Healthy Snack Ideas

'Healthy' 'food' is a combination of extremes, where the word food weighs more over the term healthy. Binging on some burger at a fast food outlet, gulping down cups after cups of coffee and skipping regular meals, for one reason, that there is no time in the world to cater to the needs of the body, sounds so familiar! May be a cliché saga of everyone, including you and me, isn't it? And all that the outcome has to offer is a pot shaped belly with extra flabs propping out, making one think, whatever happened.....? And if any of you has been just pondering over, 'if this was about me.....?', I would say, 'welcome to the club.....' And more, if you are thinking in the same lines as I was earlier, trying to figure out, what healthy food could suffice the taste buds and also the health, then here, let me share some yummy healthy snack ideas with you, which I recently tried out! And trust me, the healthy snack recipes mentioned in this article would work wonders for you too!

Quick and Healthy Snack Ideas

The word 'snacking' is never perceived positively, immaterial of this irresistible habit which everyone has and so more, it is most often associated with munching crunchy finger chips or a cheesy sandwich, sans the vegetables. But when the word healthy is added, it puts the entire snacking thing in a different perspective. A nutritious snack which would offer you a substantial nutritional value along with the taste, is sure to be consumed with delight without any guilt. So here are some nice healthy snack ideas. Just scroll through to try out some yummy healthy diet snacks!

Healthy Snack Ideas for Weight Loss
Gaining excess weight has no other reason other than having become a victim of unhealthy eating habits. Eating food is not only to satiate hunger, but also to supply the body with enough energy and nutrition to sustain a strong immune system. Healthy snacks that can help you satisfy your hunger and taste buds, could be whole grains, fruits, succulent vegetables, nuts and seeds (excellent protein rich snacks) and diary products. Here are some healthy snack ideas that go easy on health and taste good at the same time:

• Green salads containing lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, romaine and spinach, with a pinch of olive oil.
• A bowl of boiled and assorted vegetables (like carrots, beans, cauliflower, spinach, peas and potatoes), tossed in a teaspoon of fresh butter and sprinkled with black pepper and salt.
• A bowl of fruits (like apples, papayas, oranges, pineapples, strawberries, grapes and water melons).
• Lean meat like turkey or chicken stuffed in a sandwich, garnished with mustard, tomatoes and lettuce.
• A handful of nuts, with more raisins.
• 1 cup of cereal with non fat milk (½ cup).
• Baked apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon on it.

Here let me share some easy healthy snacks recipe of apple dip, which will be an absolute delicacy to have for a snack!

Recipe for Apple Dip

What you need:

• Apples (4)
• Fat free cream cheese (8 ounces)
• Brown sugar (2 tablespoons)
• Chopped peanuts (2 tablespoons)
• Vanilla essence (1½ teaspoons)
• Orange juice (½ cup)

How to prepare:

• Core the apples and slice them well.
• Warm the cheese for about 5 minutes until it softens.
• Now the next step is making the dip. Take a bowl. Add cheese, brown sugar and vanilla and mix it thoroughly, until the composition is smooth and creamy.
• Add the chopped peanuts to the mixture and mix well. Your dip is ready!
• Take a second bowl and put the chopped apples into it. Pour the orange juice over the sliced apples. Orange juice is used as it stalls the browning in apples, when exposed to atmosphere.
• Serve the chilled apples with the dip. It is not only delectable, but also goes light on your tummy!

Healthy Snack Ideas for Adults
It is not just kids who throw tantrums, so do adults, thinking a tad too much of their tolerant immune system which one day would succumb to various health conditions, that could have been avoided, only if one was wise enough to eat healthy. So here is a recipe for healthy snacks for adults and I am sure you would like it!

Recipe for Eggplant with Toasted Spices

What you need:

• Eggplant or aubergine (1½ pounds)
• Cumin, ground (½ teaspoon)
• Mustard seeds (1 teaspoon)
• Coriander (½ teaspoon)
• Curry powder (½ teaspoon)
• Ground black pepper, ginger, garlic, nutmeg and cloves (a pinch of each)
• Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
• Puree of cherry tomatoes (2)
• Finely chopped yellow onions (½ cup)
• Light molasses (1 tablespoon)
• Red wine vinegar (1 teaspoon)
• Salt (¼ teaspoon)
• Fresh cilantro (1 cup)

How to prepare:

