Dip Recipes : My Crazy Good Life

Simple Guacamole Recipe

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 20:37:08 +0000

My simple guacamole recipe is a healthy snack or appetizer that’s made with fresh ingredients like avocado, cilantro, onion, and tomato.

I love making guacamole to go with tortilla chips or to use on top of tacos, enchiladas or burrito bowls.

Guacamole is a good source of vitamins C, E, and K, as well as fiber and healthy fats. Homemade guacamole is a delicious recipe that’s gluten and dairy free.

My signature simple guacamole recipe is heavy on cilantro, and includes only 5 ingredients. It’s an easy recipe to customize to your taste preferences, and I know you will love all the flavors of this homemade guacamole recipe!

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we have readers of all comfort levels in the kitchen. To better serve everyone who visits our site, we make our recipes simple and easy to follow.

If you would like to skip past the ingredient information, detailed instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations, you can scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find our printable recipe card for this Simple Guacamole Recipe.

Ingredients in Simple Guacamole Recipe

Avocados: Avocados are very nutritious. They’re great sources of folate, potassium, and healthy fats, as well as vitamins K, C, and E. They also contain small amounts of B vitamins and minerals, such as copper, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, iron, and zinc. You will want to be sure to use ripe avocados to make good guacamole. If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure, you’ll know it’s ripe and ready to eat.
Cilantro: Fresh cilantro has a fragrant, refreshing and citrusy taste and aroma, though not everyone agrees. Some people may have a specific genetic trait where cilantro tastes like soap. I am not one of those people and I feel strongly that cilantro is essential in authentic guacamole recipes.
Onion: I use white diced onion when I make guacamole, but you can also use red onions or even onion powder if you’re in a pinch, though not suggested.
Tomato: I use roma tomatoes for this guacamole recipe. If you don’t like chopped tomato in your homemade guacamole, you can omit the roma tomato.
Salt: I use just a pinch of salt when I make guacamole. I know everyone’s tastes are different so I suggest adding a little salt, then tasting the guacamole until you get the perfect guacamole flavor.
Optional: Some other ideas to add to your homemade guacamole are fresh lime juice, jalapeno pepper or serrano pepper (if you like spicy guacamole), fresh garlic, or even grilled corn.

How to Make the Best Guacamole Recipe

Start by chopping the vegetables. Bigger is better in my opinion.
Then, in a medium bowl, gently mash the avocado with a fork or potato masher, but don’t smash too much. The best guacamole is chunky guacamole!
Mix the chopped onion, chopped cilantro, and chopped tomatoes together with the salt. This is called pico, and is an excellent topping for tacos, pulled pork, and enchiladas!
Finally, mash the avocados together with the chopped vegetables. Taste test your guacamole and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve immediately and enjoy the fresh flavor of this homemade guacamole recipe!

Recipe Tips

Guacamole is really best when it’s served fresh. If you must store leftover guacamole, it might help to add lime juice or lemon juice to keep your guac from turning brown. Simply squeeze the extra lime juice or lemon juice on top of the guacamole, and then cover with plastic wrap (laying plastic wrap directly on top of the guac, and pressing out any air bubbles.) Store guacamole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one to three days.
This is a basic guacamole recipe that is so easy to adjust to your preferences. You can omit or add to this simple guacamole recipe and it will still be delicious!

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Simple Guacamole Recipe

The entire guacamole recipe is 8 Blue Containers and 1 Green Container.

Per serving, this simple guacamole is 1.25 Blue Containers and less than 1/4 of a Green Container.

Weight Watchers Simple Guacamole Recipe

5 2023 Plan Points

Looking for recipes to go with this simple guacamole recipe?

Simple Guacamole Recipe

This easy guacamole recipe is so delicious and the perfect dip for tortilla chips!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Easy Guacamole

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings people

Calories 211kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Cutting Board
Kitchen Knife
Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

2-3 ripe avocados
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 onion
1 tomato
pinch of salt

Instructions

Chop the veggies. Bigger is better in my opinion. 1 bunch cilantro 1/2 onion 1 tomato
Smash the avocado with a fork, but don't smash too much. The best guacamole is chunky guacamole! 2-3 ripe avocados
Mix your veggies together and add a pinch of salt. This is called pico, and is an excellent topping for tacos, pulled pork, and enchiladas! pinch of salt
Mix in your avocados, then dip and enjoy.

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Easy Guacamole Recipe

The entire easy guacamole recipe is 8 Blue Containers and 1 Green Container.

Per serving, this easy guacamole recipe is 1.25 Blue Containers and less than 1/4 of a Green Container.

Weight Watchers Easy Guacamole Recipe

Per serving: 5 2023 Plan Points

Nutrition

The post Simple Guacamole Recipe appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

Becca Ludlum — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 02:08:42 +0000

Looking for a healthy and delicious chicken salad recipe? Look no further than this Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad! This recipe is made with low-fat ingredients like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, so you can enjoy all the flavor without the guilt. Plus, the dill pickle adds a refreshing twist that will keep you coming back for more.

This Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad is a delicious low carb chicken salad recipe and perfect for my dill pickle lovers. A similar and healthy Chick-Fil-A chicken salad alternative, you can enjoy the salty and creamy recipe as a dip, as a healthy chicken salad sandwich, or as a salad topping.

Where’s the Recipe?

My readers come from all levels of experience in the kitchen, and I receive a ton of questions about my recipes from new cooks.

To better serve all of my readers, I add a lot of helpful information in all of my posts. This includes: recipe tips, detailed cooking instructions, and diet information. Some of these may be useful to you and others may be some that you already know.

If you’d like to skip over all of the extra information, please scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the easy to print recipe for this dill pickle version of the classic chicken salad recipe.

Ingredients in this Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

Chicken breast: chicken breast is low in calories, high in protein, and is rich in an array of important nutrients. I typically make my chicken for this recipe in the Instant Pot, but you can also use leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken. You’ll want to read this post about homemade rotisserie chicken vs store bought, but using rotisserie chicken allows you to skip cooking the chicken and just make the sauce and chop the pickles.
Vinegar: white vinegar is what I use and adds a nice tart flavor to chicken salad recipes.
Chopped dill pickles: I like to use 1/2 pickles and 1/2 cucumbers to cut the sodium down. I mix them together and allow them to sit in the pickle jar for a bit while I make the rest of the recipe. The dill pickle juice makes the cucumbers taste more like pickles.
Plain Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is loaded with probiotics, and can promote gut health. It is a wonderful replacement for mayonnaise or miracle whip in healthy recipes.
Cottage cheese: Blended cottage cheese is taking over the healthy eating world. It’s a great substitute to clean up recipes, and the best part is that cottage cheese is high in protein, packed with nutrients, and low in calories. My method of blending cottage cheese and greek yogurt together gives you a creamy base but makes it so you truly cannot tell that you are eating either ingredient.
Parsley: using fresh parsley is a delicious way to brighten up this easy chicken salad recipe.
Dill: I love using fresh dill for this recipe.
Chives: chives or green onions add tons of flavor to this recipe.
Garlic: I love to use fresh garlic cloves, but garlic powder will work too.
Black pepper

Instant Pot Directions

Add the chicken and vinegar to the Instant Pot insert.
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook the chicken on high pressure using the manual or pressure cook setting for 10-12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth.
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles (with cucumbers if you’ve chosen to use them) into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip.

How to make Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad on the Stove Top

Add the chicken and vinegar to a sauce pan.
Cover the sauce pan with a lid and cook the chicken on medium high heat for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth.
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip.

How to make Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad in the Crock Pot

Add the chicken and vinegar to your slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the chicken on high heat for 2-3 hour, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blend mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth.
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip.

Recipe Tips

This very tasty pickle chicken salad recipe can be eaten in so many ways. It’s delicious as a dip, stuffed into mini bell peppers, topped on a salad, or made into lettuce wraps or sandwiches.
If you have a small food processor or blender, don’t make yourself crazy by trying to fit the entire recipe in it. Mix it in small batches and transfer to a mixing bowl to get it all blended and chopped up.
If you don’t have a food processor or blender to cut this recipe up, no worries! You can shred the chicken and mix the sauce in. It’ll be longer strands of chicken, but absolutely edible in any form (as a dip, etc) and still delicious.
This is a great recipe for meal prep and can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix

For the entire recipe: 6 red containers, 1 green container. Per serving: 1 red container, 1/6 green container.

Pickle fans rejoice! Pickles were added to the Ultimate Portion Fix in 2019. I know a lot of you love pickles and were bummed that they weren’t on the approved food list before.

I do (personally) caution you against using your green container for pickles. There is a huge difference between fresh cucumbers and cucumbers that have been brined in salt and vinegar and often sugar. As pickles are considered a green container on the 21 Day Fix now, I will still not use them more than once every few weeks at the most. Not sure what the Beachbody team is thinking about adding pickles to the list as a green, but they must have a good reason.

