(Family Features) The foundation of healthy eating may include nutritious breakfasts, lunches and dinners, but just as important are the snacks in-between meals. Regardless of when or where you snack, encourage better-for-you eating habits with nutritious nibbles to power through your day.

According to an online survey conducted among 1,000 Americans ages 18 and older across the U.S. by Wakefield Research on behalf of the American Pecan Promotion Board, Americans love snacks, and reach for them an average of three times a day.

However, where and when those snacks are eaten can vary from on the move to on the couch, from sunrise to after bedtime. Nearly a third (30%) of respondents are munching on snacks while in bed, calling it their favorite snacking spot. However, only 35% of their snack choices are considered healthy.

Fueling busy days can be easy with an option like pecans. According to the survey, 66% of snackers enjoy pecans on their own with 58% eating them as part of a trail mix. If you’re among the 50% who reach for a snack in the late afternoon, you can turn to nutritious, satisfying solutions to indulge afternoon cravings without the guilt. With pleasing crunch, comforting creaminess and a satisfying chew, pecans are the “no sacrifice” nut that can punch up your routine with both delicious taste and plant-based nutrition.

Just a handful of pecans – about 19 halves – provides a good source of fiber, thiamin and zinc and an excellent source of copper and manganese, a mineral that’s essential for metabolism and bone health. They also provide a mix of protein and good fats – 18 grams of unsaturated fat, including oleic acid, and only 2 grams of unsaturated fat – to help keep you full and energized throughout the day.

As an added bonus, their versatility and easy-to-pair profile makes them a perfect ingredient in recipes you can prepare in a cinch. For bite-sized treats that are packed with flavor and perfect for snack time, these Pecan Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites swap out flour and sugar in favor of blended pecans, chickpeas, vanilla extract, cinnamon and sea salt with dark chocolate chips folded in for a sweet finishing touch.

Or you can simply toss warm pecans with olive oil and sea salt in this Roasted Pecans recipe for a grab-and-go snack that can be prepared in advance without worrying about spoiling. Another benefit of pecans: They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 9 months or frozen up to 2 years, giving them a longer shelf life than many pantry favorites. Plus, they can be thawed and refrozen without losing flavor or texture.

To find more surprisingly delicious nutritional facts or recipe inspiration, visit EatPecans.com.

Pecan Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites

Recipe courtesy of Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, on behalf of the American Pecan Promotion Board
Prep time: 10 minutes
Servings: 24

• 1 cup raw pecan pieces
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. In blender or food processor, blend pecan pieces, chickpeas, vanilla extract, cinnamon and sea salt 3-5 minutes, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth and creamy.
2. Fold in dark chocolate chips.
3. Form into 24 cookie dough balls. Eat as-is; no baking required.

Note: Store leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Roasted Pecans

Recipe courtesy of the American Pecan Promotion Board
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8

• 2 1/4 cups raw pecan halves
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or pecan oil
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. Place pecans on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.
3. In heat-proof bowl, toss warm pecans with olive oil and sea salt, crushing larger salt grains with fingers while sprinkling.
4. Return pecans to baking sheet in single layer and bake 20 minutes, or until slightly browned and dry. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet.

Note: Store pecans in airtight container in refrigerator up to 9 months or freeze up to 2 years. Pecans can be thawed and frozen repeatedly without loss of flavor or texture.

Source: American Pecan Promotion Board

Simple, sweet treats are always a win with the family when you need to change things up a bit. Enjoy some decadence with this dessert recipe including creamy cheesecake filling coupled with chocolate cookie dough for a truly rich delight. 

Find more dessert ideas at Culinary.net.

Watch video to see how to make this recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars

• 2          rolls chocolate chip cookie dough, divided
• 2          packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), softened
• 1/2       cup sugar
• 2          eggs, at room temperature
• 1          teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Prepare 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
3. Press 1 1/4 cookie dough rolls into bottom of pan.
4. In large bowl, mix cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar, mix well. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until combined. Pour cheesecake filling over cookie dough base.
5. Crumble remaining cookie dough over cream cheese filling.
6. Bake 35-40 minutes.
7. Cool completely before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

(Family Features) Hay rides and pumpkin carving aren’t the only time-honored traditions of fall. This time of year also brings the opportunity to enjoy spooktacular and hair-raising seasonal treats.

