Recipes -- Healthy Snacks

In today's hectic life style it probably feels like there is no time for healthy eating, or you simply can not find recipes that are both healthy and quick to make. As a result it is tempting to reach for the quick and easy snacks such as potato chips or candy.

Do you ever run out of healthy recipes for snacks, or find them to time consuming?

Snacking is a major part of our lives, especially when it comes to kids. This article looks at why healthy snacks are important for all the family and will provide you with some straightforward and interesting recipes.

Foods with natural colours are on the whole good for you, like red apples, yellow bananas or orange carrots. Possibly the most important thing to remember is variety, a balanced diet will keep you healthy and fit as well as feeling good.

First of all I am going to give you some snacking tips.

Always make your snacks interesting

A rice cake is better than a packet of potato chips but is probably considered boring, so why not spread peanut butter and raisins on the top, or find some quick recipes for a salsa.

Prepare snacks in advance When you have some time chop up carrots, celery sticks, cucumber portions and other vegetables, place them in a sealed container in the fridge so as soon as you feel like snacking you can reach for the healthier option

Keep snacks with you To save yourself getting caught out needing a snack when you are out keep snacks with you in your bag. Again the easiest and quickest are fruit and vegetables.

Swap food When shopping always think of a healthier alternative to what you pick up. Instead of potato chips go for low fat crackers or rice cakes. If you want biscuits chose one that contains fruit alternatively make your own (see recipes to follow)

Buying packed or ready made food and snacks usually means it will be less healthy than making your own. I will now provide a few easy recipes to make that are both tasty and good for you

OAT BISCUITS Melt in Microwave - 1 dessert spoon golden syrup1 dessert spoon cold water4oz margarine Stir in 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda(It will become frothy)Now add - 1 cup oats1cup SR flour 3/4 cup sugar

Mix together dried and melted ingredients.Roll into balls the size of a teaspoon.Put onto a greased tray and squash balls. Cook 125 degrees 10 - 15 minutes, until light golden brown.

QUICK SMOOTHY RECIPE You will need

2 x bananas

1 tablespoon of honey

2 cups of milk

1 x tablespoon of yoghurt

Method Peel the bananas, break them up into pieces and place them in a large bowl

Take a fork and mash the banana so that it changes from lumpy to soft squidgy and creamy.

Add the honey and yoghurt, mix well with a fork until it's all creamy

Place the milk into the bowl and whisk the mixture with your fork until everything is mixed and pour into glasses.

MUSTARD AND LEMON CHICKEN 4 skinless chicken breasts halved

1.5 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons of margarine

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

½ teaspoon of tarragon

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a shallow oven proof dish

In a saucepan, melt the margarine, add the mustard, lemon juice, and tarragon. Stir well and pour over chicken.

Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until cooked

There are simply heaps of quick, easy, fun and surprisingly nutritious recipes for all the family to enjoy.

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Foods To Lose Weight - Tasty and Healthy Desserts and Snacks

Are you looking to lose a lot of weight and fast?

Have you recently received an invitation to attend a wedding or class reunion?

Struggling with getting into your favorite gown or pair of slacks?

If you're like most, these are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of embarrassing moments. Not feeling at peace with the person in the mirror can be devastating. Imagine how not looking and feeling good about yourself affects your life. A sad and frustrated dieter who has yet to see results is someone who may or may not lack self-confidence, have negative personal and professional relationships and maybe wasting tons of money on non-nutritious foods.

If that is you than look no further. Contrary to what you may believe there are lots of others potentially feeling the same pain as you. Build on that bond and look for support in times of need. Now I cannot and will not offer you a false and exaggerated approach to weight loss. It's a waste of time and won't solve anything.

What I can honestly say and promise to you is a systematic approach that is easy-to-follow and bottom line has been proven to work. My strategy is focused around moderate calorie cuts of 100 per meal at least three times a week. For example for breakfast take whatever you like to eat and find a way to cut at least 100 calories from it at least three times per week. By doing this you will have shaved 300 calories off of your diet every week. Repeating this process for an entire year (52 weeks) and you're looking at a drop off of five pounds. It may make better sense if I explained it in different terms 100 calories x 3 times/week x 52 weeks=15,600 calories/5 pounds.

Snacks and desserts

We all like to snack here and there to break the monotony of a regimented meal plan. And there is nothing wrong with it. In fact, research shows that people who snack are better able to control their weight and eat less than those who do not. As with anything, it's all about moderation.

