Fast, Easy and Delicious

As a child my mother use to make me healthy snacks for after school. I was a child with allergies and was always sick. I have found that over the years the taste for healthy snacks has stuck with me. I keep in my house apples, oranges, sliced carrots and other vegies that I can just grab a hand full and snack on. some of the best are fresh green beans, clean them and snip the ends. although you can purchese them now like that. the Green Giant brand has every kind of vegie you can think of. they have many types good for snacking in the fresh produce isle of your grocery store. Green Beans, Snow Peas, Sugar snap peas, Carrots, Broccoli and Caulifower, and Bell peppers. these are all great things to keep in baggies in your fridge and when you or you children get home from work or school grab a hand full. they have the crunch and the taste that keeps you happy until Dinner. if you have to have something to dip them in, stay away from the vegie dips they can be high in fat and calories. I opt for the hidden valley fat free dressing…and only a table spoon is enough. you just need a small amount for your vegies. This last New Years eve my husband and I stayed home and made a finger food snack bar for the two of us. We had several different types of nuts, remember when buying nuts to make sure they are not honey roasted, salted or any of that, that adds sodium and calories and fats that you just do not need. we had the following.

Green Beans

Snow Peas

Sugar snap peas

Green and Yellow Bell Pepper

carrots

Broccoli

Cauliflower

apples ( I like to serve with a reduced calorie peanut butter or honey butter)

bananas

walnuts

almonds

Lucky Dip(recipe to follow)

baked whole grain chips

to drink we had

Crystal light

Water

 Honey Butter recipe

when you think of honey butter you think of Butter…not mine….for my honey butter you need the following.

2 tbsp of reduced fat peanut butter, 2 tbsp honey….mix together….you have honey butter.  the reduced fat all natural peanut butters are also very good.

Regipe for the lucky dip

1 chicken breast cooked, chuncked and cooled

1 can black eyed peas (rinsed to remove salty taste)

1 can reduced sodium tomatoes and green chilis

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 green or orance bell pepper cholled

1 small bottle of fat free italian dressing

combine all ingredients in a bowl, pour half the bottle of dressing and stir let sit in the fridge to chill and combine all flavors. after an hour taste to see if you have enough dressing on the dip. if not add whaever you feel it still needs. then chill for another couple of hours or over night. even if you think you hate Bakc Eyes Peas, you need to try this it is soooo good!!!!!!

well I hope the next time you are going to have people over for finger foods you will consider serving some of what we love to have.

this is also a great thing to have game night!