Happy belated Valentine’s Day! When you’ve been married for 29½ years, February 14 is not a huge deal…but I had plans for a romantic, cozy afternoon and evening at home with my sweetie. And a special post for you. But, instead, I spent a very long day in an airport.

I went to visit my family in West Palm Beach, Florida for a few days last week. My sister and her family have lived down there for many years, and my parents have become snowbirds. My flight south was pleasant and uneventful and it was great to spend time with everyone. We went to my favorite beach on Hobe Sound and a took a wonderful kayak trip on the Loxahatchee River. Wendy and I are sisters and best friends; we love to walk and talk, our conversation punctuated by bird and turtle sightings.

My flight home was supposed to take off at 12:30 pm Sunday. I won’t bore you with the details, but there were massive delays having something to do with the cold weather up here in NY. And because the lags were announced one hour at a time, I stayed in the airport, hoping to leave, and wound up there for 11 hours! I managed to stay occupied and to make new friends, and the best of a frustrating situation, unlike a noteworthy hysterical few of my fellow passengers.

So, this post is, like my airplane, delayed. I finally got home at 3 am Monday, and up at dawn to start a busy work week in the dr deb office. So today is the first day I’m able to sit down to polish and post your Valentine’s treat. But, it’s a lovely treat any day of the year and I know you’ll love it. The kids will love it, too!

The idea for this sweet dip comes from my sister. She and her daughter, Tal, are like me, healthy eaters. We make most everything from scratch, and tend to look for natural and leaner ingredients. So I was surprised to hear that they’ve been fans of marshmallow fluff. I don’t think I’d ever bought the stuff. I’ve made homemade marshmallows, but I thought fluff was full of chemicals. It turns out that it’s mostly made out of eggs and sugar, much simpler ingredients than I’d expected. My niece eats it with a spoon and Wendy mixes it into blended cottage cheese, yogurt, or smoothies. I went right ahead and experimented with adding it to my favorite Greek yogurt, hoping to create a creamy dip that was lighter and fluffier than yogurt alone.

The result was exactly what I’d hoped. With the addition of a bit of extra sweetener and some vanilla, it is slightly tangy, sweet, creamy, smooth, light, pillowy, and luxurious. This is a perfect dip or topping for fruit, scones, pound cake, Banana Bread, pancakes, or waffles. It’s delicious, low in fat and calories, and fluffy. It’s whipped. It’s smart, it’s SmartWhip!

SmartWhip

This makes enough dip for two lovers to share alongside a beautiful plate of fruit. Multiplies easily.

½ cup Greek yogurt (I use Fage 2%, but any Greek yogurt will work here)
¼ cup marshmallow fluff
agave or honey, to taste
vanilla powder or extract, to taste
tiny pinch salt

Mix all ingredients with a whisk or combine in a blender or food processor. Serve or chill for later.

Variations: Add a teaspoonful of cocoa powder and a dash of extra sweetener for a fabulous chocolate version. Stir in some peanut butter, peanut powder or other nut butter. Go for a drop of coconut milk and a drip of coconut extract to make it coconutty.

Enjoy in good health, with all my love!!