For this recipe, I like to use half dill pickles and half cucumbers. They sit together in a bowl together while I’m preparing the rest of the recipe. The taste is not compromised at all this way. It cuts the sodium of the pickles in half, too!

Weight Watchers

One serving of this recipe (about 3/4 cup) is 0 2023 Points, 1 Blue Plan Point, 2 Green Plan Points, and 1 Purple Plan Point when you use fat free Greek yogurt and lowfat cottage cheese.

Pickles are very high in sodium and though they are 0 points on Weight Watchers, they can easily stall your weight loss or even cause weight gain while you’re trying to lose weight.

I calculated the points for this recipe online using the calculator provided on the Weight Watchers website.

Trim Healthy Mama

This is a THM-S recipe – if using full fat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, dill pickles (not bread and butter type), and make sure that sugar hasn’t been added to the pickles. You’d be surprised where you find sugar!

More Healthy Dip Recipes

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip I have to admit that this one is my favorite. I always have some made in the freezer, and I love having it for lunch and an easy snack.
Healthy Crack Chicken Recipe Again, a super versatile recipe that can be made multiple ways. It can also be cooked in the Instant Pot, on the stove, or in a Crock Pot.
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip This dip (actually, all of the ones in this list) uses cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to get the creaminess without the calories. This is another favorite!
This easy and Healthy Elote Dip Recipe is a crowd pleasing side dish. If you love the flavors of Mexican Street Corn, you’ve got to give this Mexican Corn Dip recipe a try!
Spicy Mexican Corn Dip I’d say that this hot Corn Dip is good, or easy, or popular–but seriously, it’s amazing. And it’s gotten a healthy makeover!

Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

This healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad is a delicious low carb chicken salad recipe. A similar and healthy Chick-Fil-A chicken salad alternative, you can enjoy the salty and creamy recipe as a dip, on a sandwich, or as a salad topping.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Dill pickle chicken salad, healthy snack

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Total Time 22

Servings

Calories 135kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Kitchen Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast about 2 breasts
1/3 cup vinegar I use white
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt I prefer 2%
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fresh chives chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tbsp fresh dill chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 cup dill pickles chopped, please see note in post about using 1/2 pickles and 1/2 cucumbers

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions:

Add the chicken and vinegar to the Instant Pot insert. 1 pound chicken breast, 1/3 cup vinegar
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook the chicken on high pressure using the manual or pressure cook setting for 10-12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth. 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp black pepper
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender, then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip. 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 cup dill pickles

Stove Top Directions:

Add the chicken and vinegar to a sauce pan. 1 pound chicken breast, 1/3 cup vinegar
Cover the sauce pan with a lid and cook the chicken on medium high temperature for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth. 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp black pepper
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender, then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip. 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 cup dill pickles

Slow Cooker Directions:

Add the chicken and vinegar to your slow cooker. 1 pound chicken breast, 1/3 cup vinegar
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the chicken on high heat for 2-3 hour, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
In a food processor or blender, mix together the Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, garlic, and pepper until smooth. 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp black pepper
Remove the lid from the food processor or blender then add the chicken to the food processor. You may need to break the chicken breasts in half so that they fit.
Use the food processor or blender to shred the chicken and mix it with the sauce. It will only take about 5-15 seconds to shred the chicken.
Take off the lid and remove the blade. Fold the chives, dill, parsley, and dill pickles into the dip. Garnish and serve with sliced veggies to dip. 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 cup dill pickles

Video

Notes

21 Day Fix container counts for the entire recipe: 6 red containers, 1 green container. Per serving: 1 red container, 1/6 green container.

Weight Watchers: One serving of this recipe (about 3/4 cup) is 0 2023 Points, 1 Blue Plan Point, 2 Green Plan Points, and 1 Purple Plan Point when you use fat free Greek yogurt and fat free cottage cheese.

Nutrition

The post Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese

Becca Ludlum — Tue, 30 May 2023 22:47:19 +0000

This Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese is a high protein and low carb healthy appetizer!

Buffalo chicken dip is a classic appetizer that is always a hit at parties and gatherings. However, traditional buffalo chicken dip can be high in calories and fat. This healthy buffalo dip uses cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to lighten things up without sacrificing flavor.

Healthy buffalo chicken dip is a reader favorite and a great way to enjoy your favorite appetizer without all the guilt. It’s perfect for parties, potlucks, game day, or even just a night in with friends. So next time you’re looking for a delicious and satisfying snack, give this easy buffalo chicken dip recipe a try!

Where’s the Recipe?

My community has readers from all levels of experience in the kitchen, and I receive a lot of questions about recipes. To better serve all of my readers here at My Crazy Good Life, I am committed to giving you a ton of helpful information in all of my posts.

If you’d like to skip over the information about freezing, swapping ingredients, and healthy eating plans, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find this easy to print healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe.

Ingredients in Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese

Chicken: Chicken is a good source of protein. You can use breasts, thighs, or even rotisserie chicken in this recipe. If using rotisserie or leftover chicken, start at step three with making your sauce.
Cottage Cheese: Look for 2% small curd cottage cheese. It saves you calories without being heavily processed. If you’re concerned about sodium, read here for how to lower the sodium in cottage cheese.
Greek Yogurt: Just like the cottage cheese you’ll want to look for the 2% variety of Greek yogurt. Make sure you get plain Greek yogurt–you don’t want any vanilla in your buffalo chicken.
Hot Sauce: This is important, make sure and get Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, not Buffalo or Wing sauce. The buffalo sauce has a lot of extra ingredients that you just don’t need.
Cheese: This is optional. If you want to add extra cheese you can use your favorite variety. Some good choices are cheddar, pepper jack, colby jack, or mozzarella cheese.
Homemade Ranch Dressing: garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried parsley, and black pepper– measurements for the ranch seasoning are in the printable recipe below.

How to Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese in the Instant Pot

Cook your chicken: First, place your chicken breasts into the bottom of your Instant Pot. To ensure they cook fully, be careful not to stack them. Cover with 1 cup of water.
Pressure cook: Close and lock the lid of your Instant Pot and then turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 12 minutes.
Prepare your sauce: While the chicken is cooking, blend together the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried parsley, and pepper together until smooth and creamy.
Natural release: When the cook time is complete, allow your Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid. Drain the liquid from your pot and use two forks or a mixer to shred your chicken.
Mix in your sauce: Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté, then add the yogurt and hot sauce mixture to your shredded chicken. Stir well and cook until the liquid begins to bubble. If you’re using any cheese, add it in now.
Broil: This step is optional, but I love to slightly crisp the top of the creamy buffalo chicken dip. To do that, transfer your dip to an oven safe dish and broil for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned. Watch the oven carefully, the broiler can start to burn things very quickly.
Optional Garnish: Add any additional garnishes at this point. These ingredients aren’t included in the nutrition or special diet info below.

How to Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese in the Crock Pot

Place chicken breasts in a Crockpot and cook on high heat for 4 hours.
Once your chicken is fully cooked shred it with two forks or a hand mixer.
Blend cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Franks hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried parsley, and pepper together until smooth and creamy.
Stir yogurt mixture, and cheese into your chicken, and cook on low heat for 1.5 hours.
Optional: Place your slow cooker insert under your broiler for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned.

How to Make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese on the Stove top

Boil your chicken for 15-20 until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Drain all liquid from your pan and shred your chicken using two forks or a hand or standing mixer.
Blend cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Franks hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried parsley, and pepper together until smooth and creamy.
Mix blended sauce into your chicken, and add cheddar cheese. Stir well and transfer to an oven safe baking dish.
Optional: Broil 4-6 minutes until lightly browned. Remove dip from the oven and let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

Frozen or thawed chicken in the Instant Pot cook for the same amount of time, the frozen chicken will just take longer to come to pressure.
This is a great recipe for meal prep because it freezes and reheats well. This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days. Freeze in individual servings for quick, easy lunches or snacks on the go.
Like I mentioned, you can leave the cheddar cheese out of the recipe. Goat cheese, blue cheese crumbles or feta are other optional toppings.
Even if you hate cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, trust me–you cannot taste them individually and mixing the two gives a wonderful creamy texture to this cheesy dip.
My favorite things to dip into this creamy dip are baby carrots, red bell peppers, pita chips, celery sticks and tortilla chips.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer is the easiest way to shred chicken. Here are some tips so you get the best results:
- Make sure all liquid is drained from your bowl.
- Starting on low, turn on your mixer and apply slight pressure to chicken breasts.
- Increase to medium speed and move in circular motion around your pot until all of your chicken is shredded. This only takes about 30 seconds.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix

21 Day Fix Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese

Entire recipe: 10 Red Containers and 2 Blue Containers.

