If your resolution for this year was to eat healthier and maintain your body confidence when donning your favourite bikini, then you will want to treat yourself occasionally instead of completely cutting out those sweets and savouries. Otherwise, you may well give up on your diet changes quite quickly and fall into bad habits. We’ve scoured the web, and raided our food cupboards to come up with the
best bikini friendly treats to satisfy your cravings. Whilst enjoying these treats, you can still keep up the good work you’ve been doing to get beach ready in the summer.
Savoury Snacks
When you’re on the go or at the desk and you need a quick pick-me-up, these easy-to-make, and low calorie treats will keep you going.
Butternut Hummus
This recipe makes a deliciously fresh tasting hummus, perfect for dipping wholemeal pitta or celery sticks in.
Ingredients
- 400g of peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 400g can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 heaped tbsp tahini paste
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- Juice of 1 lemon
Tip: Paprika is rich in vitamin A which is great for healthy cell development, and cayenne pepper has detoxing properties. Add or take away from the amount of spices depending on your personal preference! Method First of all, preheat your oven to 180c. Whilst it is heating, peel and cut up the butternut squash into cubes of around 1cm width and height. Place into a bowl and add the olive oil. Next, place on a roasting tray and put in the oven for around 25 minutes to roast. It’s best to place this into the middle of the oven to make sure the squash does not burn. Once ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Return the butternut into the bowl, and add the remaining components. Be sure to crush the garlic cloves fully to avoid a strong garlicky taste! Use a food processor or handheld blender to mix everything together to form a paste. Once blended, taste the mix and decide if you’d like to add any extra spice for flavouring. Et voila! Your hummus is ready for serving.
Sweet Potato Crackers
If you’re a notorious desk snacker, then these are perfect for you. Sweet potato is a scrumptious alternative to the standard wheat cracker, and these snacks can be enjoyed with low fat cheese or any other wholesome spread.
Ingredients
- 113g of whole wheat flour
- ½ tbsp of salt (plus extra to taste if needed)
- ¼ tsp of fresh ground pepper
- ½ tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of fresh chopped rosemary
- 56g of unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 113g of low fat grated cheddar cheese
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 2 tbsp milk
- Rock salt for sprinkling
Tip: Sweet potato contains plenty of vitamin D which is good for a healthy immune system. The cumin in this recipe not only gives it a nice little kick, but also helps maintain your digestive system. Method First of all, preheat your oven to 180c. Next, put the potato in a roasting tray and pop in the oven for about an hour. This allows it to soften. Next, let it cool and peel off the skin before mashing with a fork or blender. At this point you can turn the oven off – you will need it later, but there will be time to preheat once again. Now that you have your puree, you can get started on creating the dough. Start by combining the flour, cumin, pepper and rosemary in a bowl using a hand blender, or add it all to a processor and whizz into shape. Next, add the butter and grated cheese and blend. Then, add the potato mix and pulse until combined. Finally, add the milk and mix until a ball-shaped dough forms. Wrap this in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Whilst the dough is in the fridge, preheat the oven once more and line a tray with baking or parchment paper. When it is ready, remove and roll out to around 1cm thickness on a lightly floured surface. If it gets sticky, just add more flour. Cut the dough into desired shapes. You can use cookie cutters to do this, or just cut to one inch squares. Transfer to the papered pan, and put into the oven for around 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the crackers for when the edges start to brown. Finally, let them cool and sprinkle with a small amount of rock salt. Place in an airtight container and take them along to work for a week long supply of tastiness!
Speedy Sweets
Sugar cravings can come on thick and fast, leading you to grab the nearest sugary food, or popping to the shop for a quick fix. Have these snacks at the ready for those times when it gets desperate!
Fruity Cottage Cheese
For a really sweet fix, all you need is some tinned or fresh fruit and cottage cheese. Strawberries are a particularly tasty choice when in season. Scoop the desired amount of each ingredient into a bowl and tuck in! As simple as that. No assembly required!
Banana Cream Pie
Craving something with a little bit of crunch? Try this easy to construct recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 4 oat crackers
- Fat free Greek yoghurt
- Flax seeds
Tip: Bananas are great for eating before a work out as they help to sustain your blood sugar levels whilst exercising. Method Begin by cutting the banana into thin slices. Next, use a teaspoon to layer the oat cracker with yoghurt, and then top with the banana slices and flax seeds. You can adapt this to use different fruits or toppings – just make sure you are not tempted to add anything with unnatural sugars in!
These are just some of the many great bikini-friendly snacks to be enjoyed. Have you got any other recipes to recommend? If so, please add them in the comments section at the end of this post. Image courtesy of BigStock Photo.