Frozen fruit smoothie

A fruit smoothie is an excellent choice when you feel the urge to snack. One of my favorite recipes calls for one cup of strawberries, ½ banana, 1/3 cup of whey protein, and water. Combine the ingredients in a blender and drink when ready. This refreshingly tasty treat will cut around 200 calories per serving compared to store-bought pre-made mixes. Furthermore, the whey protein will provide your body with a supply of amino acids which help metabolizing and with weight loss.

Ice cream

Yes, I said ice cream. Haagen-Dazs specifically offers a chocolaty rich sorbet that will have your taste buds cheering and your mind at ease. Browse your favorite supermarket and you'll be sure to find that when looking in Haagen-Dazs section a sorbet that is completely fat-free, contains some protein in addition to fiber which are all good nutrients and helpful to you in your weight loss plan. On average, you're looking to save 100 calories and 14 grams of fat per serving when compared to a serving of Haagen-Dazs' chocolate fudge ice cream.

Snacks and desserts are kind of one the sensitive topics of discussion when it comes to dieting and weight loss. Most of the time it's because there is a perceived fear felt by many that by somehow having a snack here and there is cheating yourself and ultimately a step backwards. As you've discovered through this article there are several options that allow you to find that happy medium between being healthy and tasty.

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Tasty Snacks Minus the Guilt - Healthy Snack Ideas For Healthy Living

Eating snacks is often said to be a bad behavior and should not be included in a person's diet. But healthy snack ideas can be good, if the foods are nutritious and healthy. Children are not the only age group who can monopolize on snacks. If you are already an adult, then don't feel guilty on splurging on these as long as they are healthy.

Healthy snacks can give extra energy needed for exercise. It can also help reduce hunger and it can prevent over eating. It is important to choose healthy and low calorie snacks foods because it can contribute to the daily calorie intake needed by our body. There are calorie free snacks available in the market, like salad greens which includes lettuce, romaine and spinach. Low sodium broth or bouillon and one cup raw vegetables like broccoli, mushrooms, cucumber and celery are also good munching ingredients for your nibbles. Diet jello and crystal light popsicles, on the other hand, can be your sweet delights for dessert.

There are very low calories snacks available on the market. Foods like these include, one small piece of fruit like pear and apple, peach, nectarine and orange, half slice of a small banana and one table spoon raisins. Vegetables like one large carrot with a fat free dressing can also be a substitute. Crackers and grains option, on the other hand can include two cups air popped popcorn, five pieces of saltine crackers and one rice cake with skim ricotta cheese. If you are a lover of dairy products and meat, you can have an ounce of low fat cheese and pudding with non-fat milk or a slice of a lean turkey or chicken.

If you cannot stick to calorie free and very low calorie healthy snack ideas, there are other low calorie snacks that you can have without the guilt. Toasted muffin with jelly, one cup cereal with non fat milk, one half slice of bagel with alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, tomato and non fat cheese as filling or one small whole wheat bagels are just some of the mouth-watering choices that you can select from. A sandwich made with lean turkey or chicken, lettuce, tomato and mustard could be a substitute. Chips and junk food include a small tortilla or baked potato with low fat cheese and salsa as dip. You can also have mini pizzas made of English muffins or bagels with low fat cheese and tomato sauce. Fruits like grape nuts with vanilla yogurt, baked apple with cinnamon, banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter, fresh fruits are also healthy selections.

Here are some examples of healthy snack ideas recipes that you can do. A party parfait that serves two people needs two cups of vanilla or non- fat yogurt, one half fresh fruit and one fourth cup of whole grain cereal. First, prepare both glasses with yogurt, layer the fruits on top of it, and sprinkle cereals on top of it. Repeat these steps until the glass is full. For the finishing touch, chill your preparation before serving.

The second recipe is Bananas on a Stick that serves about six people. The ingredients include: three bananas cut in half, one fourth cup peanut butter, one fourth cup grains such as walnuts, pecans or granola and six Popsicle sticks. First, insert the Popsicle stick into the banana, spread the peanut butter and roll it to the nuts and cereal. Serve immediately or wrap in wax paper and put in the freezer for three hours before serving.

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Health delicious sandwiches recipes

It is difficult to make a healthy meal for the whole family every day. Salts, fats and other unhealthy additives can be really full of sugar, which may seem a healthy meal. Even a salad can be a dish relatively little healthy with the wrong type of vinaigrette. What we really, with healthy foods are many whole grain products, natural foods and the type of ingredients step stack in the pound sterling.

