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Easy Pumpkin Dip with Healthy Alternatives

When the weather turns cooler in the fall, I can’t help but want to spend more time cooking inside (with pumpkin of course.) There are so many things you can make with it including this easy pumpkin dip to serve for the next few months.

Easy Pumpkin Dip is great for a kids’ snack, a dessert, or a side dish while entertaining. You can switch out a few ingredients to make a healthier version too.

Here’s how to make pumpkin dip with just 4 ingredients:

(Affiliate links are included for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Materials:

15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 3.4 oz box of vanilla instant pudding
1 8 oz container of whipped topping, thawed
1/2 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
Serving Bowl
Hand mixer

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients with a hand mixer until the mix has a smooth consistency. Refrigerate the dip for about an hour. Serve with apples, graham crackers or cookies of your choice. That’s it!

The great thing about this dip is that it takes only 5 minutes to prepare and it’s not too sweet. It’s perfect for those who want a little treat at the end of a meal but don’t want too much sugar.

There are a lot of other ingredients you can add to this recipe to create different flavors: brown sugar, cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.

If you are watching your calories, here are some healthy alternatives to try instead:

Substitute vanilla or plain greek yogurt for the whipped topping
Substitute coconut milk and coconut sugar for the instant pudding and whipped topping
Serve with apples instead of cookies or crackers
Use a lite version of the whipped topping
Use low calorie cream cheese instead of the whipped topping

If you like this recipe, you’ll probably also like Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dip:

For more fall entertaining ideas, you’ll probably enjoy 24 Fabulously Creative Fall Wreaths:

See you at Decor Adventures soon.

~ Read more of Jessica’s tutorials~

October 10, 2016/3 Comments/by Decor Adventures

recipe

Healthy Sugar Busters Coffee

Heathy Sugar Busters Coffee | Pretty Handy Girl

Raise your hand if you are addicted to sugar! (Hand raised high here.) I’ve been trying to give up sugar and developed this Healthy Sugar Busters Coffee based loosely on a Bullet Proof Coffee recipe I found. Research has shown that we all need healthy fats to support our brain function and a healthy diet. Healthy fats can be found in coconut oil, grass-fed butter, MCT oil, avocados and much more. You can read about a diet rich in healthy fats and oils in Dr. Mark Hyman’s Eat Fat Get Thin book (affiliate link.)

Instead of grass-fed butter and MCT oil, I used coconut oil and almond creamer plus almond milk to make my Healthy Sugar Busters Coffee. You will not believe how tasty this coffee is. And the frothiness of this drink makes you forget there’s little to no sugar in it.

Ready to indulge in a luxurious Healthy Sugar Busters Coffee with me?

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Ingredients:

Coffee (your favorite or Bulletproof brand coffee)
Coconut Oil
Almond Milk Creamer (several flavors to choose from)
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla
Blender (I use the Magic Bullet and love it!)

Start by brewing your favorite cup of coffee. (I’ve switched to decaf per my doctor’s suggestion. But, occasionally I’ll add a little caffeine coffee to my drink.)

While the coffee is still hot, add one tablespoon of coconut oil to your coffee.

Add one tablespoon of creamer. (Note: the Califia Almond creamers have a few grams of sugar per tablespoon. If you want zero sugar, buy the unsweetened Califia Almond Creamer.)

Add Almond Milk to taste. (Zero grams of sugar in the Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened, so feel free to add more if you like a light colored coffee.)

Poor the coffee mixture into your blender.

Put the blade attachment (or lid) on your blender cup and give it a whirl. The Magic Bullet doesn’t take more than 15-20 seconds to whip the coffee up to a beautiful froth. (I used to use a Ninja before, it took longer, didn’t froth as much and ultimately the blender died. Plus, the cup started to leak at the blade attachment. Boo.)

Check out how much beautiful froth your drink has after being blended! If you like lattes, this has the consistency of a Starbucks latte.

Pour your Healthy Sugar Busters Coffee into a mug and indulge!

Want iced coffee instead? Pour it over a glass full of ice. Or brew decaf and store it in the fridge.

This is what I live for every morning. I can’t wait to wake up and make my Healthy Sugar Busters Coffee each morning. Have you caught on to the healthy fat diet? How do you feel? Have you lost any weight?

September 19, 2016/5 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

recipe, Summer

Crab Pinwheels

Hi everyone! This is Lindi, visiting again from Love Create Celebrate! I’m happy to be here again, this time sharing a quick and easy summer recipe. These Crab Pinwheels are one of my favourite summer appetizers. You will not be disappointed if you make them!

