Wholly Moly! Making Healthy & Quick Dinners Possible with Dips?

If you’ve spent anytime following me, you know I like to eat.

Unfortunately, while cooking sounds like it could be fun, time seems to get in the way for my battle to make a meal that’s healthy, quick (like 20 minutes quick) and of course, tasty. So when I got an invitation to attend a cooking class hosted by Wholly Guacamole to get some tips on “dinner dilemmas,” I was quick to RSVP since I need all the help I can get. However, while I am a fan of all things made with guacamole or salsa, I was intrigued to learn how I could make that spread for a week’s worth of dinner hearing the complaints of empty stomachs.

The 20-count mom class seemed to be ready to learn any new ideas about getting healthy and  quick meals on the table for their family. And after an afternoon of learning basic cooking skills, a few test recipes for appetizers, entrees and even a few cocktails, I was quite surprised on all the different uses of “salsa.” I mean, really, a drink? Yes, we actually made two including a cocovado using Wholly Guacamole and coconuts and placing a dollop of Mango Wholly Salsa before pouring champagne. (At this point I became a believer since cooking started with a cocktail!)

Throughout the afternoon, I learned other great recipes including apps like Island Mango Shrimp and my personal favorite, roasted tomato, goat cheese and feta bruschetta. Besides being fun to say 10 times, the combo of goat cheese, feta and a little balsamic glaze made it hard to just eat one (so I ate like three.) We also gave dinner staples like chicken breast and meatloaf a makeover with a few new ingredients. However, it was the vanilla ice cream topped with warm Pineapple Wholly Salsa that really sank the deal…it was so good I ate it before I ate my lunch!

After the cooking class, I was full, happy and empowered to take this “mama challenge” and try it on my most cynical critics – my family.  So equipped with one of each of the products, I went home to make dinner for my family. Ready to make something new and not to be wasteful, I was going to incorporate my salsas into as many meals as possible.  

The first night: The most obvious use would be Mexican food and since I already had fajitas thawed, there wasn’t much I could do. However, I used the pico and guacamole mix to create cute little appetizer cups that included a perfect bite of everything you eat in a fajita all in a baked chip. While not that original, it was very tasty. When my husband asked for a little more heat, we pulled out the Hot Salsa. Good Dinner. Happy Family.

The next night I worked to expand the menu and decided to conquer pork tenderloin paired with the Pineapple Wholly Salsa, mashed potatoes and broccoli. It took about 10 minutes to prepare everything and about an hour to cook. My husband even complimented me on the presentation on this one. Again, Good Dinner. Happy Family.

While I could go through a list of all the great things I made, I think it’s obvious that Wholly Guacamole and Salsa line is a lot more than just dip. Don’t believe me, then take your own challenge. Go to their Facebook or webpage for a good coupon you can use today and get cooking.

While there’s another reason why they call it “Wholly,” after this challenge I know why I call it “Holy Wholly Guacamole.” And hopefully your family will too. 

Disclaimer: I was a special guest of Wholly Guacamole and received products to sample these recipes. However, the comments here are all my own.