Ditch the Chips with Healthy Snacks

Crispy chips are often the go-to snacks of most people. But the chips you buy in the grocery are junk food. Of course, junk food is never healthy for anybody. These packed snacks are often overloaded with MSG (Monosodium glutamate). MSG may enhance the flavor of your food, but scientists have proven for decades that it can cause health problems.

Is junk food worth it? Definitely not. But you can always ditch unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. Yes, you read it right. It’s possible. Here are some healthy alternatives that you can munch on.

Stress-Busting Healthy Veggies

Vegetables are packed with nutrients that your body needs. Instead of eating packs of junk food snacks, turn to veggies. With veggie chips, you can munch all you want without worrying about health problems that much.

Here are some recipes for healthy veggie chips you would want to try.

1. Sweet Potato Chips

Sweet potatoes are very easy to cook. Wash the potato and then make thin slices. Next, lay them out on a baking sheet covered lightly with cooking spray. A light coat of olive oil with a pastry brush and a sprinkle of salt would do. Bake the sweet potato slices in a 225°F oven for about an hour and a half or maybe two hours. The result: healthy sweet potato crisps

2. Crispy Kale Chips

Looking for the crunch? Try crispy kale chips. First, get rid of the woody stems. Wash them and let them air dry. Coat every clean, dry chip with olive oil and make sure the entire leaf is coated. Fry them in the pan for a short while. Be sure they are crisp and not brown on the edges. And there you have it: crispy kale chips. Kale chips would also make a great salad topper.

3. Rosemary-spiced Nuts

A great snack on its own is having plain walnuts. But with rosemary, it’s a different snack to feast on. First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Use cooking spray to coat a nonstick baking sheet. Drape the walnuts — or whichever nuts you want — in maple syrup and keep mixing them in a bowl until they are fully coated.

Mix rosemary, sea salt, curry powder, and cayenne pepper in another bowl. Sprinkle spice into the bowl of nuts. Spread them onto the baking sheet and bake them for 20 minutes. Don’t forget to toss them halfway through. And there you have it. Enjoy snackin’.

Chips are fun to eat, but there may be something missing. What are chips best partnered with?

Hearty Dips Good for Chips and the Body

What are chips without a dip? For the best experience with healthy veggie chips, a hearty dip is the right partner everyone looks for. Here are different kinds of dips that you would want to try.

1. Parmesan Dip with a Twist

Here’s a parmesan dip that can give you an energy boost while snacking. You will need these ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons ground oregano
• 1/2 cup low-fat Parmesan cheese
• Chopped five (5) cloves of garlic
• 3 3/4 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil then wrap in tin foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven once done. Next, blend the garlic, cheese, beans, oregano, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the remaining olive oil while blending. Serve it right away and dip as much as you want.

2. Better-than-Regular Guacamole

Guacamole is already good. But mix it with mango and you have a great dip for veggie chips. Here are the ingredients you will need:

• 1 whole mango, peeled and sliced
• 2 avocado
• 1 whole diced red bell pepper
• 1 whole onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoon cilantro
• Salt

Making this dip is simple. Mash the avocado in a bowl. In another bowl, mix garlic, onion, and red pepper. Combine them in the bowl of mashed avocado then add in the mango, lime juice, and cilantro. Add a pinch of salt and stir. Once done, feel free to serve the mango guacamole dip to your friends.

3. Sizzling Spicy Mexican Dip

Add a little heat to your veggie chips with a spicy Mexican dip. Here are the necessary ingredients:

• A cup of salsa
• 2 whole green onion, sliced
• 2 ounces of shrimp, precooked and diced
• 8 tablespoons of fat-free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

The steps for this particular dip are simple. Just mix the salsa, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt altogether. Next, add the shrimp and green onions. Stir them together and feel free to dip some crispy kale chips in your mango guacamole dip.

Take care of your body with veggie chips and healthy dips. Aside from giving your body the nutrients it needs, you’re pleasing your taste buds, too. A healthy match for the benefit of your palate.

Yummy Desserts for the Sweet Tooth

It’s only fitting to discuss healthy sweets after going over salty — and maybe sour — snacks. For sugar lovers, there are also sweets that can make your taste buds go wild, but, at the same time, do your body some good. Don’t worry; your sweet tooth won’t put your health in trouble for these treats.

1. Fruity, Juicy Jelly Sweets

If you love gummy bears, you will definitely enjoy these jelly sweets. There are only three basic ingredients needed: one tablespoon of seaweed agar agar, one cup of fruit juice, and two tablespoons of maple syrup. Aside from the very basic ingredients, the process is quite fun and quick.

First, get a mold. You can use flexible ice cube trays or a Lego man, if you want. Stir the agar agar and maple syrup until dissolved. Boil and simmer for 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Let it cool for 2 minutes then pour them into the molds. Now, place them in the freezer.

After 5 to 10 minutes, take them out and pop them out of the molds once solid. They don’t really last as long as normal jelly sweets do, so gobble them up as soon as you can.

2. Dainty Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

A lot of people love to eat raw cookie, though. There’s no reason not to. But this cookie dough is a healthy sweet food that can also qualify as a post-workout snack. Here’s what you need:

• 2-3 tablespoons of dairy-free mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• Water

There may be a lot of ingredients but there are only two steps. The process is a piece of cake. Mix vanilla protein, almond butter, almond flour, honey, chocolate chips, and coconut together (again, optional). Slowly add water as necessary while mixing until the dough develops your desired consistency.

3. Banana Ice Cream

Everybody needs ice cream. After trying the banana ice cream, you’d be wearing the shirt with the print, “I SCREAM ICE CREAM,” every day. The banana ice cream is probably the easiest snack out of all the healthy food mentioned.

You will only need two ingredients: one banana and a tablespoon of chopped nuts. Start by peeling the banana and then placing it in the freezer for about 3 hours. Once frozen, put the banana in a blender until smooth. Place it in a small bowl and top it with chop nuts. That’s it. Enjoy your healthy ice cream.

With these recipes, it’s high time to get rid of junk food and switch to healthy alternatives. Junk food may please your palate, but healthy snacks can also do that while giving your body the nutrients it needs every single day. Live healthily and be happy with these healthy snacks.