Merry Christmas!! Happy Hanukah!! Whatever, it’s the time of year for SNACKS, right?! So last night I was frantically scoping out my favorite blogs to find ideas for Christmas [because clearly grocery shopping on Christmas Eve is an awesome idea] and throwing together last second foodie gift ideas. I can’t possibly, for the life of me, plan ahead. Every single year I think about all the cool things I’m going to do, make, create, decorate with the next year and it always comes down to the very last second and half the time I throw in the towel and just say “F it”. I don’t actually say “F” but it’s Christmas and I’m going to refrain from f-bombs today. For the kids. This year it’s just me and the man at home with our dogs. We did the whole traveling to 2 cities thing last year and this year we just wanted to relax at home. A coworker gave me a stuffed chicken for Christmas [he knows me] so we’ll be cooking that up and then I declared this Christmas “Dip Christmas” meaning I’m going to make a bunch of dips. Not sure what dips yet, but I bought a vat of cream cheese so I think I’m covered. I’m also making butter thumbprint cookies tonight. My husband finally said to me, “um, can you make me something for Christmas with real flour?” What is wrong with him, right? I have some clams too so I think I’ll make clam chowder. What I’m getting at here is that I’m real organized and have a solid plan for Christmas dinner. The only thing truly planned out and consistent in my life right now is the bottle of vodka and Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix with all the fixins on my counter right now. If all else fails tomorrow, we still have vodka.So, pepitas. I had a jar of them in my pantry and I never eat them. I needed a last minute snack AND gift idea for a few people so I went to work. Luckily, they turned out outrageously delicious on the first try because I had no more pepitas. And while I wasn’t even planning on turning this into a blog post, I think you guys need this recipe. And I’m sure this recipe would work with any nut or seed. Like cashews. This would make a great cashew recipe.

It’s ready in 10 minutes, it’s full of healthy fats and every 1/4 c has a whopping 9 g of protein. It’s perfect for keeping those sugar cravings under control. And it’s got a little fiber. It’s basically PHFF wrapped up in one little package. I’m thinking if I have these nearby, I’ll eat less cookie dough. Thoughts?

Chili Lime Pepitas

Author: Megan Hansen, RDN, LD

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

A spicy, tangy snack perfect for the holidays. Quick snacking on cookies and get yourself some healthy fats.

Ingredients

• 2 cups pepitas

• 1 Tbsp lime juice

• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1 1/2 tsp cumin

• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Add lime to the pepitas and toss to coat.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat.

4. Spread evenly onto baking sheet.

5. Roast for 5-6 minutes – these WILL burn so keep an eye on them!

6. Let cool.

Serving size: 1/8 recipe

Fat: 15

Sugar: 0

Fiber: 2

Protein: 9

Notes:

Mix it up with different nuts and seeds! Cashews, almonds and sunflower seeds would all work .

Have a wonderful holiday season guys! I’m so thankful for all of you who come back and read my crazy ramblings. It’s been quite a year. I have big plans for the blog in 2015. Just hang with me. xo