Happy New Year with Protein Packed Snacks!

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a nice night. We stayed home and watched the Times Square Earth Cam and the craz... I mean dedicated people who braved the cold weather (it was 9° F. in NYC when the ball dropped.) Out of curiosity, I looked up all the rules they have to follow... you have to get there at noon the latest or you won't get a location worth having. You can't bring bags or backpacks (for obvious security reasons) so forget food or drinks. All street food carts are ousted for the day, so no Shish Kabobs or Sabrett Hot Dog stands. You can't leave your area and return so even if there were public restrooms or porta-potties nearby (there aren't) you can't go back to your area if you leave. So standing for over 12 hours in freezing temperatures, hungry, thirsty and peeing in an adult diaper. Umm Happy New Year? Nope. Couldn't do it.

Instead, we ate yummy bariatric friendly tidbits and laughed about how the event should probably be "proudly sponsored by Depends undergarments."

Our Tidbit Platter: Trader Jose’s Spanish Cheese Tapas Sampler (Iberico, Cabra al Vino and Manchego Cheese) Nuts, Dried Fruit (watch these if you dump easily, I stick with apricots with no added sugar), Ham, Salami, Olives, Trader Joe's Rosemary Asiago (one of my all time favs), Parmesan Crisps,

We also had Roasted Cauliflower with two Greek Yogurt Dips.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1 head cauliflower into florets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Arrange in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for about 40 minutes, stirring at least twice. You want knife-inserted tender and golden brown.

Shelly's Middle Eastern Greek Yogurt Dip: 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt, 1 Tablespoon Zaatar seasoning (make your own) and a squeeze of Lemon.

Shelly's Horseradish Dip: 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt, Prepared Horseradish to taste (I add about a teaspoon), a sprinkle of salt.

For dessert...

Shelly's Sugar-Free Chocolate Protein Spread 

1/4 cup Protein Powder (dry, any flavor)
2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Almond Butter (I use fresh ground)
3 Tablespoons Sugar-Free Torani Syrup (any flavor)

Mix till well blended. You may have to adjust based on your almond butter, I used fresh ground almond butter some jarred, store-bought brands of almond butters are looser so just add a dash more protein powder to thicken or alternatively add a little more syrup if it needs thinning out. You want spreadable.

Spread on anything (apple slices, protein cookies, celery sticks, baby carrots, those ricotta pancakes that I make, protein cake slices, soy crisps, a spoon, your hand...) I love it on Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples. This recipe makes enough for 4 huge apples-worth of liberal dipping. Store leftovers in a small jar in the fridge. It'll last a week at least.

For the Almond Joy affect: I used a combo of SF Coconut and SF Almond Syrup in the recipe and had a little bowl of chopped almonds and toasted unsweetened coconut for dipping.

Happy New Year Everyone!