Healthy Ranch Yogurt Dip {Snack Recipe}

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My family is absolutely obsessed with ranch dressing. If the kids have veggies, they want to dip them in ranch. So I've tried to change up the way we make ranch and have ditched the sour cream!

Now sour cream isn't bad. I love the stuff. But by swapping out sour cream with greek yogurt I not only am cutting calories but I'm increasing protein! All in all I'm very excited about the swap and the kids can't seem to tell the difference.

Ranch Yogurt Dip

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons ranch mix (see below for ranch mix)

Mix ingredients together until well combined. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Serve with your favorite veggies or chips.

Ranch Dip Mix

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Combine ingredients and store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Feel free to double or triple and use as needed.

Keeping Kids Healthy with Great Snack Options {Back to School Special}

Now that the kids are going back to school and the craziness of summer is coming to an end, it's time to start talking healthy snack options!

One of my main concerns with my kids is the fact that they want to snack all.day.long. So I've tried my best to offer a variety of foods to not only keep them open minded about what they eat, but also keep them aware of the colors they eat and trying to make sure they get to every color of the rainbow!

If they're going to snack, they're going to snack the right way. 

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Create a special snack area
In an effort to make sure they are grabbing the right things to eat I've created a shelf on the fridge just for them. And right at their height. They simply open the door, take what they want, and come to me to open it for them.

But I didn't stop at just the fridge... I wanted to make other fruits and veggies readily available as well. So I grabbed a salad bowl and placed my kids favorite fruits inside so that they can grab them when they like.

Let Them Choose New Fruits and Veggies
My son also now chooses one new fruit or veggie every time we go to the store. This last trip he chose mango. When we got home we cut it up and everyone tried it. He didn't really like it but when I blended the rest of his into a smoothie he had no problem drinking it down!

We will also try and be adventurous while at the local farmers markets and try new fruits and veggies that are in season. Most vendors will even offer to give you a sample before you purchase so you know your kids will like it. At the beginning of summer my son wanted to try the figs from a local grower. He had pieces on the ends of tooth picks ready to go for everyone to taste. We went home with a whole bag!

Be Creative

When preparing snacks for the kids be creative in how you prepare them. We recently had a Lego Duplo Party and in an effort to make the food more fun I made some cheese and cracker sandwiches into the shapes of lego bricks.

The kids loved them! And my daughter ate two whole sandwiches. Unheard of in this home.

You can find a lot of great ideas for snack creations on Pinterest, other blogs, and magazines like Family Fun (like these adorable after school snack ideas) and Parents (with their 20 best snacks).

For great healthy snack suggestions check out 20 Healthy Snacks for Kids!

Diana's Bananas {Cool Treats without the Calories}

When I'm in the mood for something sweet and delicious I usually end up losing all control over my ability to stop after 1-2 bites. Whether it be cookies, ice cream, or a brownie, I just cannot have a small amount of sweet and stop. So when I started to look for other great alternatives for sweet desserts I was excited to find Diana's Bananas, a healthy cool treat without the calories found in other dessert options.

Diana's Bananas is claimed to be the world's best chocolate dipped frozen banana and I'm pretty sure that this claim is all true. 

From the minute I took my first bite of this milk chocolate coated banana I knew I was in heaven! The creamy smoothness immediately tricked my tastebuds into thinking I was enjoying some yummy ice cream and the richness of the chocolate was perfectly balanced.

I was also able to try the dark chocolate version as well. And for those who consider dark chocolate to be the only chocolate, this dark is amazing and only 130 calories for the Banana Babies size! And since it's coated over a banana, this healthy alternative gives all of the benefits of dark chocolate and bananas in one delicious, cool treat.

Not only are Diana's Bananas a great, low calorie treat to snack on for me, they're great for the kids as well! As soon as I opened one up the kids were at my feet looking at me with pleading eyes until I gave in and let them have some.

My little scavenger quickly went to sit behind the couch to eat hers so that she wouldn't have to share with anyone... including the dog. I might have to take note and try that next time! 

Once my daughter ate all of the chocolate off of her frozen banana, she then ate 1/2 of the banana! That's huge. She typically only eats 1/4 of a banana at a time and the rest goes into a smoothie or in the freezer for later. She really enjoyed eating it frozen. I'm sure it was a great teether for those teeth that are trying to break through.

Diana's Bananas come in three flavors, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate and Peanuts, and two different sizes, Full Size and Banana Babies.

I absolutely love that a smaller size is offered. Not only is it built in portion control for me, but I know that my kid would be able to inhale... er... enjoy the whole Banana Baby as opposed to only half of the Full Size.

Where to Purchase

Interested in purchasing some delicious Diana's Bananas? Head on over to their site and order online now! Or find out where they're offered in your area to purchase locally with the store locator.

And keep up with promotions, sales, and more by liking Diana's Bananas on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

Disclaimer: I received Diana's Bananas for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tomato Zucchini Soup {Lunch Recipe}

I love simple lunches. Something I can whip up or reheat easily is key. So when I was figuring out what to do with all of the tomatoes we have coming in right now from our garden, I knew that a soup would be perfect. Now I normally roast my tomatoes with some other veggies to make the base for my marinara sauce so I thought why not roast up some tomatoes for a soup as well.

This recipe, from start to finish, takes 30 minutes and can easily be made in larger quantities to store for future lunches (or dinners!). It'd go great with a grilled cheese and a salad. The kids loved it as well!

Tomato Zucchini Soup

• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 handful fresh basil, stems removed
• Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay tomatoes and zucchini on sheet.

Mix olive oil and garlic together in a small bowl. Drizzle over vegetables. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

Remove veggies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Add to Magic Bullet, food processor, or blender (your choice!) and blend for a few seconds until just combined. Add basil and salt and pepper. Blend until it's at the consistency you like.

