Chocolate Mint Greek Yogurt Dip {Easy, Healthy} #ChocolateForJoan

This Chocolate Mint Greek Yogurt Dip is the perfect healthy snack for after school, after dinner or any time of the day!

Yes, this dip is healthy and delicious and super easy to make.  But to me, it’s much more than that.  It’s a special tribute to a dear friend.

This blogging world is strange one.  You meet people online and sometimes instantly feel a connection.  Other times you don’t.  But today’s post is about a dear friend and fellow blogger, Joan Hayes of Chocolate, Chocolate and More that suddenly died in her sleep a few days ago.

Joan was one of the first bloggers I met when I started out.  She was hilarious, smart, generous and we instantly clicked.  She had an amazing sense of humor and a love for baking, chocolate and most of all, her family.  Joan had three children which she was incredibly dedicated to and absolutely adored.  Even though Joan was a dessert blogger and I was a healthy blogger, we always had so much to talk about.

It was Joan that helped me arrange advertisers on my site.  I was clueless and she was the pro.  Joan also hooked me up with the best tech support and designer there is, Robin of Grits Design and I will forever be thankful for that.  She was always generous with her time and loved helping others, even smaller bloggers like me.  She was supportive and encouraging and so crazy thoughtful.  Trust me, it’s not just me who thinks this.  There are so many other bloggers that feel the same way.  We are all heartbroken by Joan’s sudden passing, and that’s why we are all posting on Wednesday October 28th, which just so happens to be National Chocolate Day.  We all agreed that the hashtag #ChocolateForJoan was so incredibly appropriate.  She would have LOVED it!

Joan went to bed last Wednesday with a stomach ache and then died in her sleep.  The autopsy later revealed that Joan had suffered a heart attack.  I never knew that a stomach ache or nausea were signs of a heart attack in women, did you?  Please read here about what the signs of a heart attack in women are.  They range from flu-like symptoms to shortness of breath to nausea.  Now more than ever we all need to be educated about this.  Did you also know that heart disease in the #1 killer in women?   These statistics are frightening.  Share this with your friends and family.  Joan was a healthy 49 year old mother, sister, cousin and friend.  This could happen to any of us.

Joan wouldn’t be surprised that I’m sharing a healthy chocolate recipe today.  She told me once that if I wasn’t true to myself, I’d have a hard time sharing my true voice on my blog.  I looked all through my emails and messages for our conversation, but couldn’t find her exact words. But once again, she gave perfect advice.  And I am staying true to myself, while honoring a kind friend that was taken from us too early.  I feel blessed to have been able to call her a friend for the past 4+ years.

Ok, now onto this dip.  I actually took a whole bunch of pictures without the chocolate chips and realized afterwards that Joan would want chocolate chips in there too.  The more chocolate the better, right?

Print

Chocolate Mint Greek Yogurt Dip

Course Snack

Servings 4 servings

Author Lauren Kelly Nutrition

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon mint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips for topping or can be stirred in

Instructions

1. Mix everything together in a medium size bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator or you can eat immediately if you're impatient (like me!).

My 6 year old was begging for this dip (literally jumping up and down screaming PLEASE!) while I was taking pictures so he made his hand modeling debut in this picture…

And then he said his hand hurt in this pose so he…

…literally took a face plant into the bowl.  Boy is he lucky that I finished taking my pictures.  I am so disappointed that I didn’t take a picture of it.  And normally I would get annoyed by that.  I guess I was too shocked?  With three boys, nothing should surprise me these days.  And with the reminder that life is too short, I laughed with him.

Friends, if you are looking for ways to help Joan, please visit her blog, Facebook page, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.  Joan’s dear, sweet sister and cousin are keeping up with her blog which will support her three kids.  With the holidays coming up, Chocolate, Chocolate and More should be your resource for all of your holiday baking.  By following her on all of her social media you are helping her three children.  I thank you for all of the support too.  Please think of Joan when you eat this dip or something else chocolate.  I know she’s smiling down on us.

Joan Hayes, Photo credit Shanna Schad