I'm trying, I really am!

Well, this post was SUPPOSED to be typed out and posted on May 4th! And here it is May 21st, and this and other posts I've had in mind got totally forgotten about fell by the wayside of during a trip to Minnesota (Hi Nikole, Riley, Evelyn and Ireland!) and our MOPS Munchkin Market sale (more on this in a later post), amidst everyday life with 2 under 2.


Now for the REAL subject of this post.

As anyone who has eaten with me knows, Dr. Atkins and I would never get along. My favorite foods are (in no particular order) pasta, garlic bread, sourdough bread and potatoes. For example, at the start of each of my pregnancies, the only things I could keep down were sourdough bread, saltines, and a tiny bit of mild cheddar. Then I would graduate to plain pasta with cheese. Then, after I started having serious contractions a week 4 days before Urijah was born, all I wanted to eat was baked potatoes with all the trimmin's.

Unfortunately, that doesn't really make for the healthiest of diets, or the healthiest of me. Fortunately, I have a husband who is very in tune with how what he puts into his body makes him feel. Because of this, he eats very healthy. He eats lots of lean protein, a balanced amount of carbs, and lots of veggies. Since having Mika, I have been trying to get more on track with Zarik's eating habits (obviously I was sidetracked throughout Urijah's pregnancy - especially since had a hard time keeping food in my body until I was about 16-18 weeks pregnant).

We usually go to Costco once a month and stock up on big things. The last couple of trips I've been getting more veggies that I can slice up and eat. I also made a hummus-like dip to go with them (note - I really have never liked hummus, but I think the large amount of garlic in this dip makes up for it, so this recipe I like!).

Greek Dip

1 cup each canned chickpeas and chopped artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (I used Fat-free Miracle Whip for extra flavor)

2 tbsp grated Parmesan (I LOVE fresh grated parm. I buy in bulk and grate my own with my Pampered Chef Micro-grater)

1 clove garlic, crushed (ok, ok, I used a VERY large clove - equivalent to 2 cloves)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp chili powder, or to taste (I used a pinch of Cayenne pepper 'cause that's what I had on hand)

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp onion powder

In a food processor, process the chickpeas until chopped. Add everything else and blend until pureed. Enjoy!!!

And it looks something like this:



I also got a bunch of veggies and cut them up in sticks so I could just grab some dip and veggie sticks and munch!



The best thing about all this was that night for dinner all I had to do was chop some of the veggies I'd already prepped, add some chicken I cooked and chopped, a can of cream of chicken soup, and a crust of Bisquick and voila, I had a potpie!!



SO yummy, filling, and we all loved it. Mission Accomplished!