Healthy Meals and Snacks

Assortment of fruits at La Boqueria market in Barcelona

I came across this picture from my trip to Barcelona, and it reminded me of all the fun fruits available to snack on. It also reminded me that snacking should be fun and healthy. This might be a little late but I figured since it is still the first month of the year, why not? There is always room for healthy eating ideas and recipes. Here I have compiled all of my favorite healthy, low-cal snacks and meals for you all to enjoy. I will continue to make a conscious effort to post only organic, whole foods for healthy living every week.

Frozen Grapes are an easy and delicious way to snack on something sweet. I got this idea from my friend Joy who swears by them and then another friend told me she eats them all the time.  I’m more of a red grape lover so that is what I freeze. Once frozen, grapes almost have a sorbet texture. Perfect for a “sugar tooth” fix.

Hummus with vegetables are an essential part of my healthy snacking diet. Hummus is delicious on almost everything it touches.  Dip the sweet and crunchy carrots in hummus and you have yourself a perfect mid-afternoon healthy snack!

Soup! Soup is great for cold wintry months. Not to mention they fill you up and the possibilities are endless on all the different ways you can make it. When I make soup it usually ends up lasting for a week or longer because lets face it, can you really make a small pot of soup from scratch? It might always start off small, but then becomes this hodge podge of vegetables, lentils, beans, pasta, barley, broths, the list goes on. One of my favorite healthy soups to start off with is my famous vegetable soup. It is completely vegetable based with a kick of cayenne and a punch of garlic.

My husband Mark has always loved Campbell’s soup growing up, so we always have a stockpile in the cupboard. The Soup at Hand variety is low in calories and delicious.

Salads- When it comes to salads, I need variety. I love salads when they have an extra special touch to them, and that is why I like to make my own dressings. Reason #1, store-bought dressings are usually loaded with unnecessary fat and additives. Reason #2, making your own dressing lets you be creative. All you need are the basics, extra virgin olive oil to start, then experiment with fun and different sorts of vinegars. My favorites are balsamic, red wine, rice, champagne, and as of recent, orange muscat champagne vinegar. Mix a little vinegar with some olive oil and pepper, maybe some roasted or even fresh minced garlic, and you have just re-vamped your plain salad into a new tasty version. But don’t stop there – you can get really involved in preparing dressings, and create even more exotic combinations like my toasted sesame dressing for a delicious oriental salad. One of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks, has a ton of great recipes for homemade all-natural dressings.

Yogurt Parfaits are one of my favorite meals or snacks.  Yogurt is one of the healthiest foods to eat.  I love combining fresh fruits and nuts with my yogurt. Fage yogurt is one of my favorites – it is high in protein and low in fat.

Vegetables are very versatile – you can stir fry them, roast them, steam them, or even eat them raw. I will be posting fun and healthy vegetable recipes throughout the year.