{"id":64098,"date":"2017-12-18T11:15:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T16:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=64098"},"modified":"2017-12-22T09:15:23","modified_gmt":"2017-12-22T14:15:23","slug":"healthy-holiday-finger-foods-recipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/recipes\/healthy-holiday-finger-foods-recipes\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Healthy Swaps for Your Favorite Holiday Party Foods"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"10<\/div>\n

Here\u2019s something to celebrate: Research<\/a> shows that we don\u2019t pile on the 10-ish pounds we think we do during the holidays. But the one pound we do put on between Thanksgiving<\/a> and New Year\u2019s Eve tends to stick. So for every LB you add to your frame for the next decade, you go up a pant size. Still, we\u2019re not about to suggest that the holidays should be about deprivation. Stick to these flavorful finger foods to cut calories<\/a> and keep all the satisfaction.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>12 Healthy One-Pot Meals Fit for the Holidays<\/a><\/p>\n

10 Healthy Holiday Party Finger Foods to Feed a Crowd<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Healthy<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Healthy Vegan Queso<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A typical restaurant portion<\/a> of queso (a measly two ounces) packs more than 10 grams of fat, but not this skinny, veggie-rich dip. A half-cup serving of this butternut squash<\/a> and nutritional yeast blend has less than half the fat, plus half your daily requirement of immunity-boosting vitamin A<\/a>. Serve with whole-grain crackers and veggie sticks. Photo and recipe: Sarah \/ Making Thyme for My Health<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

2. Herby Whipped Brie Stuffed Strawberries<\/a><\/h3>\n

Consider a cracker with a piece of cheese on top, and then a fiber-rich strawberry<\/a> with whipped brie. The same pick-me-up trick is at play here, except the low-calorie, vitamin-dense strawberry will keep you satisfied longer. Photo and recipe: Sarah Bond \/ Live Eat Learn<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Better Than Cheddar: 6 Vegan Cheese Swaps<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Cornbread Baked Chicken Fingers<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bye-bye, fried. These baked chicken strips taste even better than their oil-laden counterparts. They\u2019re coated in sweet cornbread crumbs and salty Parmesan cheese before being cooked to crispy perfection. Dunk the chicken strips in cranberry mustard instead of ketchup to cut down on sugar<\/a> \u2014 and crank up the polyphenols<\/a> (and holiday festivity). Photo and recipe: Alexa Schirm \/ Simple Roots Wellness<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

4. Easy Paleo Salmon Cakes<\/a><\/h3>\n

Trick picky eaters into eating more vitamins by stirring mashed sweet potatoes into salmon<\/a> patties. These pan-fried appetizers cut down on calories and carbs by eliminating the bread crumbs. As an added bonus, they\u2019re fitting for the gluten-free holiday revelers, too. Photo and recipe: Lindsay Cotter \/ Cotter Crunch<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Gluten-Free Low-Carb Mozzarella Sticks<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speaking of appetizers without wheat, these gooey treats are coated in almond and coconut flour with Italian seasoning for a crunchy gluten-free<\/a> crust. Start with store-bought mozzarella string cheese, then coat them with the flour mixture and bake for seven to nine minutes. Serve with marinara sauce for one of the quickest, lightened-up finger foods around. Photo and recipe: Maya\/ Wholesome Yum<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>3-Ingredient Party Snacks That Are Seriously Delicious<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Purple Sweet Potato Crostinis with Spiced Ricotta and Roasted Cranberries<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ditch the bread base and try this high-violet sweet potato \u201ctoast.\u201d<\/a> The handheld appetizer is lower in carbs<\/a> and higher in vitamin A and fiber. Roasting cranberries makes them taste sweeter than tart and bursts their juices. And here\u2019s a bite of party app trivia for you: One cup of ricotta cheese (the amount in this recipe) offers a whopping 28 grams of protein. Photo and recipe: Denise \/ Sweet Peas and Saffron<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Disastrous Holiday Desserts (and Healthier Swaps!)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Adults Pig in a Blanket with Red Wine-Mustard Sauce<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

With 25 grams of protein<\/a> and a reasonable 387 calories per serving, these sausage and lower-in-fat crescent rolls eats like a meal. If you don\u2019t have time to sit down to have dinner before a cocktail party, this is a wise wine-balancing option so you don\u2019t have a wicked headache the next day. To make this dish even healthier, use chicken sausage instead. Photo and recipe: Amanda Plott \/ The Skinny Fork<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

8. Sweet Potato Crust Barbecue Chicken Pizza<\/a><\/h3>\n

Move over cauliflower crust<\/a>! This sweet potato and almond flour pizza is satisfying and hearty and an ideal counterpart to the sweet and savory barbecue rotisserie chicken<\/a>. Photo and recipe: Stacey Garska \/ The Soccer Mom Blog<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

9. Loaded Taco Fries with Lime Crema<\/a><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s a brilliant hack for the crispiest baked fries ever: Coat potato sticks in aquafaba<\/a> (the protein-rich liquid in a can of chickpeas). Dust with seasonings and bake in a piping-hot oven, and you\u2019ll forget everything about their deep-fried cousins. In this dish, we top the fries with cashew lime crema, cooked chickpeas, tomatoes, red onions and fresh parsley. Photo and recipe: Katie Culpin \/ A Virtual Vegan<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>8 Delicious Takes on French Fries (Better Than Fast Food!)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Sweet Potato Bites<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sweet potatoes FTW once more in these guacamole-topped treats. Each bite has 31 calories and plenty of heart-healthy fats from the avocado<\/a> and a splash of olive oil. Pour up a skinny margarita or a mojito and you\u2019ll be transported far from the \u201cbaby it\u2019s cold outside\u201d climate. Photo and recipe: Erin Clarke \/ Well Plated<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More
\n<\/strong>9 Ways to Fight Holiday Bloat (And Never Feel Deprived)<\/a>
\n7 Disastrous Holiday Desserts (and Healthier Swaps!)<\/a>
\n12 Healthier Holiday Cocktail Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pack in more flavor \u2014 and fewer calories \u2014 with these crowd-pleasing finger foods. Your holiday party is now complete! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":64114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[425,27,9,427],"tags":[244,204,155,59,189,71,87,341,388],"class_list":["post-64098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dinner","category-healthy","category-recipes","category-snacks","tag-appetizer","tag-cooking","tag-dinner","tag-healthy-substitutions","tag-holiday","tag-nutrition","tag-snacks","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}