Stonyfield partnered with Late July this month to challenge their Clean Plate Club members to make a perfect dip recipe using Stonyfield Greek.
When it comes to dips, sour cream and onion is a clear winner for me. It’s just the right amount of sweetness and tag. But it’s also probably as unhealthy as you can go. This is a dip that’ll treat you just as nice and that you can really fill up on.
Using Stonyfield Greek in this dip gives you the creaminess and tang of sour cream but with protein instead of fat. The avocado and olive oil add richness but are both fats you can feel good about dipping into.
My favorites with the dip were the Mild Green Mojo and Red Hot Mojo tortilla chips. The Mild Green Mojo have a slight tang from sour cream powder that pairs well with the creamy Greek in the dip. The Red Hot Mojo’s the spiciest of their flavors(which automatically made it a favorite of mine) and adds a kick to the dip’s sweetness.
Creamy Avocado Onion Dip
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 minute
Ingredients(Serves about 4 people):
- 1 medium-sized avocado
- 2 Tablespoons plain 0% Stonyfield Greek
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons minced onions
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Method:
- Pit and seed the avocado and put the meet in a small mixing bowl.
- Mash the avocado with a fork until it’s smooth and uniform in color.
- Add in the Stonyfield Greek, salt, and olive oil and mix.
- In a small pan, heat some cooking oil and sauté the minced onions quickly until they turn brown(this shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds). Keep the pan moving so that they don’t burn.
- Add the onions and onion powder to the dip and mix until smooth.
- Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with chips and crudités.
As a Clean Plate Club member Stonyfield sent me their 2 newest flavors of Greek yogurt, cafe latte and black cherry, as well as their re-perfected traditional flavors. I was super excited because if there’s one flavor of yogurt I’ve been wanting for the past couple of years it’s coffee(seriously, just check my Twitter archive). You gotta try this #StonyfieldGreek!
The cafe latte won’t be for everyone but it was just what I was hoping for—sweet, slightly bitter from the coffee, and a little tangy. I liked the black cherry, too, but thought the cafe latte was more unique and delicious.
This mocha frappe is just like any fancy Starbucks drink you could get but just a little healthier. Using Greek yogurt instead of whole milk keeps the thick, rich consistency but with added protein and 0% of the fat. Try having it for dessert or as a breakfast drink when the weather starts heating up.
Getting the right amount of ice to liquid is the hardest part of making a good smoothie. Play around to find what works best for the blender or food processor that you’re using.
Healthy Mocha Frappe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):
- 1 container Stonyfield cafe latte Greek
- 2 Tablespoons black coffee
- 1 1/2 Tabespoons maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 8 ice cubes
Method:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processer.
- Pulse until the ingredients are well-mixed and the ingredients are fluffy.
- Pour into a clean glass. Garnish with whipped cream as desired.
Some weekends I don’t want to cook a thing.
I want to go out to eat for every meal, forget I have a blog, and never pick my camera up.
Maybe it’s guilt, or maybe it’s sensibility. Maybe it’s something in between. I’ll inevitably find something to make, for myself or a friend, and at the end I’ll be happy I have something delicious that’s homemade, that I can call my own, and that cost a quarter as much as if I got it somewhere else.
I baked these brownies reluctantly, took photos of them frantically, and shared them happily. Sometimes the best push to cook something comes not from doing it for yourself, but from doing it for others. Do yourself a favor and bake some brownies for someone else.
Oat flour is more crumbly than regular flour and even other gluten-free flours. When baking with it, make sure to grease your pans liberally and add a dusting of powdered sugar on top before frosting to keep the top intact.
Bailey’s Frosted Brownies
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):
For the brownies:
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4oz bittersweet baking chocolate
- 1/3 cup Irish cream
For the frosting:
- 6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Irish cream
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together the oat flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, melt together the chocolate and butter.
- While the chocolate is melting, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and Irish cream.
- Slowly pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking until fully incorporated. Don’t go too fast so that the raw eggs don’t cook upon contact.
- Add the chocolate mixture in with the dry ingredients and mix completely.
- Pour the batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let these cool completely before frosting.
