Healthy Treats for the Holidays!

For many of us, the word “holiday” is synonymous with “weight gain.” We try to cram two to four all-you-can-eat turkey and ham dinners into a two day period, abundant desserts included. To try to take the calorie stress off your holidays this year, consider preparing one of these ten healthy holiday treats for your next seasonal gathering.

1: Hummus and Pita Wedges, from Your Total Health

To make six servings of this, get the following ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
• 2 tablespoons unroasted tahini
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon coriander
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• A dash of salt
• A dash of pepper
• 18 pimento-stuffed olives
• Olive oil
• Fresh pita bread (cut into wedges or squares)

Throw all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender or food processor. It should end with a creamy/fluffy texture. If it’s not the right consistency, try adding a small amount of the olive oil to the blend. Use the pita bread as a dip. This will triumph over that typical chips-and-dip on the table!

2: Chocolate Honey Dip with Seasonal Fruit, from the National Honey Board

To make ten servings, gather the following ingredients:

• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients into a small bowl until blended. Cover and chill it until it’s ready to serve. Serve with fresh fruits. Dried fruits and/or angel cake work as well.

3: Popcorn and Cranberries

This one is really simple. Pop up some organic popcorn and mix with cranberries. Enjoy!

4: Healthy Rice Crispy Treats

Take a standard rice crispy treat recipe, but substitute with brown rice cereal and give it flax seed meal for a nutty zing.

5: Chocolate Covered Nuts

Take your favorite nuts and set them aside. Melt an organic chocolate bar and mix. Let them cool (or not!) and serve in a holiday bowl.

Here are five more delicious treats to try:

• Pumpkin Maple Custard
• Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
• Green ad Red Fruit Medley
• Cranberry Apple Crisp
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Holidays!

The healthy holiday treats ideas were kindly shared by Responsive Health. For further information about healthy holiday treats please refer to www.responsivehealth.com. Responsive Health is a premier knowledge management community dedicated to helping individuals better understand the general scope of valuable health information.