Take 2:  Using up the avocados. 

Much better.

I have access to a salad bar at work (with my meal plan) and I am on a quest to find new dips that will entice me to have dip and veggies as an afternoon snack.  My veggie consumption has been sorely lacking lately and any boost I can get is quite helpful.

This is one recipe that will help me get there.

This is an amazing dip that tastes fantastic with veggies – I served it with sugar snap peas and peppers. 

Matt even mixed extra dip with tuna for lunch – that was delicious as well – and much better for you then mayo!

This recipe is a keeper in my book – simple, full of flavor and a great reward for eating my veggies!

I have really been trying to get more yogurt into my life.  Yogurt has so many health benefits – and with all the sickness going around at work – I could use all the extra help I can get. 

Last week, I exchanged my soy nut butter and jelly toast breakfast ritual for yogurt, banana and granola.  Twice.  I will call that a victory. 

Ashley had made a Chocolate Yogurt Dip using greek yogurt and I decided to give it a shot.  Hey chocolate makes everything better doesn’t it?

Matt and I split this for dessert one night but I’m sure this would make a great dip.

Matt said it was a little tart for his liking but I enjoyed the difference in taste from greek yogurt with banana.

Ashley was right – the bites with the chocolate chips were my favorite.  By far.

I bet this would be a great dip for pretzels, cereal (I’m thinking some mini wheats or Quaker Oatmeal Squares), apple slices or pineapple, or even some graham crackers. 

I need to try it again with dippers – I also may add a small spoon full of instant coffee!  Mocha yogurt anyone?

I have never been much of a football fan.  When in grad school I began to appreciate college football, but the pro stuff was just never of an interest to me.  Super Bowl Sunday meant a “feast” as we used to call it growing up – lots of appetizers to snack on during the game.  My dad watched the actual game while the rest of us watched the commercials. 

Not having cable tv anymore, Matt and I are hoping to find a way to watch the Super Bowl – especially since my favorite team is playing (I’m not divulging what team it is )

Matt and I love fried pickles – whenever we see it on a restaurant menu we order it.  Recently I found a recipe for oven fried pickles and decided to see if it matched the deliciousness of really fried pickles. 

It did.

These my friends are amazing – I was very impressed.

The panko crusted up quite nicely.  Matt was even surprised at how good they were – he said they had a good crunch and flavor.  He called them “a respectable replacement for fried pickles and even better than some fried pickles he has had.”  Apparently we are fried pickle connoisseurs. 

Try them.  You won’t regret it.

While reading blogs a little ago, I found a recipe for Pepperoni Pizza Puffs on Stephanie’s blog.  Seeing as pizza is one of my favorite food groups, I thought I would try the recipe swapping out mushrooms for the pepperoni – mushrooms are one of my favorite pizza toppings and slightly more vegetarian friendly than pepperoni. 

Sadly, I think this is a recipe that needs the pepperoni.  They were bland and kinda boring – I even added a few shakes of garlic powder to the batter before dividing into the muffin tins to try to make up for the lack of spices from the pepperoni.

I topped our pizza puffs with a little bit of pizza sauce which I hoped would give it a little bit more flavor but sadly it didn’t. 

These would be great for an afternoon snack or served as an appetizer as Stephanie did for the meat-lovers in your life. 

A few months ago I became obsessed with mejdool dates.  Like I probably still have 2 lbs of them in my pantry obsessed. 

Since I still have a healthy supply of these wonderful dates, I decided to rekindle my obsession and try to make some truffles again – this time I took my own advice and increased the number of dates from 4 to 5. 

These get sweeter the more time they spend in the fridge – resist the temptation to eat them right away. 

Medjool dates are so sweet so these taste almost dessert like – they would also make a great pre or post workout snack or afternoon snack.  

I have been trying to find a recipe for a “granola-bar” type snack for a few weeks now.  Something that didn’t require lots of nuts, coconut oil, flax seeds, chia seeds or anything else I am allergic to. 

When I saw Anne post a recipe for Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Granola Bars I knew I wanted to try them out.

I did not add walnuts and I used mini-chocolate chips in place of dark chocolate.  I also added some craisins. 

Verdict?  I think I was hoping these would be a little crisper – but they have a great flavor.  Topped with some nut butter, these make a great snack.