• Prepare your charcoal grill or your gas grill and coat the grill rack with a cooking spray or some butter.
• Place the cooking grill rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Slice the aubergines lengthwise, each piece about ¼ inch thick. Place the slices on the rack and let the slices get cooked. Turn them over. If they have become tender and brown, transfer the slices to a new bowl.
• Take a large frying pan and add olive oil. Heat the pan over medium flame.
• Add the spice mixture of ginger, garlic, nutmeg and cloves (all in appropriate quantities) in the oil and sauté them for about 30 seconds.
• Add the finely chopped yellow onions and stir again, until the onions turn light brown in color.
• Now add the pureed tomatoes, molasses and vinegar and cook the contents for about 4 minutes, until the composition is thickened.
• Season the contents with salt and pepper and your sauce is ready.
• Transfer the cooked aubergines to a serving dish and pour the hot aromatic sauce over it and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro! Your scrumptious snack is ready to be savored!

Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids
Kids and toddlers always fuss when it comes to food. It does not count as to whether the food is healthy or otherwise, eating food just appears as a scheduled task in their life, which is not quite enjoyed, leave alone a few exceptions. So if you feel your kid needs extra nutrition, try giving him small meals with intermediary healthy snacks and yes, if you make the snack look attractive, I can vouch for the fact, that your child may find the snack quite irresistible! So here are a few healthy snacks for kids, which you may want to try out:

Recipe for Almond Crusted Chicken

What you need:

• Sliced almonds (½ cup)
• Whole wheat flour (¼ cup)
• Paprika (1½ teaspoons)
• Dry mustard (½ teaspoon)
• Garlic powder (½ cup)
• Freshly ground pepper (⅛ teaspoon)
• Salt (¼ teaspoon)
• Extra virgin olive oil (1½ teaspoons)
• Egg whites (4 eggs)
• Lean meat like chicken (tender and low fat)
• Canola oil (cooking spray)

How to prepare:

• Preheat the oven to about 475 degree F. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet, which is lined with foil. Coat it with canola oil.
• Now take the ingredients, almonds, paprika, flour, garlic, dry mustard, salt and pepper and mix them thoroughly inside the food processor. Add some oil too. After a minute, switch off the food processor and transfer the contents to a shallow dish.
• Take a shallow bowl and whisk the egg whites into it. Now take the neatly sliced chicken tenders and crumb them with egg white and then with the almond mixture and place the tenders on the rack prepared inside the oven.
• Bake the almond and egg coated chicken for about 20 - 25 minutes, until the chicken turns golden brown and crispy!
• Once done, serve it hot in a serving dish and garnish with some cilantro, and am sure, your kid will love it!

Recipe for Cheese-&-Spinach-Stuffed Portobellos

What you need:

• Portobello mushroom caps (4)
• Freshly ground pepper (¼ teaspoon)
• Skimmed ricotta cheese (1 cup)
• Freshly chopped spinach (1 cup)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese (½ cup)
• Chopped Kalamata olives (2 tablespoons)
• Marinara sauce (¾ cup)
• Salt (¼ teaspoon)
• Italian seasoning (½ teaspoon)

How to prepare:

• Preheat oven to about 450 degree F. Take a rimmed baking sheet and coat it with canola oil.
• Now place the Portobello mushroom caps on the sheet, gill side up and sprinkle salt and pepper over it. Roast the mushrooms for about 20 - 25 minutes, until they are tender.
• In the meantime, mash the ricotta cheese, spinach and olives and sprinkle pepper and Italian seasoning over the mixture. Place marinara sauce in a small bowl and microwave it for about 30 seconds to 1½ minutes.
• Once the mushrooms are ready and tender, pour out the liquid off the caps and again place the caps to the pan, gill side up. Now the marinara sauce also would be ready.
• Spread marinara sauce (1 tablespoon) into each cap and fill in the ricotta mixture into the cap.
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the mushroom caps and bake the caps again for about 10 minutes.
• Your Cheese-&-Spinach-Stuffed Portobellos is ready!

So, these were some healthy snack ideas, which can help you adopt a healthy lifestyle too! I would suggest along with the healthy snacks, it would be a great idea to get rid of the addiction to beverages like tea and coffee. Switch to green tea with your quick healthy snacks as this contains a lot of antioxidant properties and can boost up your immune system too. Hope this article has helped you take your pick for the snacks and yes, it is always better to indulge in healthy snacks rather than binging on unhealthy food and then resorting to consumption of fat burning pills! Don't you agree?