Tag Archives: trail mix

Halloween Food Crafts for a Healthy and Delicious Way to Celebrate the Season

Whoever said you couldn’t play with your food likely never really knew the joy of eating. We certainly aren’t suggesting tossing handfuls of spaghetti across the table at your annoying little brother, but we do think that the fall season is perfect for a little crafting-meets-snacking.

Some of our favorite seasonal treats are perfect for gathering ’round the family, getting plenty messy, sharing lots of giggles, all while making something yummy to enjoy as we gear up for Halloween. Fun and delicious treats don’t have to be sugar bombs. These homemade treats are healthful and fun to eat, too!

Ready to dig in?

BROWN PAPER BAG POPCORN

Forget the microwave popcorn you think you know. With nothing more than a brown paper sack, whole popcorn kernels, and a microwave, you’ll have light and airy popcorn in minutes without the chemicals, calories, and sodium.


The kids will love helping you make this, whether it’s movie night or a Halloween party. Make the popcorn something special with our Cinnamon Raisin Popcorn treat, which is simply brown bag popcorn, cinnamon, and raisins.

To share with friends or handout at a school party, let the kids make Hand-O-Lanterns to decorate each brown paper sack. Just paint their palms orange, their fingers green, and press on to the bags. When the paint dries they can use black markers to draw pumpkin faces!

(more…)

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Natalie K

Sweet and Nutty Trail Mix Makes the Perfect Fall Snack

If ever I’ve had a true food addiction, besides ice cream and frozen yogurt, it’s trail mix. The sweet-salty combination is enough to have me eating an entire jar without realizing what happened!

While trail mixes can be a bit of a temptation especially for those few among us who only pick out the chocolate bits (guilty), they can also be an incredibly health snack to fuel our most rigorous of activities.

This trail mix is a simple one to throw together, as are most. You’ll simply need even parts pecans, walnuts, almonds, raisins, dried cranberries and dark chocolate.

(more…)

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Dana

3 Grab-and-Go Snacks That are No Good for You

By Karen Sherwood for NutritiousAmerica.com

In these last few days of October we rush around in search of the perfect costume, the most awesome carving pumpkin, and candy for the trick-or-treaters. And even before we have opened that first piece of Halloween loot we are bombarded with Christmas commercials, displays, and reminders that the rest of the holiday season is literally around the corner. Tis’ the season to have less and less time and a greater need for quick grab-and-go treats, sustenance to get you through.

There are so many options when it comes to grab-and-go snacks the grocery store isles are literally overflowing with them. Snacks claiming to be healthy, claiming to have a host of health supportive properties, but do they? Our Nutritious America detectives recently skimmed the grocery isles in search of questionable on-the-go healthy snacks.  Here are a few of the most popular culprits complete with our always unbiased opinions! (more…)

Posted on October 27, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Healthy and Fresh Appetizers for Outdoor Parties

Appetizers and finger foods can be the most exciting part of a meal – sometimes they even steal the show from the main dish itself. In the summertime, chips and dips might be convenient but they aren’t always the healthiest pair.

Next time you need a healthier appetizer or hors d’oeuvre, ditch the bag of chips and store-bought salsa and make slimmer versions of your favorite meal starters.

Instead of Ranch or Onion Dip…
Blue Cheese Dip. Most prepackaged dips and mixes have a lot of calories, fat, sodium and even sugar. Making your own, especially one perfect for the Atkins Diet, is a healthier alternative to your store-bought standby.

(more…)

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Maris

Healthy Easter Basket Stuffers for All Ages

By Jessie Gorges and Kelsey Murray

Forget the Peeps and chocolate bunnies; get your children, significant other and family members something healthy this year for Easter.

According to Dr. Kavey on WebMD.com, too much sugar can be a problem for children because it can lead children into lifelong obesity. “The reason that we think of it as a problem is because of the big rise in obesity in childhood, and that rise has occurred over the same time period that there’s been a major increase in the amount of simple sugar that children consume.”

Check out these healthy Easter basket treats with little to no sugar that everyone is sure to love.

(more…)

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Health Buzz

If You Only Keep One of Your Resolutions, Make it More Fruit

Research shows that more than 50 percent of New Year’s resolutions, most of which have to do with diet or nutrition, don’t last beyond January.  Two leading nutritionists aim to reverse that trend by encouraging people to focus on one realistic and attainable resolution: eat more fruit.

According to Stephanie Clarke and Willow Jarosh, licensed nutritionists, registered dietitians, and co-founders of C&J Nutrition, fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet because it contains large amounts of naturally occurring key nutrients like vitamins A and C, potassium, fiber, and phytonutrients – all key players in disease prevention.  “Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that’s important for growth and repair of all body tissues. Potassium can help maintain healthy muscle and nerve function and lower blood pressure, and fiber is woefully amiss in most American diets,” said Jarosh.

(more…)

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Maris