What is your favorite granola bar recipe?

I have a new love for medjool dates.  They are so sweet!

Medjool dates only contain about 66 calories each. They are a good source of fiber and contain high levels of potassium, magnesium, copper and manganese. They do have a significant amount of fruit sugar, but this can make them a perfect alternative to other forms of dessert.   Source. 

My mother-in-law sent Matt back from NJ with some the last time he was there.  I had one a few days ago and was immediately sad when I realized there were no more left. 

I ordered two pounds from NutsOnline, and in less than a week I probably have less than 1/2 pound left. 

Matt’s dad suggested trying the date with some peanut butter (soynut butter in my case) – that was beyond heavenly.  I decided to mix the two together and see what kind of “truffle” I could create. 

In my mini-chop processor went:

• 4 medjool dates
• 3 tablespoons soy nut butter
• 1/4 cup oatmeal

I blended until mixed and then rolled into “truffles.”

These are a little soy nut butter heavy – next time I would probably add one more date to the mix. 

So sweet and delicious – this is an excellent dessert replacement. 

Have you ever had a mejdool date?

One of the things I miss the most being allergic to nuts is honey roasted peanuts.  I could eat those things non-stop.  I love the sweetness and the crunch from the peanuts. 

As honey roasted peanuts are no longer part of my life, I have been dying to find something to fill their place.  I stumbled upon a recipe for Honey Roasted Chickpeas and set out to make them:

INgredients:

• 15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar + 1 teaspoon honey
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp raw sugar

Instructions:

Set chickpeas in an even layer on a clean kitchen towel and allow to air dry, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat toaster oven to 350 F (conventional oven 325 F). Grease cookie sheet or tray, or line with parchment paper (preferred method) and transfer chickpeas, in a single layer. Lightly spray with cooking spray and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until crunchy.

Meanwhile, whisk all remaining ingredients except raw sugar together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Transfer sugar to a small food processor or grinder and process until smooth, fine and powdery — a cross between the consistency of white refined sugar and confectioners (powdered) sugar. Dump the chickpeas into the syrup mixture and stir to coat. Once evenly coated, sprinkle sugar over chickpeas, stirring gently, until all chickpeas have a nice sugar coating.

Return to baking try and bake for another 5 to 15 minutes. Until there is a crystalized glaze and the chickpeas are completely crunchy; being careful not to burn.

I don’t know why, but I had the hardest time getting these things to crunch up.  I probably cooked them for close to 20 minutes and they still weren’t as crunchy as I had hoped. 

The flavor wasn’t bad, but I want to try roasting the chickpeas at a higher temperature (and not 325 degrees) to see if they crisp up more. 

A recipe to try again on another day – Lindsay is definitely on to something!

I have discovered a new favorite snack of mine.  It is simple to make, relatively inexpensive ingredients, healthy, AND it satisfies my need to nibble.  I love to have a snack that I can take a bite or two here and there – and make it last a long time.  That makes me happy. 

What is this illusive combo you ask?  Cheerios, M&Ms and Raisins.  That’s it. 

Cheerios are relatively low in calories – all of those cheerios are about 50 calories.  I add raisins and m&ms to up the total calories to about 150.  For me, this is a great afternoon snack to eat – especially when I am having a later dinner.  Plus this can satisfy my afternoon chocolate craving – which is typically quite strong. 

Every bite is different…

If I was not allergic to nuts or seeds, those would be great additions to the bowl.  You could swap out some chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate chips, craisins, dried cherries…the possibilities are endless!

Have any new favorite snacks out there? 

It is no secret, I have an addiction to Lime Food should Taste Good Chips.  It would not be difficult to eat an entire bag.  In only one sitting.  I am not ashamed, but the other day, I found an excellent replacement.

In a brown paper lunch bag, I added 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels.  I folded the top over and placed the bag on its side in the microwave and hit the “Popcorn” button. 

When the popping was done, I opened the bag and squeezed 1/2 of a lime over the bag (and shook it at the same time).  Next, I sprinkled some salt over the bag and poured into a bowl.

Voila…

No harmful chemicals from traditional microwave popcorn bags and nothing could be fresher then salt and lime. 

What a great afternoon snack with minimal preparation. 

What is your favorite microwave popcorn topping?