Simple Homemade Veggie Dip

Here's a great way I've found to help my children eat more veggies: While preparing lunch or dinner, I put out a small veggie "platter" for snacking, with my dip of choice. (I don't offer any other snacks during this time, or the veggies may take 2nd seat) My kids are usually hungry enough that they eat at least a serving of veggies before we've even started dinner.

We usually put out our veggies with some homemade hummus (so easy, and much more economical than store-bought!). Last week, for our afternoon snack, I created my own version of homemade Ranch dip. I couldn't believe how much the girls ate--the dish in the photo below was FULL of carrots, cucumbers, and broccoli when we started.

This was so easy to mix up (done in minutes!), and the whole family loved it.

Simple Veggie Dip

1 c plain yogurt

1 heaping spoonful of mayo (I'd guess I used about 2-3 tbsp)

LOTS of dill (I've made this now with both fresh and dried; both work)

a few shakes of garlic powder OR 1/2 of a small clove, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Enjoy!

Combating the Hungrumpy

**I have been corrected, and have thus corrected my post; the word is hungrumpy, not grumpungry. :)

Yes, that says hungrumpy. As in grumpy and hungry--or hunger induced grumpiness. I credit my clever brother-in-law with coining this phrase (Thanks Bri!), which unfortunately is a common syndrome in our house. My mother-in-law tells the story of my husband, as a child, behaving like an absolute devil prior to a meal. Minutes after eating, she describes the sweet, loving smile accompanied with an "I love you, Mom.". Cute story, and though I've witnessed similar behavior in the adult-Mike, I always suspected it was a little exaggerated.

Until I had my very own mini-Mike named Alaina.

The story is 100% accurate (truly!!), and it happens regularly. I have learned that I need to keep a steady supply of snacks going or hungrumpy rears it's (really) ugly face. Our snacking had gotten into a rut over the past couple months. We don't really eat processed snack foods, and a piece of fruit and/or a small bowl of yogurt was getting old for all of us.

Our new favorite snack is super healthy and quick to get on the table. I've been trying hard to get more veggies on Lainey's "like" list. I had tried cut veggies with dip in the past, and it was always met with resistance. I need to remember more often the "try new foods again and again" rule; I brought out some carrot sticks, cucumbers, and homemade hummus last week, and both girls gobbled it up.

I have played around for a little over a year with different hummus recipes; super garlic-y, cumin, tahini-free, plain, atrichoke...but none of them compared to the store hummus. Then, a few weeks ago I pulled out my recipe book and found this recipe, from my dear friend Amy. It's hummus perfection--creamy and not overpowering; just a perfect blend of traditional hummus flavors. It takes about five minutes to make, and I plan to have this in the fridge all the time.

Lebanese Hummus

1 clove garlic, crushed (I used garlic powder, maybe 1/4 tsp)

1/4 c. lemon juice

16 oz. can chick peas, drained with liquids reserved

1/3 c. sesame tahini

1 tsp. salt

I put all ingredients in a bowl and puree with my immersion blender; add liquid as needed to help puree and thin to desired consistency.

Here's to a hungrumpy free day!

Curried Carrot Spread

This is one of my favorite things to spread on our sourdough. Some of our family has been known to sneak a spoonful straight from the bowl on occasion, too. It’s that good. The sweetness of the carrots, combined with the flavor of curry and the slightly creamy yogurt, delicious! It’s also good as a veggie dip (dip your veggies in a veggie—how’s THAT for healthy?!)

The only time-consuming part is peeling and roasting the carrots, but I found a time saving tip. When I have the oven on for anything else, I throw in the sliced carrots (with only the oil) to roast, and keep them in the fridge until I’m ready to make the spread. Then, I just add the missing seasonings into the food processor and puree it all at once.

7 medium carrots, cut into 1” chunks

1/2 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 T vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp ground ginger

3/4 c plain yogurt

1/4 c mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, mix carrots, tumeric, curry, salt, cayenne pepper, and oil. Roast carrots for about 30 minutes, until tender and brown.

Process in the food processor with remaining ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add water 1T at a time if spread is too thick. Makes 2 cups.