Per serving: Makes 8 – ½ cup servings, each is 1 ¼ Red Containers. If you add cheddar cheese, add ¼ Blue Containers.

2B Mindset

This recipe counts as a protein. Fill 25% of your plate with an FFC, and 50% vegetables for a perfect lunch. Serve with 50% vegetables for dinner.

Trim Healthy Mama

This recipe is an S with no substitutions required.

Looking for More Delicious Recipes?

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese

This healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip is high protein and low carb! Directions for Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi, Slow Cooker, or stove top. You'll love this easy low carb meal prep recipe.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword 21 Day Fix, Buffalo Chicken Dip, healthy

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 200kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Food processor
Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breasts frozen
1 cup water
3/4 cup cottage cheese 2%
3/4 cup Greek yogurt plain, 2%
3/4 cup Hot Sauce Frank’s Hot Sauce, NOT Buffalo sauce :)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup cheddar cheese shredded (optional)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions:

Place your frozen chicken breasts into your Instant Pot. Be careful not to stack them to ensure they cook fully and cover with 1 cup of water. 2 lbs chicken breasts, 1 cup water
Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set cook time for 12 minutes.
Blend cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Franks hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried parsley, and pepper together until smooth and creamy. 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup Hot Sauce, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp black pepper
When the cook time is complete, allow your Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid. Drain the liquid from your pot and use two forks or a hand mixer to shred your chicken.
Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté and stir in your yogurt and hot sauce mixture. Stir well and cook until the liquid begins to bubble. Then mix in your cheese (if using). 2/3 cup cheddar cheese
This step is optional, but I love to slightly crispen the top of the dip. Transfer your dip to an oven safe dish and broil for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned. Watch the oven carefully, the broiler can start to burn things very quickly. Remove dip from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve with carrots, celery, cucumbers, stuffed inside a jalapeño or bell pepper, eat on a tortilla or in a pita. The possibilities are endless.

Crock Pot Instructions:

Place chicken breasts in a Crockpot and cook on high heat for 4 hours.2 lbs chicken breasts
Once your chicken is fully cooked shred it with two forks or a hand mixer.
Next, blend cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Franks hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried parsley, and pepper together until smooth and creamy. 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup Hot Sauce, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Stir yogurt mixture, and cheese into your chicken, and cook on low heat for 1.5 hours. 2/3 cup cheddar cheese
Optional: Place your Crockpot insert under your broiler for 4-6 minutes until lightly browned.

Stove/Oven Instructions:

Boil your chicken for 15-20 until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Drain all liquid from your pan and shred your chicken using two forks or a hand mixer. 2 lbs chicken breasts
Blend cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Franks hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried parsley, and pepper together until smooth and creamy. 3/4 cup cottage cheese, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup Hot Sauce, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Mix blended sauce into your chicken, and add cheddar cheese. Stir well and transfer to an oven safe dish. 2/3 cup cheddar cheese
Optional: Broil 4-6 minutes until lightly browned. Remove dip from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Healthy Eating Plans:

For the Weight Watchers version, please see this post for the recipe and point information.
21 Day Fix: For this entire 21 Day Fix Buffalo Chicken dip recipe: 10 Red Containers and 2 Blue Containers
Per serving: Makes 8 – ½ cup servings. 1 ¼ Red Containers, and ¼ Blue Containers.
2B Mindset: This recipe counts as a protein. Fill 25% of your plate with an FFC, and 50% vegetables for a perfect lunch. Serve with 50% vegetables for dinner.
Trim Healthy Mama: This recipe is an S with no substitutions required.
Keto: You’ll want to calculate the carbs in the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt and see if this is acceptable for your personal goals.

Recipe Tips

Frozen and thawed chicken in the Instant Pot cook for the same amount of time, the frozen chicken will just take longer to come to pressure.
This is a great recipe for meal prep because it freezes and reheats well. This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days. Freeze in individual servings for quick, easy lunches or snacks on the go.
Like I mentioned, you can leave the cheddar cheese out of the recipe. Goat cheese, blue cheese crumbles or feta are other optional toppings.
Even if you hate cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, trust me–you cannot taste them individually and mixing the two gives a wonderful creamy texture to this cheesy dip.
My favorite things to dip into this creamy dip are baby carrots, red bell peppers, pita chips, celery sticks and tortilla chips.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer is the easiest way to shred chicken. Here are some tips so you get the best results:
- Make sure all liquid is drained from your bowl.
- Starting on low, turn on your mixer and apply slight pressure to chicken breasts.
- Increase to medium speed and move in circular motion around your pot until all of your chicken is shredded. This only takes about 30 seconds.

Nutrition

The post Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip with Cottage Cheese appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Buffalo Cauliflower Dip with Chicken

Becca Ludlum — Wed, 24 May 2023 16:48:54 +0000

If you like chicken wings you are going to love this easy recipe for Buffalo Cauliflower Dip with Chicken! This is a protein-packed delicious dip that’s a healthier option than the classic buffalo chicken dip.

This cauliflower buffalo dip can be served hot or at room temperature. When I make this creamy dip I like to lay out a lot of dipping options like carrot sticks, broccoli and cauliflower florets, or tortilla and pita chips.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we make healthy recipes for everyone to enjoy. We want cooks of all experience levels to be able to recreate our recipes. To do that, we like to provide our readers with lots of information about the ingredients that are used, different cooking techniques, and little tricks and tips to be successful in the kitchen.

You’ll also find nutrition facts and healthy eating plan calculations. If you’d like to skip past all of that, you can scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find the full recipe card for this healthy buffalo cauliflower dip!

Ingredients in this Buffalo Cauliflower Dip with Chicken

Olive oil: you’ll just need a little bit of oil – 1 teaspoon, to be exact.
Chicken breast: you’ll want to cut this into bite sized pieces unless you’re cooking in the Crockpot.
Garlic powder: I like to use plain garlic powder and not garlic salt to keep sodium levels down.
Onion powder: onion powder is a simple ingredient that adds nice flavor.
Black pepper: to taste
Dill: I use dried dill for this recipe.
Parsley: dried parsley works well here.
Cauliflower: get a whole head of cauliflower and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Hot sauce: Frank’s ORIGINAL hot sauce, not the buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce has more processed ingredients and oil added to it. Don’t worry, you can still get that classic buffalo wing flavor from the original Frank’s red hot sauce.
Cottage cheese: hold on, hear me out- when you blend cottage cheese and Greek yogurt you get a creamy, protein packed sauce that’s healthier than the heavy cream or cream cheese that you might typically find in a classic buffalo dip.
Greek yogurt: I usually use 2% plain Greek yogurt to combine with the cottage cheese.
Cheddar cheese: I like using shredded cheddar cheese, but Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese would also be great options.
Brown rice flour: this is used as a thickener, and can be substituted with other thickeners like whole wheat or all purpose flour, that you may have in your pantry.

Instant Pot Directions

Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the oil and allow it to heat up. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is browned.
Add garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dill, and parsley to the pot. Mix up the chicken so that the seasoning is evenly distributed.
Add the cauliflower to the Instant Pot and cover with the hot sauce. The hot sauce acts as your liquid for this recipe. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing.
Cook the chicken and cauliflower on high pressure using the manual setting for 2 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 6-10 minutes before manually releasing it. This means that after the pot is done cooking, allow it to sit without touching it for 6-10 minutes. The contents will still be cooking. After that time, move the Sealing valve to the Vent position and allow the steam to come out.
In a high speed blender or food processor, mix together the contents of your pot, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt to create a creamy hot sauce base.
Blend the sauce until smooth- you don’t want any large chunks, then add the cheese and brown rice flour. Blend until mixed and all of the cheese is melted together, serve with raw veggies or pita chips.

Stovetop Directions

Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté the chicken until it is browned.
Add the seasonings, hot sauce, and cauliflower to the skillet. Mix it up so the cauliflower is covered in hot sauce. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium low heat.
Allow the cauliflower and chicken to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is fork tender.
Blend together the contents of the pan, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt to make the sauce.
Add the cheddar cheese and brown rice flour into the blender until it all melts together. Serve with raw veggies or pita and tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Directions

Add the whole chicken breast, cauliflower, seasoning, and hot sauce to the slower cooker.
Cover and cook the entire thing for 2 1/2 to 4 hours on low heat or until the chicken is done and cauliflower is soft.
Blend together the contents of the slow cooker, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and brown rice flour and blend until the cheese is melted. Serve with raw veggies or pita chips.

