Fluff Frosting

While this picture may not look like anything to write home about, I assure you-it will be one of your new obsessions! 

This picture is of Fluff Frosting... an amazingly sweet, creamy, fattening frosting!

Wait a minute... fattening was not suppose to be up there! That's why I changed it-let's replace fattening with HEALTHY people! Yes... it truly is healthy. Would I lie to you? Of course not!

Here's what you do:

Easy at that. 

You will want to use this as more than just frosting (btw-it's a great frosting for my cupcake poppers)

I like to use it as a dip! (see below...) It goes great with fruit, graham crackers, oh heck-everything!

Oh-It's also really fun (especially for kids) to add sprinkles to the frosting and mix them in to create a fun pop of color to our dip!

Holy Guacamole

Holy Guacamole! 

This isn't a just a phrase I use sometimes entirely too much-it's also the newest recipe I'm about to share with you guys! 

This guacamole got its name for two reasons:

1. It's so good you'll be saying "Holy Guacamole!"

and

2. It is extremely healthy and good for you - earning a 'halo' in the health department!

Here are all the ingredients you need... The secret ingredient is the zucchini. It has a completely neutral flavor and takes on whatever flavors you pair with it. This makes it perfect for a guacamole dip-it will have all the flavors of the avocado and other spices we put with it but only has a fraction of the calories and fat (albiet - those are good for you fats). 

The process is pretty easy - 

1. Wash zucchini and onion and puree in food processor. 

2. Cut the avocado in half, remove pit (but save it!) and scoop out the avocado goodness!

3. Put the avocado in the food processor with the onion and zucchini, add your other spices and lemon juice-puree until smooth

4. Pour your guacamole into a dish and add your pit - this sounds crazy but it helps keep the guacamole from turning brown

5. Enjoy with anything and everything! Chips, veggies, crackers, as a spread on bread for a fun sandwich. 

How do you enjoy guacamole? Any crazy fun ways I haven't thought of? Let me know!

Fruit Salsa

Dipping stuff is so much fun! Don't cha think? 

Well this fruit salsa is a very versatile dipper! It's amazing with salty dippers such as pretzel things, bagel things, salty crackers, heck-even chips! But super amazing as a double sweet dip/dipper combo with carrying vessels such as cinna-sugar tortilla chips. graham crackers or even slices of fruit! (Fruit overload?! Sorry, never heard of it...)

This recipe also couldn't get much easier-just chop/puree all the ingredients and let it chill for awhile and you're in business! (the dipping business that is!)

That's really it! Just take all your ingredients and throw it all in a big bag and shake shake shake! 

Ingredients: 

*be aware-these ingredients are just my favorite combo-you can switch it up however you wish!

-2 apples (I like using the very sweet Fuji variety)-chopped

-2 kiwi-peeled and chopped

-1 lb. strawberries-chopped

-2 TBSP sugar (or any sweetener of choice)

-2 TBSP. fruit preserves

-1/4 cup fruit juice of choice 

~I've done this before with raspberries instead of strawberries, and once with pineapple juice and pineapple instead of apples-YUM!

Perfect for your next girls movie night! Tailgate! Playdate! Party... lazy night at home! Anything :)

Delicious on crackers!

If you guys do some variations on this, let me know! I love a mix-up! 

Peanut Butter Batter Dip

What's better than peanut butter? Ok-silly question, nothing! But what is a close second? Cookie dough! So of course peanut butter cookie dough is probably the closest thing possible to being as delicious as peanut butter! But-it's not really all that healthy... ok, generally speaking, its main ingredient is sugar-so probably not the best way to fuel our bodies. Sad-I know! But I may have come up with a way to squash our craving for peanut butter cookie dough without causing a massive sugar crash and overload of calories! Peanut Butter Batter Dip-based off of this recipe for Banana Batter Dip.

This dip is ahhhhmazing on crackers or apple slices. Really good sandwiched between banana slices. Delectable slathered on whole wheat bagels. Lip smacking right off the floor because you tipped over your bowl and the peanut butter batter dip went everywhere! Alright-You get the point-it's pretty dang awesome on just about anything... (Disclaimer: I am in no way encouraging eating off the floor...I'm just saying-the 5 second rule is extended to a full 5 minutes for this dip!)

Ingredients:
-1 cup dry oats (separated)
-1/4 cup peanut butter
-1/4 cup applesauce
-1 can chickpeas
-1 tsp. salt
-1-2 TBSP. sugar (or sugar substitute) - to taste

Directions:
1. Rinse and drain chickpeas
2. In food processor (or high powered blender) grind chickpeas until smooth
3. Add 1/2 cup oats, peanut butter, applesauce, salt and sugar (if using) and mix until smooth
4. Fold in oats and refrigerate 2 hours to enhance flavors

As you can see in this post-I used Krema peanut butter...I'm crazy about it! It has such great flavor and no additives of any sort-just peanuts! Check out my full review and enter for your chance to win a couple jars of Krema Peanut Butter in my giveaway here

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Mmm... pumpkin pie-creamy, cool, sweat, unbelievable high in fat, calories and sugar (Wait! that wasn't suppose to be in my day dream about pumpkin pie!) Well-I guess that's one of the downfalls of being an obsessive health freak! Even the sweetest day dream of a sweat treat gets interrupted by the nutritional statistics and gets my mind brainstorming the ways I can have taste but not the guilt of my favorite indulgences, which is exactly how this recipe was born!

