Feeling those afternoon munchies? Trying to be conscious of your food and eating habits? Here are some great healthy recipes that are adaptable for anything you’ve got in your kitchen!

HOMEMADE HUMMUS

For this recipe, you can use all types of canned legumes – chickpeas for the classic, white cannelloni beans, or even black beans. 

Ingredients:

1 15oz Can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed (you can reserve the liquid to use instead of water if you like – don’t do this for black beans or cannelloni beans)
1 small Clove Garlic – or 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder if you don’t have garlic on hand. 
1 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 Lemon, Zested and Juiced 
(if you don’t have a lemon use Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 1/2 tsp)
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 stem of Fresh Thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
Water – as desired for thickness and smoothness (typically I use about 1/4 Cup)

Method:
Note – if you have a Vitamix this is okay to make in a blender. If you do not, I recommend using a food processor. 
1. Place all ingredients in the blender/food processor except the water. 
2. Pulse the blender to get things moving. 
3. Slowly pour in water, a tablespoon at a time, just enough to let the motor spin. Water is what makes hummus creamy, and oil will add a little bit more of a thicker mouthfeel. So if you want a dense, thick hummus, use less water. For a light, fluffy hummus, add more water – go slowly though! It will thin out very quickly. 

PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED GREEN BEANS

Don’t have prosciutto? Use some bacon – just pre-cook it slightly in a pan (enough so that it’s still soft but about halfway to 3/4 done, so that the veggies don’t burn while baking). Don’t have beans? Try Asparagus, Carrot Sticks, julienned Pepper strips, Broccolini, or cube up the meat and roast it with cauliflower or broccoli. The key here is to quickly blanch your vegetable of choice so that the oven will just crisp up the meat and warm through your veggies.

Ingredients:

Green beans – 5pcs per bunch
Prosciutto – 1 slice per bunch
Provolone Sliced Cheese or shredded – 1 per bunch (optional)
Preheat Oven to 425° F

1. Blanch green beans in boiling water (do this for carrots, and broccolini too – saute pepper strips if using those). Once 2/3 done, remove from boiling water, strain and cool with cold running water.
2. On your cookie sheet, place one sheet of the prosciutto flat. If using, tear or cut the cheese slice into small pieces and place enough to cover the first 1/3 of the prosciutto slice. Lay the 5 beans bunched on top of the cheese covered end. Roll up the prosciutto around the beans, encapsulating the cheese around the beans. Try to cover as much of the beans as you can.
3. Once all your bunches are rolled, line up on your cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Once baked for 10 minutes, turn each bunch over so that the top part is now on the bottom, touching the cookie sheet. This will crisp up all the sides nicely! Bake for another 10 minutes or until visibly crisp.

You can eat these as a great power snack, or as an accompaniment to a main course.

HOMEMADE SHREDDED CHICKEN / CHICKEN BONE BROTH

Now – hang in there. This can be a snack because it’s so good you can snack on the cooked chicken however you like (click here for some recipes and ideas!) and drink the broth like tea – this is good especially if you’re starting to feel under the weather! This has great amounts of collagen in it, and the protein in it will help you fend off hunger attacks by leaving you satisfied. Plus, it makes enough for you to freeze at least 3 quarts to save for later. Once you get everything in the pot – you don’t have to do much else.

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken – ~ 3 lbs
2 Whole Carrots – washed (if you only have baby carrots for your kiddos, that’s fine too! Throw in what visually looks like about 1/2 the amount of onion you have)
2 Large White Onions, cut into quarters
2 Stalks of Celery (if you don’t have this – don’t let it stop you! The rinds from the oranges and lemon will provide some of the bitterness that celery does. If you don’t have those either, try 1-2 Tbsp Celery Seed)
1/2 Orange (cut in 1/2 again, rind and all)
1/2 Lemon (rind and all)
Bay Leaf
Thyme Sprigs
Head of Garlic (cut the pointy top half off to expose the garlic cloves, toss in both halves)
1 Stem of Rosemary

Save your scraps! Check out how celery, carrots, onions, garlic and herbs can be regrown from the roots you usually throw away!

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients in a large pot. Fill with cold water.
2. Place on stove on medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil. Once at a boil, turn heat to low and partially cover. Check back every so often to make sure it’s not bubbling too much (you want some, but too much will result in a cloudy stock).
3. 2 hours after the broth began boiling, remove the chicken. Use tongs to remove the meat from the bones and drop the bones back in the stock. Shred the meat and set aside for another use. Once all bones are back in the pot, continue cooking the broth on the lowest heat setting, partially covered, for another 3-4 hours. It should be barely bubbling and very aromatic.
4. Using a ladle skim off the fat layer (it will be a surprising amount – it’s normal). Strain into containers or another larger pot to then divy into containers for storage. Make sure to not cover them and place them in the fridge or freezer so that they cool to below 40° F within 6 hours. Once cool, place the tops on the containers and freeze whatever you won’t use right away. It’s best to let thaw overnight in the fridge, but you can also thaw in a pot if you’re in a bind.