Whether served alone in a glass or incorporated in tasty recipes, limited edition TruMoo Orange Scream can help you whip-up festive sips and snacks. Inspired by orange frozen pops with vanilla ice cream and made with no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial growth hormones and no artificial sweeteners, this creamy orange milk is so frightfully delicious and nutritious, it might make you scream with joy.  

And this fall, the colorful milk is getting a makeover. In celebration of DreamWorks’ Trolls, Poppy and Branch – the eternally optimistic troll and her overly cautious counterpart – will make an appearance on specially marked bottles of TruMoo Orange Scream and Chocolate milks.

Kick off this year’s fearsome festivities with recipes inspired by the movie and its beloved characters: Truly Colorful Crepes and Poppy’s Orange Scream Pudding Parfaits. It’ll be no surprise when the whole family asks for more.

For more exciting recipes, visit TruMoo.com, and find TruMoo Milk on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Truly Colorful Crepes

Serves: 6

Crepes

• 2          large eggs
• 1 1/4    cups TruMoo Orange Scream milk
• 1          cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3       cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3          tablespoons melted butter
• 1          teaspoon orange extract
• 1/4       teaspoon salt

Filling

• Frozen yogurt
• confectioners’ sugar
• 1          tablespoon grated orange peel
• blue sprinkles (optional)

1. In large bowl, combine eggs, milk, flour, sugar, melted butter, orange extract and salt. Beat with wire whisk to combine well. Cover and place mixture in refrigerator for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
2. Stir mixture with spoon. Heat lightly greased 9-inch skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter into center of pan; quickly swirl or spread mixture to fill skillet. Cook each crepe 30 seconds; flip; cook another 10 seconds until lightly browned. Place crepe on large cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter. Do not stack crepes on top of each other.
3. To serve, place 2 small scoops of frozen yogurt in center of crepe; fold sides over to close. Sprinkle crepes with confectioners’ sugar, grated orange peel and sprinkles, if desired.

Poppy’s Orange Scream Pudding Parfaits

Serves: 4

• 1          package (16.5 ounces) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1          package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding and pie filling
• 2          cup TruMoo Orange Scream milk
• whipped topping
• blue and green sprinkles

1. Prepare cookies as package directs. Set aside.
2. Prepare instant pudding as package directs, using milk.
3. In a glass or parfait dish, crumble 1 cookie; top with large spoonful of pudding. Repeat layering. Dollop with spoonful of whipped topping; top with sprinkles. Repeat to make three more parfaits.

Source: TruMoo

(Family Features)  Pizza and dessert are two things nearly any crowd can agree on. Combining classic rocky road ingredients – chocolate, marshmallows and peanuts – on a giant cookie crust makes for a sweet treat that’s perfect for a crowd and can be sliced and eaten with your hands.

Find more dessert recipes at Culinary.net.

Watch video to see how to make this recipe!

Rocky Road Cookie Pizza

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury

•             Nonstick cooking spray
• 1          roll (16 1/2 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1          cup miniature marshmallows
• 1/2       cup salted peanuts
• 1/2       cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3       cup caramel topping

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Grease 12-inch pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. In pan, break up cookie dough. In bottom of pan, evenly spread cookie dough to form crust. Bake 12-17 minutes, or until light golden brown.
3. Sprinkle marshmallows, peanuts and chocolate chips evenly over crust. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until toppings are melted. Drizzle with caramel topping. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into wedges.

Source: Culinary.net

(Family Features) Summertime entertaining should be easy and fun. And it can be - with some simple solutions and fresh recipes.

