Healthy Yummy Snacks

It's hard to get kids to snack healthy. It's even hard to get adults to do the same, especially with the snacks aisles bulging with all sorts of "goodies". What to do? Make your own yummy, healthy snacks. Surprisingly it's easy to do  - and fun. It also introduces anyone of any age to healthy eating.

Everyone love crunch and   flavor . That's probably why pretzels and potato chips have always been so popular. With healthy eating there  still can be crunch along with flavor. Kale chips are a good example of this. There is a delicate crunch  to baked leaves as well as delicious flavor that is addictive. This staple is easy to make . Wash kale leaves  and separate them from the main vein . Lightly grease a cookie sheet and place  leaves on it. Sprinkle or mist   leaves with more olive oil and sea salt and bake for 10 minutes in a 420 degree oven.  You can also do the same with Brussels sprouts as well, baking the leaves  but bake them at 320 degrees instead of the 420. For variation add some cayenne pepper, or turmeric for heat or just freshly ground pepper.Another fun idea is taking  cooked lentils or any legume and mashing them into healthy dips.Serve with whole wheat crackers or fresh veggies.
What about sweets? Yes there is fruit,preferably organic to feed kids and adults.Try out   fruit kabobs.Take a skewer and put different bits on it. Try a grape pineapple melon combo or a cut plum, apple slice and strawberry. Intersperse blueberries amongthe skewers for some color and a jolt of antioxidants. Another idea is making all natural fruit Popsicles. Take the mash from your juicer and pour into individual Popsicle molds. You can also puree berries and other fruit such as pineapple and melon too and do the same thing.

There's nothing like good healthy snacking - and that starts in your kitchen.Make these all natural good for you treats for family and friends. They'll quickly forget that processed stuff and love  veggie and fruit nibbles.

My thanks to Joanne Drum for the kale  chip recipe.