recipe: Veggie Dip

Makes: a big bowl–enough for a party. Halve the recipe if you make it just for you or your household.

This is slightly modified from my mom’s version (for the sake of healthfulness mostly). It’s a very basic vegetable dip that is a big hit at parties. My husband also really likes it as a sandwich spread, and I really like it as a salad dressing, although it isn’t hugely visually appealing as a dressing!

Ingredients:
1 cup real mayonnaise (I don’t recommend low-fat–I just use less than the original recipe, as in my opinion the low-fat kind is vile)
1 large container (16 oz) of fat-free cottage cheese
½ onion, or 1 small onion, minced quite small
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dill weed

Mix all ingredients. You can blend it in a food processor or blender if you like it creamier. Serve with any veggies (at parties people eat mostly carrots, in my experience).

power snacks!

So, if you have made it through the holidays thus far, you’re probably feeling a little bit ready for a return to normal life…and normal eating. (I know I am; all of my good intentions are often wrecked, not by temptation, although that is definitely a factor, but by the weird schedules of holidays.)

Here are a few good antidotes to that overstuffed, unscheduled holiday feeling–any one of these makes a good, PCOS-friendly, easy-to-eat snack:

* hummus with whole wheat pita, vegetable sticks, or whole-grain crackers (just watch the portions on crackers–many of them are crazily high in carbohydrates and calories, and lots of them contain hydrogenated oils).

*  chili: make a pot and freeze/refrigerate it in single-serving containers. Pop it in the microwave and you’re ready to go! Lean meat, beans, tomatoes–what’s not to like?

* Low-fat cheese and sliced fruit (apples are my favorite).

* A bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal with an apple sliced into it, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, and a few toasted nuts (okay, so this one takes a few minutes to make).

Any of these will leave you feeling better than the Chex Mix, cookies, or leftover mashed potatoes that are always hanging around at holiday time. Season’s greetings to you!