Healthy Holiday Snacks

The holiday season is in many ways, the best time of year. There's gift giving, warm sweaters and apple cider. It's the best time for a ski lodge getaway, a stroll in a Christmas market, or a hot chocolate-fuelled skate. This is the best time of year for a lot of things, but it may be the worst time of year to stick to your diet. Snacking and overeating can be a real temptation. Cheese trays, lemon tarts, figgy pudding. But you don't want to spend your whole holiday hiding from the food trays. You should be enjoying yourself! The best way to snack and be merry is to prepare healthy, fun appetizers that won't add to your waistline. We like to eat cookies at this time of year not just because they're sugary, gooey and delicious. We like cookies because they're festive. There's nothing like shortbread in the shape of snowmen with sparkly sugar sprinkled on top to really put us in the holiday spirit. With a little effort, healthy food can be festive too, but this means getting a little creative. Get inspired with these strawberry Santa snacks, cream cheese penguins and fruit and veggie trees. Stay healthy over the holidays and you won't find yourself cramming in line for the treadmill come January with all the other cliched New-Years-Resolutionists.     Use light cream cheese to make these adorable penguins from Foodie with Family extra-skinny.         These plump little Santas from Barb Fullen are happy and healthy.         Use veggies for an appetizer or fruit for a dessert. Anything in the red/green colour scheme works. Get the recipe from Frugal Living Mom.