Healthy Snack Ideas

Healthy Pizza Snack Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

2 whole wheat English muffins sliced in half
4 TBSP Marinara (tomato) sauce
1/2 cup (low fat) Mozzarella cheese or soy cheese
1/4 cup Mushrooms chopped
2 TBSP chopped green pepper
1 Tsp Dried oregano
1 Tsp chopped fresh Basil (or dried)
1 tsp garlic powder

Spread the marinara sauce on the four English muffin halves. Then sprinkle with cheese and the remaining ingredients. Place on a cookie sheet under a broiler until the cheese melts and gets a little brown on the edges. Serve warm.

Fall is definitely in the air, and pumpkins are everywhere these days. The taste of pumpkin, cinnamon and allspice make me think of autumn and cooler days.

I was in search of a good pumpkin cookie recipe and I came across this one at the Natural Papa blog. It’s wholesome and uses healthy, fresh ingredients. The smell when these cookies are in the oven will have the neighbors knocking on your door.

Ridiculously Good Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Preheat oven to 325°F

Ingredients (all organic, yes?):

* 1 cup cooked pumpkin (cut in half, scoop out seeds, place cut side down on baking sheet and bake at 350 until soft. Peel and mash or blend the pumpkin.)
* 1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter, or even olive oil)
* 3/4 cup unrefined sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
* Egg replacer equivalent for 2 eggs
* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp sea salt
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp ground cloves
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix all of the ingredients together, adjust spices to your taste, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Drop by the spoonful onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Try substituting sweet potatoes or butternut squash (or any winter squash) for the pumpkin for a different taste, put them in muffin tins, or bake in a loaf pan.

Spiced Nuts
(Yields 12 Servings)

1 Egg white
1lb. Pecans (or Almonds or another nut of your choice)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cold water
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Beat egg white and water until frothy. Mix in pecans. In a small bowl, combine the sugar salt and cinnamon. Add to the pecans. Mix well. Butter the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Pour the nuts into the pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.

For savory nuts you can substitute garlic powder or curry powder for the cinnamon and omit the sugar.

Update: Khaya Cookies are running an online special. You can purchase any three boxes of Khaya Cookies for $15. and the shipping is free when you use the code, “Quest” at checkout. You are then automatically entered to win any of the prizes at QuestforCapetown.com.

Let’s begin by my confessing that I am a cookie lover, but I am also a baker who’s famous in my circle of friends for my tasty cookie treats, so cookies are a product that I don’t normally purchase on my weekly grocery runs. I often admittedly get into a baking rut and make the same recipe over and over, which tends to bore my children. But then we tried some Khaya cookies, and got a taste for the exotic ingredients and the subtle flavors in these yummy cookies and now we will be expanding our cookie horizons to include these fabulous treats.

Khaya’s gourmet cookies are made from the freshest ingredients in the winelands of South Africa using indigenous ingredients with no preservatives, no additives and no trans fats.

The box holds the cookies, which are sealed in a plastic bag that has a re-sealable sticker just in case you don’t eat them all in one sitting.

But the thing that appeals to me is the company’s social mission. They are committed to using natural ingredients to make these cookies by hand. They hire previously unemployed local men and women and train them to become skilled bakers, but they also teach them life skills such as budgeting and debt management. So, while you are enjoying these delicious cookies you can be confident that you are helping to support people who are improving the lives of the members of their community.

Here are the five different flavors that I tried:

Orange & Chocolate Krunchi
These are one inch granola bar squares with bits of Belgian chocolate, orange zest and a light honey flavor. These cookies have a rich, dense texture from the granola. The honey also serves to soften the texture while it adds a distinctive flavor.

Cranberry Rooibos Shortbread
The bright, tart, sweet flavor of cranberry adds a spark of flavor to these shortbread squares. They also contain Rooibos, an herb indigenous to South Africa which is naturally rich in antioxidants and other health benefits. The Rooibos adds a subtle, earthy undertone to the flavor of the cookie, which also has a buttery, flaky, salty sweet flavor.

Grapeseed Shortbread
These cookies also come in 3/4″ tiny squares but they pack a delghtful flavor and texture. The currents are chopped fine and they add a surprising burst of flavor and texture to these buttery, light and crispy confections. The finish on these is a little grainy, which I suspect is from the grapeseed.

Granola Fruit Krunchi
These had the most exotic flavor to me. The combination of the dried apricots, and dates and honey gives it a rich, deep complex flavor. The texture is firm but not dry and they taste like a hearty, wholesome granola bar with an international flair.

