Ranch dip

I have mentioned this before and any of you that know me..... know that I cannot stand an any shape or form..... mayonnaise!  Ewe!  That is gross even just typing out that word.

Because my family does enjoy ranch and I need to have it in the house I needed a ranch that I could stand having in the house.  Yes, yes, I do buy the other crap on occasion when I don't have the other 'ranch' made.  In small doses it isn't all that bad.  I won't go anywhere near it.

Here are the main components for the ranch.  You can certainly use your choice of mixes, either cottage cheese or yogurt.  Both are great and both have good amounts of protein (which is the best!  And you can actually drowned your food if you wish!)  =]

You are welcome to use an emulsifier which is great is small quantities otherwise a blender is best.  However, a Vitamix will over mix the dressing and actually make it more runny than you want so I don't recommend that blender.  I use a Kitchenaid.  This is my favorite.

I prefer cottage cheese though myself........ AND.... my very picky son did a taste test for me!

Can I tell you which one he picked?  Yep!  He picked the cottage cheese dip as his favorite.  He didn't want to know because he doesn't care for cottage cheese ...... but he does actually!  haha

I have taken this to many parties and nobody even notices the difference or that they are eating a healthy dip.  Try it and see what happens.

This dip you can actually let your kids eat as much of this as they want.

Recipe:

1 - 24oz  container of either cottage cheese or greek yogurt

1 packet of Ranch Dip mix.  (I usually use the 'Ranch' flavor but tried the dill, and it was so good!)

1. empty contents into your blender and mix well.  Usually takes about 3 min.  Scrap sides and blend again for a few seconds.

2.  Do not add milk unless you want a more of a dressing, which is also great.  I have done that too.

TIP:  Do you enjoy blue cheese but don't like all the calories?  I do too!  Well guess what, you can make blue cheese too with either the cottage cheese or yogurt.  Just add 1 Tbsp per 12 oz.  If you se desire a little more you can add more but 1 tbsp usually does it for me.  =]  Then you can sprinkle a little bit of blue cheese on top of whatever you are eating.

I love making wedge salads (I haven't posted it yet but I will), I use this blue cheese to top it!  Then I can eat as much as I want.  =]

VEGETARIAN
NUT FREE
GLUTEN FREE
PALEO: You can use your Paleo friendly mayo for this mix.
DIARY FREE:  You could substitute for hummus and try that.  I haven't but I bet it is good.  

Recipe Book

See this mess?  This is what happens when cooking starts to happen.  And....... that is the tru'f.  =]  See my laptop?  See what is under the laptop?  That would be the recipe book that all these recipes you are getting, are coming from!  Can you see all the sticky notes?  haha.  I literally write my recipes on whatever I can find in the kitchen.

I had a really bad habit (still do sometimes) of creating recipes and not writing it down!  It would drive me crazy and my kids when they would ask me to repeat something.  So, my daughter would tell me ALL THE TIME to write everything down.  So, I started doing that.  It isn't pretty in that recipe book but it stores a whole bunch of yummy recipes.

Be patient with me because they are all coming.  =]

In my spare time.......

Part 1, of My spare time:

Why is this blog called 'In my spare time' ?  Well, let me tell you.  I have been pestered for about 4 years to start a food blog and just didn't feel like I had the time to get it started.  I am a wife, a mom of 3 teenagers, 2 dogs, 1 large sulcata tortoise (I had 2 but recently had one pass away, which was very sad), and I run a CrossFit gym.  Not to mention the 'all in between' stuff that comes up.

Family:

As a mom.....it's a given that you will be busy!  No way around that.  One thing always leads to another.  I feel like all of a sudden my kids all turned into teenagers, my daughter is in high school, dance, and school activities.  My boys are also in sports, skate parks, football and soccer.  Then my daughter is off to college, and then my middle son is in high school, football, and friends, my youngest son is a freshman, trying out for high school soccer team!  What the what, oh and got his driving permit!  Then my daughter is off on her mission........ (crying)

The family before Kylee left.......

(No, I was not being Hollywood, I was covering my crying eyes)

This was at Christmas, but now she has been out for 1 year!
(and that is Wesley's new haircut!)

