Healthy Snacking: Spicy Sweet Peppers Recipe

For as much as I enjoy baking, I have been really trying to live healthier.  To that end, I've gone back to some tricks I used to use for the workplace.  Figuring out snacks and quick meals that won't kill your diet is key.  I like to snack on sugar snap peas and frozen greek yogurt mini cups.  Sometimes, however, I like something with a little kick.

Spicy Sweet Peppers

·         1 Bag Sweet Mini Peppers (Usually Multi-Colored)

·         1 Wheel Laughing Cow Soft Cheese in Light Queso & Fresco Chipotle

·         1 Package of Wholly Guacamole Spicy Minis

Take 4 peppers, cut off the tops, clear out the seeds on the inside.  Insert ½ of one cheese wedge in the pepper – should be about ½ the pepper.  Add one scoop of Guacamole to fill pepper.  You’re done!  With one guacamole mini, 2 wedges, and 4 peppers – you have a healthy, affordable and easy snack.  From the packaging, you should be able to get 20 or so full peppers (possibly more!)

Each laughing cow wedge is 35 calories, the guacamole mini comes in at a whopping 100 calories, and the peppers are about 8 calories each.  So that makes each pepper about 51 calories each when complete.  I find that I actually use less than the full amount of guacamole and cheese, depending on the pepper size.  4 peppers means 200 calories that are filling, crunchy and healthier than anything in the vending machine.

If you change out the soft cheese for some gluten free varieties and fresh guacamole, then you can potentially reduce your calorie count, sugar intake, and exposure to allergens.  Don’t like spicy?  Switch out the cheese for an herbal variety and the guacamole for a non-spicy variety.  You can also skip the cheese and use hummus instead!

I do these at my desk for lunch or quick snacks when we are too busy to eat.  They are so pretty, in my opinion, that they would make lovely appetizers as well.  You could also halve the peppers, add the cheese and guacamole, and serve them that way for a lighter serving.  Yum!