On the other hand, this does not mean that it should be boring or devoid of imagination. Here are a few recipes to start healthy is:

Spinach balls

Ingredients

Spinach 1 lb

1.5 Ounces of grated cheese

3 C soup wheat flour

1 Egg

1 small onion

1 Cup of tomatoes

4. The crumbs

Salt

Oregano

White pepper

Select remove, fresh leaves, green, foreign and wilted spinach and make washing the spinach. Scuttled off the coast of stem hard as much as you can and crumble the remaining leaves. Cook the spinach in a hot with a small pan of water, until the leaves are wilted, this will take you a few minutes.

When cooled, mix the spinach with cheese, flour and egg white, before adding a pinch of pepper. Sum up in balls and store them for the next step. Meanwhile, mix the eggs with salt yellow separated by return to the previous one and its coating with its mix of bread crumbs. Now, arrange the meatballs on a tray and leave in the refrigerator for a few hours or more.

You can add a delicious sauce of tomatoes, onions and oregano. Take the balls and spinach with only a few drops of oil, you, the balls, let boil and add to the sauce. Serve hot and enjoy the holidays up to a dozen of this Green and healthy fun!

French fries

Ingredients

1 Medium Apple

1 C. soup sugar

1/2 Cup of water

1 / 2 The cinnamon

(Increase of Apple wants to make)

The skin of the apples and place in a dish to cook and wash. A bit of water to implement the database and make a few small in the Apple of hacks. With sugar, cinnamon and sprinkle mixture then in the oven at medium heat for 40 minutes, until sweet apples and mashed.

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Healthy Snacks Can Be Tasty and Inexpensive - Bonus - Great Hummus Recipe

I used to be what I call a "Chip-aholic." Then one day Dad gave me a list of the Worst 10 foods you can eat. Chips pretty much topped the list and I ate them everyday. Yikes! It was time to discover better snacks. Luckily there are so many and more all the time as consumers are demanding better quality, healthy food.

These days you can buy Rice Crackers that actually taste good. I have found a brand that is about the cheapest and only has 2% fat, 2% saturates, 0 trans fat, and 3% sodium per 8 crackers. That's really good. The sesame are my favorite which is good too because sesame seeds are so high in calcium.

Colorful fruits and vegetables are so good and good for you. We all know this. You can always find some that you really like; cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, sweet oranges, red peppers, carrots, corn on the cob, juicy apples, asparagus, and the list goes on. I try to get them washed with my filtered tap water when I bring them home, throw them in the crisper and they're ready to eat. It's easy to grab a carrot and nibble away on it while I'm reading or watching a movie.

Popcorn is easy too. I still use my hot air popper. I just feel unsure of what's in microwave popcorn and it only takes about 2 more minutes than a microwave. It never burns either which is a bonus. Just don't load it down with butter! I like to add nutritional yeast. That's so good as it's filled with B vitamins, helps relax me. Many tasty seasonings are available; Spike, spirula, powdered cheese, garlic powder, etc.

Nutritional yeast and ground flax are also good on whole wheat toast or good old rye crisp breads. Peanut butter topped with ground flax is also yummy on toast. One of my favorite healthy spreads is hummus! I love it on rice crackers, pita or toast or as a dip. Try this easy recipe for awesome hummus. I use organic ingredients as much as possible, so much better for the body and the planet! Stock up on sale items when possible.

Easy Tasty Hummus

You'll need:

1 15 oz/398 ml can of chickpeas *I soak/cook my own chickpeas, tastier and low-cost

2 tbls tahini or 2 heaping tbls of sesame seeds (much cheaper)

Few cloves garlic- I love garlic so add up to 4 big ones

½ tsp of dried chili peppers or roasted red peppers....taste preference

Juice of one lemon or 2 tbls bottled juice

½ tsp sea salt

2 tbls olive oil- extra virgin and cold pressed is best (large cans are the best deal)

Method:

I used to double or triple this recipe and freeze the extra but it took so long to blend in all those chickpeas and was so hard on the blender I found that it's actually faster to make a smaller amount. If you have a newer, good quality blender go for the bigger batch!

To start I put 1 tbls filtered tap water into the blender with the sesame seeds to make my tahini.

Add garlic and dried chili peppers/roasted red pepper and salt.

Gradually add chickpeas alternately with the lemon juice and olive oil.

Add water if you want a creamier texture.

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