Holiday Craftiness Turns Yummy

Last year for Christmas, I made gifts for most of my friends and family. This of course does not include my Dad, who has requested sox every year since I was in second grade. Dad (*sigh*). In an attempt to get my craft on again this year, I set out to make these cute little bracelets for a few of my close friends. Turns out, the only thing I created was a mess of frustration for myself. That's okay, no biggie. It's just not my year for gift-making.

As far as DIY craftiness goes, I simply have more luck in the kitchen. This holiday season, my favorite ingredient to work with is cranberries. The color, the flavor, the versatility. Cranberries, you rock my world!

The only problem is that most recipes with cranberries (like traditional cranberry sauce) call for a ton of sugar. Healthy cranberries don't deserve this treatment! So, I made a batch of reduced-sugar cranberry sauce and stumbled upon a fabulous, healthy snack idea.

Cottage cheese, meet cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce, meet cottage cheese.

You may be thinking "whaaaa?". But seriously, it's SO good. Even the husband digs it. The sweet/tart combo from the cranberries is the perfect complement to salty/creamy cottage cheese. Plus, in addition to being low calorie, this snack is loaded with good nutrition: antioxidants, Vitamin C, fiber, protein and calcium to name a few.

Here is the recipe step by step:

Start with fresh cranberries.

In medium saucepan, bring water and sugar  to boil until dissolved.

Once dissolved, simmer for about 5 minutes then add cranberries.

Continue simmering until cranberries start to pop. After about 10 minutes, remove from heat and pour into shallow bowl to let cool.

Recipe adapted from Trader Joe's Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation:
Dissolve sugar and water in medium saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min. Stir in cranberries and simmer until you hear the cranberries pop - about 10 min. Place sauce in bowl to cool. It will thicken as it cools.

Serve over favorite cottage cheese and enjoy!

 

So there you have it. A holiday-inspired snack that you can call healthy. I totally ate this before I went out and purchased (read: not made) Christmas gifts. It was a good choice - the snack and the store-bought gifts.