It's the fourth of July weekend! While I'm spending it rather lazily at home as I recuperate from a few weeks of busy, busy, busy - I'm still finding the time to have fun and be festive! With an impromptu visit from my brother, I decided to toss together a quick 'snacky' meal that we could all graze on throughout the day at our leisure.

Naturally, my first inclination was a 7 layer dip. I think that's because it's one of those things that has something it in that everyone likes! It's one perfect montage or mashup of everything I love. Plus, it's perfectly light and cool for a hot summer day. And of course, since it's around the 4th of July, you just know I had to arrange this dip into the shape of the American flag to be all the more cute and festive!

To make this dip more wholesome, I used some of my usual tricks from my original Healthy 7 Layer Dip. I started out with a reduced sodium refried black bean and layered that with a fresh guacamole. Instead of sour cream, I used a plain fat free greek yogurt. Why? It's the same flavor and gives you a boost of protein that sour cream doesn't have. Other than that, I went with a reduced fat cheese and 'no salt added' black beans.

It really makes for the perfect scooped bite, giving you a range of flavors and textures that vary every time. I also love that you can make this dip a little bit ahead of time to have on hand. Of course, you wouldn't want to make it too far in advance, but a good hour or two would be fine. You just don't want to make it so far ahead that the guacamole starts to oxidize.

I used a combination of blue and white tortilla chips to give more of that pop of 'blue and white' color. Other than that, some raw sliced carrot chips or celery would be another good way to get your scoop on.

This is a pretty filling dip too. We barely got through a serving of it each, and with it giving you 9 servings all said and done, you know that it's a pretty substantial snack. It'll be sure to be the hit of any party!

Healthy 7 Layer Fourth of July Dip
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 9 • Size: About 1 1/2 Cup • Calories: 175.1 • Fat: 9 g • Saturated Fat: 2.7 • Carb: 14.3 g • Fiber: 4.2 g • Protein: 9.5 g • Sugar: 2.1 g • Sodium: 418.6 mg

Ingredients:
1 (14.5 Oz.) Can Fat Free Reduced Sodium Refried Black Beans
1 C. Guacamole
6 Oz. Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 C. Salsa
4 Oz. Reduced Fat Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1/4 C. Crumbled Queso Fresco
10-12 Grape/Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1/2 C. 'No Salt Added' Black Beans, Drained & Rinsed
2 Oz. Sliced Black Olives, Drained

Directions:

Spread the 1 (14.5 Oz.) Can Fat Free Reduced Sodium Refried Black Beans into the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 dish. Top the beans with 1 C. Guacamole. Followed by 6 Oz. Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt and 1/2 C. Salsa

Sprinkle the 4 Oz. Reduced Fat Sharp White Cheddar Cheese and 1/4 C. Crumbled Queso Fresco into rows to make your white stripes. Then, place the 10-12 Grape/Cherry Tomatoes between the white cheese rows to make the red stripes.

Place the 1/2 C. 'No Salt Added' Black Beans and 2 Oz. Sliced Black Olives  into one of the corners of the dish to form the blue of the flag. I added a sprinkle of queso fresco to give the illusion of starts on the 'blue'.

Serve right away and enjoy!