A-Cho-Mazing Present
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First things first!
Cynthia, Krista, and Victoria; congratulations on winning my Chobani coupon giveaway! Please send me an email with your mailing address so I can get your prize out to you right away; carrie@bclestl.com Thank you for reading and for playing!
In case you missed the big news, the incredibly generous friends over at Chobani sent me a case of their delicious Greek yogurt to enjoy and some coupons to give away to spread the love.
I am one of those people that gets exceptionally excited over things like this. A company I have come to adore, my most favorite healthy treat ever, and the fact that they were sending me flavors I can't obtain in the St. Louis area made me one happy girl!
When the package arrived last week, I heard the delivery guy come in the office and drop something off. It was then that it dawned on me that it may be the package I'd been waiting for. I ran down the hallway and literally did a jumping up and down dance (and you should know, I don't dance. Ever.) because this is what I saw:
And then upon further investigation:
After I gave my office friends a 10 minute explanation of why Greek yogurt reigns supreme, I spent another 10 minutes deciding which flavor I'd try. This wasn't easy. I've never had the strawberry banana, pomegranate, or raspberry. But I didn't want to eat them just yet because they're the special flavors. So, I decided on strawberry, which I adore.
Note the pen. (It's a Brooks pen that says "Run Happy" on it. I run. I'm happy. It's my favorite.)
It's been a busy work week, so it wasn't until last night that I was able to try out their 0% plain yogurt in a dip recipe that I make all the time. It's one of those recipes that I know I can enjoy without feeling as though having dip for dinner is, you know, a bad thing. Because dip for dinner is okay. It is. It's right up there with cereal for dinner, or pizza for breakfast. See? :)
To my low carbers, this is safe and Carrie approved! If you're strictly following the Medifast plan, have this in place of a shake or soup.
Cheesy Artichoke Dip
1 pkg. (8 oz) fat free cream cheese (it works well in this recipe, trust me)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 oz. 0% Chobani plain Greek yogurt
1/2 T. flour (this thickens it nicely)
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic (I use way more)
fresh ground black pepper
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts quarters, drained and chopped
Soften cream cheese in microwave for a few seconds until it softens. Stir in yogurt, garlic, pepper, flour, and parmesan cheese til well combined. Stir in artichokes. Transfer to 1 to 2 qt. oven proof baking bowl or dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for 20-25 minutes @ 350 degrees or until heated throughout. If you want to brown the top nicely, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees for a few minutes longer. We were hungry, so as you can see below, we didn't take the time to brown ours. The good news is that either way, it's still tasty!
Serve with celery sticks. You can also use Medifast multi-grain crackers for dipping.
Nutrition stats (based on 6 servings)
184 calories, 6.6 carbs, 20 grams protein
Enjoy!
I'll be back hopefully very soon to post news regarding my plastic surgery consultation; the suspense is killing me!
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