fbpx

13 Easy Healthy Holiday Appetizers
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Ideas for holiday appetizers!

Need a quick healthy holiday appetizer for a social gathering?  Try these festive Dietitian approved ideas inspired with good nutrition:

healthy holiday appetizer easy

 

1. Baked chips with edamame guacamole

Take sundried tomato flour tortilla wraps and brush with vegetable oil. Cut with scissors into triangle wedges and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Bake tortillas until lightly browned and toasted.  Serve with guacamole blended with shelled cooked edamame beans to add some additional protein. Grab the recipe here: Edamame Guacamole

holiday appetizers healthy

2. Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto

Roll slightly steamed or blanched asparagus with a piece of prosciutto and once you are ready to serve grill on the BBQ or roast in the oven until prosciutto is crispy. Serve asparagus with a splash of balsamic vinegar or bottled balsamic crema.

3. Red and green fruit kabobs

On a short appetizer-sized bamboo skewer, thread green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwi fruit slices and fresh strawberry slices for a festive red and green fruit kabob. You can also alternate with cubes of Havarti cheese if you like.

4. Bite-sized caprese salad

holiday appetizers healthy

Thread a cherry or grape tomato, fresh basil leaf and mini bocconcini cheese on a toothpick. Once you are ready to serve, drizzle your platter with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (or bottled balsamic crema).

5. Red and green veggie and dip platter

Make a festive veggie platter with cherry tomatoes, red pepper slices, cucumber slices, broccoli and snap peas with your favorite creamy dip or hummus.

6. Avocado tomato feta dip

You can’t go wrong when you add chopped tomato, diced avocado, onion, feta cheese and a drizzle of red wine vinegar and lemon juice. For the exact recipe you can find that on our website here: Avocado Tomato Feta Dip.

WATCH the Healthy Holiday Appetizers TV Interview here:

7. Pesto stuffed mushrooms

Remove stems from small white, brown or cremini mushrooms. Heat a skillet with drizzle of oil and pan-fry mushroom

holiday appetizers healthy

s stem side up for about 5 minutes and then flip over and fill with pesto and cook for another few minutes. Garnish with a couple of pomegranate seeds.

8. Broccoli Christmas tree

Arrange broccoli in the shape of a tree on a flat large baking sheet.  “Decorate” your tree with cherry tomatoes, radishes, round slices of carrot, round slices of mini cucumbers and yellow pepper slices for garland.

9. Baked brie and roasted red peppers

Bake a round of brie cheese, topped with diced, roasted red peppers (you can purchase these in a jar) and minced

garlic (or sundried tomatoes packed in oil), serve with whole grain crackers and celery sticks and red pepper slices with dip.

holiday appetizers healthy

10. Cracker appetizer bites

Whole grain crackers (my favorites are Lesley Stowe raincoast crisps) with whipped cream cheese and red or green

hot pepper jelly.

11. Stuffed baby potatoes

Boil baby potatoes until tender.  Cool and cut in half (trim a small slice from the bottom of each half so it stands upright.  Brush with melted butter and top with sour cream and fresh chives.

12. Smoked salmon cucumber bites

Cut English cucumbers into ¼ inch round slices, add a spoon of whipped cream cheese and top with smoked salmon or shrimp. Garnish with fresh dill.

holiday appetizers healthy

13. Roasted spicy chickpeas

Purchase pre-made roasted chickpeas and toss with a splash of oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and sesame oil.  You can also make your own with our recipe here: Roasted Spicy Chickpeas

How do I navigate more indulgent holiday treats and appetizers?

Don’t be a scrooge and nitpick your favorite holiday treats and make family and friends that are celebrating traditional foods feel badly.

It’s not what you do between Christmas and New Year’s, but what you do between New Year’s and Christmas that really counts.

Health should be measured by your ability to not only eat healthfully but also soulfully with fun and flexibility.

Looking for a healthy gift idea for a friend or family member? 

If you or someone you know is on the path to healthy living, why not plan a thoughtful holiday gift that considers FUN and health?

Try some of these nutrition minded gift certificates, baskets, gadgets and more on our article here:  Healthy Gift Ideas

Need more support on speedy healthy ideas for busy schedules?

Contact our Calgary Dietitian / Online Nutritionist team for help!

As Registered Dietitians that specialize in meal planning, weight concerns, emotional eating, eating disorders, digestive health, heart health, diabetes, pediatric nutrition and sports nutrition we can see you in our local Calgary Nutritionist office or as an Online Dietitian by phone or video conferencing for virtual nutrition counseling. Find out more about our Dietitian Nutrition Counseling Programs here.

Join the waiting list for our next Online Nutrition Course The Pursuit of Healthiness.

As university trained Registered Dietitians, you can count on us for credible advice and practical meal planning so you don’t have to stress about food anymore. You can achieve a healthy and joyous relationship with food and your body. Let’s talk about what this can look like for you. CONTACT US.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

As seen in

  •  

Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This