Greek Seven Layer Dip

Merry merry Christmas!!! The Smart family Christmas this year was a big success! Lots of laughs, walks, workouts, presents, amazing food and delicious drinks! I was in charge of an appie (clearly lol), my big bro made dinner, and my sister made an apple pie crumble for dessert…mmmm heaven :)

Ok recipe time! This healthy, delicious appetizer is such a perfect way to kick off a big meal! It’s quite light, filled with lots of veggies, and ridiculously easy to make. I highly recommend it!

Makes 8 servings    Total Time: 20-30 min (including time to chop the veggies)

Ingredients

1. 1 cup hummus
2. 2 tomatoes, diced
3. 1 cucumber, diced
4. 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
5. 1/2 tsp paprika
6. salt and pepper to taste
7. 1 cup canned artichoke hearts, chopped
8. 2 roasted red peppers, diced
9. 1/4 cup feta cheese
10. 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
11. 2 tbsp sliced black olives (for garnish)

Directions

1. In a 8×8 dish, spread the hummus evenly on the bottom. Layer the diced cucumber and tomatoes on top.
2. Next, evenly spread the yogurt over top. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Over the yogurt, layer the chopped artichoke hearts and the roasted red peppers. Crumble the feta cheese over top. Sprinkle on the parsley and garnish with the black olives :)
4. Serve immediately or chill for an hour then serve! I laid out pita chips and cut up veggies for dipping. Enjoy!

Original Recipe: http://www.cookincanuck.com/2014/01/healthy-mediterranean-7-layer-dip-recipe/

Overnight Blueberry Almond Butter Parfait

Studying sucks. After such a relaxing, fun summer, I forgot how depressing it can be sitting at a desk reading and taking notes all day. I’m studying for my ACE personal trainer certification exam, which is OMG next week! Ahhhh! So much to do in not a lot of time! I guess my fun summer is pretty much over since school is starting next week as well! Haha back to reality.

While I’m sitting at my kitchen table surrounded by stacks of paper and yellow highlighters, I figured I might as well have an incredibly delicious breakfast to cheer me up. This recipe sure did the trick! It took a bit of time to put all the layers together but I was procrastinating getting back to studying…

Makes 2 servings           Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus leaving oats overnight)

Ingredients for Blueberry Overnight Oats

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder (i used hemp protein)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup
• 1/2 tsp honey or few drops of liquid stevia (optional)
• 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Ingredients for Parfait

• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

Directions

• In a bowl or tupperware container, mix together rolled oats, protein powder, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla extract and 1/2 cup almond milk.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning if you’re in a hurry, you can eat the overnight oats just like that topped with the blueberries. Or…you can make the beautiful parfait! :)
• Blend up the overnight oats with the blueberries until smooth.  You may need to add a bit more almond milk to get the right consistency.
• Next, make the almond butter layer by mixing up the almond butter with the almond milk.  I just gave it a good mix with a fork in a little bowl.
• To assemble – place a spoonful of the blueberry oat mixture on the bottom. Next, add a layer of the almond butter mix and top with a few spoonfuls of greek yogurt. Finally, spoon more of the blueberry oat mixture for the last layer.  You can create a pretty design on the very top with blueberries if you like :) ENJOY!

NOTE: You can use cottage cheese instead of greek yogurt if you prefer. As well, any type of nut or seed butter can be used in place of the almond butter.

My wonderful mum and I at a wedding last weekend