With the holidays here, many people will find themselves hosting meals with family or bringing snacks to friend’s houses. As opposed to bringing the usual chips and dip, which start your calorie budgeted plan for the meal in a downward spiral, try out some of these yummy crowd-pleasers instead!

Hummus Plate
Make your own hummus by blending in a food processor chickpeas/garbanzo beans/black beans, olive oil (limit), lemon, garlic, cumin, tahini and pepper. Then serve sliced red, orange, green and yellow bell peppers alongside of it.

Dill Yogurt Plate
Mix low fat greek yogurt with dill, oregano and a little turmeric for the dip. Then serve with the dip an arrangement of mini vegetables including persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, mini mushrooms, and sugar snap peas.

Fruit Skewers
Let guests create their own mixture of fruits for a snack to match their personal pallet. Chop up strawberries, bananas, apples, pears, nectarines and grapes and place in a bowl next to kabob sticks. Guests can make their own skewers then can dip them into different flavored yogurts. A delicious mixture for a dip is vanilla yogurt with unsweetened cocoa powder.

Deconstructed Salad
Pick any of your favorite lower calorie dressings and use as the dip. For the mock chips use romaine leaves, escarole leaves, or pieces of endive.

Mediterranean Plate
Arrange cherry tomatoes, olives, Trader Joe’s Just Chicken pieces, and cucumber slices around a bowl of pureed lemon, garlic, tahini, cumin and parsley (tahini dip).

Roasted Vegetable Tray
Thinly slice zucchini, squash, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers and eggplant then roast in oven with a flavored balsamic vinegar. Serve with small pieces of whole wheat pita bread.

Shrimp Cocktail
Arrange chilled shrimp around a dip of horseradish sauce and lemon.

Cheese Plate
Unwrap light Laughing Cow cheese wedges and place in the middle of serving plate. Serve Akmak crackers, apple slices and pear slices around the light cheese wedges.

Snack Bowls
Set out low calorie items in snack bowls that have plenty of flavor without any dip at all. Good items include:
Roasted Seaweed chips (found at Trader Joes or at Whole Foods – Sea’s Gift brand)
Air-popped popcorn flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
Cherries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries

Happy Holidays!
Jessica, Nutrition Counselor