Skinny Salad Dressing

I found the idea for this dressing on pinterest, of course, and decided to give it a whirl. It is to die for, and it is only 10 calories for a 3 tbs serving. YAY!!! I tried it on a spinach and brussel sprout salad last night and oh...my...word. I loved it! I wanna drink it, actually. lol.

Here it is in the jar. It makes one pint. 

Here it is in a bowl so you can see all the yummy strawberry bits. 

Here is what you need for one pint:

• 10 tbs sugar free strawberry jam (or any flavor you want as long as it is sugar free...that's the key to this being 10 calories per serving)
• 10 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 6 tbs water

Here is what you do:

• Stir all ingredients in a glass bowl
• Heat in microwave for 1 minute
• Stir again 
• Serve 3 tbs over salad and put the rest in a glass jar to store in the fridge

When you're ready to use it the next time, just take out what you need, heat it again for about 20 seconds, stir, and serve! Easy!

This is the spinach and brussel sprout salad I put the dressing on.

It also has almond slivers and pineapple...a smidge of each.

Breakfast Moon Pie

I LOVE moon pies. Love them. (only the chocolate kind, though) So when I had this idea for a breakfast moon pie, I thought to myself, "Self, how have you not thought of this before?" Honestly.

Anyway, here ya go! The idea came to me one morning and I didn't have much time to take a better pic, but here is the one I got so you can picture what I'm talking about.

Here is what you need:

• 3 small pancakes
• 2 tbs nutella
• 2 tbs raspberry jam

Here is what you do:

• Layer each item: pancake, jam, pancake, nutella, pancake
• Don't spread the entire 2 tbs of jam and nutella on the pancakes because it will ooze out when you bite into it
• Instead, save some for reserve and dip the sandwich in it when it starts to get dry

So easy! You could even dress it up a bit by melting the nutella and drizzling it over the top and then sprinkling fresh raspberries over it with a little powdered sugar. (I didn't have time for fancy.)

Peanut Butteriffic Popsicles for Dogs

Want to spoil your puppy? Make this sweet treat and throw it in the freezer. Then when you need to reward him (or distract him for 5 minutes), give him one of these popsicles.

Here is what you need:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, reduced fat and low sodium
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, reduced fat
• 2 tbs honey, no sugar added
• 1 ice cube tray

Here is what you do:

• Mix peanut butter, yogurt, and honey until well combined
• Portion the mixture into the spaces in the ice cube tray
• Place in freezer for 8 hours
• Serve one cube to your dog as a reward or as a distraction
• Keep remaining cubes in tray in freezer until you need to use them

Super Durable Dog Toys

For added minutes to the distraction, place cube inside a toy with a little bit of it sticking out the top and have dog try to get it out or lick it to death. (lol) Just make sure it doesn't fall inside the toy otherwise you AND your puppy won't be able to get it out.

Your puppy will LOVE this treat! (And you'll love the 5 minutes you have to do the dishes while he is distracted!)

Refreshing Pasta Salad

Last night I made some spiral pasta for my Lemon Chicken and Pasta dinner, so I went ahead and saved some of the pasta to use for this refreshing salad. That makes it super quick and easy to throw my lunch together the next day!    

Here is what you need:

• 3 cups of spiral pasta, cooked (leftover from dinner)
• 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked and chopped
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 cup peas
• 1/2 cup fat free zesty italian dressing
• 1 tbs ranch dressing
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Here is what you do:
Mix it all together in a large bowl and then put in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Really and truly, that's all you do. Easy!

PS ~ If you wanted to add chopped tomatoes, it would be delicious! I just didn't have any at the moment, otherwise I would have added some for sure.

Creamy Cranberry Oatmeal

Oatmeal is so filling and satisfying, isn't it? Plus, it is a great staple to have in your home because it is inexpensive, has a long shelf life, and is crazy easy to make. Well, to make the process even easier (and faster), try this trick: Make the mix ahead of time and store it in a tight container in a cool, dry place. (If you live in Utah where #10 cans are aplenty, you could use one of those. But, if you don't live where #10 cans are readily available, any tight storage container would work just as well.)

Here is what you need for the make-ahead-mix:

• 4 cups quick oats
• 3 tbs sugar
• 2 1/2 tbs powdered milk, dry
• 3/4 cup craisins, or any dried fruit (apricots, cherries, raspberries, etc)

Here is what you do:

1. Add all ingredients to your storage container and shake to combine.
2. Keep a 1/2 cup measuring cup in the container (very handy) and write the single serving instructions on the lid or on a label on the side.

Here are the single serving instructions:

1. Add 1/2 cup of the dry mixture and 1 cup of water to a bowl. Add a tad more water if you don't like your oatmeal thick like porridge.
2. Heat it in the microwave until it starts to bubble.
3. Give it a quick stir and pop it back in the microwave until it is your preferred consistency.
4. To make it a tiny bit sweeter, add a dollop of honey or tsp of brown sugar, stir, and enjoy!

This creamy, delicious breakfast is perfect for the kids before school or for you before work because the mix is already made. All you do in the morning is add water and heat it up. Easy!

What do you add to your oatmeal?