Fun and Tasty Healthy Gourmet Snack Ideas
Tired of the same old boring snacks? Check out over 20 of Kristen’s favorite out-of-the-box snack ideas to make your meals less boring and add a little “zing” into your day! These super-healthy snacks will spark your creativity in the kitchen and make you feel like a gourmet chef in seconds!
- Mini Pizza bites: zucchini (sliced) topped with chicken sausage, pesto, mozzarella and parsley
Directions: Place chicken sausage on top of zucchini slices, mix pesto and mozzarella cheese, and place on top of chicken sausage. Bake at 325 degrees until cheese is melted, about 10 to 12 minutes. When cooked, cool and top with parsley.
- Pinwheels: whole wheat tortilla, Laughing Cow cream cheese, red bell pepper, basil leaves, and turkey all rolled up.
- Butterleaf lettuce rolled up with turkey slices and a piece of string cheese
- Mini Slider: 2 oz. lean turkey breast, ground 1 TBSP. BBQ, tomato and 2 leaves of butterleaf lettuce
Directions: Combine the turkey and the BBQ sauce; form into a patty and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Place on top of butterleaf lettuce and tomato. (Calories: 126, Protein: 10g, Carbs: 6 g, Fiber: 0.5 g, Total Fat: 6.5 g)
- Tuna Salad: Small tin of tuna, rinsed with a touch of olive oil mayo and relish
- Cucumber with smoked salmon, fresh basil leaves, and avocado slices
- 12 almonds with 2 squares of dark chocolate and dried cherries
- Tropical Kabob: Shrimp and Pineapple on a kabob, brushed with coconut oil and grilled
- ½ c. vanilla Greek yogurt and 1/3 c. blueberries
- ½ c. low-fat cottage cheese, ½ c. raspberries and 1 tbsp. of chopped walnuts
- Ants on a Log: Celery with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter and raisins
Taken From Laura Flowers, http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/2010/03/ants-on-log.html
- Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake:
½ cup frozen strawberries, 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 scoop Vanilla protein powder, 1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, 1 cup of water or skim milk. Blend ingredients in a blender.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake:
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder, 1 Tbsp. peanut butter, 6-8 oz. of almond milk or coconut milk. Blend and enjoy.
- 2 pcs. String cheese and a small apple
- Pita with hummus and cucumber slices
- Babybel cheddar cheese and carrot sticks
- Wasa crackers with laughing cow cream cheese, cucumber slices, and fresh dill
- Sliced banana topped with 2 Tbsp. of almond butter and a handful of wholegrain pretzels
- Chunks of cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto
- Frozen grapes and a Babybel swiss cheese
- Grilled pear (diced) drizzled with vanilla greek yogurt, walnuts, and cinnamon
- BBQ Chicken Strips: Chicken breast grilled and cut into strips, dipped into healthy BBQ sauce
- Olive Cheese Melts: ½ Ezekiel Bread English Muffin with EVOO, tomato slice, basil, mozzarella, and black olives (sliced) and baked in a toaster oven.
- Edamame
- Caprese Kabob: 1 ½ oz. mozzarella ball, 2 cherry tomatoes, halved, 2 Fresh Basil Leaves, 1 Tbsp. prepared pesto, and 1 wooden or metal skewer.
Skewer kabobs in this order: cherry tomato, basil, mozzarella, basil, cherry tomato, basil, mozzarella. Serve with pesto. (Calories: 98, Protein: 6g, Carbs: 2 g, Fiber: 0.5 g, Total Fat: 7g)
- Deviled Eggs: 1 hard-boiled egg, cut in half and hollowed out (reserve yolk), 2 tsp. of light mayo, 1 tsp. chopped parsley, and paprika for color.
Preparation: Cut the eggs in half and gently scoop the yolk into a bowl. Mash the yolk and add mayonnaise to get a creamy consistency. Stir in the parsley and scoop the filling back into the egg white. Sprinkle with paprika for color.
- Walnut-Strawberry Ricotta Whip: ½ c. part-skim ricotta cheese, ¼ cup walnuts, ¼ tsp. almond extract, and ½ c. chopped strawberries: Mix all ingredients together and drizzle with honey.