Healthy Christmas canapes that won’t blowout your calorie goal

Canapés. It’s a word that can strike fear into the heart of anyone trying to eat well or lose baby weight this festive season. It seems wherever you go during party season you’re confronted with a heavily-laden tray full of bite-sized snacks.

This isn’t great news when you’re following the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge which tries to focus on fresh healthy snacks. We’ve put together a list of five Christmas canapes that aren’t laden with calories.

Christmas canapes that won’t blowout your calorie count

One of the primary problems with canapés, apart from the fact that they are, as the name suggests, a small starter before the ‘real’ food is served (which can blow your daily calorie goal out of the water before you’ve even sat down), is the ingredients used in their creation.

Rich, creamy cheeses, fatty cuts of meat and plenty of stuff that’s deep fried seems to abound on trays everywhere.

Luckily there is a way to wrestle back some control over the situation. You can create your own healthy nibbles to serve at home or take along to a party or gathering.

This way you’re able to choose what gets included, and more importantly, what is left out.

Our top picks include plenty of delicious, low-calorie veggies to balance out yummy cheese and creamy dips. The best bit? These canapés take less than 20 minutes to prepare and all have less than 250 calories per serve.

Our Top 5 Healthy Christmas Canapés

1. Cucumber, Turkey, Cheese and Cranberry Stacks

Festive in colour but not in calories, these snacks are simple to prepare. Slice some cucumber and top with sliced turkey, a dollop of cranberry sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.

Makes 8-10 – 21 calories per serve

2. Marinated Bocconcini

The perfect mouthful of delicious cheese. Marinate bocconcini balls in a mixture of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and some freshly chopped mint. Skewer with a toothpick and serve.

Makes 25 balls (depending on brand used) – 45 calories per ball

3. Veggies And Dip

Make a festive dip by combining 1 cup of fresh, grated beetroot with 2 tbsps natural yoghurt, 1 tbsp lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Serve with veggie sticks.

Makes 20 serves – 8 calories per serve

4. Pesto Crisp Breads

Up the green on the menu by spreading your favourite crispbreads with pesto. We love a homemade pesto but store-bought is good too.

Makes 8 servings – 135 calories per serve

5. Spinach And Cheese Quesadilla

A great alternative to spinach and cheese triangles. Place one wholemeal tortilla in a large frypan. Top with baby spinach leaves, reduced fat fetta and a sprinkling of mozzarella.

Top with a second tortilla and heat gently so that cheese melts and the tortilla begins to crisp up. Slice into four.

Makes 4 servings – 235 calories per serve

To get more recipes for healthy Christmas canapes, snacks, meals and side dishes for the festive season, take a look at our FREE Healthy Mummy Christmas and Entertaining eBook with more than 150 healthy and delicious recipes for you.