3 Tasty (And Healthy!) Snack Alternatives for Your Next Party

With the Super Bowl tonight and the Academy Awards right around the corner, a lot of us are planning some good quality time on our couches.

And whether we’re throwing parties or hanging out alone, that good quality time on our couches often includes snacking. A lot of snacking.

Here are some ideas for smart snacking that won’t derail your health and hotness goals.

Skinny Dipping

If your snack of choice is a creamy dip and the extent of your prep skillz is mixing a packet of Lipton’s Onion Dip or Hidden Valley Ranch into a bowl of sour cream, you’re in luck!

Greek yogurt makes a great swap for sour cream and suddenly your dip will come with a healthy dollop of protein. Serve it with veggies instead of chips and you’ve got a snack you can feel good about. (Another great Greek yogurt based dip is Tzatziki.)

Simply mix:

  • 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ c. grated cucumber
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. dry dill
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt to taste

Some recipes call for fresh minced garlic and olive oil… you can play around based on your personal tastes and desired macros.

Shuffle Off to Buffalo… Dip

I’ve shared this recipe before on my Spodalicious blog but, as it’s a crowd-pleaser, I think it’s worth mentioning again. Instead of greasy Buffalo wings, go for a Buffalo chicken dip!

Using your slow cooker or Instant Pot, simply cook your chicken in hot sauce. I use Frank’s at a ratio of about ½ cup per pound of chicken).

When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the sauce and shred it with two forks. Then mix in light mayonnaise or Greek yogurt (or a mix of the two) starting at a ratio of ¼ cup per pound of chicken you cooked. If you want it creamier, you can add more. You can also add more hot sauce to taste.

If you’re going to eat this as a salad by itself, add some chopped celery and/or water chestnuts for crunch. If you are going to eat it as a dip, you may want to leave those out. This can be served hot or cold!

Crisp Me!

If your weakness is salty, crunchy snacks, Parmesan Crisps may be the snack for you. You can buy them in many grocery stores, but they are also super easy to make yourself. All you need is grated parmesan cheese. (And turkey pepperoni if you want to get fancy!)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

On a cookie sheet or in a mini whoopie pie pan, make 1 teaspoon piles of parmesan cheese, flattened out.

If you want to use the pepperoni, put down a ½ teaspoon of cheese shaped to size of the pepperoni, then the pepperoni, then top with another ½ teaspoon of cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes.

ProTips for Smart Snacking

Put your food OUT of reach. Don’t make it easy to snack without thinking. Keep your spread apart from where you’re sitting so you have to actually get up and make the choice to get more food.

Use small plates. Most people will fill the plate they’re using, so if you use smaller plates, you’ll take less food.

Drink lots of water. If you’re feeling hungry, drink a glass of water first. That will help satisfy you so you don’t eat as much.


You made it this far, you must be a highly sexy! Wanna learn about 7 more habits to help you nail healthy living?

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A few times a month, members of Lisa’s Cooking Club get together to prep food for the week. MFF Ninjas, past and present, can join by requesting to join the Facebook group.

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST TO JOIN

Outside of NYC? You can get great recipe ideas from Lisa’s website and follow her on Pinterest.


A long time ago, in a gym far, far away (well, 41st Street) Lisa Spodak asked new trainer Mark Fisher for some help with a circuit workout. The rest, as they say, is history. Lisa isn’t a chef and doesn’t like to cook, but she started the Cooking Club in 2013. When she’s not swinging a kettlebell or doubling the protein in every recipe she finds on Pinterest, Lisa loves going to the theater and training for marathon breast cancer walks.

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