I am a sucker for any kind of dip and chip situation. It’s one of my major food weaknesses, if you want to classify it as a weakness. Over the years, I’ve learned that I have no willpower when it comes to store bought pita chips and I could easily polish off a bag with some hummus in a short amount of time. Not one of the worst things in the world, but I don’t always feel so great afterwards obviously.

Making your own homemade baked pita chips is too easy not to do. Nothing beats how fresh they taste, and when I use my favorite pita rounds I feel even better about them too. If you are tracking your food for weight loss or health reasons, making your own is such a great option to really enjoy them as a snack.

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Like this easy Corn and Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno recipe? Pin the recipe here!

This recipe for easy Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers was originally posted on July 5, 2011. Since then, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe for get-togethers. My friend Heidi always serves them as an appetizer for parties at her house and just told me she likes to bring them to friends’ houses as well – that’s a true compliment and testament to how good they are! She also has told me she freezes them, so they are freezer friendly!

I wanted to share this recipe for these baked stuffed jalapenos with you again since it’s been so long, and since football season is right around the corner and you’ll be looking for easy appetizer recipes to make for game days. Check out the instructional video on how to make this simple stuffed jalapeno recipe below.

Enjoy!

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It’s hard to mess up a smoothie in my opinion. Once you get a basic formula down, and you’re using a blend of naturally sweet fruit with yogurt, milk or a little juice, then really the sky is the limit as far as combinations go. If you look in my freezer you could pretty much always find a few bags of frozen fruit ready to be put into a blender. Though I love to eat fresh fruit daily, frozen fruit is usually my go to when it comes to smoothies because I find that it makes them extra creamy and thick, and keeps them extra cold.

How do you make a smoothie with yogurt?

First, you need a blender! There are so many great blenders on the market these days. I’ve been using my Blendtec (affiliate link) for so many years, it’s high powered and worth the investment in my opinion (tip: buy a refurbished one if you can!). You could also use a Vitamix, Ninja, or Magic Bullet blender.

If your blender isn’t a high powered blender, then I suggest you let the frozen fruit sit in your blender jar a few minutes to defrost and slightly soften up to make it easier to blend. Always add your liquids to the jar first, then layer with your softest to hardest fruits to get a better blend.

Is Greek yogurt good in smoothies?

Yes! What I love about making smoothie recipes with Greek yogurt is the added protein. Greek yogurt typically has around 10 – 15 g of protein per half cup, depending on the brand. Depending on the flavor, it will have sugar and carbs too, so watch for that. If you are drinking a smoothie as a post workout drink your body needs the carbs so fruit and yogurt can provide them. A Greek yogurt fruit smoothie makes a great post-workout recovery drink!

These days, there are so many recipes that include Greek yogurt, the options are endless. I even went a little crazy and baked up a version of these Peach Yogurt Muffins for my kids (I really need to do that more often, why oh why don’t I like to bake?).

More smoothie recipes to try:

Refreshing Cantaloupe Smoothie

Cinnamon Pear Green Smoothie

My Green Smoothie

Strawberry Banana Smoothie | Add A Pinch

Pear Me Up Smoothie | Picky Palate

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Fruity Greek Yogurt Smoothie

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 smoothie
• Category: Beverage
• Method: Blender

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Ingredients

• 1 cup pineapple Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
• couple of splashes of your favorite milk (nut milk or cow milk)
• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup frozen mango
• 1/4 cup frozen sliced peaches

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Instructions

1. Place ingredients into blender starting with Greek yogurt and milk and ending with frozen fruit. Let sit for a few minutes to let frozen fruit defrost just slightly (for easier blending).
2. Blend and enjoy.

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Smoothie & Fresh Juice Love on Pinterest.

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This post is created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. However, the views and opinions included are my own.

My kids love asking for parfaits when I offer to make them as an afternoon or after dinner snack (aka dessert). I started making parfaits years ago and they get excited about eating them every single time. Parfaits are not only pretty to look at, but they can be filled with some pretty tasty ingredients. With my recent trip to a local dairy farm here in Florida, as well as a trip to a dairy farm in Rhode Island, I can’t help but think about and appreciate the hard-working families that are really behind the wholesome dairy, like the Greek yogurt in these parfaits, that my family enjoys. You can read more about my experience at the farm here.

Whether I’m making a parfait for me or my kids, I always go with whatever combination of seasonal fruit, yogurt, nuts or granola I have on hand. This particular parfait was inspired by one of our favorite fall fruits, pears. We love pears this time of year, and you can pretty much always count on finding a tub of good vanilla Greek yogurt and nuts in my fridge too. Call it a snack or call it dessert (or even breakfast!), a parfait like this creamy Greek Yogurt Parfait with Pears and Walnuts always hits the spot.

To make our parfaits extra tasty (and fancy!) I like to spice them up a bit. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger and a drizzle of sweet honey and it was the perfect touch. I like to chop the fruit and the nuts to the same size so that it’s easier for each spoonful to have a taste of everything combined. The perfect flavors for fall and my kids absolutely loved the combination.

You can make the parfaits with traditional layers, or if you are in a crunch for time and just want to keep it simple you can add your ingredients to a bowl and enjoy it all the same. If you are looking for an entertaining idea for breakfast or brunch, set out the ingredients separately and offer a build-your-own-parfait bar.

