I LOVE Nibbles, I grew up with Friday night Happy Hour spent with family friends, kids running around the back yard and a big table full of all the delicious nibbles you could snack on! It's such a fun time.
I love especially how every bite is a different flavour sensation.
However, as I grew older, I could no longer tolerate many of the foods and ingredients on the platters like gluten, certain types of dairy, and seed oils. They made me feel sluggish, foggy and bloated. So, today I bring you a more health conscious platter of nibbles, inclusive of recipes :)
Be sure to make it your own, if you can tolerate cheese then go for it :)
As a reminder, choosing the healthy option for the long term goal is not about weight loss, or having more vibrant skin, it's not about it being trendy or fitting into a particular box of society. It's about learning to respect your body so that it feels good to live in, and educating others how to do the same by nourishing in a different way.
The usual guests to the Happy Hour Platter often contain inflammatory factors that promote ill health rather than vibrant health. They can leave you feeling sluggish, foggy, bloated and irritable because our bodies aren't designed to process the ingredients, making you feel less than happy in the tummy and head.
Here's a short breakdown of typical ingredients in your Happy Hour Platter:
Crackers and Breads >> wheat, gluten, preservatives, processed salt and Sugar, unhealthy oils, flavours
Cheese >> if you're intolerant this can be a problem, if you do choose to eat dairy go for a high quality option
Sun-dried Tomatoes >> sugar and preservatives
Dips >> unhealthy oils, sugar, refined salt, preservatives,
Processed Meats >> ??? could be anything
The Healthier Alternative:
It really is simple, cost effective and time efficient to make your own alternatives. All you need is a YES attitude and willingness to be open minded =)
I've supplied some recipes below, and here are some other ingredient I love to add that don't need cooking:
- Medjool Dates
- Nuts
- Fresh Berries
- Pastrami/ Deli meats from a trusted butcher
- Wild rice crackers
- Olives
Healthy Seed Crackers
You can purchase these from your local supermarket these days :) or try out my recipe here
Cashew Cheese Recipe
Cashews
Water
Salt
Pepper
Method:
Soak Cashews for 4 hours, drain and rinse
Place in a blender/ food processor with S&P and blend, viola! Cashew Cheese
Beetroot Tahini Dip
Roast or steam 3 large beetroots
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of tahini
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp of ground tumeric
S&P
Method:
Blend until desired consistency
Assembly
Place crackers in a bowl, Dips in a Jars and grab a board!
Additional delights for your Happy Hour Platter could include cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, berries, dates, nuts, preservative free meats, and juicy olives...and maybe a sneaky wine =) why not
Enjoy!
Share the love and tag me in your recreations on Instagram and Facebook! @jennas_nourishing_life
Happy Day!
Jenna Poole
Clinical Nutritionist