Recipe Tips

This buffalo cauliflower dip recipe is perfect for happy hour or a Super Bowl party, and the best part is that you can make it ahead of time! Just place the dip in an airtight container, store in the fridge, then right before the big game is about to start, pop the leftover dip in the microwave until warm.
This recipe for buffalo cauliflower dip with chicken also freezes well. Just thaw in the fridge and heat in the microwave for an easy hot dip! Here’s a little trick: freeze the dip in a thin single layer for quicker thawing.
Some optional toppings that are not included in the nutrition calculations are blue cheese crumbles, green onions, breadcrumbs, or a drizzle of frank’s red hot to really take that classic buffalo flavor over the top.
If you do add breadcrumbs, I’d recommend adding the whole dip to an oven-safe baking dish and putting it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp it all up.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix

Entire recipe: 6 Red Containers, 4 Green Containers, 1 teaspoon, 4 Blue Containers, 1/2 Yellow Container.

Per serving: 3/4 Red Container, 1/2 Green Container, 1/2 Blue Container, negligible teaspoons and yellow containers.

Weight Watchers

1 2023 Point using 1% cottage cheese, fat free yogurt, and fat free shredded cheddar cheese | 3 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points

2B Mindset

This is a good option for the 2B Mindset nutrition plan because it’s got lean protein and veggies. If you’re eating this for lunch, pair it with an FFC.

Trim Healthy Mama

This is an S recipe when you use one of the following instead of the brown rice flour: Xanthum Gum, Glucomannan Powder, or oat fiber.

Looking for more healthy game day recipes?

Buffalo Cauliflower Dip with Chicken

This Buffalo Cauliflower Dip with Chicken is perfect for game day with a side of tortilla chips or celery sticks!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword buffalo cauliflower, buffalo chicken, party dip

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings people

Calories 290kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Vitamix Blender
Kitchen Knife

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dill dried
1/2 tsp parsley dried
1 head cauliflower cut into small bite sized pieces
3/4 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce *not buffalo sauce
3/4 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 2%
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
2 tbsp brown rice flour

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the oil and allow it to heat up. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is browned. 1 tsp olive oil 1 lb chicken breast
Add garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dill, and parsley to the pot. Mix up the chicken so that the seasoning is evenly distributed. 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp dill 1/2 tsp parsley
Add the cauliflower to the Instant Pot and cover with the hot sauce. The hot sauce acts as your liquid for this recipe. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. 1 head cauliflower 3/4 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce
Cook the chicken and cauliflower on high pressure using the manual setting for 2 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 6-10 minutes before manually releasing it.
In a high speed blender, mix together the contents of your pot, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt to create a creamy sauce. 3/4 cup cottage cheese 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
Blend the sauce until smooth, then add the cheese and brown rice flour. Blend until all mixed together and the cheese has melted. Serve with raw veggies or pita chips. 1 cup cheddar cheese 2 tbsp brown rice flour

Stovetop Directions

Heat a large skillet on the stove and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté the chicken until it is browned.
Add the seasonings, hot sauce, and cauliflower to the skillet. Mix it up so the cauliflower is covered in hot sauce. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium low heat.
Allow the cauliflower and chicken to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is very tender.
Blend together the contents of the pan, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt to make the sauce.
Add the cheddar cheese and brown rice flour into the blender until it all melts together. Serve with raw veggies or pita chips.

Slow Cooker Directions

Add the whole chicken breast, cauliflower, seasoning, and hot sauce to the slower cooker.
Cover and let cook for 2 1/2 to 4 hours on low heat or until the chicken is done and cauliflower is soft.
Blend together the contents of the slow cooker, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and brown rice flour and blend until the cheese is melted. Serve with raw veggies or pita chips.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

This buffalo cauliflower dip recipe is perfect for happy hour or a Super Bowl party, and the best part is that you can make it ahead of time! Just place the dip in an airtight container, store in the fridge, then right before the big game is about to start, pop the leftover dip in the microwave until warm.
This recipe for buffalo cauliflower dip with chicken also freezes well. Just thaw in the fridge and heat in the microwave for an easy hot dip! Here’s a little trick: freeze the dip in a thin single layer for quicker thawing.
Some optional toppings that are not included in the nutrition calculations are blue cheese crumbles, green onions, breadcrumbs, or a drizzle of frank’s red hot to really take that classic buffalo flavor over the top.
If you do add breadcrumbs, I’d recommend adding the whole dip to an oven-safe baking dish and putting it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp it all up.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix

Entire recipe: 6 Red Containers, 4 Green Containers, 1 teaspoon, 4 Blue Containers, 1/2 Yellow Container.

Per serving: 3/4 Red Container, 1/2 Green Container, 1/2 Blue Container, negligible teaspoons and yellow containers.

Weight Watchers

1 2023 Point using 1% cottage cheese, fat free yogurt, and fat free shredded cheddar cheese | 3 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points

2B Mindset

This is a good option for the 2B Mindset nutrition plan because it’s got lean protein and veggies. If you’re eating this for lunch, pair it with an FFC.

Trim Healthy Mama

This is an S recipe when you use one of the following instead of the brown rice flour: Xanthum Gum, Glucomannan Powder, or oat fiber.

Nutrition

The post Buffalo Cauliflower Dip with Chicken appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Restaurant Style Salsa in the Blender

Becca Ludlum — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 08:15:00 +0000

I’m excited to share my Restaurant Style Salsa recipe using simple ingredients. I usually add the ingredients to the blender or food processor, but if you prefer chunky salsa you can skip that step and chop your ingredients instead.

This easy salsa recipe is perfect for happy hour tortilla chips and salsa or as a topping for fajitas, tacos, or taco salad. Fresh homemade salsa makes a great addition to almost any menu or meal plan because it packs a lot of flavor without adding a lot of unnecessary calories or fat.

Ingredients Needed for this Restaurant-Style Salsa:

Diced Tomatoes I buy the no sugar added canned tomatoes. You’ll still notice a measurement for sugar in the nutritional information, but that is because tomatoes have some natural sugar in them. You’ll just want to verify that the ingredients do not contain sugar.
Fresh garlic
Fresh limes You’ll be squeezing them to get lime juice
Onion I prefer red onions for the color and anti-inflammatory properties. Yellow or white onion is good to use, as well!
Fresh cilantro I’d definitely skip the dried cilantro here. Fresh cilantro will add to the fresh flavors you’re looking for.
Jalapeño pepper or serrano peppers This will give you a fairly spicy salsa. If you’d rather a mild salsa, skip the peppers.
Salt

Directions for Making this Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa:

Follow these simple steps to make this flavorful salsa. It should take about 15 minutes of your time.

Wash your ingredients.
Cut the onion into smaller pieces and add all of the ingredients to your blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth (or whatever your desired consistency is) and store in the fridge in an airtight container until serving. I love storing this salsa recipe in mason jars.

Recipe Tips:

I love making a big batch of this salsa and freeze them in quart sized zipper bags. This salsa is best thawed on the counter or in the fridge–not in the microwave.
You can use fresh tomatoes in this recipe, but I’d recommend removing the seeds and liquid to avoid watery salsa.
Using fire-roasted tomatoes or tomatoes with green chiles (a can of Rotel) is a fun way to make this recipe.
Love onion? Add an additional one. Love cilantro? Add an extra bunch of cilantro to this recipe–it’s very easy to adapt and will be delicious even with extra ingredients. SO much better than store-bought salsa.

Healthy Eating Plans:

21 Day Fix/Portion Fix:

1 cup salsa = 1 green container

Trim Healthy Mama

This is a FP recipe on THM and you don’t have to make any substitutions.

Weight Watchers:

This recipe is 0 points on the myWW plans and on the 2023 Plan.

Looking for more easy recipes?

Restaurant Style Salsa in the Blender

This fresh and easy Restaurant Style Salsa recipe is our favorite, and one you've probably enjoyed if you've spent any amount of time in my kitchen.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Easy Salsa

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 38kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Kitchen Knife
Cutting Board
Vitamix Blender

Ingredients

16 oz diced tomatoes can, no sugar added
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
2 limes juiced
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 bunch of cilantro chopped
1/2 jalapeno more to taste if you’d like
1/2 tsp salt optional

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Wash your ingredients.
Cut the onion into smaller pieces and add all of the ingredients to your blender or food processor. 1/2 onion, 16 oz diced tomatoes, 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, 2 limes, 1/4 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 jalapeno, 1/2 tsp salt
Blend until smooth (or whatever your desired consistency is) and store in the fridge in an airtight container until serving. I love storing this salsa recipe in mason jars.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

I love making a big batch of this salsa and freeze them in quart sized zipper bags. This salsa is best thawed on the counter or in the fridge–not in the microwave.
You can use fresh tomatoes in this recipe, but I’d recommend removing the seeds and liquid to avoid watery salsa.
Using fire-roasted tomatoes or tomatoes with green chiles (a can of Rotel) is a fun way to make this recipe.
Love onion? Add an additional one. Love cilantro? Add an extra bunch of cilantro to this recipe–it’s very easy to adapt and will be delicious even with extra ingredients. SO much better than store-bought salsa.