Orange Rooibos Shortbread
These cookies come in small, 3/4″ squares. They have a classic shortbread texture–which is crispy and crunchy, but not at all dry. These buttery cookies have a nice light flavor which allows the fresh orangy-citrusy flavor to shine through. The salty-sweet component

While these healthy snack treats are made with all natural ingredients, they are not a low calorie snack. Each nutrition label clearly lists the allergens each product contains, and the fact that they are manufactured in a a factory that uses tree nuts and peanuts.

I liked all of the five flavors, but I must confess that the Orange Rooibos Shortbread was my hands-down favorite with the Orange & Chocolate Krunchi coming in at a close second. I would serve these with tea or at a festive event on a dessert tray. They would also make a delicious addition to a gift basket.

Khaya’s Cookies are available for $5.75 per 4.6 oz box at: Peet’s Coffee and Tea Stores, online at their web site: khayacookies.com and in a few retail locations, which you can find listings of on their web site.

I must confess that I have a teensy bit of an addiction to this simple little snack. How much easier can a snack be to prepare? Steam them, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and enjoy. They make a great, light appetizer, too, and they make a simple, lovely presentation.

Edamame is just green soybeans. They are grown in China and frozen. You can purchase them either in the pod, or out of the pod. For some reason, popping them out of the pod makes them fun to eat, but that’s just me.

Edamame

1 package frozen edamame pods

sea salt

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add edamame pods and steam for 4-5 minutes. Drain and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve warm or chilled.

Here’s another easy, light and healthy snack recipe. You can eat them as they are, or use them as a base for mini-appetizers for entertaining. Try a sweet version as an alternative to these savory ones by substituting cinnamon, nutmeg and honey for the dried herbs.

Herb Seasoned Rice Cakes
Yield: 4 servings

24 Unsalted mini rice cakes
1/4 cup Softened cream cheese
1/4 cup low fat sour cream (or plain, low fat yogurt)
1 tsp minced onion
1/4 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/4 tsp Dried rosemary leaves
1/4 ts Dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/8 ts Dried dill weed

Arrange the rice cakes on baking sheet. Mix remaining ingredients together and spread
them evenly on the rice cakes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

Basic Granola

Serves: 12

2 1/2 cups Quick-cooking rolled oats
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
4 TBSPs margerine
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt (leave this out if the margerine is salted)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup raisins

(These are the basic ingredients. You can add other things such as pumkin seeds, flax seeds, cashews, almonds etc. according to your preferences.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease a 13×9x2″ baking dish. In a large bowl combine the oats, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Spread the mixture in the pan and bake for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

In a small saucepan, combine the margerine, brown sugar, honey and salt. Allow it to simmer while stirring until well mixed. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.

Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Add the wheat germ to the toasted oats mixture. Drizzle the honey mixture over the granola stirring to make sure that everything is evenly coated.

Put the pan back in the oven for five minutes longer or until golden. mix in the raisins and allow the granola to cool a bit in the pan. Use a spatula to break up the big chunks. After its completely cooled store it in an airtight container.

Yields 6 cups.

When kids come in the door after school the first thing they want to do is eat something. It’s been hours since lunch and they will need a new supply of energy to power them through the homework and after school activities.

With childhood obesity at epidemic levels, it’s clear that not all parents are providing healthy meal and snack options for their kids. The snacks that kids eat should be factored in to their overall caloric intake for the day, but snacks are important in keeping blood sugar levels even and energy levels steady.

Here are some basic tips for stocking your cabinets with healthy snack options for kids:

• avoid most pre-packaged food laden with lots of sugar, fat and salt

• always have a supply of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand

apple slices
bananas
grapes
melon slices

• fruit cups or canned fruit preserved in juice or light syrup (heavy syrup is a lot of added sugar)

• baby carrots, celery, and broccoli served with a low-fat dip (reduced fat ranch dressing works well)

• guacamole and rice cakes or baked pita chips

• low fat, low sugar yogurt served with graham crackers

• air-popped popcorn with no butter

• low fat, low salt pretzels

• low fat granola bars

Make sure that kids eat their afternoon snack as early as possible  so that they don’t impact the child’s appetite for dinner. Keep the calorie count low by controlling the portions so that it doesn’t end up counting as a meal.

Be mindful also of the additional calories in the beverages that they consume along with their snacks. Avoid sugary sodas and juices and encourage them to drink water, lowfat milk or 100% juices that don’t have added sugar.

If you keep a good variety of healthy snacks in the house you’ll be prepared when the hungry children are ready to eat.