Healthy, Quick, & Easy Appetizers & Snacks

Healthy eating is a balancing act of flavor and fitness, requiring you to juggle appropriate amounts of calories, fat and sodium. When you throw "fast" into the equation, it gets even trickier to produce tasty offerings that tickle the taste buds without tipping the scales. The key is to look for recipes that include fresh produce, tangy dressings, herbs, spices and less than 500mg of sodium per serving.

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Salad

If you're bored by traditional fruit salads, try mixing your favorite fruits with veggies, citrus juice and spices for a nutrient-rich snack. For example, sliced jicama, cucumber and navel oranges make a refreshing salad when topped with lime juice, cilantro, vegetable oil and cayenne pepper. Good Houskeeping's version has only 40 calories and 35mg of sodium per serving. Use herbs to flavor the salad rather than traditional salad dressings and you'll decrease both the fat and sodium content of your snack. If you're not fond of spicy cayenne pepper, chili powder is milder substitute; chili powder is also a refreshing complement to water-rich fruits and vegetables such as watermelon and cucumber.

Crostini

This classic Italian snack is easy to prepare, requires few ingredients and can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Although traditionally prepared on a sliced and toasted French baguette, you can also use melba toast. Top the crostini with a mixture of your favorite chopped veggies, low-sodium cheese and a few piquant accents like capers or olives. To keep this dish healthy, avoid topping the crostini with salty pre-packaged dips, spreads or oil-packed fish like anchovies. Better Homes and Gardens offers a crostini recipe with just 37 calories and 81mg of sodium per serving, topped with dried tomatoes, onion, minced garlic, capers, and a blended mixture of cream cheese, milk and feta cheese. Fresh tomatoes, basil and skim mozzarella cheese also make a tasty yet healthy topping.

Bean Dip

Dips are a perennial snacking favorite, yet many store-bought versions are packed with preservatives, fat and calories. In less than 15 minutes, you can make your own creamy dip with a few easy ingredients and a food processor. Fine Cooking's version of a white bean and herb dip uses cannellini beans, cream cheese, onion, lemon juice, anchovy, olive oil, chives and marjoram. This version has 170 calories and 300mg of sodium per serving. Try using different herbs or accent ingredients such as roasted garlic cloves, bell pepper slices, jalapeno peppers, fresh basil, oregano or thyme. Serve the dip with low-sodium snack crackers. The American Dry Bean Board confirms that any canned or dry bean can be swapped out for another for cooking purposes; experiment with other beans like Great Northern beans, pinto beans or navy beans.

Unconventional Salsa

One of the simplest and healthiest snacks you can make is fresh salsa. Although the traditional tomato-onion-jalapeno-cilantro version is a classic, try giving it a twist with unconventional ingredients like chickpeas and red peppers. Real Simple offers a version of this salsa that takes 10 minutes to prepare and has just 86 calories and 317mg of sodium per serving. It's made with chickpeas, sliced scallions, chopped arugula, chopped roasted red peppers, lemon juice and olive oil. For an Italian-inspired salsa, swap out the arugula for freshly chopped basil and sprinkle the mixture with freshly grated parmesan cheese. To give it a Greek flair, swap out the scallions for Kalamata olives and add a small handful of crumbled Feta cheese. Keep the snack healthy by serving it with low-sodium chips, crackers or bits of pita bread.