Health-Boosting Dips!

​Hello! HAPPY HAPPY Monday!!
​How are you doing? It's officially Fall and I'm loving the cooler weather! This weather makes me want to be outside all day long!! During the weekend, I was looking for things that I could accomplish doing outside :D I even walked my fur baby 3 times on Saturday...lol! This is absolutely my favorite time of year!! 
​Okay...it's the beginning of another week! Bring it on :D What goal(s) will you be working on?! Remember that it isn't about being better than someone else, it's about being better than you used to be ;) Also...it's the last week doing the 30 Day Waist Challenge. If you're participating in the challenge, make sure you end it coming out strong! Believe in yourself!! You got this!!! 

​Football Season is in full force at our house! Either a game is playing on our TV or it's blasting thru a radio!! And...quite often...multiple games are playing on both :D Football games usually comes with major snacking! But the following are a team of dips that offers delicious hits of health-boosting nutrients!! Just be mindful of the serving size...lol! Now grab a first round pick :D 

​TOMATO SALSA
​This classic gets the gold star for all kinds of reasons! It's made almost entirely of veggies and provides a nice amount of vitamins A and C, as well as the antioxidant lycopene. The best touchdown of all, a serving will cost you only 10 or so calories! The 1 area to watch is sodium. Jarred salsas tend to have more salty stuff than fresh ones sold in the refrigerated aisle. For the same reason, not too salty homemade salsa gets a thumbs up ;) What about green salsas? They're well worth a scoop, with similar calories and more vitamin C! 

​BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALSA
​The beans bring fiber to the party! The corn may help promote healthy vision and together this duo provides all 9 essential amino acids (the kind your body can't make, but can only get from food). The calories are just a little bit higher than the standard salsa, at about 20 per serving. Again, you'll want to look for brands that go easy on the sodium ;)

BEAN
​Some of these dips have pinto beans, while others are made with black beans. Either way, you score :D Both beans are high in antioxidants and when mixed into dips, offer a little bit of filling fiber and not too many calories. Only about 35 per serving! ​Yes, please!!

GUACAMOLE
​Avocado has nearly 20 vitamins and minerals and legit heart-healthy fat credentials. Despite it's high calorie reputation, guacamole isn't too far off from many in the post here. Around 50 calories per serving. Make sure avocado is first up on the ingredients list, followed by a handful of others, like onions. This allows you to reap all of the nutritional good stuff!

​HUMMUS
​This is a favorite for many people...including myself! With every dipping, you get a satisfying combo of healthy fats, fiber, and protein (all courtesy of chickpeas and tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds). Not only does hummus deliver energy, it also keeps you fuller on less. Which is a good thing because this dip can be calorie dense. About 50 calories per 2-tablespoon serving. ​Flavor it up with spinach, red pepper, or tomato, all which adds an additional shot of antioxidant goodness! 

TZATZIKI
​Can you pronounce this?! When I first heard of it, I was like...yeah...the stuff that starts with a "T"...lol :D It's usually made with some combination of yogurt, cucumbers, and herbs. This dip will earn you about 2 grams of satisfying protein per serving, plus calcium. Calories can be around 40 per serving, but can bounce around depending on the add-ins. And...look for brands that keep the ingredients simple ;)

​I usually scoop up my dips with baby carrots, cucumbers, and broccoli, but this season I'm going to branch out and try the following:
​- green beans
​- asparagus
- kohirabi
- turnips
- swiss chard stems
- butternut squash
​- bok choy​

​If you make any dips from this post, I'd love to hear which 1 is your favorite! Or...if you have a healthy dip recipe, please leave it in the comments section!! I love trying new recipes :)
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Are you watching the game tonight? Who's going to win...Cowboys or Cardinals?! BTW...if you're watching the game, it's a great time to fit in some body-weight training! Of course, during the commercials :D 
​Have a FITastic week! I'll be posting again on Thursday!!
Bye ;)