However you choose to eat, snacking between meals is inevitable.
Rather than snatching for some fat-laden crisps after lunch or a whole tub of ice cream with a movie, it’s worth making just a little effort so you can get the taste sensation without blowing your weight loss goals.
Along with the Pink Heals diet, here are 5 great fun snacks to keep those hunger pangs at bay.
1) BBQ Sausage and Pepper Pizza Slices
If you have a party coming up and you fancy a few plates of pizza from the snack table but don’t want the usual overload of fat and carbs, how about making your own instead? It’s not hard at all and you can customize the toppings to taste. Ready in half an hour, this pizza is a superb treat that won’t cost you 2 hours in the gym.
Ingredients
- Pizza dough (1 lb)
- Flour (dusting)
- Olive oil (2 tsp)
- Peppers (1 red, 1 orange)
- Mozzarella (4 oz)
- Sweet sausages (8 oz)
- Red onion (1/2, thinly sliced
- Pepperoncini peppers (3)
Directions
- Pre-heat your grill to medium-high
- Dust your baking sheet with some flour
- Shape your dough into a 14-inch round then brush with half your olive oil
- Grill sliced sausages and peppers for 3 minutes
- Flip the food over and grill covered for 2 minutes more
- Grill the dough for 2 minutes then coat the top of the dough with the remaining oil
- Turn the dough and sprinkle the mozzarella and onion over the top
- Add the peppers, sausage and pepperoncini peppers
- Drizzle over the rest of the cheese
- Grill covered for 3 minutes then serve piping hot or reserve for cold snacks later
2) Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon
If you’re looking for finger food with a kick, you can’t go wrong with the classic jalapeño poppers. The fiery chili is balanced beautifully by the cooling cream cheese so you won’t go into meltdown from the heat. Swap out the bacon for turkey rashers if you want a leaner popper.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese (4 oz)
- Jalapeños (2, halved and seeded)
- Bacon (4 slices)
- Chives (2 tsp, chopped)
- Toothpicks (12)
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line a baking tray with foil
- Soak your toothpicks in warm water to prevent them burning
- Mix up the cream cheese and chives in a bowl. Ladle this evenly into the chili halves
- Cut the bacon slices into 3 crosswise. Wrap a piece around each stuffed chili and spear with the toothpick to secure
- Arrange on baking tray and bake for 25 minutes
3) Almond Butter Banana Ingredients
Sometimes the key to a fun, nutritious snack is its very simplicity. Things don’t get much easier than these almond butter bananas, ready to wolf down in just 15 minutes and perfect for that sweet fix without too much damaging sugar.
- Banana (1 medium)
- Almond butter (1 tsp)
- Cinnamon (1/2 tsp)
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cut a deep slit into the banana
- Pour in the almond butter then sprinkle with cinnamon
- Wrap in foil and bake for 15 minutes
- Remove, cool and serve
4) Blueberries Covered With Frozen Vanilla Yoghurt
Whatever eating plan you’re following, blueberries are not going to be off-limits. The deep, fruity flavor contrasts wonderfully with vanilla, you can get a burst of berry ideal for any hot summer’s day slathered in some low-fat yogurt.
Ingredients
- Fresh blueberries (6 oz)
- Vanilla Greek yogurt (6 oz)
Directions
- Wash your blueberries thoroughly
- Line a baking sheet with some wax paper
- Stab each blueberry with a toothpick and dip in yogurt until nicely coated
- Arrange the blueberries on the baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour
5) 60 Second Cookie Dough and Greek Yoghurt
If you miss the comforting taste of cookie dough but you don’t want to drop 1000 calories on a giant tub of gourmet ice cream, why not get a low-fat fix instead? This decadent snack couldn’t be quicker or easier to make and you’d struggle to believe it’s a fairly low-fat option.
Ingredients
- Low-fat Greek yogurt (6 oz)
- Honey (1tbsp) or Stevia (1 tsp)
- Peanut flour (2 tbsp)
- Vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)
- Almond extract (1/2 tsp)
- Chocolate chips (2 tsp)
Directions
- Grab a large bowl and whisk up the first 5 ingredients
- Refrigerate then serve topped with chocolate chips
