Two Little Hummus Recipes

So I've been working really hard on paring down our grocery budget. I've mentioned before that we're down to $350 a month. One of the ways we can do this (on top of bargain shopping, coupons, Aldi's, and mapping out our trips to the grocery stores) is by learning how to make your own healthy things. Instead of buying outrageously-priced, premade hummus, make it. It's so easy.

My Mommy, Camille's go-to recipe (this one does not include the usual tahini sauce but it's my favorite because I grew up on it.)

1. 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2. 4 cloves garlic (give or take. We LOVE garlic in our family, so we usually put tons in)
3. 2-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (love this, too, so we put extra in also)
4. Freshly ground black pepper to taste
5. 1/4 Cup water

Then we just grind it all up in the food processor til it's creamy.

My Mother-in-law, Vicki's recipe (including tahini sauce and so much better than any store-bought hummus)

1. 1 can chickpeas
2. 1 can kidney beans
3. 1/4 to 1/3 Cup tahini
4. 1 large clove of garlic, chopped finely
5. 1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
6. salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

Grind up beans in food processor til smooth. Then blend all ingredients in food processor until well-mixed.

Both my mom and Vicki have used other things in their hummus. Black beans, spinach, beets, etc. There are a TON of recipes online and believe me, it's about 1/3 or less of the cost of just buying those tiny flat tubs at the store.

One more thing. This is not about hummus, but is about Greek yogurt (which I'm learning many people fear for some reason.)

From my experience, people are afraid of using Greek yogurt (I was, too) as a substitute for things like mayo and sour cream. Here's the Chelsea version of the rundown on Greek yogurt vs. whipped (generic) salad dressing (I just grabbed what I currently have in my fridge and did the math.) 1 cup of Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt is 130 calories. One cup of generic whipped salad dressing is 800 FREAKING CALORIES. YIKES. First ingredient on Greek yogurt? Grade A Pasteurized Skimmed Milk. First ingredient on generic salad dressing? Soybean oil. Followed by water, followed by the lovely high fructose corn syrup.

Here's a couple of things you can do with Greek yogurt to save yourself some calories. Use it in place of sour cream on tacos or as a chip dip. No one will ever know the difference. Put some honey and cinnamon in it for *commercial voice* part of a balanced breakfast. Instead of using mayo or salad dressing in a chicken or egg salad, substitute it with Greek yogurt. It's actually better because it's fluffy.

If any of my friends (or people who don't me for that matter) read this and want to put their hummus recipes in the comment section, that would be awesome.