7 Healthy Snacks to Have before Dinner ...

Fruit and nut combos are one of the more popular healthy snacks to have before dinner. They are rich in antioxidants and yet not heavy enough to spoil your appetite. Some great combos are dried pineapple with pistachio, almonds and apricots, raisins and peanuts, and hazelnuts and cherries.

A combination of apples and a quarter cup of cottage cheese gives you calcium, proteins, and fiber. For some variety, you can switch fresh apples for a couple of apple rings spiced with cinnamon.

If you’ve got a box of Ryvita Fruit Crunch at home spread a tbsp of cashew butter on it and munch away. I know you’ve heard a lot of damaging stuff about butter but nut butters are a great source of mono-unsaturated fats which are great for your heart. An alternate to this crunchy snack is Triscuits with peanut butter topped with sliced strawberries and a tiny drizzle of honey.

Take a cocktail size slice of rye bread (whole grain) and spread half a teaspoon of spicy mustard on it. Top it up with a square of cheddar and broil it to melt the cheese. Garnish with a tomato slice and caraway seeds. Now, isn't that just a delicious healthy snack to have before dinner?

This one is my particular favorites and among the yummier healthy snacks to have before dinner. Take a 4-inch pita bread (the whole wheat variety) and sprinkle grated parmesan and a quarter tsp dried oregano. Broil, cut into quarters and eat. Lip-smacking, eh?

This low-calorie before meal snack is rich in fiber and really easy to put together. Slice cucumber, baby corn and baby carrots and enjoy with low fat dressings such as such as Trader Joe's Carrot-Ginger or Annie's Naturals Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette.

This particular snack needs to be prepared in advance. Take two cups of non fat yogurt (un-flavored) and place it in a sieve that is lined with a coffee filter. Let this stand for one hour in the refrigerator or you could leave it overnight. Separate the liquid from the thick yogurt and to the latter add 3 ounces Feta cheese (finely crumbled), two cloves of minced garlic, two tbsp toasted walnut (finely chopped) and a quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper and hot sauce each. Mix well and allow refrigeration for two hours at least. Have this cheesy dip with baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or whole wheat pita bread.

There you go – 7 healthy snacks to have before dinner. The next time someone wags their finger at you censoriously or goes “tch-tch” when you are reaching for a pre-meal snack, wow them with these exotic creations and shut them up for good! You could share some of these fantastic creations with them, if you want. But, do you really?

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