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hummus

Healthy Snack Ideas for the Holidays

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The holidays are here and so are the dinner parties full of all kinds of fantastic foods. With that being said, so are all of the extra calories. However, you can still enjoy your favorite holiday foods, if you substitute some healthy snack ideas for meals. That way you can feel more relaxed while indulging at your next holiday party.

Here are some low calorie snacks to make. I suggest that you have a balanced breakfast and eat these healthy snacks during the day before going to your holiday gatherings.

Baked Cinnamon Apple

Preheat oven 350*
Core the apple ( I Recommend Using Red Delicious Type Apples ) Peel the skin from around the top of apple
Fill the core with raisins
Generously, sprinkle apple with cinnamon
Drizzle honey on top of the apple
Cover the core with a pat of butter
Place apple in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of water to the bowl Place bowl on a cookie sheet
Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until apple is soft
Allow apple to cool for 5 minutes before eating

Cucumber Slices With Sea Salt

Wash and dry cucumber
Cut into 1/4 inch slices
Sprinkle with sea salt

Celery Sticks With Hummus

Wash and peel celery
Fill the center of the stalk with store bought hummus
(health food stores has a great selection of hummus)
Cut into edible pieces.

Enjoy these simple healthy snack ideas and Happy Holidays !!!!

Posted by Eve

Homemade Hummus

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As I get older, I am finding that I am beginning to try new foods. For years, my friends have been talking about how tasty hummus with tortilla chips is. At my age, I now prefer to make my snacks at home because of the harmful ingredients found in store bought snacks. So I have come up with my own recipe. I compiled this recipe from my friends different family recipes. I picked and chose the ingredients I wished to combine to my desired pallet.

Ingredients:

2 cans of Chick Peas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup of Tahini sauce ( found in most supermarkets)
1 teaspoon of Cumin
1-2 pinches of Cayenne Pepper
2 teaspoons of fresh minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/2 cup of Water
1/4 cup of Pie Nuts (garnish)
1 Sprig of Parsley or Cilantro (Garnish)

Instructions ( most ingredients will be put in a food processor):

One of my favorite Tahini sauces.

Open 2 cans of chick peas and drain excess water
Place chick peas into a large food processor
Pulse chick peas until chunky
Add tahini sauce to processor
Pulse until smooth
Add remaining ingredients-
Lemon juice
Cumin
Cayenne
Minced garlic
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pulse until all ingredients are very well blended
Taste- add more salt if needed
Hummus should have a thick consistency (if thinner is preferred add more water and extra virgin olive oil)
Remove Hummus and place in storage container
Place in refrigerator for 1 hour to allow flavors to combine

I served this with my friends at a party and received rave reviews. I have even gone so far as to using it to replace mayonnaise on a sandwich. I must admit that it was not bad. Try it!!

ENJOY!!!!!

 

Posted by Lorraine