Category: Healthy Recipes

Spider Web Layered Bean Dip: A Spooktacular Snack You’ll Actually Feel Good About

Posted on by Amber Fox

Spider Web Layered Bean Dip: A Spooktacular Snack You’ll Actually Feel Good About

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Halloween snacks don’t have to be sugar bombs or Pinterest nightmares. This Spider Web Bean Dip from YMCA Nutrition Expert Shawn Borup is the perfect combo of festive, filling, and secretly good for you, aka, that magical combo of fun to make, healthy to eat, and actually kid-friendly.

This weekend, Shawn will be bringing this ghoulishly good recipe to WFMZ-TV69’s Saturday Sunrise, where she’ll whip it up live and share how the Y helps families stay healthy, happy, and balanced long after the candy buckets are empty. During the segment, she’ll also highlight our Before and After School Care and School’s Out programs, the perfect solutions for busy parents looking for safe, engaging, and affordable care during school breaks and holidays.

Oh, and she’s also dropping a little teaser about our Black Friday specials… (Trust us, you’ll want to tune in for that one!)

So grab your spooky snacks and your favorite little goblins, because this one’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Halloween spider web bean dip layered with guacamole, salsa, and cheese on a round platter

Spider Web Bean Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans refried beans

  • 1 cup guacamole

  • 1 cup salsa

  • ½–1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

  • ⅓–½ cup cheddar cheese

  • Sliced olives and/or jalapeños (optional, but highly encouraged)

Shawn suggests going organic with your ingredients when you can, because better ingredients mean better fuel for your family’s fun (and fewer mystery chemicals in your cauldron).

Instructions:

  1. Spread refried beans on a round platter like you’re creating your edible canvas.

  2. Add a smooth layer of guacamole (the “green goo” of your dreams).

  3. Spread on salsa, sprinkle cheese, and toss on olives or jalapeños if you’re feeling spooky.

  4. Spoon sour cream or Greek yogurt into a small baggie, snip off the corner, and pipe your spider web design on top.

  5. Serve with cucumbers, zucchini, celery, or whole-grain chips or crackers.

  6. Pro tip: Cut the recipe in half if your crowd’s smaller, or double it if your neighbor’s kids “just happened to stop by.”

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Why We Love This Recipe (Besides It Being Delicious)

  • It’s easy enough for a weekday, festive enough for a Halloween party.

  • Kids can help “draw” the spider web (and probably eat half the cheese in the process).

  • You can make it ahead, refrigerate it, and pull it out right before the chaos begins.

  • It doubles as a stealthy veggie delivery system.

This snack isn’t just cute, it’s packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep everyone’s energy steady. No sugar crashes, no candy-fueled chaos, just clean, tasty fun.

Don’t Miss It!

Catch Shawn Borup live on WFMZ-TV69’s Saturday Sunrise this weekend for the full cooking segment, plus tips for keeping your family healthy and happy this fall with the YMCA’s Before and After School and School’s Out Care programs.

And while you’re there, keep your eyes peeled for Shawn’s sneak peek at our Black Friday deals, because fitness, childcare, and fun family programs make the best gifts.

About the YMCA of Reading & Berks County

At the Y, we’re here to help families thrive, in and out of the kitchen. From nutritious recipes and youth programs to community events and healthy living initiatives, the Y is your home base for wellness, growth, and connection.

Recipe by: Shawn Borup, YMCA Nutrition Expert

Deviled Eggs Got a Glow-Up — Meet the Avocado-Filled Upgrade Your Snack-Game Needs

Posted on Updated on by Amber Fox

You know those moments when your kids ask for a snack 17 seconds after you cleaned the kitchen? These avocado-filled eggs are your new secret weapon. Packed with protein, healthy fats, and a little spicy sass, they’re like deviled eggs — but better, classier, and less likely to stain your couch. Plus, our in-house nutritionist Shawn Borup, aka the Y food whisperer, ensured they’re as nourishing as they are snack-worthy.

Avocado deviled eggs topped with chives and cayenne on a white plate, Healthy avocado-filled eggs with Greek yogurt and jalapeños, YMCA high-protein snack idea with avocado and eggs

Ingredients:

  • 6 hard-boiled eggs
  • 1 cup avocado, diced
  • 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼–½ tsp Himalayan salt
  • Cayenne pepper to taste
  • ¼ tbsp black pepper
  • 1–2 tbsp finely chopped jalapeños
  • 1 tbsp green onion
  • Chopped chives (for garnish)

For an extra fresh bite (and bonus mom points), Shawn recommends using organic eggs and avocados when possible — your taste buds and your body will thank you.

