Veggie dip

This is by far the easiest recipe I have put on my blog to date. However, we eat it ALL the time so I thought I should share. Plus it is a healthier dip to have with those vegetables we don't get enough of everyday.

What you need:

6 oz. plain greek yogurt

(don't stop reading if you hate greek yogurt. I still haven't gotten the guts to try it, but I love this dip!)

1 packet of ranch dip seasoning mix

I had originally used the Hidden Valley one,

but recently I found this cheaper options at Sprouts, my new favorite place to shop. Any will work as long as it says "just add sour cream" on the package. I suppose if I was being really healthy and all natural I would post how to make this dip with what you have in the kitchen to avoid more of the sodium, but I am all about quick and easy in this case. It takes me long enough to chop up the vegetables as it is to eat with this!

Combine the seasoning mix with the yogurt. I made a double batch in this picture, and this is what is left after a weekend of enjoying it! Otherwise, if you just bought one regular sized yogurt (6 oz) you can make it and store it in the yogurt container. I used to do that, but now we go through too much so now I buy the big 2 lb. tub of yogurt instead and use what I need as we go.

Dip your favorite (or not so favorite) vegetables. We like cucumbers, carrots, and any bell pepper. Let me know what else you find for dipping! Thanks for reading! ;) Also be sure to check out my updated "in the kitchen" tab. I have added a lot of recipes I like from affiliate links!

No Bake Energy Bites

I cannot believe I haven't posted about this yet. I LOVE THESE!!! I shared these with my family, and they eat them ALL THE TIME! These are ssssoooo good! and kind of healthy!!

Here's what you need: 

1 cup (dry) oatmeal  

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cup ground flaxseed (or flaxseed meal is fine)

1/3 cup honey 

1 tsp. vanilla 

1/2 cup (dark) chocolate chips 

Here's what you do:

Mix the first 5 ingredients together. 

Once those are stirred well, I add the chips. 

Next I roll them into balls. The honey make them a little sticky so you may feel a little messy. No worries!

I like to store them in baggies in a pack of three. 

A perfect on-the-go snack that tastes like a Reese's peanut butter cup!

 Nutrition facts: I made about 24 balls = ~100 cal/ball

Today was National Autism Awareness Day so Matt and I showed support wearing our blue. Thanks for reading!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza (for two)

Matt loves, I mean LOVES pizza!!! If he could eat it for every meal, he definitely would. He also thinks that since we live in Kansas City we need to eat BBQ ALL THE TIME! However, with our healthy eating plan we know both of those suggestions are not good ideas. We used to make our own personal pans with pre-packaged pizza crusts. They were awesome but high in calories. So I came up with a solution-use tortilla shells! It's kind of like thin and crispy crust. It's less calories, and we think it tastes just fine. In fact, this has become a weekly staple in our meals. Also, like all my other recipes, it's super easy! I gotta tell you, it's so much easier and faster to cook these healthy meals compared to the food I used to make. Try out our recipe and let me know what you think!

2 medium sized tortillas
4 T BBQ sauce
8 oz cooked chicken-seasoned with BBQ seasoning
veggies of your choice (I used some minced onion and bell pepper-always bell pepper for Matt!)
2/3 c shredded cheese

Place tortilla on baking sheet and top with 2 T of sauce each.

Tonight I was waiting for Matt to cook the chicken so I put the veggies on first.

Then I added the chicken.

Top with cheese

Bake at 350 for 10-15 min (until the cheese melts)

Tada! Another super simple, great tasting recipe!
(I have no idea why my pictures are coming in vertically. So sorry, I'm basically computer illiterate.)

Calories per pizza: 440

Variations:
Pepperoni Pizza 420 calories
Chicken Ranch Pizza-be careful of the extra calories in the ranch! ~500 calories if you follow this same recipe so you may have to reduce the amount of ranch or cheese used.

Teriyaki Chicken

Hi friends!
Here is my recipe for Teriyaki Chicken for two. Substitute as you see fitting. I chose not to use the wok tonight. This recipe is pretty much fail-proof.

8 oz chicken (we like to grill it on our George Foreman and season how to we. We usually put a little bit of sesame seed, Herbed Poultry seasoning and minced onion.)
2 servings prepared rice
vegetables of your choice (This time I used sugar snap peas, frozen peas and carrots, onion, and yellow bell pepper. But we use different vegetables depending on what we have on hand.)
~ 4 T. teriyaki sauce

Cook and grill the chicken as you normally would.

Cook the instant rice according to the box.

Cook the vegetables according to the package.

Cook the onions and throw the bell pepper in right before the onions are translucent.

Your vegetables should look a little something like this.

Add the vegetables into the rice and stir.

Add some teriyaki sauce (there is only 15 calories per tablespoon so feel free to be a little generous here.

But we will add more later. I plan on using about 4 T total which would be 30 calories per person.)

Next I cut up the chicken. I like to cut it smaller and add it to the rice and vegetables. Or you can always leave it separate and not cut the pieces so small. Your choice!

Then I added the chicken to the rice and vegetables. I also added a bit more teriyaki sauce.

Distribute evenly and you have a super easy, healthy meal for two!

Nutrition facts: 1 serving (half of this recipe) = 392 calories

P.S. I hope you enjoy our super vintage cook-top. Hopefully when we move our next stove will be a little more attractive for pictures!