10 Easy Guilt-Free Snacks
Stock your pantry for smart bites between meals
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Photo by Threemanycooks.com
Quick trail mix
Mix equal parts semi-sweet chocolate chips, dried cranberries and your choice of roasted nuts (hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans).
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Yogurt parfait
Top ½ cup of Greek yogurt with ½ cup prepared seasonal fruit, drizzle with agave or honey and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons chopped roasted nuts.
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Almond and cream cheese stuffed colossal olives
Scrape a roasted almond tip across a bar of light (Neufchatel) cream cheese to pick up a generous ¼ teaspoon. Stuff it, cream cheese end down, into a colossal pitted olive. (Trim olive base if you want it to stand up.)
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Photo by Threemanycooks.com
Goat cheese-topped cherry tomatoes
Halve grape or cherry tomatoes lengthwise and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Smear each half with a generous ¼ teaspoon of fresh goat cheese.
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Pizzelles with Nutella and banana
Spread a pizzelle cookie with 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella) and top with ½ sliced banana.
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Photo by Threemanycooks.com
Salsa-deviled egg
Halve a boiled egg and remove yolk. Mash yolk with a tablespoon of your favorite salsa or salsa verde. Spoon filling back into egg halves and enjoy. If there’s time, top eggs with minced sun dried tomato.
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Photo by Threemanycooks.com
Roasted walnut-stuffed prunes
Scrape a shelled walnut across a bar of light (Neufchatel) cream cheese to pick up a generous ¼ teaspoon. Stuff walnut, cream cheese end down, into the prune.
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Photo by Threemanycooks.com
Ham, cheese and pickle roll-ups
Lay a thin slice of sharp cheddar on a thin slice of ham or turkey. Place a pickle at one end and roll up.
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Quick cucumber-yogurt dip with pita chips
Grate ¼ seedless cucumber and squeeze it dry. Mix with ¼ cup Greek yogurt and 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pita chips.
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Photo by Threemanycooks.com
Honey-drizzled ricotta with pistachios and cinnamon
Scoop a generous 3 tablespoons of ricotta into a bowl and top with 1 teaspoon of honey, 2 teaspoons chopped pistachios and a pinch of cinnamon.
En español | When you’re hungry it’s easy to mindlessly grab a handful of chips or cookies or some other snack filled with fat and sugar. With a decently stocked pantry and refrigerator, and a couple of extra minutes, you can create easy, guilt-free snacks and mini-meals that are both satisfying and good for you. Here are just a few of my favorites.
Also of interest: 7 foods that will keep you young.
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