“Silent Night” has been blaring in Walmart since September, and your phone keeps pinging with alerts about trendy Christmas gift finds and deals. 

This Advent, let’s skip the overindulgence of hyper-consumerist holiday culture and slow down to make the pre-Christmas season one of peaceful, nourishing simplicity. 

We’re sharing 5 delicious and nutritious snacks to check one item off your seasonal preparations. Warm, filling, and nutrient-dense is the name of our Advent snack game. We hope these recipes will help nourish body and spirit.   

What we love – all of these small bites are easily adaptable to whatever you have on hand in your pantry and can be made in single-serve or large portions! 

Loaded Hummus

Packed with protein and complex savory flavor, hummus is an old reliable when it comes to satisfying snacks. Whether you prefer homemade or store-bought, the key here is dressing it up to make it even more exciting and healthy. 

Top with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, a hearty sprinkle of walnuts or pine nuts, chopped olives, feta cheese, roasted red peppers, artichokes, a warm egg fried in olive oil and rosemary. 

The topping combinations are as endless as what to serve it with. Classic pita, whole wheat toast, crackers, veggies (cucumbers, celery, carrots), or just eat it straight from the bowl!

Honey Baked Apples 

Warm apples oozing with honey, spice, and everything nice is our favorite fruit snack this winter.

How it works: chopped, sliced or halved apples are tossed with honey, butter or olive oil, and spices (think cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves) and then baked in the oven to soft, sweet perfection. Need a little more substance? Add some nuts to toast on the apples (walnuts, pecans, pistachio) or top with crunchy granola or a drizzle of nut butter after baking. 

Baked Oatmeal Spice Bars

Up your oatmeal game by baking it! Besides the cake-like texture, the best part about baked oatmeal is that you can quickly whip up a big batch of heart-happy, fiber-rich goodness with only a few pantry staples. 

With a base of rolled oats, vanilla, spice, and maple syrup or honey for sweetness, baked oatmeal is endlessly adaptable. From a burst of fruity flavor (pumpkin, banana, blueberry, cranberry) to sweet and savory combinations (sweet potato, zucchini, carrot) this hearty snack can be baked either in a sheet pan or muffin pan for perfect portion control. 

Melty Cheese Bites

Chilly days getting to you? Try some warm, melty cheese. While you could just grab the string cheese right from the fridge, melting the cheese is a simple way to elevate the comforting feel of this ever-tasty snack. 

All you need to do is bake or broil your cheese of choice (brie, fresh mozzarella, gouda, goat cheese, fontina, mild cheddar) either on its own in a ceramic baking dish or on top of multigrain toast, crostini, or even stuffed in mini red peppers, mushrooms, or dates. While optional, a drizzle of honey, balsamic vinegar, and aromatics like thyme, rosemary, and garlic go well with most.

For healthy, enjoyable dipping, pair with fresh or dried fruit (apple, peach, pear, apricot, fig), veggies (red peppers, carrots), pretzels, pita chips, and nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds). 

Dark Chocolate Protein Yogurt Bowl

Yes, we’re saying chocolate and healthy in the same sentence. This easy protein bowl calls for dark chocolate loaded with antioxidants and iron power so you can feel as good as it tastes! Use 60% cocoa or higher to avoid added sugars! 

Simply fold melted dark chocolate into plain greek yogurt, pour in maple syrup or honey for sweetness and then decorate with your preferred toppings. Think nuts, dried berries, fresh fruit (blueberries, bananas, strawberries, pomegranate), coconut, granola, or a spoonful of nut butter. 

Merry munching!