slow going spinach artichoke dip

The Super Bowl is just a few days away, no matter who you are rooting for, or even if you know who is playing (lets be real you only watch the commercials)… it is time to start thinking about all the yummy party food you get to eat!  Now if you are watching what you are eating this time of year can be a little hard…but don’t worry I have a lightened-up slow cooker spinach artichoke dip that everyone is sure to love and you won’t have to feel guilty indulging a little.

My favorite thing about spinach artichoke dip is the creamy, rich, cheesy part.  I love how the spinach and artichokes are just surrounded with all that cheesy goodness…so my challenge was to recreate that yumminess without all the guilt.

To lighten it up a bit I used reduced fat cream cheese…which in all honesty I use 99% of the time…it tastes like the full fat version and is just as creamy as the full fat version as well…making it the perfect substitution.  I also used reduced fat sour cream…which I also use 99% of the time and just with these two simple substitutions you can reduce the calories and fat without losing any flavor or richness.  

[mpprecipe-recipe:98]

To keep it on the healthier side of things you can serve it with pita chips, or baked chips.  You could also serve it with chunks of french bread for an extra decadent dip.   I also used fresh spinach but if all you have is frozen, don’t worry it will work great, just make sure to let it thaw and then squeeze it dry before adding it.  Don’t worry though I did use canned artichokes…no need to make life hard.

Go ahead and brace yourself for some fun, football and food but don’t worry you won’t have to feel guilty after having this lightened-up spinach dip…and trust no one will very know it is lightened-up (I won’t tell anyone if you don’t).

Make everyday sparkle – MJ