School is almost out for summer and most of you at some point will be heading for the Crystal Coast.  There’s no secret that hanging out at the beach just naturally makes you extra ready to snack!  Be prepared with some healthier options and you will breeze through the summer and keep up your healthy habits!!  

Fruit Kabobs

(Skewers are always a fun way to serve a variety of foods and super easy to eat, you can vary the fruit according to your favorites or what is in season) 

12 small strawberries or raspberries

12 clementine orange segments

12 chunks of pineapple

12 pieces of kiwi, cut in half

12 purple or white seedless grapes

For a Dip

1 cup of Greek vanilla yogurt

¼ cup of rainbow sprinkles of desired

Thread a strawberry, orange segment, pineapple chunk, kiwi, and grape onto each of 12 small skewers.  

Place the vanilla yogurt in an airtight container and top with the sprinkles.  Serve along with the fruit kabob for dipping.  

Serves 12, each serving contains;  Calories 73, Carbohydrates 17g., Fat 1g., Sodium 6mg., Fiber 2 g., Sugar 12g.  

Antipasto Skewers 

(You can use a variety of different ingredients on these as well, according to your taste and what is in season) 

10 mini wooden skewers

10 leaves fresh basil, mint or flat-leaf parsley

10 pieces of prosciutto, or salami or even grilled shrimp

10 pieces of marinated artichoke hearts

10 mini mozzarella cheese balls, or any other firm cheese

10 pitted kalamata olives

10 cherry tomatoes

10 pepperoncini

Drizzle Optional 

Olive oil or Italian dressing

Soak your mini wooden skewers in water for one hour.  Pat dry before using.  

Skewer the antipasto ingredients beginning with the basil, followed by the larger pieces like the prosciutto or artichoke hearts.  Place the Kalamata olive at the very top of the skewer, if you have additional basil leaves you can use throughout the skewer.  

Arrange in a container and drizzle with olive oil or Italian dressing.  Serve cold or at room temperature.  

Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix Recipe

(This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to suit the size of your group)

½ cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 package of Ranch seasoning mix

3 cups cheese crackers

2 cups mini pretzels, your choice of shape

1-2 cups Chex cereal, corn or rice

4 cups oyster crackers

2 cups peanuts, or your favorite nuts

½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  

Stir together melted butter, Worcestershire sauce and ranch dressing mix.  

Place all of the crackers, pretzels, and nuts in a large roasting pan.  Drizzle the oil and ranch mixture over the top of everything.  Stir to coat.  

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, return to the oven for about 5 minutes to melt.  

Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.  Yields 18 cups. 

Veggie Pinwheels

1 (7.5) ounce container garden vegetable cream cheese, more if needed

1 bell pepper, cut into thin strips, red, green, orange or yellow

2 carrots, cut into thin strips

3 radishes, halved and cut into thin slices

1 small cucumber, halved and cut into thin strips

Few handfuls arugula or fresh spinach or even fresh kale

8 tortillas, (I use low carb)

Lay the tortillas flat on a large plate or cutting board.  

Spread about 3 tablespoons of the vegetable cream cheese spread on each tortilla.

Place 3-4 pepper slices, 3-4 carrot slices, 4 radish slices, 3-4 cucumber slices and a sprinkling of green leaves, which ever you choose, all on top of the cream cheese spread.  

Roll up the tortilla as tight as possible.  

Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.  Using a serrated knife, cut into equal bite size pieces.  

**Feel free to use whatever vegetables that are fresh and your favorites!  Yields 16 servings.

Italian Sub Sandwich Roll-Up

8 tortillas, I use low carb

8 ounces cream cheese softened

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup banana peppers chopped

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

24 slices Genoa salami

24 slices of ham

1 pack pepperoni about 32 small slices

16 slices Provolone cheese

2 large tomatoes thinly sliced (remove some of the juice and seeds)

1 head of lettuce

Ina a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, and Italian seasoning. Mix with spoon until all ingredients are well combined.

Spread about three tablespoons of cream cheese mixture onto a tortilla.  

On top of the cream cheese mixture, place three slices of salami, three slices of pepperoni, three slices of ham, and three slices of the Provolone cheese, leaving about ½ inch border around the edge.  

Top with two slices of tomato and a few pieces of lettuce.  Roll tortilla up tightly.  

Place toothpicks about 1 inch apart down the rolled tortilla.  Cut in between the toothpicks to create pinwheels.  

Repeat with remaining tortillas and fillings.  You can serve immediately or refrigerate until you’re ready to serve, if  refrigerated a bit they tend to stay together better.  

Hash Brown Ham and Egg Cheese Cups

20 ounces refrigerated hash browns

1 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese, and a tad more to sprinkle on top

1 cup cubed ham

8 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons half & half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, stir all ingredients together until well blended.  

Grease the muffin tin.

Scoop mixture into each space trying to make sure you get enough of the egg liquids.

Sprinkle the top with a little extra cheese.  

Place in the oven on the middle rack for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.