My lifesaver

As anyone who has ever been on a weight loss journey/healthy eating lifestyle change knows, there is nothing more exciting and life changing than finding a healthy replacement for a not-so-healthy love.   The first time this happened to me was when my dear friend, Donna Coykendall, taught me that I could take the sprayer out of the  "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" spray and use it in whole form. (Reference my first recipe).  I used it this weekend to sautee some mushrooms and onions, added some seasonings, and it was DELICIOUS!  I felt like I was cheating!!!

Well, I'm going to share my newest gem with you, one that is helping to save my sanity (and probably Steph's life - LOL) through our BL contest and journey.    Plain greek yogurt (no flavor) and dry ranch dressing.    Mix the two together and you've got some delicious creamy goodness with tons of uses.  I love it just as a dip for my veggies.  Since Ranch dip and dressing is so high calorie and high fat I have stopped using it except on very rare occasions.  And I'll be honest with you, I was very sad about it.  I ate it with a lot of stuff that I never even realized - one of them being to dip vegetables in.  (And cheetos. Yummyyyyyyy!!)   But now instead of going without like I had been, I can use my yogurt dip combination.   With the brand of yogurt I use 1/2 cup is only 60 calories and it also serves up around 9 grams of protein which will help satisfy you and help you stay full longer.  

The great thing about this dip is that it has replaced other high fat/creamy items in our diet.  We've mixed a tablespoon of it with tuna and created a healthy tuna salad option instead of using mayo.  We will spread it on our bread and add some extra flavor to our sandwiches.  It's also a great option to use on a baked potatoes or tacos instead of sour cream.  Not to mention just using it as salad dressing.    I'm sure you can come up with all sorts of other great things to use it in - and I hope you come back here and share your ideas with me!!

Now if I could only find the healthy replacement for nachos......and something chocolaty and cake-like...... (heavy sigh)............