Pour and serve. This soup can be served cold, lukewarm, or hot. It tastes good either way!

Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

What type of soup do you love? 

Green Monster Smoothies {Breakfast Recipe}

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One of my favorite new ways to get greens into my kids is by blending them up into smoothie form. And this smoothie started it all. Now this is just your basic Green Monster. There are so many different variations of this smoothie and my kids and I love to experiment with what we put in it when we make it.

For some awesome ways to shake up the original recipe check out my friend CB's Green Monster journey over on her blog See Cupcake Run. Just search for "green monster" since I'm not sure how to link to one of her categories. 

Green Monster Smoothie

• 1 cup milk
• 1 ripe, frozen banana, peeled
• 3 handfuls organic spinach
• 1 tablespoon ground flax
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 4-5 ice cubes

Add 1 cup of milk to the blender.

Now add in the chia or flax (if using) and nut butter.

Next, add in the spinach followed by the banana on top.

Blend until smooth.

Add in your ice cubes and blend some more.

Serves 2

Chick-Fil-A's Newest Menu Addition {Healthy Kids Meals}

Chick-fil-A is offering a new Kid’s Meal, which is anticipated to be one of the most nutritious in the country, featuring Grilled Nuggets as an entrée. Compared to an “average” hamburger kid’s meal offered at fast food restaurants, the new Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meal (4-count grilled nuggets, fruit cup and low fat milk) contains almost 60 percent less calories and an estimated 85 percent less fat. The chain also is enhancing its side choices by adding Buddy Fruits Pure Blended Fruit To Go applesauce.

This is a huge step for Chick-fil-A to further expand healthy menu options for families. When we visit Chick-Fil-A for lunch or dinner we always get the same thing for the kids. We order a 4-count chicken nugget meal with french fries, milk and an extra side of fruit. The fries are shared by the whole family (you read that right... a kids meal fry split between our family of four) and the fruit and nuggets are shared between my daughter and son. Now with the addition of the grilled nuggets I'm even more inclined to stop by Chick-Fil-A when we need a meal on the go.

My son recently celebrated his 3rd birthday so for lunch last week I took him on request to Chick-Fil-A. And while I normally don't order chocolate milk I couldn't resist his birthday pleas. So he suckered me into getting him chocolate milk and french fries. But don't worry, his sister made sure to eat all of the fruit we got from our side order. Mommy enjoyed a delicious grilled chicken salad. Full of flavor and no guilt! Their grilled chicken sandwiches are super tasty too. Order it with a wheat bun to make it a tad bit healthier. Or skip the bun all together and go for a lettuce wrap.

We don't usually eat at fast food restaurants but when we do it's at one of two places. And the first place on our list is Chick-Fil-A. Tasty food, healthy choices and great service are what will help keep us coming back time and time again. I don't feel like a bad mommy for letting my kids eat here and I enjoy the options I have too. Have you tried their berry balsamic dressing? YUM! 

An added bonus for the kids is their toy-for-ice cream trade. If your son or daughter isn't into the toy they received (or you just don't want another toy around the house) they can trade it for a kids size ice dream cone. My kids love this and know exactly what to do at the end of their meal.

Have you tried Chick-Fil-A? What menu item do you love? 3 lucky readers will win a coupon good for one free kids meal at Chick-Fil-A. Simply fill out the rafflecopter form below for your chance to win.

Healthy Eating for Kids {eBook Review}

I'm always looking for unique and creative recipes that my kids will enjoy eating, even though they're healthy recipes. When I heard about the opportunity to review the book, "Healthy Eating for Kids", I knew it was right up my alley. These recipes have fun names to appeal to your child's imagination - let your kids tuck into an Edible Forest, devour a Happy Face Snack or dream of turning green when they drink a Hulk Juice.

"Healthy Eating for Kids" was written with the busy family in mind. Most recipes can be prepared in 15 minutes or less, which is less time than you might spend waiting in line for a hamburger and fries.

The recipes in "Healthy Eating" also come in kid-sized portions. If your child is a picky eater and refuses to eat the dinner that you are preparing for the rest of the family, you will be able to whip up a healthy alternative in minutes. On the other hand, if you would like to make a "Healthy Eating" recipe for the whole family, it is simple to do, since it is far easier to multiply the recipe than it is to sort out the portions for just one person.

The book includes 60 fun and healthy recipes in six different categories, including:

• Snacks
• Drinks
• Lunch at Home
• Packed Lunches for School
• Evening Meals at Home
• Desserts

Each recipe is designed to include the vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients that your child needs to stay healthy, strong, focused, and energetic. We've put an emphasis on ideas that:

• Are healthy
• Contain nutrients that are difficult to add to a child's diet
• Fast and easy for parents to make
• Use ingredients that most households have on hand
• Encourage your child to get involved with his or her own nutrition

My son's new favorite snack is one of my favorites from childhood, Ants on a Log. However he prefers to use cranberries instead of raisins. The best part about most of these recipes is that your child can help make the snack with you. My son is in charge of spreading the peanut butter with a spoon and placing the cranberries on top (oh, and he's in charge of the eating too!). My daughter has fallen in love with the applesauce with cinnamon tortilla dippers. She helps sprinkle the cinnamon on the tortillas before we put them in the oven to bake and crisp up. We've substituted whole wheat tortillas and sometimes use pear sauce and apple-carrot sauce as well.

If you are looking for an awesome recipe book to entice your children to eat healthier then I highly suggest checking out Healthy Eating for Kids. You can purchase and download it in PDF format on the Healthy Eating for Kids website or directly from Amazon for your Kindle here.

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.