I knew I wanted something that could crush my craving for some pumpkin pie but was also a tad quicker to make, would give me at least some sort of nutrition and wouldn't cause a sugar crash or saturated fat slump I experience after an unhealthy snack... Hmmm....

A little bit of this, sprinkle and dollop of that later a star was born!

Ingredients: 

1 can pure pumpkin

1 cup yogurt (can use either plain or vanilla, Greek or regular-whatever you'd like!)

1/4 cup light whipped cream

1 TBSP vanilla extract

1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have this-add 1 tsp of : cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg)

I love enjoying this dip on apple slices!

Directions: 

1. Pretty straight forward...add all ingredients except whipped cream to a large bowl and mix well

2. Fold in whipped cream

3. Refrigerate (you can eat it right away, but the flavors will be more enhanced after a few hours)

Oh man... this dip + more whipped topping + pecan crackers = one happy (and healthy!) girl! :)

Nutritional Info (about 1/4 cup which will give you 6ish servings) :

Banana Batter

I have a confession to make... I am a compulsive taste tester... I know, I know it's awful! I can't help it! I always just have to have one bite, just one! It doesn't matter if it is something I'm concocting in the kitchen, or someone else's entree at a restaurant-I must have one bite! However, I've noticed that this compulsion is the strongest in one particular instance, batter. Yes, you read it right-batter! Whenever I'm making anything I love the batter more than the actual finished product in most (if not all instances). Cake batter, cookie dough (kind of like a batter!), pancake/waffle batter, the list goes on and on and on... Batter ROCKS! So today I set out to create a snack that is only meant to become batter-no taking it that last step and creating an 'actual baked product'...psh so overrated! This was a tad difficult though, on a variety of levels:

1st-it had to have something that acted as a 'binding' agent that wasn't harmful to eat raw. I have no guilty feelings sneaking a bite here and there of an uncooked egg-but to create an actual snacks that comprised of eggs...probably not the most brilliant.
2nd-it had to be healthy. Okay, "had to" is a little strong, but as you all know-I'm a health nut freak so of course I was going to strive to make this a healthy dessert/snack that would make my body happy!
3rd-it had to be made with everyday ingredients I had on hand. Living in a small town made getting specialty groceries nearly impossible, add that to the fact that it was Sunday and our local grocery store was close and you have one hungry girl, trying her best to creatively use her on-hand ingredients.

And there it was... my Sunday morning challenge! (It's a good thing I had just gotten home from Church-I was going to need all the help from Up Above possible to make this dream concoction a tasty reality!)

I first started by browsing through some health cookie dough recipes, but they most of the ones I stumbled across used ingredients I did not have in my pantry! Sad. Day. So I decided to improvise! And lucky for you, well and me since I got to eat it-my thrown together, ehh I mean improvised dip was actually DELICIOUS! (Don't act so surprised! :P )

Ingredients:
-1 can garbanzo beans
-1 1/4 cups oats
-1 small (very ripe!) banana
-1/4 cup milk
-2 TBSP oil (or any nut butter)
-1 TBSP flax seed (not particularly necessary, but adds to the health factor!)
-1/4 cup honey (or any sweetener)
-1 TBSP cinnamon

Directions:

1. The first thing you must do is grind your oats and garbanzo beans in a food processor. I know you're probably thinking...beans?! In a sweet snack?! What the heck?! But trust me-when all is said and done you will have NO idea they are in there!

2. After these two are completely combined and smooth add your flax seed, banana and cinnamon

3. Now begin adding your milk, just a little at a time until it reaches your personal desired consistency-I like mine very thick and spoon-able so I kept it at a scant 1/4 cup.

4. Alright-time for the fun! Add your honey-but again only a little at a time, some people desire less/more sweetness, it is all about you! Add honey until it tastes perfect to you! (Remember though that as this dish sits, the banana and cinnamon's flavor will be enhanced-so what may seem a little weak to you now will be perfect in a few hours of refrigeration!)

5. Now the final step..are you ready? Are you!? ENJOY! However, like I said above-you may want to refrigerate this a few hours to heighten the flavors, but really-who can wait?! Have some now...AND later! :)

Nutritional Info (1/4 cup-this recipe makes about 10, 1/4 cup servings)

Look at those stats! This seriously tastes like licking the bowl and/or spoon after mixing up your favorite banana bread recipe, but with nutrition like that packed inside you don't have 'sneak' anything! 

I especially love dipping apple slices into this amazing dip! mmm mmm mmm!