Do you snack?
I do. I even plan to snack.
I know, it’s daunting enough to plan dinner and scrape together a few leftovers for lunch, but plan snacks too?
Absolutely!
Because most often it is the random things we grab for a snack (candy bars, donuts, granola bars, sugary yogurt) that wreck the good decisions we make at mealtime. Planning nutritious snacks for those morning and afternoon droops can help:
- Increase cognitive function for decision-making tasks
- Increase energy and alertness
- Avoid the vending machine temptations
- Level blood sugar between meals
- Curb hunger leading up to a meal to reduce portion sizes
- Provide energy for a workout
- Reduce caffeine consumption—try a snack instead of an afternoon latte
- Avoid over-buying at the grocery store on our way home from work
Cinnamon-Spiced Almond Butter Dip with sliced apples is my favorite snack right now. A tangy, crisp Fuji apple is ideal for dipping into this salted, lightly sweetened almond butter, spiced with cinnamon and generously topped with toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Although unrefined sugar is included in the recipe, I’ve made it many times without it. Of course, you can adjust any of the add-ins to your liking, but I highly recommend you don’t skip the salt. I had a hard time with almond butter when I first tried it because it tasted flat to me; salt made all the difference.
Creamy, crunchy, salty, sweet—nearly snack perfection right there—healthy too, so it’s all good and no guilt!
- 2 tablespoons pepitas -- toasted
- ⅓ cup almond butter
- 2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar -- or 1 tsp honey
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- sea salt
- 1 medium Fuji apple -- sliced
- Toast pepitas in a dry skillet over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until pepitas start to pop in the pan and are lightly browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the coconut palm sugar and cinnamon into the almond butter until well blended. Taste and adjust as desired. Sprinkle with sea salt and top with toasted pepitas.
Now for the other 39 recipes to inspire your snack time!
One of the aspects I enjoy about blogging is the ability to introduce my readers to the excellent work of other food bloggers. There is loads of creativity and variety in this long list of snacking genius ~ click on any photo or title to see the recipe.
Here’s to better snacking!
~ Dips & Spreads ~
Hummus {Hummus bi Tahini} by A Cedar Spoon
Easy and Healthy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Dip by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
Sweet Potato Hummus by Alida’s Kitchen
Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip by The Kitchen is My Playground
Spinach Artichoke Hummus by Shugary Sweets
~ Chips ~
Easy Smoky BBQ Kale Chips by Ricki Heller
Chili-Roasted Beet Chips by Nosh and Nourish
Brussels Sprouts Chips by All Day I Dream About Food
Baked Corn Tortilla Chips by The Lemon Bowl
~ Granola & Nuts ~
Sweetly-Spiced Crispy Pecans or Walnuts
from our Savoring Today kitchen
Rosemary Mixed Nuts by Everyday Maven
Coconut Sesame Granola [GF & V] by The Tomato Tart
Honey Mustard Roasted Cashews by The Law Student’s Wife
Dark Cocoa Superfood Granola with Cawalnuts by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
Rosemary & White Pepper Almonds by Seasonal & Savory
Vanilla Cashew Mix by An Edible Mosaic
~ Bars & Bites ~
Fruit & Nut Granola Bites
from our Savoring Today kitchen
Dairy-Free Breakfast Bars by Sheri Silver
D.I.Y. Larabars by Sheri Silver
No Bake Granola Bar Bites by Like Mother Like Daughter
Homemade Healthy Snack Bars by Roxana’s Home Baking
Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars by Running to the Kitchen
Banana Nut Bread Granola Bars by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
Cashew Cookie Larabars by 52 Kitchen Adventures
Almond Date Bites by Everyday Maven
~ Crackers, Muffins & Munchies ~
Coconut Curry Popcorn by The Tomato Tart
Homemade Sesame Rice Crackers by Confident Cook, Hesitant Baker
Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks by Confident Cook, Hesitant Baker
Grain-Free High Protein Raw Cookie Dough Snack by Ricki Heller
Banana Chia Bites (Muffins) by Running To The Kitchen
Spicy Oven Roasted Chickpeas by My Catholic Kitchen
Cheese-Wrapped Olives by Seasonal and Savory
Taco-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas by Shugary Sweets
Goat Cheese Herb Stuffed Tomatoes by All Day I Dream About Food
Candy Apple Wedges by An Edible Mosaic
Banana Date Pecan [No Sugar] Muffins by Farm Fresh Feasts
Dehydrated Pears & Fruit Roll Ups by One Creative Mommy
Beef Jerky
from our Savoring Today kitchen
Pumpkin Pie Spice Sprouted Wheat Muffins
from our Savoring Today kitchen
Shared on the following Blog Hops:
Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday
Hearth & Soul Hop
Real Food Wednesday
Pennywise Platter Thursday
OMG, how absolutely delicious!
Lizzy (Good Things) recently posted..A conversation with Callum Hann (MasterChef finalist 2010)
The only problem is keeping it “snack size”. 😉
I love your dip! Perfect with apples. And such a great roundup of healthy snacks! I don’t plan my snacks carefully enough — too easy to pick something up at the supermarket, which usually tends to be a bad decision. Good post — thanks.
[email protected] Riffs recently posted..The Pink Lady Cocktail
Hi John, I’m with you, without a plan I don’t usually make the better choice.
Tons of flavor, no guilt and a colorful presentation to boot! Sharing this one with Liz for sure.
Sorry about the Super Bowl and hope you guys are recovering well. 🙂
Jed Gray (sportsglutton) recently posted..German Goulash w/ Spaetzle
Hi Jed! Ugh, the Super Bowl … we are recovering fine, wasn’t terribly surprised by the loss though the lopsided score was hard to fathom. Hopefully, it will be a wake up call to focus on a more balanced team. Hope all is well with you and Liz ~ happy snacking. 🙂
I think we’re going to have this for lunch tomorrow! Just bought some organic pink lady apples and they would be perfect with your almond butter. Love the pepitas for some extra crunch!
mjskit recently posted..30+ Recipes Using Preserved Lemons
Pink Lady apples are perfect for this snack, MJ, I love how crisp and tangy they are. Hope you like it. 🙂
I love anything with cinnamon in it and I’d stand at the front of the line for this!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef recently posted..Pork Tenderloin with Peach Chutney
Me too, Maureen, I will sometimes choose cinnamon desserts over chocolate — and that is sayin something.
This looks so delicious and healthy, I would love to try cantaloupes in this one
Raymund recently posted..Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Oh, cantaloupe, now that is an interesting idea … gonna have to try that this summer when we can get one that is ripe. 🙂
Hey, This post is looking so good and Amazing! A very well made post with beautiful pictures. I’ve bookmarked this special recipe of yours and would love to give it a shot soon. Thanks for sharing your well prepared and presented recipes. Shall look forward to your next post.
Have a wonderful week ahead. Take care.
Thanks & Regards, Sonia!!!
sonia recently posted..Time to Raise Toast with Cake and Roasted Peanut Pesto Pizza for Anniversary Celebrations !!!
Now I’m looking forward to picking our apples and it is not even spring. 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie
Oh yes, the apple blossoms that promise crisp, sweet apples to fill our hands … perfect.
I would happily snack on this all day. Lovely.
🙂 Mandy xo
Mandy – The Complete Book recently posted..In My Kitchen – March 2014
Thanks Mandy, me too!
Judy Purcell recently posted..Cinnamon-Spiced Almond Butter Dip + 40 Healthy Snack Recipes