Category Archives: Snacks

Roasted Chickpeas

These make a great snack while watching TV – pick away without guilt! Put a few bowls out at parties and watch everyone try and figure out what the heck they are eating 🙂

Roasted Chickpeas
Roasted Chickpeas

8 servings
29 calories per serving

2 c canned chick peas, drained and rinsed (I used a can of tri-color chick peas)
1 t oil
Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss peas and oil and spread on a baking sheet and bake 40 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt. Cool before serving.

Broccoli Cheddar Dip

So easy to make – this takes just a few minutes. And the results are SUPER ! There will be lots of yummy noises as your group eats this one up. Serve with low cal crackers.

Broccoli Cheddar Dip
Broccoli Cheddar Dip

18 servings
72 calories per serving

10 oz. package frozen broccoli
8 oz. Cabot low fat sharp cheddar, grated
4 oz. cream cheese
2 T milk
1 t Tabasco sauce
1/2 t pepper

Microwave broccoli in a partially covered dish 8-10 minutes. Add cheddar, cream cheese, tabasco and pepper. Recover and microwave 1-2 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Stir until smooth. Serve immediately with crackers.

Melon Pops

The first batch of these did not quite hit the spot. With a little tweaking, the recipe has become a great chilly treat for a hot summer day. I usually make them two tiered with halves of both the cantaloupe and honeydew melons.

Melon Pops
Melon Pops

6 servings (8 oz. pops)
59 calories per serving

2 c diced honeydew melon
1/3 c plain nonfat yogurt
Juice of 1 lime
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 T honey
1 T Splenda

Mix 2 c of melon with yogurt, lime juice, honey, Splenda and zest and blend until smooth. Fill the pop molds, insert sticks and freeze at least 6 hours.

Canteloupe – As a variation, replace honeydew with cantaloupe.

You may want to make both variations and make a layered melon pop. If you do this, freeze the first ‘layer’ for 1 hour – then add the second and insert the sticks and freeze at least 6 hours.

Frozen Grapes

For the most part, a grape is a grape is a grape. Sure, some are sweeter than others, but a grape is a grape. That is…..until you freeze it ! Then you get a taste treat unlike any other. It’s like eating a mini sorbet with each bite. The insides don’t quite freeze all the way, so the consistency is just right and each bite is refreshing and packed with flavor.

10 grapes = 34 calories

Frozen Grapes
Frozen Grapes

Bananasicles

You can use the popsicle ‘molds’ you get at the store, or even more fun is placing the mix in Dixie cups, adding a stick, and then peeling away the cup just before serving. Simple, simple to do and a very tasty evening treat. At only 82 calories per creamy pudding pop, I might just have one every night 🙂

Bananasicles
Bananasicles

7 servings
82 calories per serving

3.4 oz. package of instant banana pudding mix
2 c skim milk
1 banana cut into small pieces
7 T sugar free chocolate syrup (the type you use to make chocolate milk)

Place 1 T of chocolate syrup into the bottom of each cup. Combine pudding and milk until thick then stir in banana pieces and divide mix into 3 oz. paper cups. Cover with foil and poke through popsicle sticks and freeze 3 hours. Peel away cup to serve.

Apricot Sweet Rolls

These are sooooo easy to put together. Serve warm from the oven and you’ll have the family waiting in line for the sweet goodness of these perfect sweet rolls.

Apricot Sweet Rolls
Apricot Sweet Rolls

8 servings
160 calories per serving

1 can low fat refrigerated dinner rolls or biscuits
1/3 c apricot – pineapple preserves (or any flavor preserves that you like)
2 t sugar
¼ t cinnamon
¼ c sliced almonds
Pam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan or a deep dish pie plate with Pam. Separate dough into individual rolls and place in pan – I do a circle around the edge with 8 rolls and 2 in the center. Starting ¼ inch in from the edges cut a deep X into the top of each roll then open slightly by pulling the dough toward the edges. Fill each with 2 t of the preserves. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle with almonds and bake ½ hour or until golden. Serve warm.

Fruit Parfaits

These whip up in no time and are so versatile – you can use any flavor jello and any flavor fruit – – just make sure it’s frozen fruit. The frozen fruit is what makes the jello firm up in no time flat. I did this with raspberries and the dessert was just amazing tasting !

Fruit Parfaits
Fruit Parfaits

4 servings
85 calories per serving

3/4 c boiling water
1 c Cool Whip, thawed
.3 oz. package flavored sugar free jello, raspberry or strawberry flavor
2 c frozen raspberries or strawberries

Add water to jello and stir 2 minutes to dissolve then stir in 2 c frozen fruit until jello starts to thicken. Add ½ c of the mix to the Cool Whip and whisk to blend then spoon into dessert cups and cover with the rest of the jello mix. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Fresh Cranberry Relish

There are some sides that you just make over and over again. This is one of them. At only 50 calories per serving, this also makes a great snack. And it is soooo good for you !

Fresh Cranberry Relish
Fresh Cranberry Relish


8 servings
50 calories per 1/2 c serving

Forget Ocean Spray jellied cranberries around the holidays! Instead try this fresh salad that is simple to prepare and a great crowd pleaser.

1 bag cranberries
3/4 c Splenda
2 granny smith apples, cored and in quarters
1 seedless oranges (peel and all !), in quarters

Rinse the cranberries and pick out any bad ones. Place in a food processor and process until they are in small pieces. Remove to a bowl. Place apples in processor and blend until small pieces. Remove to bowl with cranberries. Place oranges in processor and process until all skin is in small pieces. Remove to bowl with cranberries and apples. Add Splenda and mix well. Refrigerate at least 4 hours so flavors blend.

Fruit Salsa

Try serving this with Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps. This has such a flavor explosion already then you add the kick from the jalapeno and this is a dessert or snack that is near perfection ! Be sure to chop everything very small and very uniform – that is part of what makes this as special as it is.

Fruit Salsa
Fruit Salsa

Makes 3 cups
1 T = 44 calories

1 c finely chopped strawberries
1 orange, peeled and finely chopped
3 small kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
¼ c finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 T lime juice
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Fruit Salsa
Fruit Salsa

Combine all ingredients and cover and chill at least 6 hours.

Homemade Chex Party Mix (Crock Pot)

Feel free to mix this up as much as you want – use only one type of Chex if you only like one….don’t like peanuts, leave them out and put in more pretzels – – make it your own and make it often ! 🙂

Homemade Chex Party Mix (Crock Pot)
Homemade Chex Party Mix (Crock Pot)

24 servings
155 calories per serving

6 T butter, melted
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t garlic powder
1 ½ t Lawry’s seasoned salt
3 c Corn Chex cereal
3 c Rice Chex cereal
3 c Wheat Chex cereal
1 c peanuts
1 c mini pretzels
1 c bagel chips broken into small pieces (or melba toasts)

Mix butter, Worcestershire, garlic, and salt. Gradually stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix well to evenly coat. Cook uncovered on low 3-4 hours stirring every 30 minutes.

If you don’t have a crock pot, you can bake these at 275 degrees for 1 hour, turning and stirring every 15 minutes.

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