Healthy Eating Plans:

21 Day Fix/Portion Fix:

1 cup salsa = 1 green container

Trim Healthy Mama

This is a FP recipe on THM and you don’t have to make any substitutions.

Weight Watchers:

This recipe is 0 points on the myWW plans and on the 2023 Plan.

Nutrition

The post Restaurant Style Salsa in the Blender appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

My Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes (from my kitchen)

Becca Ludlum — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 14:52:48 +0000

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and if you are anything like me, you are scrambling to plan out all of the details for the big day! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays – delicious food, friends and family, and did I mention delicious food? My healthy Thanksgiving menu is full of delicious, wholesome food that you are going to love.

I love hosting my family and friends – it’s one of the greatest things I look forward to during the holiday season. I also love being in control of my healthy Thanksgiving menu. My guests are so gracious and ask what they can bring – selfishly, I send them one of my favorite My Crazy Good Life recipes.

In the past, Thanksgiving has been a stressful holiday for me – so many heavy and unhealthy options – which really hindered my healthy eating goals. Over the past few holidays, I’ve made it my goal to create delicious recipes that aren’t lacking in satisfaction or flavor.

This year, I’m helping to simplify your big day and sharing all of the details on what I’ll be enjoying this Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Appetizers

No one wants a hangry guest – or a hangry host. I always manage to make a few appetizers ahead of time to help entertain people while I’m making the last minute touches on the rest of my meal. This year I’m serving three appetizers packed with flavor to provide a little bit of a variety in taste for all of my guests.

Baked Blooming Onion with Spicy Dipping Sauce

View Recipe

This healthy blooming onion recipe is gluten free and baked or air fried. You get all the crunch and flavor without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle. I’ve even whipped up a spicy dipping sauce that you’re going to love!

Spicy Mexican Corn Dip

View Recipe

Sometimes called Fiesta Corn Dip, this warm dip is made with fiesta corn, spicy peppers, shredded cheese, and trust me on this one–cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, blended together to make a protein packed creamy dip.

I’d say that this hot Corn Dip is good, or easy, or popular–but seriously, it’s all three. And it’s gotten a healthy makeover!

Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip

View Recipe

This healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe with Greek yogurt is an easy appetizer! Make this Skinny Artichoke Dip in the Instant Pot, Crockpot, or on the stove and serve it hot or cold–your choice. Full of veggies and protein from greek yogurt, it’s one of our most requested party appetizers.

The Main Meat Dish

This year, I’ll be making my Perfect Instant Pot Turkey Breast. Thanksgiving doesn’t quite seem the same without the classic Turkey – however, I’m not committed enough to stand by the stove all day long basting.

This recipe is the perfect way for me to serve the traditional fresh flavor of a turkey without the time commitment. If you are looking for the more traditional route of turkey cooking, I have a great guide for you that shares 10 Ways to Cook a Turkey.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is all about enjoying all of the flavors. Unpopular opinion? I think the side dishes hold more value in the meal than the main meat dish! I’ve planned out five delicious side dishes for my guests. (Don’t worry, a few of them are being cooked by my guests!)

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

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Our sweet potato casserole is gluten-free and made with wholesome ingredients like roasted sweet potatoes, coconut milk, almond flour, and coconut sugar – no refined brown sugar or white sugar in this recipe!

This is the best sweet potato casserole recipe I’ve ever enjoyed, and it’s a healthier version than the classic potato casserole. This will hands down be your new perfect Thanksgiving side dish.

Roasted Teriyaki Brussels Sprouts

View Recipe

Our Crispy Oven Roasted Teriyaki Brussels Sprouts recipe will give you an instant flavor bomb of goodness while enjoying a healthy side dish. We’re confident that after trying this recipe with real and simple ingredients, you too will be a huge fan of roasted Brussels sprouts!

Vegan Cauliflower Stuffing

View Recipe

I love the flavors of traditional Thanksgiving stuffing, however I wanted a low-carb stuffing with simple ingredients. After much recipe testing in the kitchen, I am thrilled to report back the end result – a low-carb cauliflower stuffing packed with fresh vegetables and flavor.

My hands-down favorite food of the day is traditional stuffing–so on my plate, you’ll find traditional stuffing right alongside this cauliflower stuffing. It’s a great way to get all the flavors you crave in a healthier way.

Rosemary Smashed Potatoes with Garlic

View Recipe

These Rosemary Smashed Potatoes with garlic are so easy to make! Steam, season, smash, and bake! That’s really all there is to this recipe. It’s so simple but filled with the traditional complex flavors of Thanksgiving potatoes.

Air Fryer Veggies

View Recipe

I’m always looking for a way to not overcrowd the oven on Thanksgiving. This year, I’ll be air-frying my vegetables. I plan on using frozen broccoli and frozen cauliflower to simplify my grocery shopping – no need to worry about not being able to find these fresh vegetables when grocery store shelves might be running low.

Thanksgiving Cocktails

I love having cocktails ready ahead of time for my guests – it takes the awkward guesswork out of what people will want to drink, and still provides them with a few options on hand.

Cranberry Margarita

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I’m 100% convinced that you can create a margarita for every occasion throughout the entire year. Thanksgiving is well known for the cranberry flavors, twist that in with a delicious margarita, and you have – the skinny Cranberry Margarita.

It’s the perfect balance between healthy and indulgent. No added sugar or artificial sweeteners, no syrups, but full of flavor and natural sweetness with about 100 calories.

Apple Cider Margarita Shooters

View Recipe

Now that fall is upon us the leaves are changing, the nights are getting cool, and you might think that margarita season is fading away…I won’t let that happen!

Apple Cider Margarita Shooters have just enough of that fall zing that I crave on occasion and all the kick of my favorite margarita recipes. The best of both worlds all rolled up into one. This is a cocktail that I often serve while hosting during the cooler months.

Thanksgiving Desserts

You can’t have a Thanksgiving meal without a few sweet treats at the end of the night. This used to be the most stressful part of the meal for me, so many sweets to choose from. I would always go a bit overboard and would unintentionally sabotage my healthy eating goals.

There is no need to miss out on dessert – and I truly believe that food can still taste good and be healthy for you. I’m serving three of my incredibly flavorful desserts this year, and have no stress about eating them while staying in line with my health goals.

Healthy Buckeyes

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My healthy recipe for Buckeyes doesn’t contain any shortening, powdered sugar, or oils. Just four ingredients in this delicious homemade peanut butter cup recipe.

These gluten free healthy Peanut Butter Buckeyes are a protein-packed way to satisfy a chocolate and peanut butter craving! These peanut butter balls, or buckeyes, combine dark chocolate chips (I use dairy free), creamy peanut butter, sweet honey, and coconut flour together for a delicious and not too sweet treat.

Lime Coconut Bites

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I love offsetting the traditional flavors of a Thanksgiving meal with a light and tart dessert option. Our Lime Coconut Bites are a delicious and simple dessert recipe for those of you looking for a little sweetness.

There’s no added sugar in this recipe, and just four simple ingredients–lime, coconut, coconut oil, and honey. This is a vegan, gluten free, no bake dessert that your family will love.

No Bake Coconut Mocha Bars

View Recipe

This had me at no bake. A dessert that doesn’t require baking on one of the busiest days for a kitchen is a huge win. I love how simple these bars are to throw together at the last minute.

Everything comes straight from my pantry, but they’re still healthy–it’s a win win. No brown sugar, no refined sugar or store bought chocolate–we’re talking honey, coffee (if you want it), vanilla, coconut oil, and coconut powder.

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Imagine the day after Thanksgiving, where you just might have some leftovers in your kitchen ready to be repurposed into another incredible meal.

It doesn’t happen too often in my house, but when it does I am here for it. I love a good leftover – it still holds the fresh flavors of yesterday, without the hassle of long cooking times.

Here’s what I’m planning to do with some of my leftovers:

Turkey Cranberry Lettuce Wraps

View Recipe

Made with sliced leftover turkey, a quick homemade cranberry sauce, and creamy Greek yogurt. These wraps make an easy lunch or quick dinner the day after Thanksgiving.

Homemade Turkey Soup

View Recipe

If you do decide to go the traditional route of cooking a whole turkey, this recipe is a must for all of your leftovers. This easy leftover turkey soup is perfect after a holiday! Warming turkey bone broth, vegetables, and some noodles is all it takes.

In the past, we’ve frozen this soup and reheat it on really *cold* winter nights. It’s a hearty soup packed with nutrients.

Your Thanksgiving Meal Plan

Creating and cooking healthy recipes is a huge part of my daily job. I thrive on cooking healthy meals for my family. This might not be the case for you, and don’t worry, I can help.

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we want you to be confident and successful in the kitchen. We want to give you all the tools to help as much as we can.

This entire Thanksgiving meal can be planned on our website with a printable grocery list! Head on over to our easy meal prep planner which teaches you exactly how to create your meal plan and grocery list on our website.

