of which works wonders in boosting serotonin, and pecans are more than perfect especially when smooshed into sweet sticky dates. Scatter them in a heated pan with a glob of butter and a quarter cup of sugar for every cup of nuts and constantly stir so the sugar and butter meld into a beautiful coating that doesn’t burn. Add a pinch of cinnamon for sweet measure and dry on a paper towel. Yum.

Tiny Tacos

Corn tacos meet a smear of guac, a cup of cooked black beans, some diced up cherry tomatoes and red onion, a squirt of your most beloved hot sauce and a sprinkle of parsley and cilantro. If you want to step this up a notch then a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a quick grating of cheese will raise this easy five-minute taco to glory. We’ll take ten.

Pear Tortilla Pizza

It's not just the alliteration that makes this five-minute dish absolutely divine. Whereas fully-fledged pizzas can leave you fit to burst, using tortilla wraps as a pizza base will fill you without spoiling your appetite for later. Quickly caramelize some thin pear slices with a hint of butter and brown sugar. Sprinkle some grated mozzarella over the tortilla, add some chopped shallots and crushed garlic, then top with the pear slices and some crumbled blue cheese. Bake in an oven until the cheese is bubbly and tuck into this lightweight slice of heaven - Italy watch out.

Which five-minute snacks are your favourite for keeping hanger at bay? Share in the comments.