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Baby Step Your Way to Better Health!

My best techniques, tips & tricks for the Instant Pot!

What I Bring to a Holiday Party {Recipe: Probiotic Avocado Dip}

November 23, 2013 (UPDATED: August 21, 2019) by Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship 11 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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Avocado DipDo you have a healthy eating strategy for big holiday parties?

I have a specific game plan that targets the most volatile UNhealthy areas, roots them out, and front loads with the good stuff so there’s less room for the bad.

I call it the “I’ll bring a few appetizers and a dessert” game plan.

The tactics are so subvert, my opponents don’t even know they’re in a battle, and no one feels badly when I win. Which is good, because they’re family and I love them.

 

Healthy Alternatives.

You see, most of the time there are real food options for the main course, especially at a Thanksgiving dinner. A turkey, even if CAFO-raised, is at least meat, not some unknown substance my body doesn’t recognize but I have to eat anyway. Mashed potatoes have a chance at being additive-free. And there are always some genuine vegetables floating around.

The dessert table is always a mess of white flour, white sugar, and trans fat, so for Thanksgiving, I bring a few healthy pumpkin pies. I can ensure healthy fats in the crust plus vegetables, pastured organic eggs, and a small amount of unrefined sweetener in the filling. It’s a great way to redeem dessert.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe

My Secret Strategy.

But my key positioning is in frontloading the meal. I bring at least two appetizers that I know my kids like and coincidentally forget to tell them to “save room for dinner.” I might even subversively encourage them to pig out on what I brought by quietly serving rather large portions.

It’s like the optimist’s glass half full: if my kids are half full of nourishing foods, I don’t have to worry so much about telling them not to eat the junk. Winking smile

Over the years I’ve also established a few specialties that are so good, family members request that I bring them again and again. [insert maniacal mastermind laugh here] They’re playing right into my hands! Everyone wins.

Tired of Unhealthy Choices at Every Social Gathering…

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…and tired of watching your kids eat junk?

I’m happy to be able to offer you this free ebook with:

  • 10 whole foods recipes that won’t break your budget
  • Well-tested appetizers, salads, and desserts that every guest will recognize and enjoy
  • Practical strategies for sharing healthy food with others
  • And the valuable secret to getting kids to eat real food in the face of a rich buffet spread…
YES, SHOW ME THE FREE PARTY RECIPES EBOOK!

Our Favorites.

They usually clamor for this spicy cheesy chicken dip  with homemade whole wheat crackers (and another gluten-free option):

Spicy Cheesy Chicken Dip

Trust me, you want to pin that one.

Other recipes rotate in and out over the years, including homemade potato salad, fresh fruit, and deviled eggs. Lately though I’ve been bringing a little probiotic twist on an avocado dip that looks enough like guacamole to be yummy by association (and then holds its own on pure taste, too!).Avocado Dip

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Probiotic Avocado Dip Recipe

  • Author: Katie Kimball
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Total Time: 5 mins
  • Yield: 1.5 cups 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
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Ingredients

  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 c. yogurt cheese (or 4 oz. goat cheese)
  • 2–3 Tbs. lemon juice
  • (optional) 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1–3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 c. fresh parsley or cilantro (or about 1 Tbs. dried)

Instructions

  1. Whiz the garlic in a food processor first, then add the avocado, yogurt cheese, lemon juice and salt. Process everything until smooth.
  2. Stir in herbs.
  3. Serve with carrot sticks, sliced bell peppers and other vegetables for dipping.

Notes

*For children, yogurt cheese is a friendlier option than goat cheese (and has the probiotics). Shoot low on the garlic for kids too.

*If you don’t have a food processor, crush the garlic separately and try an immersion blender (found on Amazon) or just mash well with a fork.

*If not serving right away, leave the avocado pit in the dip and try to use a cover that touches the dip to prevent oxidation (browning).

*Adapted from Food with Kid Appeal.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @kidscookrealfood on Instagram

Trouble Getting Healthy Food on the Table Every Day?

Enter Real Plans

Real Plans is an online meal planning software & app that is probably smarter than I am.

It works with all food restrictions to help families find the perfect meal, generate a shopping list, scale it up if needed, and you’re totally in control. Use your own fav recipes, skip a suggestion and tell Real Plans all the foods you don’t like/can’t eat, and it will still do half the work of meal planning (or more) for you.

Real Plans takes the stress out of meal planning and puts the nourishing food BACK on your table. There’s a plan for every diet type, including GAPS, Paleo, AIP, Whole30, vegetarian and more!

FIND ONE THAT FITS YOUR FAMILY

Avocado Dip

Click for more healthy party foods and appetizer recipes and pin with me as I collect more real food appetizers and holiday options over the next few months!