The post My Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes (from my kitchen) appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Summer Confetti Salad

Becca Ludlum — Tue, 31 May 2022 13:23:00 +0000

This Summer Confetti Salad is a refreshing summer salad recipe. Also called Cowboy Caviar, this recipe is a great side dish or appetizer when served with chips.

We enjoy the fresh flavors of this recipe all year long, but it’s especially satisfying during those hot summer months. This dish is quick and easy to make–which makes it a great addition to summer BBQs and pool parties.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we give you two options for making every recipe. If you’re new to the kitchen or would like some extra information about this recipe and the ingredients used, read through the post below before heading to the printable recipe. It will give you information about the ingredients, details about how to make the recipe, and a ton of recipe tips. We even include healthy eating plan information for the top diet plans.

If you’d rather get straight to the point, scroll down to the printable recipe area where you’ll find the short and sweet version of how to make this Summer Confetti Salad.

Ingredients in Summer Confetti Salad

Bell Pepper: I prefer to use green and red bell pepper in this recipe, but you can use whatever you have in your fridge. Green bell peppers have the most flavor, and the others are all fairly mild. When I have a variety of peppers in the fridge, I love to use a mixture of red, gree, yellow, and orange bell pepper.
Tomato: I love tomatoes and their seeds. If you’d rather have a drier salad, go ahead and use a tomato with less seeds like roma.
Green onion: I love the mild flavor this adds. If you don’t have any green onions, you can use a regular one–preferably a red onion.
Fresh Cilantro: If you’re not a fan, you can easily skip this ingredient.
Corn: You can use canned sweet kernel corn for the best crunch, or grill some fresh corn and cut it off the cob for a fun flavor twist.
Green chilies: I typically use fresh green chilies when I can find them, but canned works too!
Cumin
Limes: I love using fresh limes in this recipe, but you can use lime juice in a bottle if you don’t have any.
Black beans: I use drained and rinsed black beans for this recipe. Rinsing the beans reduces the sodium a bit.
Optional: Papaya

Want to add more or swap things out? Other ingredient ideas:

fresh green beans
cooked and diced sweet potato (I’d undercook them a bit so they’re not mushy)
red cabbage
lima beans or shelled edamame
whole grains like cooked quinoa

How to make Summer Confetti Salad

You’ll definitely want to whip up a batch of this quick salad for your weekly meal plans. If you add it to mason jars, you’ll have a grab and go lunch option.

Wash your bell pepper, tomato, papaya, green onion, and fresh chilies if you have them.
Wash and dry your cilantro.
Chop or dice the veggies into small pieces and add them to a large bowl.
Your dressing ingredients are lime juice, chilies, and cumin. Squeeze the limes into a small bowl, discard the rinds. Add green chilies and cumin to this bowl and mix well.
Drain and rinse the corn and beans, then add them to the bowl.
Combine all ingredients (including the dressing) and mix everything together with a large spoon.
While you can eat this salad at room temperature, I think the recipe tastes best served cold. I recommend putting your bowl into the fridge for a few hours or separating portions into small mason jars.

Recipe Tips:

The fresh veggies give this recipe its signature crunch. I’d always recommend using fresh when you can.
Serve this recipe with grilled chicken or other lean meats, inside fresh tortillas (like a taco!), or grilled fish

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix
- Entire Recipe: (about 3 cups): 1 3/4 green containers, 1/2 purple container, 2 yellow containers. I give you this information so you can easily recalculate the containers if you swap out any ingredients in the recipe.
- Per 3/4 cup serving: just under 1/2 of a green container, 1/2 yellow container. For the purple container, I don’t count it because the amount is slow low when divided into 4 servings.
21 Day Fix Vegan Plan Counts: Increase your black beans to 3/4 cup, and add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa to the recipe.
- Entire recipe is 1 3/4 green containers, 1/2 purple container, 2 red containers, 1 yellow-A container.
- Per 3/4 cup serving: just under 1/2 of a green container, 1/2 red container, 1/4 yellow-A container.
2B Mindset
- Makes a great lunch when served with 25% protein.
- On the vegan plan, this counts as a complete lunch.
Weight Watchers: 0 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Point | 0 Purple Plan Points | 2023 Plan: 0

More delicious Appetizer and Side Dish recipes

Summer Confetti Salad with Papaya

This Summer Confetti Salad is an easy appetizer or side dish for BBQs and pool parties! This delicious vegan recipe is packed full of veggies and slow burning carbs!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword 21 Day Fix, 2B Mindset, corn salsa, healthy

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 83kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Kitchen Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

1 cup bell pepper chopped, any color will do!
1/2 cup tomato chopped
1/2 cup papaya (or mango), chopped
1/4 cup green onions chopped
1/4 cup cilantro fresh, chopped
1/2 cup corn drained
4 oz green chilies diced, canned or fresh
1/4 tsp cumin
2 limes squeezed
1/2 cup black beans rinsed and drained

Instructions

Wash your veggies and fruit, if using.
Chop or dice the veggies into small pieces and add them to a large bowl.
Squeeze the limes into the bowl, discard the rinds.
Drain and rinse the corn and beans, then add them to the bowl.
Combine all ingredients and mix everything together with a large spoon.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

The fresh veggies give this recipe its signature crunch. I’d always recommend using fresh when you can.
Serve this recipe with grilled chicken or other lean meats, inside fresh tortillas (like a taco!), or grilled fish.

Healthy Eating Plans:

21 Day Fix
- Entire Recipe: (about 3 cups): 1 3/4 green containers, 1/2 purple container, 2 yellow containers. I give you this information so you can easily recalculate the containers if you swap out any ingredients in the recipe.
- Per 3/4 cup serving: just under 1/2 of a green container, 1/2 yellow container. For the purple container, I don’t count it because the amount is slow low when divided into 4 servings.
- 21 Day Fix Vegan Plan Counts: Increase your black beans to 3/4 cup, and add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa to the recipe.
- Entire recipe is 1 3/4 green containers, 1/2 purple container, 2 red containers, 1 yellow-A container.
- Per 3/4 cup serving: just under 1/2 of a green container, 1/2 red container, 1/4 yellow-A container.
2B Mindset
- Makes a great lunch when served with 25% protein.
- On the vegan plan, this counts as a complete lunch.
Weight Watchers: 0 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Point | 0 Purple Plan Points | 2023 Points: 0

Nutrition

The post Summer Confetti Salad appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Easy & Healthy Elote Dip

Becca Ludlum — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 15:39:00 +0000

This easy and healthy Elote Dip Recipe is a crowd pleasing side dish. If you love the flavors of Mexican Street Corn, you’ve got to give this Mexican Corn Dip recipe a try!

Whether you’re needing a delicious app for a happy hour celebration or celebrating Cinco de Mayo with friends, this is an easy recipe that always pleases a crowd.

If you’ve been to my site before, you know that I like to lighten up otherwise unhealthy recipes.This Mexican Street Corn Dip uses Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, mayonnaise, or cream cheese – but the results are just as creamy and binge worthy and your body will appreciate the boost of protein.

Where’s the recipe?

I receive a lot of questions about my recipes. In an effort to help all of my readers, I like to give a lot of information in my posts.

In this post you’ll find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan information. If you’d like to jump to the recipe with ingredients, measurements, and instructions, please scroll down to the bottom of the page where you’ll find the easy to print recipe for this Easy & Healthy Elote Dip with no mayonnaise.

Ingredients in this Elote Corn Dip

Sweet Corn kernels: Canned whole corn kernels work great for this recipe, but you can also use frozen corn, or fresh corn kernels that have been shucked from an ear of corn.
Butter: This is used to sauté the corn. You can use another fat like olive oil if you prefer.
Cotija cheese: This is an aged Mexican white cheese, not to be confused with queso fresco. Cotija has a salty, milky flavor that is perfect for this dip. If you can’t find cojita in your area, feel free to use whatever your favorite cheese is. I’ve used both feta cheese and pepper jack cheese in a pinch and it was delicious.
Greek yogurt: This is a healthy substitute for the mayo or sour cream that you usually find with elote.
Cottage Cheese: Hold on, hear me out. I am not a fan of cottage cheese on it’s own, but, when you blend it together with Greek yogurt, you save so many calories without sacrificing creaminess or flavor.
Parsley: Fresh parsley is best, and looks beautiful when added as a garnish.
Lime juice: Fresh squeezed is always my favorite, but if you have bottled, that’s ok too.
Chili powder
Garlic powder

Optional Toppings:

Fresh cilantro
Fresh lime juice
Tajin Seasoning
Lime Zest

Directions for this Easy Elote Corn Dip:

Roast the corn: In a medium sized cast iron skillet or frying pan set over medium heat, melt the butter and add in the corn.
Cook: Cook the corn for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the corn has started to char on some pieces. The roasted corn taste of this recipe is what makes it so delicious.
Remove: Remove the corn from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Allow the corn to cool for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients.
Mix it all up: Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy: Enjoy with warm tortilla chips!