Now it is the 2 boys at home and they definitely keep me busy!  So as our kids grow time continues to get busy.  Not only am I running the house, managing the kids, I also run a CrossFit gym.  I own it, I manage it, I do all programming, I have 6 trainers that work with me, I have over 150 members, and I am currently working on a rebrand and getting ready for a Re-Grand Opening in just 2 weeks!  Lots going on........

Running my gym:

Here is my gym!  It keeps me very busy, for those of you who know about CrossFit gyms, it takes a ton of time to run, manage, program, do the scheduling and managing all my members.  I work really hard to keep the gym up which takes a ton of time (but my husband is amazing and helps a ton).  I love what I do for sure and enjoy all my peeps that I get to teach at the gym.  I am excited to show our new brand and how the gym will look.  We have a lot to do before our big event!  2 weeks (did I mention that already?).........

Food Blog:

Not only am I running the house and my gym..... now I am doing a food blog!  Why not right. (laughing crying face) I have always worked to create  healthy meals, post photos, and share recipes I create.  I consider myself a foodie (I am sure most people who love eating consider themselves that!)  haha.  But I really love food, not just food, but really good food.  Good, healthy, clean food.  Both my husband and I have heart disease that runs in the family and I already struggle with high cholesterol for over 5 years now.  I have done my best with being active with working out and I have been able to manage my eating by keeping it pretty clean.  I always have room for improvement though!  I am weak and enjoy indulging in certain food items.   

Creating healthy meals has been a lot of fun and a lot of work to create recipes.  I would have people ask me to share recipes or 'where can they find my recipes'.  'You should create a blog', they would say.  Yay, yay, yay..... sure, why not, I have nothing going on.....right?!  Well, before my daughter left she sat me down and helped me start my blog.  I let it sit for 7 months!  Lame.  Yep, I didn't do a thing with it, and then I put my foot down, and said.....'I will start my food blog no matter how busy I am'.  I am sure my husband was thrilled to hear that!  haha.  He is actually very supportive and doesn't mind sampling all the dishes I create.  I even take items to the gym to my Saturday classes for my members to try (and my 8:30, 9:30am classes!).  

So, here I am.......in my spare time........ doing a food blog.  =]

House remodel:

I think I am crazy!  Yep, I am sure of it.  Not only am I doing all the above but I am in the middle of a house remodel as well.  I am pretty good at finding something to complain about, who isn't (look if I am going to throw myself under the bus, someone is going with me)!  I love my house, I do, but I sure would like to update it (or move).  The husband says, no moving, so I say....REMODEL!  It all started with what I wanted for Christmas...... a new laundry room.  I didn't want anything but a new laundry room, with new paint, new tile, new washer dryer (brat you say..... yep!).  That isn't too much to ask for, right?  Well, we got the new washer dryer on BLACK FRIDAY and then started the demo 3 days before NEW YEARS EVE!  Yep, sure did.  Why wouldn't we do it with family in town, all the kids out of school, and taking down Christmas decorations, and having a NEW YEARS EVE party at our house.  =]

HERE IT IS!  It's still not done though.  I have a few more things to finish in there.  I had some custom cabinets made to put in (I have them they just need to be hung, still haven't found the time to do that yet) and then I have my laundry basket shelves to add, and my hanging bar!  Whew.  I am hoping to have it all done in............ya, not 100% sure when.  Maybe......... before the grass starts to turn green.  =]

So right after the laundry room, we jumped right into the whole upstairs!  Yep, the whole upstairs is in the middle of a remodel, paint, changing out door jams, tearing this out and adding that.

                    AFTER                                                                     BEFORE

Still lots to do...... but a lot has been done.  It has literally been days and hours of......1. waking up, getting kids off to school 2. teaching at the gym 3. coming home to paint, and paint, and paint 4. some days back to the gym to teach 5. picking my son up from school to get to soccer practice 6. more paint 7. make dinner 8. bed, sleep, repeat!  those have basically been my days for about 6 weeks.

That is all for now.  PART 2 coming...........