Do you have a strategy for what you bring to holiday gatherings? Feel free to share links to favorite recipes in the comments so everyone can benefit!

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post to Amazon from which I will earn some commission if you make a purchase. 

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Filed Under: Real Food Recipes Tagged With: appetizer, avocado, Christmas, gluten free, goat cheese, grain free, holidays, meatless, party food, probiotics, Thanksgiving, yogurt cheese

« Previous Post 10 Real Foods Women Should Eat More Often for Good Health
Next Post » Monday Mission: Use the Whole Thing

About Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship

Katie Kimball, CSME is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network.

See more of Katie Kimball, CSME in the Media.

Over the last 10 years, Katie has spoken prolifically at conferences, online summits and podcasts and become a trusted authority and advocate for children’s health.

Busy moms look to this certified educator for honest, in-depth natural product reviews and thorough research. She often partners with health experts and medical practitioners to deliver the most current information to the Kitchen Stewardship community.

In 2016 she created the #1 bestselling online kids cooking course, Kids Cook Real Food, helping thousands of families around the world learn to cook.

Certified Stress Mastery Educator BadgeA mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Certified Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.

See all blog posts by Katie Kimball.

11 Bites of Conversation So Far

  1. Kelly via Facebook says

    January 30, 2014 at 1:24 pm

    yum!

    Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    December 9, 2013 at 5:01 pm

    i have some cultured cashew cheese, this sounds like a perfect recipe to use it! featuring your recipe this week!

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      December 10, 2013 at 12:00 am

      What a great substitution! Thanks for the feature! 🙂 Katie

      Reply
  3. Katie @ www.countercultureliving.com says

    December 3, 2013 at 6:19 am

    Great idea to add the yogurt cheese! We love avocado at our house… 🙂 Stopping by from Slightly Indulgent Tuesday. Stop by and visit me at www.countercultureliving.com.

    Reply
  4. Andrea says

    November 25, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    Love this post…it does seem like we’re going into battle, doesn’t it? I just made guacamole last night and decided to throw some whey into it. It was a great addition, no one even noticed it and I felt good about the added probiotics. Definitely will be trying this out too!

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      November 26, 2013 at 3:08 am

      I’ve seen people lactoferment guacamole like that – perfect!! 🙂 Katie

      Reply
  5. Serene in Singapore says

    November 25, 2013 at 12:34 am

    2 questions : my children would rather not eat what I usually cook at a party, not because it tastes bad (:P) But because, well it is boring to eat mom’s food when there’s A LOT of other seemingly yummy foods calling out to them. So how do you get your kids to still choose mom’s food.

    2. We can’t do dairy. Is it possible to sprinkle probiotic powder on the dip?! Would that work? Or would the exposure to air kill the probiotics before it reaches the tummy?

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      November 26, 2013 at 3:12 am

      Serene,
      Excellent questions, and tough one for no. 1.

      I party succeed because my kids are still so young that (2 of the 3) I still am in charge of making up their plate. That helps! I think bringing appetizers is huge, too, because we always arrive a little earlier than most people to this particular gathering as we’re traveling farther. My kids know it will be a while before the main course, so they want to eat. And I bring stuff they really like a lot too!

      As for no. 2, I think you should be okay with that plan! In fact, the probiotic powder we have isn’t in capsules, just a tub in the fridge, so I don’t think exposure to air is a problem. The company ours is from even publishes recipes to use it in, and the one I’ve seen is guacamole (it’s a green powder), so you’re absolutely thinking along the right lines! I’d put a whole capsule or even 2 in (test on a small amount to make sure the taste doesn’t come through). What would you use as a dairy free cream cheese/yogurt cheese? Whipped coconut milk? Cashew cream? Just curious – that would be a hard substitution for me! 🙂 Katie

      Reply
      • Serene in Singapore says

        November 27, 2013 at 9:52 am

        We don’t creams. Period. Yeah I know – my children are so upset but it really messes up with their noses. Almost immediate nasal congestion 🙁 Cashews are high in mold supposedly. So I avoid that in excess. Coconut cream/milk we do on occasion. It is not cheap 🙁

        Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    November 24, 2013 at 3:49 am

    Hahaha! I love the [insert maniacal mastermind laugh here] ! That’s just great 🙂 oh, and the dip looks good too. Adding it to the appetizer list 😉

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      November 24, 2013 at 8:20 pm

      It’s just part of the “mom” job, right? 🙂 Katie

      Reply

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Please remember that I’m just a gal who reads a lot and spends way too much time in her kitchen. I’m not a doctor, nurse, scientist, or even a real chef, and certainly the FDA hasn't evaluated anything on this blog. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please talk to your health professional (or at least your spouse) before doing anything you might think is questionable. Trust your own judgment…I can’t be liable for problems that occur from bad decisions you make based on content found here.

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