Quick Snacks
Healthy Snack Ideas

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We all have times when we just have a taste for something, a little snack to munch on but it’s important to choose these snacks wisely.

There are a lot of choices and making healthy snacks is simpler that you think. It just takes a little planning and stocking up on some simple essentials so you are always ready for those snack attacks.

Here are some quick snacks that won’t make you feel guilty when you eat them and are good choices for a healthy diet.

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** Fresh fruit: This is an obvious choice and placing bowls of fresh fruit out where they are visible and easy to grab and eat is a simple idea.

Choose fruit like apples, bananas, grapes, plums, nectarines and peaches. Just be sure to check on them often for spoilage.

You can also prepare ripe fruit by cutting into bite size pieces and place in individual containers in the fridge so they are always ready for snacking. I also peel and section oranges and grapefruit and place in individual containers so they can just be popped in your mouth anytime.

Frozen grapes are a great treat too especially on really hot days in the summer months. It’s like a bite-size popsicle.

** Raw Vegetables: A simple idea is to make vegetable sticks or chunks using celery, carrots, jicama, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower,broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and green beans and serve with a low-fat dip.

Here are some quick dip ideas for your veggie dippers. Just mix the ingredients and serve.

- Yogurt Dips: use low-fat or non-fat plain yogurt (I like to use non-fat plain Greek style yogurt because it has a thicker and richer consistency) with any of the following additions:

- chopped onions
- chopped parsley with a squeeze of lemon juice
- chopped chives
- sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained and chopped)
- chopped black or green olives

- Salsa: use your favorite variety and serve

You might also want to try one of our quick and easy salsa recipes:

Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Salsa Verde
Smoky Pepper Salsa

- Salad Dressing: use your favorite low-fat dressing to dip those veggies or try one of our quick recipes:

Low Fat Salad Dressing
Oil Free Salad Dressing

- Hummus: use any variety of hummus you like. There are so many to choose from in the grocery stores these days so you will never be bored.

- Nut Butter Dip:

Mix some peanut or almond butter with chunky
apple sauce until you reach the desired consistency
and add a little cinnamon if you like. This is a good
dip for celery, carrot or jicama sticks as well as
apple and pear slices.

Other Quick and Easy Snack Ideas:

(Check the ingredient labels and look for natural ingredients, low sugar, fat and sodium and the least amount of processing as possible.)

• A small serving of nuts
• Dried Fruit
• Low-Fat Cereals
(low-fat granolas are flavorful snacks)
• Trail Mixes
• Granola Bars
• Fig Bars
• Raisin or Apple Bread Slices
• Applesauce (pre-packaged for individual serving)
• Yogurt Drinks
• Shelf-stable boxes of milk, soy milk or rice milk
• Air-Popped Popcorn
• Rice Cakes (plain or flavored)
• Your Own Snack Mixes:
(try a combination of any of the ingredients below)

Low-fat or baked pretzels, air-popped popcorn, dried fruit of your own choice (like apricots, raisins, cranberries, cherries, etc.) and nuts (go easy on the nuts because of their fat content)

Whenever you have a taste for a little something try these easy ideas for healthy and quick snacks.


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Related Links:

More Healthy Snack Ideas
Mini-Meals - Small Meals Made Easy
Sandwich Wraps - A Quick Meal Anytime
Lunchbox Meals - Healthy Lunch Ideas


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