Recipe tips

If corn is in season, fresh corn cut off the cob is so delicious! I really like to grill mine for this recipe. You could also place the corn kernels on a baking sheet and broil on low for 5-10 minutes, stirring a few times in between. If you’re broiling something, don’t step away from the oven–it will quickly char your food.
You can store this in an air tight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
If you really don’t want to use the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, you can use mayo instead-keep in mind that this recipe won’t be 21 Day Fix/Portion Fix friendly if you do that.
If you’d rather leave out the cheese, this recipe will taste just as delicious!
I do not love freezing this recipe. I feel like the creamy ingredients don’t thaw well. You can definitely cook and freeze the corn and spices ahead of time, though.
Looking for spice? I love drizzling hot sauce on this before eating!
Grocery stores in different parts of the country have different offerings in different sections. Ask your store manager where to find Cojita cheese for this recipe if it’s not with the other cheeses.
Serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, or veggies.

Healthy Eating Plans

The healthy ingredients in this recipe make it perfect for any healthy eating plan!

Portion Fix/21 Day Fix

Container counts for the entire recipe (I give you this count in case you change something in the recipe-it will make it a little easier to recalculate your containers): 3 yellow containers, 6 teaspoons, 1 blue container, 1 red container
Recipe serves 6
Container counts per 2/3 cup serving: Count each serving 1/2 yellow container, 1 tsp, 1/6 blue container, 1/6 red container.

If you just have one serving, and don’t eat this often, I’d skip counting the 1/6 of the blue and red.

Weight Watchers

2 Points per serving on the 2023 Plan when using fat free cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. You may need to use less of these ingredients in the recipe because the fat free dairy if going to be a little more watery than the full or reduced fat versions.

2B Mindset

This is a recipe that I’d eat with lunch and use veggies to dip in, or fill baby bell peppers with the elote dip to get veggies in!

More healthy Mexican recipes

Healthy Elote Dip

This easy Elote Dip is a crowd pleasing side dish, and uses protein packed Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese instead of mayo. If you love traditional Mexican Street Corn you've got to give this recipe a try!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword elote dip

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 219kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Enameled Cast Iron Pan
Mixing Bowls
Vitamix Blender

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2 15 oz whole corn kernels, canned (about 3 cups corn)
1/3 cup Cotija cheese
6 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
6 tbsp cottage cheese blended together with the yogurt, so there are no chunks
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 lime juiced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

In a medium sized cast iron skillet or frying pan set over medium heat, melt the butter and add in the corn. 2 tbsp butter 2 15 oz whole corn kernels, canned
Cook the corn for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the corn has started to char on some pieces. The roasted corn taste of this recipe is what makes it so delicious.
Remove the corn from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Allow the corn to cool for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 1/3 cup Cotija cheese 6 tbsp plain Greek yogurt 6 tbsp cottage cheese 2 tbsp fresh parsley 1 lime 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Enjoy with warm tortilla chips!

Notes

Recipe tips

If corn is in season, fresh corn cut off the cob is so delicious! I really like to grill mine for this recipe. You could also place the corn kernels on a baking sheet and broil on low for 5-10 minutes, stirring a few times in between. If you’re broiling something, don’t step away from the oven–it will quickly char your food.
You can store this in an air tight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
If you really don’t want to use the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, you can use mayo instead-keep in mind that this recipe won’t be 21 Day Fix/Portion Fix friendly if you do that.
If you’d rather leave out the cheese, this recipe will taste just as delicious!
I do not love freezing this recipe. I feel like the creamy ingredients don’t thaw well. You can definitely cook and freeze the corn and spices ahead of time, though.
Looking for spice? I love drizzling hot sauce on this before eating!
Grocery stores in different parts of the country have different offerings in different sections. Ask your store manager where to find Cojita cheese for this recipe if it’s not with the other cheeses.
Serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, or veggies.

Healthy Eating Plans

The healthy ingredients in this recipe make it perfect for any healthy eating plan!

Portion Fix/21 Day Fix

Container counts for the entire recipe (I give you this count in case you change something in the recipe-it will make it a little easier to recalculate your containers): 3 yellow containers, 6 teaspoons, 1 blue container, 1 red container
Recipe serves 6
Container counts per 2/3 cup serving: Count each serving 1/2 yellow container, 1 tsp, 1/6 blue container, 1/6 red container.

If you just have one serving, and don’t eat this often, I’d skip counting the 1/6 of the blue and red.

2B Mindset

This is a recipe that I’d eat with lunch and use veggies to dip in, or fill baby bell peppers with the elote dip to get veggies in!

Nutrition

The post Easy & Healthy Elote Dip appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Healthy Green Chili Chicken Recipe

Becca Ludlum — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 09:35:00 +0000

This Green Chili Chicken recipe is an easy meal prep recipe that can use used for several types of meals. It uses just a few ingredients – canned or jarred green chilies, green salsa, and chicken breasts – and can be made in just a few minutes. It’s our favorite way to prep for the week and the whole family loves this low carb chicken recipe.

When you’re wanting to make a delicious meal, pull it out of the fridge or freezer and heat it up on top of a salad, inside corn tortillas or flour tortillas, or add black beans and rice to make a bowl out of it.

Where’s the recipe?

The recipes here at My Crazy Good Life are written two ways–in the post below, you’ll find detailed cooking instructions that anyone can follow, ingredient and substitution information, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan information for specific diets. Scroll through that information before heading to the printable recipe for the best cooking experience.

If you scroll all the way down to the printable recipe, you’ll find to-the-point instructions along with the information about measurements and ingredients. Whichever method you choose to use, I hope you love this Green Chile Chicken as much as we do!

Ingredients in Green Chili Chicken

chicken breasts
green onions
fresh cilantro
diced green chiles: We like spicy, but you can also use mild green chiles for less spice. Hatch chiles are our favorite!
tomatillo salsa Found by the jarred salsa in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.
Shredded cheese (optional)

How to make Green Chili Chicken in the Instant Pot

This can be made in any electric pressure cooker.

Heat oil using the sauté mode in the Instant Pot. When the oil is hot, slightly sauté the green onions and cilantro.
Add the chicken to the Instant Pot and brown. Cover with the can of green chilies and tomatillo salsa. No additional liquid is needed for this recipe to come to pressure.
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on high pressure using the manual button for 15 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally or do a quick release–whatever you have time for. Natural release is always good for chicken because it helps it stay tender.
Remove the lid and shred the chicken right in the pot. You can use a hand mixer for this, two forks, or stick it in the stand mixer to shred. If you’re going to eat this as a dip, you might want to put it in the food processor instead so it breaks into smaller pieces.
If you’ve chosen to add cheese to your chicken, add that now and mix it up.. The sauce will thicken a little as it cools.
Serve this chicken over a bed of lettuce. Garnish with tomatoes, olives, salsa, and plain Greek yogurt.See more serving ideas below.

How to make this in the Oven

Preheat oven to 350º.
Lightly coat a small baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
Add chicken to the dish, and top with tomatillo salsa and green chilies.
Top with cheese (optional), diced green onion and cilantro.
Bake until chicken is heated through to 165º and cheese is melted, about 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Shred chicken with a stand mixer or two forks.

How to make this in the Crockpot

Add the chicken to your slower cooker insert.
Cover with green chilis, tomatillo salsa, cilantro, and green onions.
Cover and let cook on high heat for 3-4 hour or low heat for 5-6 hours.
Shred the chicken with two forks or move to a stand mixer to shred. Add the cheese (optional) and mix it until it melts.
Serve over a bed of lettuce. Garnish with tomatoes, olives, and plain Greek yogurt.

Things you can make with this chicken recipe:

Serve on top of tortilla chips
Serve on top of a fresh salad
Serve with tortilla chips or raw vegetables as a dip
Serve baked inside of mini bell peppers
Make a taco salad with crispy tortilla strips and veggies

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas:

Roll the shredded chicken mixture into flour or corn tortillas and place in a baking dish.
Top with shredded cheese and leftover green chilis or green salsa, if you have it!
Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes, until enchiladas are warm and cheese is melted.

Green Chili Chicken Tacos:

Add green chili chicken to taco shells or tortillas
Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, and shredded cheese.

Recipe tips

Tomatillo salsa is similar to salsa verde or green chili salsa, and what is available across the country can vary greatly. Don’t stress too much about what you get, your chicken will be delicious!
This recipe is a great freezer meal! If you make extra or want to freeze some, add it to an airtight container or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
If you have pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to use with this recipe, pull it off the bone and heat it on low with the tomatillo salsa and deiced green chilis for about 30 minutes. The chicken will be seasoned and falling apart with flavor.
Want to use chicken thighs? No problem! The cooking time will be the same for all three cooking methods. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is 165º before removing from heat.
You can use fresh green chilies if you’d like! I typically use about 1/2 cup.
If you struggle to find the green chiles or tomatillo salsa, go ahead and use green enchilada sauce.

