Did you guys survive Thanksgiving? There’s no fighting it…the holidays are hard. They’re hard for most people. I read an article that stated that the average American gains between 7-10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s a pretty big number for a month span! Thanksgiving is like the “it’s okay to overeat” holiday. Then December comes and the holiday parties fill our calendars. It’s easy to see where that extra 10 pounds comes from: Christmas cookies, cakes, homemade fudge, egg nog, candy canes, potlucks and social outings.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. I’m not saying to skip all the holiday cheer! There are ways to enjoy the holidays without gaining those notorious 10 pounds. The biggest suggestion I have is to be the one that brings the healthier snacks to the party. I recently had the opportunity to try some new-to-me crackers and I liked them so much that I took them to a holiday party with the below dip recipe. Both were a huge hit!
The crackers are thin and delicate, crunchy and kind of nutty. I had the opportunity to try a few different flavors. I also liked that the crackers were between 40-70 calories each. The crackers are available in US stores, so check them out the next time you go grocery shopping.
I took the crackers and dip to my family Christmas party and everyone loved both. The crackers were gone in no time (and regrettfully I only took two boxes to the party, I should have brought three! I wasn’t expecting to run out so fast) and everyone liked them because they were big and sturdy–perfect for a thick dip. The ritz crackers are tasty but fall apart easily, unlike the Wasa.
Here’s the recipe I made that went perfectly with the crackers:
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:54]
Do you want to give it a try?
Giveaway
Wasa is going to share the love with one of my readers. You can enter up to three times on this post for your change to win a $25 Gift Card and two boxes of Wasa Crispbread for you to try your own healthy recipe for a holiday party. How to Enter:
1. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet: “I want to win a $25 giftcard and some @Wasa_NA crispbread for healthier holiday snacking! @lisaeirene http://wp.me/p116Lc-98v”. Leave a comment here telling me you did so.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me what healthier snacks you enjoy.
3. “Like” me on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me you did.
I will announce the winner on December 13th, just in time for some holiday cheer! Good luck!
Ali @ Peaches and Football
That dip recipe looks fantastic Lisa! Most of the Christmas goodies I like are not healthy: egg nog milkshakes, (ok anything with egg nog), Christmas cookies, etc… I’ve been making pumpkin and squash bread though and that’s been a good alternative. With minimal sugar, it’s a nice “treat” that I can stop eating after a slice or three. Not so easy to do with batches of cookies – so I’m holding off on making those for at least another week.
Lisa Eirene
Oooh, love pumpkin bread! That’s a great idea for a healthier alternative to the Christmas cookies and such. And I’m with you–love eggnog. 🙂
Esther
Can’t wait to try these out with my homemade hummus this weekend!
Btw, tweeted about the giveaway 🙂
Lisa Eirene
I love hummus! Especially red pepper hummus.
Cecilia
I have tried these crackers! The whole wheat ones are my favorite. I would like to try these other flavors because their not in my local store.
Lisa Eirene
That’s cool! I haven’t tried the whole wheat yet. They sent me a box. Will try that next. I liked the rye crackers.
Ann
I tweeted to win!!!
manda
I tweeted! @ mandaoverturf
manda
I enjoy hummus and veggies.
Lisa Eirene
Hummus and veggies are always a good option.
manda
I like you on FB! Great blog!
Marc
Hi Lisa. Good luck to the winner! Next time…can you give away buffalo wings? Just asking:)
Lisa Eirene
I’ll see what I can do. Might be messy to mail…. 🙂
niurka
celery with hummus
Niurka
carrots with hummus
Niurka
liked on facebook
Niurka
https://twitter.com/lindalatina/status/278183608202706944
Beth @ Beth's Journey
I like you on Facebook!
Beth @ Beth's Journey
I’m a big fan of bringing a plate of crudite to parties so that I know I have something that I can safely eat a lot of! It’s always better to use veggies for dip than chips, so having veggies usually goes with a lot of other things, too!
Lisa Eirene
I do too! My norm is to bring a dip or hummus with lots of veggies or a salad. They are things I know the calories of and are healthy.
Roz@weightingfor50
LOVE Wasa crackers. I’ve never thought to use them for dip though! Thanks for the idea Lisa. BTW, LOVE your little Santa too! Have a great Monday.
Lisa Eirene
Yesterday I had 2 for a snack. I put cream cheese on one and avocado on the other. So tasty.
Jo Anna
Greek yogurt! Can be savory or sweet, so nice and creamy!!
Lisa Eirene
I agree! I love Greek yogurt! I often substitute mayo or sour cream with greek yogurt in recipes.
Hannahviolin
I follow you on twitter and I tweeted!
Hannahviolin
I’m a lousy snacker. I do love those 100 calorie cocoa almonds though. And apples. This dip looks awesome.
Lisa Eirene
I take an apple to work almost every day.
Stacie @ Snaps and Bits
I love Wasa! Great way to healthify appetizers!
Lisa Eirene
I agree!
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero
My current favorite healthier snack is probably Trader Joe’s Herb Popcorn. So yummy.
Lisa Eirene
I love the Trader Joe’s white cheddar popcorn.
Deb
This dip sounds so good! I as a general rule do not keep any snack foods in the house- if I must snack, its generally a piece of fruit. The worst thing we have in the house semi-regularly is those El Monterey burritos. I might nuke one in the early afternoon to hold myself over til dinner, but its not a regular thing. No snack foods in the house = no temptations!
Lisa Eirene
That’s a good idea, don’t keep things in the house!
Lisa
I’ve been liking you on FB!
Lisa
I don’t usually snack, but when I do I try to have a granola bar or one measured serving of cheese crackers, otherwise I’m out of control binging!
Lisa Eirene
I need to be better with measuring out a cheese serving. It’s easy to overeat it.
Georgia
Winning this prize would be a true gift!! I have been eating healthy and losing weight since April. Christmas is going to be a true test for me! I don’t normally snack so I don’t have any healthy snacks to share other than the usual veggies with a lite ranch dressing! I have a couple parties to attend this year and have no idea what to bring or what I can eat that won’t throw me off track.
Lisa Eirene
Christmas is definitely the hard part! There are so many tasty temptations.
Georgia
I also liked you on Facebook!!