Greek Yogurt Parfait with Pears and Walnuts

Yield: 2 parfaits

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups vanilla bean Greek yogurt
• 1 pear, chopped small
• ground cinnamon, for sprinkling, to taste
• ground ginger, for sprinkling, to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• honey, for drizzling

Directions:

1. Add 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt into the bottom of parfait glass. Top yogurt with chopped pears and sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger, to taste. Add chopped walnuts and drizzle with honey. Repeat layer, then top with a dollop of yogurt.
2. Serve immediately for best presentation or cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours to serve later.

This post is created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. However, the views and opinions included are my own.

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Click here to pin this Strawberry Almond Oatmeal Bites recipe!

I can’t believe this is my first post of 2017! I decided I needed a bit of a breather in January, some time to regroup after a month of helping my littlest guy recover from a tonsillectomy and my biggest guy (my husband) recover from a shoulder/rotator cuff surgery. I’ll admit, it was nice to take a break from worrying about picking up my camera and just focus on cooking for my family. My head is always spinning with new recipe ideas, as well as trying to figure out what to make for dinner that I honestly enjoyed just making recipes from cookbooks, friends and my blog without thinking too much of it.

One of the things I’m trying to get better at is making healthier snacks available for my kids to take in the car on their way to basketball or volleyball practices. We are full on entrenched in sports right now and spend many afternoons and evenings trekking back and forth between gyms. It seems like my kids are ALWAYS hungry and I’ve been trying to be more mindful about what they are snacking on and making sure they are eating more than just pretzels or crackers (it’s hard!). One thing I know for sure, anytime I make snacks like these oatmeal bites, quinoa bites or egg muffins, they are the go-to snack and don’t last very long. Seeing my kids choose those first is motivation enough to get myself into the habit of making quality portable snacks more often.

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Hi there!

My name is Liz Shaw, fellow blogger at Shaw’s Simple Swaps, and healthy fit foodie.
I’m honored to be here today to chat with you! I had the pleasure of meeting Aggie at the Blog Brulee sponsored trip earlier this year and grew to love her even more than I did online (is that possible?)
Anyways, as a registered dietitian nutritionist, I’m always on the hunt for simple swaps I can incorporate into those delightful holiday recipes to make the perfect homemade gift. Nothing screams the holiday season like a gift from the heart, right?

Plus, I love it when I can show friends that REAL food tastes good and is GOOD for them too!

So, in the spirit of the season, here are three #shawsimpleswap tips to inspire you to build your own DIY healthy holiday gifts for teachers, friends and family this year.

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Click here PIN this refreshing Summer Melon Protein Parfait!

From what I can tell, it’s pretty hot all over the country right now, right? I know here in Florida we are in the upper 90s with heat indexes in the 100s every day. If I’m not near a body of water of some sort then I’m in air conditioning. I believe they call this time of year the “dog days of summer” (<– nerd alert – interesting info!).

Lately it seems like a) everyone I talk to feels like it’s too hot to cook, myself included and b) I am absolutely obsessed with cold melon (of all kinds). Watermelon for dinner? Sounds good to me!

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These Breakfast Fruit Skewers were inspired by my friends at Produce for Kids.

It’s that time of year again – I’m happy to partner up with Produce for Kids to promote their healthy-eating focused campaign with Publix Super Markets. Last year’s campaign was able to provide 2.2 million meals to local families in need – that is pretty incredible work! Here’s how it works, the Publix and Produce for Kids campaign runs June 2 – June 29 and is supported by 13 fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers. With each Publix store purchase of any of these fruits and veggies from the supporting brands (see image for a list below), funds are donated to local Feeding America food banks. To stay up to date with campaign happenings be sure to join the Produce For Kids Campaign Page on Facebook (you’ll also have the opportunity to win $100 gift card to Publix!).

My heart is always behind any program or organization that promotes healthy eating and provides aid in feeding hungry families…this is why I love everything about Produce for Kids! Please support them any way you can – look for signage at your local Publix, find recipes on their website and and tag any healthy creations and ideas with #produceforkids.

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Another day another frittata muffin. These little baked egg muffins have become a little obsession of mine the last few months, especially since my kids like them (not to mention, they are a good protein packed healthy alternative to the same old after school snack). These Broccoli Cheese Frittata Muffins with Quinoa are light and just right – adding quinoa to the egg mixture adds some density and a little extra filling which I love.

I have made them a few different ways now, Maria’s Frittata Muffins with peas, parmesan and quinoa and Baked Italian Sausage and Mushroom Frittata Muffins – both so good! The combinations are endless and fun to come up with, especially since my daughter is constantly asking for them and giving me ideas!

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In need of last minute appetizer ideas for Easter? Well you are in the right place…

For some reason, when I’m hosting any holiday meal, appetizers (finger foods, snacks, munchies…whatever you want to call them) seem to fall way low on the priority list as far as menu planning. It’s not because I don’t love them, they are actually my favorite part of any meal and I personally could eat a whole shlew of apps and happily forgo the rest of the food any day. But if I’m making the main meal, I usually get so preoccupied with that part of the meal I tend to forget the easy stuff like apps and snacks! However, if I’m planning to bring a dish to a holiday get together, I love to bring a dip or two with fresh veggies and pita chips.

I’m a snacky kind of girl – put some pickled or fresh veggies, dips, chips, cheese (like the one up there) and stuffed mushrooms in front of me and I will snack happy all day long.

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