- To make the buttercream, beat the powdered sugar, butter, and Irish cream heavily until it’s entirely mixed. Add a touch more buttercream if it’s too dry at first.
New Year’s resolutions are hard. It’s easy to shoot to high and make resolutions impossible to keep up with; the best kind are little changes you can work into your everyday routine and maintain without even thinking about it.
I didn’t make a food or fitness resolution this year. Mine is to get whiter teeth, so I bought special toothpaste and mouthwash. We’ll see how that goes with the horde of coffee and chocolate I eat.
If you did make a resolution to eat healthier, here are 4 simple recipes you can work into your every week to hit that goal. All of them have common, simple ingredients and are probably foods you already eat, so working them into your diet should be a breeze.
Breakfast:
Low-Fat Cinnamon Raisin Granola is a great quick and filling alternative to heftier breakfasts like bagels and cream cheese or a donut. You can make a big batch on the weekend and portion out servings for the weekday mornings to grab and go.
Snack:
Fruity Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip will satisfy your sweet tooth in the afternoon and still be tasty enough to enjoy. It’s a simple mix of yogurt, peanut butter, and sweetener that’s good for kids or grown-ups.
Entree:
Easy Broccoli Frittata is another recipe you can make in bulk over the weekend and reheat throughout the week whenever you’re less than motivated to make a meal. The eggs and cheese are full of protein while the broccoli adds a boost of healthy nutrients, too. Add a simple side and you’ve got a whole dinner.
Dessert:
Raw Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake proves that you can still have dessert even when you’re eating healthy. The bulk of this “cake” is dates and hazelnuts, making for a delicious and nutritious end to a meal.
Did you make a New Year’s resolution? What was it?
Since 2014 started, I’ve been to the gym 3 times, the grocery store once, and the kitchen to grab another handful of this Chex mix about 17 times.
Before the holidays General Mills had sent me a box of inspiring ingredients and blogger recipes including Julie’s, Caitlin’s, and my own. For a while they stumped me, but chocolate Chex and caramel candies couldn’t be passed up.
This mix has rich chocolate coated Chex, sweet powdered Chex, and white chocolate chips for a delicious trio that’s hard to beat. It’s more of a dessert but if you want to sneak a few handfuls before dinner, I won’t say a word.
Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients(Makes about 10 cups):
- 10 .5oz caramels(or an equal equivalent)
- 1/3 cup chocolate spread*
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk
- 4 cups Chex cereal
- 4 cups chocolate Chex cereal
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
*I used Hershey’s chocolate spread. A spread like Nutella would work as well.
Method:
- In a small sauce pan, melt the caramels and chocolate spread.
- Once the ingredients are almost melted, add in the milk and stir until it makes a smooth and shiny sauce.
- In a large bowl, mix together 4 cups Chex cereal and the chocolate caramel sauce until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Lay the Chex out in a single layer on a non-stick surface for about 20 minutes to cool.
- Once cooled, gently break apart the large chunks of cereal to smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Toss the chocolate caramel Chex with the chocolate Chex cereal and white chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature when not enjoying.
General Mills, the company that makes Chex, recently opened up the “Cinnamon Toast Crunch Swag Shop” with funny merchandise and gave me 2 coupon codes for me and a reader to get a t-shirt. If you want a free Cinnamon Toast Crunch tee for yourself or a friend, comment with your favorite cereal and I’ll randomly pick a winner Friday.
“Oh God, not another list!” is admittedly what I think whenever someone posts one of these year-end roundups. Bear with me if you feel the same.
Last year I had gone through all my posts from 2012 and picked my favorites from each month. I liked the idea a lot and wanted to do it again. Most months were a struggle to pick just one recipe—a good problem to have I imagine.
Here are all of my favorite recipes from each month of 2013. I hope you browse through them and find a favorite, too.
January: Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip
February: White Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
March: Maple Hazelnut Granola
April: Homemade Strawberry Sauce
May: Red, White, and Blue Stuffed Strawberries
June: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
July: Reese’s Lovers Bark
August: Gluten-Free Cornbread
September: Coconut Caramel Muffins
October: Low-Fat Butternut Squash Casserole
November: Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
December: Hot Amaretto Mochas
Here’s to another delicious year of recipes!
