Healthy snacks keep you moving in 2018

Ringing in the new year with resolutions to eat healthier is one of the most common. However, if you live a fast-moving life, then resisting the urge to grab something unhealthy can be hard. Making a snack beneficial for your body that provides energy for at least a few hours usually takes a while. But, with these fast-to-make and healthy snacks, you can keep up with eating healthy and your busy life.

One snack that will keep you eating your veggies is cucumber bites! With just a few simple ingredients and a fast preparation time, you can make and then store your bites in the fridge to snack on later!

Cucumber bites (from Eating on a Dime) :

Ingredients –

8 oz Sour cream
½ packet of Ranch Dressing Mix – or homemade
6 cucumbers
30 carrots
30 celery sticks

How to make –

Mix sour cream and ranch dip, then set aside
Wash carrots and celery
Wash cucumbers, use a peeler and make stripes on cumbers
Cut cucumbers into 1 ½ inch slices
Use a melon baller to scoop out center of each slice to make a cup
Fill with dip and insert carrot and celery stick

If you’re in the mood for something that will satisfy your sweet tooth while trying not to give into those candy cravings, a fruit and yogurt smoothie is a definitely the right way to go.

Fruit and yogurt smoothie (from Eating Well)

Ingredients –

¾ cup of nonfat plain yogurt
½ cup of 100% pure fruit juice
1 ½ cups of frozen fruit, such as blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, or peaches

How to make –

Puree yogurt with juice in blender until smooth
With the motor running, add fruit through opening in lid and continue to puree until smooth

Too lazy to take the time and make a completely homemade meal? Fruit pizza crackers are the perfect snack that uses simple ingredients to create a healthy snack combining a bland cracker with many flavorful fruits!

Fruit pizza crackers (from Homemade ginger)

Ingredients –

Wasa crispbreads – sourdough or multigrain
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and kiwi
Cream cheese
Honey

How to make –

Combine honey and cream cheese in medium sized bowl
Spread cream cheese mixture onto each crispbread
Chop fruit into small pieces and use to top each crispbread

Recipes like homemade hummus is one that is easy to make and easy to store away to snack on later that will last a long time without going bad.

Homemade Hummus (from Budget Bytes)

Ingredients –

15 oz can chickpeas
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup tahini
1 clove garlic
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cumin

How to make –

Drain chickpeas. Place drained chickpeas in a food processor along with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, and cumin.
Pulse the mixture until fairly smooth. If the mixture is too dry to process smoothly, add a couple tablespoons of water, extra olive oil, or liquid from canned chickpeas.
Taste hummus and adjust the salt, cumin, lemon, or garlic to your liking.

Even if you are not a huge fan of tomatoes, bruschetta is one snack that tastes delicious to almost everyone. It only takes around 30 minutes to prep and assemble for a mouthwatering outcome.

Bruschetta (from Notey)

Ingredients –

For the tomatoes –

2 pounds of ripe tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
5 basil leaves, rolled and sliced into thin strips
2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

For bread –

½ loaf of wheat french bread (about 7-10 slices)
Softened butter
1 clove of garlic

How to make –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Quarter the tomatoes, and pull out all the seeds and “pulp” out of the middle and discard so you are just left with the meat of the tomato
Chop the tomatoes up into bite size pieces
Put tomatoes into a medium bowl and add in garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste
Store in the fridge until the bread is ready
Slice loaf of wheat french bread into about 1½ inch slices
Spread softened butter onto both sides, place the bread on a baking sheet, and place in preheated oven for 10 minutes
Remove the bread from the oven, flip all of the slices over, and bake for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides
Slice the tip off of one garlic clove for a flat surface
Rub the garlic clove across the top of each toasted bread slice
Spoon the tomato mixture onto the bread, top with a little more basil, and serve!