The Perfect Companion…..

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope that all of you had a restful weekend and are ready to tackle the week head on. Ok, I know restful, and weekend, just aren’t very often synonymous anymore, but one can hope. 😉 Aside from a few minor hiccups, like my car’s battery dying just as we were getting ready to leave town, our weekend was pretty nice. I didn’t get nearly as much cooking/baking done on Saturday as I had hoped. Actually I didn’t get any done, but that is ok. The recipe I am sharing with you today will more than make up for it.

Today was a big day for us, mostly for our soon to be 5-year-old son. It seems like just yesterday he was a little tiny baby, and today he went to his first day of Kindergarten camp. He did great, and can’t stop talking about how much fun he had. He is sad that it is only three days, but understands that he will get to go five days a week starting in August. When he is about 10 I’m going to reevaluate his excitement for school. 😉 I’m hoping that this is a positive start to a long road of educational success. Both of our littles are already talking about college, and joining the military, so great things are on the horizon. I better not blink or those dreams will already be in motion.

Today’s recipe I just whipped together on a whim. On Friday when I was grocery shopping I saw Greek cream cheese and I had to grab some. I’ve never tasted it, but when I saw that there were only 70 calories in 2 Tablespoons compared to 100 calories in 2 Tablespoons of regular cream cheese I was sold! I generally use Neufchatel cream cheese which is also 70 calories, but I like the overall fat, and protein, of Greek yogurt and cheeses. This dip is so easy, and so tasty, it is going to absolutely blow your mind.

The best part is you can eat ¼ cup for just 84 calories and 8 grams of protein!

The taste is light, and well, it basically tastes just like cheesecake. I’m not sure that I know a single person who doesn’t like cheesecake! It almost reminds me of when I was working in a salad bar in my early 20’s and I would make dessert pizzas with fruit. The cream cheese layer that went under the fruit tasted very similar, but I know that it was just packed with sugar and loaded with unnecessary fat. I am all about full fat dairy products, but if I’m going for a lower calorie snack I don’t have a problem with using a product with a lower fat content. The Greek yogurt I used is low fat, and combined with the cream cheese, makes for a very sinful tasting, sin free dessert. Make every piece of fruit taste like a crustless cheese cake. Take 5 minutes to whip up this miracle dip, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Sweet Greek Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

By Angie Gouchenour

3 servings

Ingredients

3 ounces Greek cream cheese

½ cup Greek yogurt

1- 1/2 Tablespoons Sugar 2.0

2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring, or extract

Directions

Place cream cheese, yogurt, Sugar 2.0, and vanilla in a mixing bowl (fairly deep so it doesn’t make a mess) and blend thoroughly with a hand mixer

Store in an airtight container in the fridge (I used a jar with a  lid)

¼ cup = 84 calories