I usually avoid blogging reviews and non-food topics these days but this one’s a little different. The company I work for, Likeable Local, recently launched a new app called storytellit and I’d love to share it with you and get your feedback.
Storytellit is a free social media tool you can use on your desktop or on your phone. It was designed to make social media fun and easy for people who might have a hard time understanding more complex apps like Hootsuite or Buffer.
We give you content or prompts to post with the click of a button while making sure it stays personal and relevant. Using the app is extremely simple; you can break it down into 4 steps:
- Sign up and link your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn accounts.
- Pick a post or prompt and fill in the blank.
- Choose what accounts to send it to.
- Schedule it to post later or right away.
Besides using a premade post, you can also write your own and upload a photo using the app. For every action you do, you get points and unlock badges that are meant to guide people less familiar with social media towards good practices in a fun and easy way.
Signing up is free. All you have to do is submit your email address and you’ll get a password sent to you. There are currently 11 small business professions with content you can opt in on but there’s plenty of general content for anyone to use, too.
Now for the nitty-gritty disclosure: We’re having an in-office competition to see who can get the most people to sign up and use the app. All of the sign-up links I shared are tracking links that give me points in the competition. But at the end of the day I’m sharing it because I think it’s a great app that will only get better with more people using it. I’d love for you to sign up, try it out, and if you have any suggestions send us feedback in the comment box on how we can make it better.
T’was the day before Christmas
When all through the house
Not a stove pot was stirring
So I went and grabbed my mouse.
Click after click,
Page after page
I searched for a dessert
That’d be all the rage.
Chocolate or Nutella,
Peanut butter or not,
I just needed something quick
I could make on the spot.
I found a list
With time to spare
And blogged about it
For all to share.
Easy Nutella Brownies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Coconut Pistachio Bark
Bailey’s Hot Chocolate Truffles
Chubby Hubby Cheesecake
No-Bake Peanut Butter S’mores Bars
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark
The best breakfasts(I think) are the ones that taste like a dessert.
While I might down a veggie egg omelet and perfectly salted home fries at a brunch, I’ll never cook myself something savory in the morning. I’d much rather put in the time and effort for french toast, glazed waffles, or this oatmeal.
When cinnamon brown sugar oatmeal just tastes too healthy, there’s no reason not to throw in some cocoa powder and sugar to sweeten the pot. It’s still plenty healthy with a banana and some peanut butter on top to fill out the food groups.
If you don’t want to use butter, try an oil like coconut oil to add some richness or use 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter.
Rich Chocolate Oatmeal
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules(optional)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
Method:
- In a large pot, combine the oats, water, powder, sugar, and salt.
- Bring the water to a boil over the stove and stir continuously.
- Keep stirring until the oats are fully cooked and the water is gone. If the oats are still tough, add 1/2 cup of water and keep stirring.
- When the oats are done, remove them from the heat.
- Stir in the vanilla, coffee(if using), and butter and continue stirring until the ingredients are well mixed.
- Serve hot with peanut butter, banana, and other toppings.
I’ve gone through stages of coffee drinking. First was the “decaf black coffee is the way to go.” Then came the “I don’t drink coffee, just tea,” followed by “I only drink coffee when my coworkers do.”
Now comes the “I’ll drink coffee when you put Bailey’s in it” time of year.
This drink is so easy it’s a little scary(scary that you can make it whenever you want, that is). Be sure to keep all the ingredients on hand for a dessert aperitif on Christmas day or for any holiday party and watch the pot of coffee disappear.
You can use any flavored liqueur instead of the amaretto, or even make a non-alcoholic version with coffee creamer and a splash of almond extract for the kiddos.
Hot Amaretto Mochas
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):
- 6oz fresh brewed coffee
- 1 Tablespoon hot cocoa mix
- 1 1/2oz Irish cream
- 1/2oz amaretto
Method:
- Make sure the coffee you’re using is steaming hot. If not, heat it up gently.
- Stir in the hot cocoa mix until it’s completely dissolved.
- Pour in the Irish cream and almond liqueur and stir well until blended.
- Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate if desired. Serve hot.
