Healthy Snacks

Trail Mix

Never underestimate the power of trail mix. This is your chance to create a grab bag of all your favorite nuts and dried fruits.

I found some wonderful trail mix recipes at Group Recipes and Cooks.com if you’re looking for something new to try.

Hummus

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2-3 tablespoons of tahini
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish

Directions:

1- In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.

2- Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.

Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread.

You can also cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.

Apricot Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 fresh apricot, diced
6 strawberries
1/2 banana
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 tsp. flax seed oil (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender until mixed to desired consistency.

Smoothies are one of the easiest snacks to make and work well as a breakfast item. I found a wonderful collection of healthy smoothies at Health Recipes.com and Eating Well. For those wishing to dabble in the art of cooking it’s fun to make up your own smoothie recipe. Try using any combination of fruits and see what happens

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