Healthy Snacks with Alpine Lace

Thanks to Alpine Lace® for sponsoring today’s post!  My “Life Ingredients” and all opinions are as always, my own.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about ingredients.  As many of you know, I’m doing “My Fitness Pal” along with Erin and a few other friends in an attempt to lose the 10 lbs I gained when I started doing less dancing and more sitting around in my pajamas and blogging.  I’ve been attempting to control my portions and make wise choices about where and how I use my calories.  But that doesn’t mean getting rid of everything fun.  I know some people who diet by cutting out everything they love best…and I know if that were the case for me, I wouldn’t stick to it.  Instead, I try to make smart decisions that allow to still indulge in some of my favorite things, like ice cream and of course, my coffee drinks.  I look for healthy options with quality ingredients that will help me reach my goals and give me the energy I need to get through the day, while still tasting great!

One of the ways I do that is by keeping Reduced-Fat Alpine Lace® Deli Cheese on hand for snacking.  It’s a great source of both protein and calcium, so it helps to fuel me for my day while tasting like a real indulgence.  This weekend, I actually came up with a fun Opening Day snack using Alpine Lace Swiss, and I thought I’d share it with you!  {You all know I’m no chef, so if I came up with it, you know it’s going to be quick, cheap, and EASY!}

As I’m sure most of you already know, we are HUGE Ravens fans in this house, but did you know we also like our Baltimore Orioles?  We don’t follow baseball nearly as closely as we do our football team, but it’s still fun to go to a game or two each year and to celebrate when Opening Day rolls around.  A certain little someone I know has a particular fondness for the Oriole Bird.  It’s really tempting to snack on junk food and all kinds of high-fat, high-calorie foods when you’re watching a sports game {trust me, I know!}, so I thought I’d create a healthier option that’s just as tasty.

Here’s what you need to make your own Healthy Game Day snacks, no matter what team you’re rooting for.

– Alpine Lace Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese
– Apples {I used Fuji}
– Sea Salt Pita Crackers
– Toothpicks
– Washi Tape {optional}

The Alpine Lace Deli Cheese is available in pre-packaged slices or freshly sliced in any Walmart with a deli as well as a variety of other grocery stores.

Step 1: Cut your apple into quarters, then cut each quarter in half.  Slice each of those wedges so that you have a bunch of small triangles.

Step 2: Tear each slice of cheese into thirds.  Fold each piece in half, then in half again.

Step 3: Place a slice of apple on top, and skewer both the cheese and the apple with a toothpick.  Stand the toothpick on top of a salted pita cracker.  Arrange on plate.

If you want to make things even more festive and fun, you can add little washi tape pennants in your team’s color.  I added an “O” to each one since it’s the Orioles’ logo.

Of course, I couldn’t share a recipe with you without taste testing it, right?  Some of the best advice I ever got was, “Don’t waste calories on mediocrity,” so I had to make sure that this snack was worthy of the calorie intake.  And guess what…it IS!

I figured that combining three things I like: crackers, cheese, and apples, would be a win, but what I didn’t expect was just how well the flavors compliment each other!  The salt of the cracker plus the tang of the cheese and the sweetness of the apple are a perfect combination!  {I may or may not have eaten all of the snacks in the photo myself}.  Seriously, people.  Try it.  You’ll thank me.

And while you’re at it, here’s another fun thing to try.  Not only are there ingredients in the food you eat, but we have ingredients to our lives too.  And just like we choose only the best ingredients to put into our bodies, we should be choosing the things in our lives that bring us the most fulfillment and joy.  As the folks at Alpine Lace say, “In today’s busy world, it’s not about doing everything; it’s about doing what you love and bypassing the rest. By focusing on your life ingredients for happiness, you free up more time for adventure, laughter and the things you love.”  I don’t know about you, but I think that’s great advice.  Just for fun, they’ve got a “nutrition label” on their website you can personalize to show some of the most important ingredients in your life!  Here’s mine:

Hop on over and create your own, then share it on Facebook with your friends.  I’d love to know what your ingredients are for a healthy, happy life!

PS – Check out Alpine Lace on Facebook // Twitter!