Directions:

  1. Cut the eggs in half and pop those yolks into a bowl with the avocado.

  2. Mash until smooth (or until your arm workout feels complete).

  3. Stir in yogurt, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

  4. Add jalapeños and green onion — feel free to adjust heat depending on whether you’re feeding tiny humans or spice lovers.

  5. Spoon into egg whites. Garnish with chives and a little cayenne if you’re feelin’ fancy.

Pro Tips:

  • Fresh local eggs are where it’s at. You could grab a generic dozen at the store, but why not get to know your local farmer and live your best farm-to-fridge life? Plus, your brunch will taste smugly superior.

  • Swap mayo for plain Greek yogurt. It’s creamy, tangy, and doesn’t come with a side of “What’s even in this?” vibes. Bonus points: protein boost, and you can still call it deviled without summoning the food guilt demons.

  • Smash ’em on toast. Avocado toast just got an upgrade, honey. Or skip the bread, throw one of these bad boys next to a green smoothie, and pretend you’re the kind of person who meal preps on Sundays instead of just crying in the Aldi parking lot.

  • Great for meal prepping snacks, perfect for that after-school snack! Your kids may not even notice it’s healthy (your secret’s safe with us)

DIY Nutella

Posted on Updated on by Amber Fox

(That Won’t Make Your Kids Bounce Off the Walls)

As Seen on WFMZ-TV69 on Saturday Sunrise 

Let’s be honest — store-bought Nutella is delicious, but have you seen that sugar content? One spoonful and suddenly your toddler thinks they’re starring in Fast & Furious: Living Room Drift. Enter this dreamy, creamy, dietitian-approved version from YMCA nutritional wizard Shawn Borup. It’s sweetened with dates (nature’s candy), made with hazelnuts (hello healthy fats), and totally customizable with cocoa or carob powder. Spoiler: you’ll be eating it straight off the spoon after bedtime. No judgment.

Homemade Nutella fruit dip with apples on a wooden tray, Healthy chocolate hazelnut spread next to sliced apples, YMCA nutritious homemade Nutella with dates and hazelnuts

Ingredients:

  • ¾–1 cup hazelnuts

  • 1 cup filtered water

  • 2 cups Medjool dates

  • ¼ cup carob powder or cocoa powder

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Shawn suggests going organic with your ingredients when you can — especially those dates and hazelnuts — because better ingredients = better spread (and less mystery in your pantry).

Truth Bombs About the Sweet Stuff (aka why Homemade Nutella is the hero we need):

  • Heads up: Cacao powder is strong stuff. Use a little less than you would with cocoa or carob.

  • Nutella says it’s a “hazelnut spread with cocoa.” Sugar is the first ingredient and not the picture of health. It’s 55% sugar. 

  • Oh and P.S.? Sugar + refined palm oil = a not-so-dreamy duo with known carcinogenic properties. Big yikes.

  • Eating sugar lights up your brain like a Christmas tree. It activates natural opioids — basically, your brain throws a party and forgets to send the eviction notice. Some studies say it can be addictive. (No wonder you can’t stop at one spoonful.)

  • And just for fun: Sugar also messes with your mood, your metabolism, and your waistline. It’s the frenemy of food — sweet on the surface, chaos underneath.

  • Dates to the rescue! Unlike refined sugar, dates bring fiber to the party — helping you feel full and slowing down the sugar spike. They’re nature’s way of saying, “I got you.”

Directions:

  1. Soak dates in warm water for 30 minutes.

  2. While that’s happening, blend the hazelnuts and filtered water in a blender to soften them up.

  3. Drain and pit the dates, then toss ’em in the blender.

  4. Blend for about a minute, or until it looks like creamy dessert magic.

  5. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the vanilla and carob/cocoa powder, and try not to eat it all in one sitting.

How to Use It:

  • As a fruit dip (make apples exciting again!)

  • Swirled into yogurt or oatmeal

  • In smoothie bowls

  • Or straight-up on a slice of whole-grain toast