Healthy Eating Plans

Portion Fix / 21 Day Fix:

Entire recipe: 5 Red containers, 5 Green containers, 3 Blue Containers. I give you the container counts for the entire recipe so that if you change the ingredients, it’s easier for you to recalculate the containers.
This recipe makes four servings (depending on how spot on your chicken measurements are), and each serving is about 3/4 cups. Each serving is 1 1/4 red container, 1 1/4 green container, and 3/4 blue container.

Weight Watchers: Each serving of this recipe counts as 0 Points on the 2023 Plan | 4 Blue Plan Points | 7 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points when skipping the cheese.

I calculate my recipes based on the exact ingredients that I use, not the nutrition information. WW has said this is the most accurate way to count points.

Trim Healthy Mama:

This is a THM Crossover recipe.

Healthy Green Chili Chicken

This healthy Green Chili Chicken is perfect for meal prep! Makes enchiladas, tacos, burritos, and salads with just one recipe. Directions for making this recipe in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, and right on the stove!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword green chile chicken, green chili chicken

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 22

Total Time 27

Servings

Calories 253kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Crockpot
Enameled Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts or thighs
1 can diced green chiles or fresh
2 cups green chili salsa or tomatillo salsa, or green chile salsa
4 green onions diced
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken:

Heat oil using the sauté mode in the Instant Pot. When the oil is hot, slightly sauté the green onions and cilantro.
Add the chicken to the Instant Pot and brown. Cover with the can of green chilies and tomatillo salsa. 1 lb chicken breasts, 1 can diced green chiles, 2 cups green chili salsa
Cook on high pressure using the manual button for 15 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally or do a quick release–whatever you have time for. Natural release is always good for chicken because it helps it stay tender.
Remove the lid and shred the chicken right in the pot. You can use a hand mixer for this, two forks, or stick it in the stand mixer to shred. If you're going to eat this as a dip, you might want to put it in the food processor instead so it breaks into smaller pieces.
If you've chosen to add cheese to your chicken, add that now and mix it up.. The sauce will thicken a little as it cools. 1 cup cheddar cheese, 4 green onions, 2 tbsp cilantro
Serve as is, or refer to the full blog post for several serving ideas.

Oven Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.
Lightly coat a small baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
Add chicken to the dish, and top with tomatillo salsa and green chilies. 1 lb chicken breasts, 2 cups green chili salsa, 1 can diced green chiles,
Top with cheese (optional), diced green onion and cilantro. 1 cup cheddar cheese, 4 green onions, 2 tbsp cilantro
Bake until chicken is heated through to 165º and cheese is melted, about 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Shred chicken with a stand mixer or two forks.

Slow Cooker Directions:

Add the chicken to your slower cooker insert. 1 lb chicken breasts
Cover with green chilis, tomatillo salsa, cilantro, and green onions. 1 can diced green chiles, 2 cups green chili salsa, 2 tbsp cilantro, 4 green onions
Cover and let cook on high heat for 3-4 hour or low heat for 5-6 hours.
Shred the chicken with two forks or move to a stand mixer to shred. Add the cheese (optional) and mix it until it melts. 1 cup cheddar cheese
Serve as is, or refer to the blog post for serving ideas.

Video

Notes

Recipe tips:

Tomatillo salsa is similar to salsa verde or green chili salsa, and what is available across the country can vary greatly. Don’t stress too much about what you get, your chicken will be delicious!
This recipe is a great freezer meal! If you make extra or want to freeze some, add it to an airtight container or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
If you have pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to use with this recipe, pull it off the bone and heat it on low with the tomatillo salsa and deiced green chilis for about 30 minutes. The chicken will be seasoned and falling apart with flavor.
Want to use chicken thighs? No problem! The cooking time will be the same for all three cooking methods. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is 165º before removing from heat.
You can use fresh green chilies if you’d like! I typically use about 1/2 cup.
If you struggle to find the green chiles or tomatillo salsa, go ahead and use green enchilada sauce.

Healthy Eating Plans

Portion Fix/21 Day Fix:

Entire recipe: 5 Red containers, 5 Green containers, 3 Blue Containers. I give you the container counts for the entire recipe so that if you change the ingredients, it’s easier for you to recalculate the containers.
This recipe makes four servings (depending on how spot on your chicken measurements are), and each serving is about 3/4 cups. Each serving is 1 1/4 red container, 1 1/4 green container, and 3/4 blue container.

Weight Watchers: Each serving of this recipe counts as 0 Points on the 2023 Plan | 4 Blue Plan Points | 7 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points when skipping the cheese.

I calculate my recipes based on the exact ingredients that I use, not the nutrition information. WW has said this is the most accurate way to count points.

Trim Healthy Mama:

This is a THM Crossover recipe.

Nutrition

The post Healthy Green Chili Chicken Recipe appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.

Dairy Free Ranch Seasoning Recipe

Becca Ludlum — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 18:59:11 +0000

I love making this healthy homemade dairy free ranch dressing mix. It contains no emulsifiers, powdered milk, or buttermilk powder like the store bought dry ranch seasoning.

This vegan ranch seasoning a delicious and easy way to make ranch dip and salad dressing, or you can use it to add ranch flavor to your favorite recipes. Not only is it healthier than store bought ranch seasoning mix, but it’s so much less expensive to make your own!

Where is the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we like to make sure that anyone can follow the recipes–whether you’re brand new to the kitchen or you’ve been cooking for a while. In this article you’ll find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, and healthy eating plan calculations.

If you’d like to skip past that information, simply scroll to the bottom or click the Jump to Recipe button and you’ll find the easy to print Homemade Ranch Seasoning recipe.

Ingredients in Dairy Free Ranch Seasoning:

You likely have all of the spices for this homemade ranch seasoning mix in your pantry right now! No tried to the grocery store is needed.

You can use fresh dill and parsley, but you would need to store your mix in the fridge and you would need to consume it within 1-2 weeks–in this case, dried herbs are best.

Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Black Pepper
Dried Parsley
Dried Dill

How to make Homemade Powdered Ranch Seasoning:

In an airtight container combine garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried parsley, and dried dill.
Stir to combine.
Store in a cool dry location for up to 3 months.

To make Dairy Free Ranch Dip:

Follow the instructions above
Add 1 tablespoon of the dry mix to 16 ounces of dairy free yogurt–I prefer almond but coconut based yogurt works too! You’ll want to use unflavored yogurt.
Mix well and do a quick taste test. If you’d like more ranch seasoning, go ahead and add another tablespoon.

Dairy Free Ranch Recipe Tips:

One tablespoon is the equivalent to one ranch seasoning packet.
The most popular ranch packet is of course Hidden Valley Original Ranch. This recipe isn’t going to taste the exact same since we aren’t including the sugar, salt, and artificial sweeteners. This isn’t a copycat recipe–this is a healthier version of the recipe.
For dressing you will need to add 1/2 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened plain almond milk) and 1 cup of dairy free yogurt or sour cream.
This healthy, homemade powdered ranch dressing mix is gluten free.

Healthy Eating Plans

Whether you’re following Weight Watchers, Ultimate Portion Fix, or 2B Mindset this dry seasoning is completely free. Just be sure and count anything you add it to.

More healthy staples

Dairy Free Ranch Seasoning Mix

This vegan ranch seasoning makes ranch dip or salad dressing, and adds ranch flavor to your favorite recipes. I love making this healthy homemade powdered ranch dressing mix because it contains no extra additives, sugars, or buttermilk powder like the store bought dry ranch seasoning.

Course staples

Cuisine American

Keyword Ranch Seasoning, vegan

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings

Calories 16kcal

Author Becca Ludlum

Equipment

12 oz. Mason Jars

Ingredients

2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1 ½ tbsp black pepper
1 ½ tbsp parsley dried
1 ½ tbsp dill dried

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

In an airtight container combine garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, parsley, and dill. 2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tbsp onion powder 1 ½ tbsp black pepper 1 ½ tbsp parsley 1 ½ tbsp dill
Stir to combine.
Store in cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Notes

One tablespoon is the equivalent to one ranch seasoning packet.
To prepare ranch dip, simply add 1 tablespoon of powdered ranch to 1 cup of Greek yogurt or sour cream and stir to combine.
For dressing you will need to add 1/2 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened plain almond milk) and 1 cup of Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Healthy Eating Plans:

Whether you’re following Weight Watchers, Ultimate Portion Fix, or 2B Mindset this seasoning is completely free. Just be sure and count anything you add it to.

Nutrition

The post Dairy Free Ranch Seasoning Recipe appeared first on My Crazy Good Life.