Healthy Happy Hour

Happy Hour, a time to unwind with coworkers and friends to reflect on the day or to forget it all together. Traditionally it’s a few loud hours of deep-fried finger foods and cheap beer. It may be good for boosting ones morale but not always great for the scale. Another option, host your own happy hour. Forget the crowded restaurants, watered down drinks and menus that list calorie contents (seriously why do they do that). Below are a few delicious drink and appetizer recipes that will leave you completely satisfied without the guilt.

DRINKS:

Sangria Punch

• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 1 can diet lemon lime soda
• 1 cup low calorie orange juice
• 1 cup of your favorite diced fruit (apples, strawberries, pears)
• Lemon, lime and orange slices

Mix everything together and serve over ice.

Strawberry Pink Lemonade

• 4 oz. Sweet Revenge (strawberry flavored liqueur)
• 32 oz. of all natural strawberry sparkling water (Poland Springs is my favorite)
• 4 packets of Crystal Light lemonade.
• lemon slices

Mix everything together and serve over ice.

Orange Oasis

• Orange slices
• 4 oz. Orange Vodka
• 12 drops of Mio orange and vanilla water enhancer
• 4 oz. low calorie orange juice
• 1 can of club soda.

Mix everything together and serve over ice.

APPETIZERS:

Jalapeno Poppers

• 12 jalapeno peppers (sliced lengthwise and seeds removed)
• 8 oz. low fat cream cheese
• 8 oz. reduced fat cheddar
• 8 oz. low calorie parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cracked red pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover your baking sheet with foil and lightly grease it. Place pepper halves on pan, spacing them an inch apart. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Spoon on filling mixture to each pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.

Honey Sweet Potato Fries with Lime Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Fries

• 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch long slices, then 1/4 -inch wide inch strips.
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tablespoons organic honey

Dip

• 12 oz. plain Greek yogurt
• 8 mint leaves finely diced
• 1 tbsp. lime juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. In a bowl toss sweet potatoes with olive oil. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. When out of the oven drizzle honey on them. Mix yogurt, lime juice and diced mint in a bowl. Let fries cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with yogurt dip.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 large egg white
• 1 pound lean ground chicken
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 packet ranch salad dressing mix.
• Reduced-fat blue cheese or ranch salad dressing for dipping
• Celery and carrot slices for on the side

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, 1/3 cup hot sauce, celery and egg white. Add chicken; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into twenty-four 1-in. balls. Place on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake 25 minutes or until cooked through. Toss meatballs with remaining hot sauce. If desired, drizzle with salad dressing just before serving. Should make around 24.