The recipes I share are always two things 1) delicious and 2) easy! This recipe fits right in! If you are a gardener, I know that you are ready to use those fresh herbs that you’ve been growing all summer long. This recipe is the perfect way to use some of that green onion and parsley!

This is the perfect appetizer for all of those summer celebrations, from family reunions, to backyard BBQs, to potlucks. But potlucks don’t end when school starts! I honestly make this appetizer all year long when I have guests over. You will not be disappointed – even my toddler cannot stop eating them (and may have been stealing them off of the tray while I tried to photograph these ones!)

Ingredients:

250 ml cream cheese package (at room temperature)
3/4 cup red peppers, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 can crab, drained
5-8 large soft tortillas

Instructions:

Mix your cream cheese, red pepper, green onion, parsley, cheddar cheese, cayenne pepper, and crab together until mixed well.
Spread your mixture on the tortillas and then roll them up. Cut slices of tortilla about 3/4″ thick
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Serve while warm.

You can serve them cool, but I definitely prefer them baked! This recipe makes at least 40 pinwheels.

It only takes 20 minutes to prepare and cook these lovely appetizers, and your guests will thank you for making them!

If you need a drink to go with them, I shared my favourite Summer drink a couple of weeks ago: The Adult Tropical Slushie!

Enjoy!

~Read more of Lindi’s Posts~

Pin for later!

August 24, 2016/2 Comments/by Love Create Celebrate

recipe

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad

I have a new favorite salad and it is DELICIOUS!!! A few weeks ago we went to the beach for our vacation. At the end of the week I wanted to use up as much food in the fridge as I could. You understand the struggle, right? Who wants to waste food?

In the fridge we had leftover rotisserie chicken, corn, and salad ingredients. I also had some Chipotle Ranch salad dressing (affiliate link), I could put that sh*t on everything! This is my newest favorite salad dressing and I HAD to share it with you.

I wracked my brain and blindly dove into creating this Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad. I added a dash of this and a heap of that. And when I was done….it was AMAZING! Watch out Chopped, I’m your next top chef!

Here is my recipe for Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad. I know you’ll be hooked too.

Ingredients:

3-4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
Head of Red Romaine Lettuce
1 Avocado
1 Ripe Tomato
1 Red Onion
1 Ear of Corn
1 Lime
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Sea Salt
Pepper
1 Tbsp. of Butter
2 tbsp. chopped Cilantro
Optional: Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Feel free to add your own favorite Southwestern vegetables, some cheddar cheese or black beans.

Instructions:

1. Put a pat of butter into a fry pan and heat until melted. Sprinkle salt & pepper onto the chicken breasts. Squeeze lime juice over breasts. Add a dash of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce if you like your chicken spicier. Heat chicken until browned on both sides (8-10 minutes) and no longer pink in the middle. If your chicken breasts are super thick, butterfly them.

2. While the chicken is cooking, chop the salad vegetables (lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cilantro.) To cook the corn, microwave for 3 minutes INSIDE the husk. Let the corn cool slightly, then cut off the bottom of the corn cob (cut through the corn husk and ear.) Grab the corn silks and husk at the top and shake until the ear falls out. Magically all the silks will be stripped off! Cut off kernels from the the ear.

3. When the chicken is fully cooked turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner. Mix yogurt and ranch dressing together in a bowl. Pour over chicken and flip chicken to coat in the yogurt dressing mixture.

4. Put salad vegetables in bowl. Top with sliced chicken, sliced avocado, and cilantro. Drizzle with more Chipotle Ranch Dressing. Squeeze some more lime juice on top and enjoy your salad!

Hope you love this salad as much as I do! It’s the perfect salad for lunch or dinner. And it’s a great way to get your veggies in. Enjoy.

July 25, 2016/4 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

kitchen, recipe

Vintage Farm Weekly Meal Planner {Free Printable}

Family Organization Door | Pretty Handy Girl

Last week as I was showing you our new Family Organization Center Door, you probably saw this cute Vintage Farm Weekly Meal Planner:

I created this re-useable meal planner with some beautiful vintage graphics from The Graphics Fairy. She has an entire library of vintage images in black and white and color! Including these images I used: pigs, chickens, metal frame, banner scroll. The menu fits in the Organization Door behind the glass so we can use it like a dry erase board.