Start with Simple Recipes

• For this tropical dessert pizza, make the cookie crust the day before. Mix the filling and store it in an airtight plastic container, then cut up fruit and store in individual resealable plastic bags. Be creative and substitute your family's favorite fruits. Kids will have fun arranging the sliced fruit on this yummy dessert pizza!
• Three ingredients plus three minutes equals one tasty marinade. Let the kids help pour the ingredients into a resealable plastic bag to flavor juicy pork tenderloins with a subtly sweet, spicy marinade.
• The combination of crisp watermelon, juicy tomatoes and fresh basil with balsamic vinegar creates a fantastic and refreshing light salad. Just cut up ingredients and store in separate plastic containers, then toss together right before the party to keep the flavors fresh.

Simply Entertaining

• For picnics on damp ground, placing an inexpensive plastic tablecloth under a blanket helps keep dampness from reaching picnickers - and keeps your blanket cleaner, too.
• Wash, chop, measure and prepare your ingredients 1 to 2 days before an event or party. They can be stored in resealable plastic bags or airtight containers in the refrigerator to make putting together recipes much easier the day of the party.
• Save plastic grocery bags to send guests home with leftovers. Placing an empty plastic grocery bag in a picnic basket is also a great solution for collecting trash after a picnic in the park - it doesn't take up much room and will act as a waterproof barrier to prevent spills.
• Create a dipping station for barbeque and grill sauces using reusable plastic storage containers with lids. Guests can spoon sauces onto their plates; when the party is over, simply place the lids back on the sauces and store in the refrigerator. They come in all different shapes and sizes and even fun colors.
• Use resealable plastic bags for marinades. Put meat in the bags with marinade and refrigerate overnight. It helps save space in the refrigerator and clean up is easy. This also works for coating and breading.

For more tips on ways to make summer entertaining a breeze, visit www.PlasticsMakeitPossible.com.

Tropical Fruit Dessert Pizza

Makes 12 servings

• 1 18-ounce roll refrigerated ready-to-slice sugar cookie dough
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 8-ounce package fat-free cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind
• 1 cup fat-free frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 26-ounce jar mango slices, drained, or 2 fresh mangoes, sliced
• 1 16-ounce can pineapple slices, drained, or 1 fresh pineapple, sliced
• 1 11-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur or orange juice
• 2 tablespoons coconut, toasted, optional

1. Preheat oven 350°F.
2. Press cookie dough into a 12 to 14-inch pizza pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 12 minutes, cool completely.
3. In medium mixing bowl, blend together sugar, cream cheese, coconut extract until well mixed. Stir in orange rind and whipped topping, mixing until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of cooled crust.
4. Arrange mango slices around edge of iced pizza. Then, arrange pineapple slices around edge. Next, arrange mandarin orange slices in another ring to fill center of pizza.
5. In small saucepan or in microwave, heat apricot preserves and orange liqueur just until melted. Spoon glaze over fruit. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if desired. Refrigerate until serving.

Terrific Tidbit: Go ahead and grate more orange rind than you'll need for the recipe - you can grate a whole orange or lemon and freeze the rind in a plastic freezer bag until needed.

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Makes 10 (1/2-cup) servings

• 4 cups scooped out watermelon balls or chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt to taste
• 1/3 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese, optional

1. In bowl, combine watermelon, onion, tomatoes and basil. Whisk together oil and vinegar and toss with salad. Season to taste. Refrigerate until serving.

3-Ingredient Marinade for Pork Tenderloin

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 2 1-pound pork tenderloins, trimmed of excess fat
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup roasted garlic seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven 350°F.
2. In bowl, combine all ingredients except tenderloins. Place meat in dish or large resealable plastic bag, pour marinade over meat. If time permits, refrigerate overnight, turning meat several times.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the tenderloin registers 160°F. Slice tenderloin, serve.

Quick Tip: Tenderloins come two to a package. If one will be enough for you to serve, halve recipe, freeze other tenderloin in freezable plastic bag.

Source: American Chemistry Council