Holiday parties are the best!!! Or are they? Hmmmm, as I get older, I’m just not so sure. All of those strategically-placed ingredients on demitasse spoons and fancy mixed drinks served by handle-bar mustache, suspender-wearing bar tenders, leave me exhausted. I don’t want fancy, I want delicious! Don’t you? That’s why I created this simple appetizer for Avocado Pomegranate Toastettes that look pretty and taste great. I’ll leave the drinks and bar tenders up to you!
Are you bored with your snack? It’s ok, snack boredom happens. Luckily for you, I’ve got you covered when it comes to your craving for anything and everything “pumpkin spice” with this super easy to make Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix. It’s got a little bit of sweetness and a whole lot of satisfying crunch!
Growing up in Indiana, I always looked forward to summer.
What kid doesn’t, right? Summer meant no school and that meant lots of warm days and nights filled with fun. I remember playing so hard that when my head hit the pillow, I almost instantaneously fell asleep. Those thoughts and memories make me smile, because I love remembering how easy and wonderful life was then. Summer to me also meant sweet, delicious fruit. And I loved it all, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, peaches, strawberries and WATERMELON!
That’s right, you read that correctly, I said “Fertility Friday + Smoothies!” A random pairing? Of course not, I do everything with intention…ok, well almost everything.
Today for Fertility Friday I would like to focus on the amazing nutritional power of smoothies. Yes, I know that people are crazy about smoothies these days. They make their own, they buy the fancy one that costs 10 dollars and they insist on having them every morning for their “bowl” breakfast. But this is one trend where you can believe the hype…at least to a certain extent.
*Disclaimer – this recipe hasn’t actually won any official awards or titles. And it hasn’t been entered in any recipe contests or been featured on the Food Network. So my guacamole is technically “award-less,” however it’s unofficially a “winner” (hence, Winning Guacamole) in my small circle of nearest and dearest. And I’m about to let you in on my not-so-secret recipe! But first, there are some things you should know.
There, now you’re armed and dangerous. Time to get to the store and stock up on avocados so you can make a big batch of my No Fail Winning Guacamole!
A recipe for delicious guacamole that works every time!
Looking back on that time, it was almost comical the degree to which we feared fat. Companies worked so hard removing it from their products and people went crazy buying fat-free everything. I remember noshing on a box of fat-free cookies thinking, “wow, no fat, but they sure taste good, I’m so glad they’re good for me!”
Oh dear! Luckily research has improved and we are no longer shunning fat. In fact, now we know that fat is vital to our existence. Fats provide energy, help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins, and can keep our hearts healthy. We just have to be smart about the type of fats we’re choosing and how much of them we’re eating.
While all fats fit, it’s important to keep moderation in mind. Saturated and trans fats are the types of fats we should limit. Research is always on-going on this, and recently saturated fast have been in the news about not being as “bad” as we once thought. My advice? Stick with moderation. Go for the whole milk, but keep your serving to one cup. Enjoy that birthday cake, but choose the small slice instead of the massive monster piece. See where I’m going with this? Don’t over-indulge. It’s never wise to eat too much of one thing, right?
Instead, focus on getting more healthy fats into your diet. We call those unsaturated (specifically monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fats. These unsaturated fats can also help support fertility by helping control blood sugar and tamper inflammation. Where do you find them? Great question!
Sources of polyunsaturated fats: fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines; flax seed and flax seed oil, walnuts and edamame
Sources of monounsaturated fats: nuts (like in these Maple Cinnamon Almonds!) and seeds, avocado, canola and olive oil
It’s easy! Eat fat, but make smart choices. Stick with moderation and balance your intake with other foods. Eating this way just makes sense! Feeling inspired? Get into your kitchen and make these yummy Maple Cinnamon Almonds so that you can enjoy some of those nutritious healthy fats!
Super easy snack made with almonds, maple syrup and ground cinnamon.
There’s just something so remarkably fresh about them that makes me happy. At one of my old jobs, I had to make spring rolls on a relatively regular basis. During that time, I could crank out hundreds of those little guys. I would be tired, with a sore back and cross-eyed when I was done. But that didn’t deter me from eating the scraps or messed-up rolls. Ah, the memories!
Here’s the deal with spring rolls, they are so delicious, but can be so annoying to make. Please, please don’t get mad if your first 2 or 10 look horrible. I promise you that they will still taste good. Just keep trying and soon you’ll be a professional “spring roller.”
Veggies abound in spring rolls and that makes them a fantastic, nutritious choice. They are the perfect vehicle for so many kinds of veggies too. You don’t have to stop at carrots and lettuce (like my version below), you can add peppers and jicama for example. Really, just be creative and have fun with them. But don’t forget the basil, mint and cilantro, they are the key to flavor and offer their own nutritive bonus too.
These are bean thread noodles.
Simple to make, just pull out of bag and plop in some water.
Watch them grow and feel them soften. Takes about 15 minutes and they’re done.
Get all of your ingredients together before rolling. Trust me on this one.
Look how yummy that is, even before you roll it!
Roll ’em up! And don’t worry what they look like, ok?
Refreshing and satisfying, these spring rolls are a perfect for an appetizer or light lunch.
It’s a fun word. Say it. Seriously, say it out loud. Super fun, right?
Fun and popular, cacao sure is sitting pretty these days. It’s trendy and it’s hip…even though it’s really nothing new.
Nope, cacao has been around for awhile. Never heard of it? Sure you have, it’s also known as cocoa, the more modern-ish term we typically use here in America. Cacao (and cocoa) refers to the dried beans from the cocoa tree. Generally, cacao is synonymous with the unroasted or raw version of the cocao bean, with cocoa being the roasted and sometimes more processed cacao bean. Cacao can be turned into everything from “nibs”( essentially broken pieces of cacao beans) to powder.
If cacao isn’t new, then why this surge in popularity? Well my guess it’s because people are looking for all kinds of ways to add a nutritious boost to their smoothie bowls, oatmeal, shakes and everything in between. Cacao is a good choice then as it’s got a pretty nice nutrition profile, containing several antioxidants and minerals like magnesium and iron. But like anything, enjoy in moderation.
Looking to try cacao beans? Then try my recipe below for Cacao Pretzel Snacks. They are super easy to make and provide a nice introduction to cacao.
And a big thank you to the Recipe Redux! This recipe was inspired by this month’s theme of building a recipe using an ingredient I’ve never used before.
A simple snack made with whole grain pretzels, Greek yogurt and cacao nibs.
Here’s the deal, my family loves granola bars. I’m sure you can relate. I mean, is there really a more perfect snack? Well, of course there is, but this one is just so handy, which makes it the “perfect” snack in my eyes. Here’s the problem though, crappy granola bars are everywhere! Even worse, really good granola bars are expensive! Ugh!
What’s a mom, wife, daughter, friend to do? Why, make my own and share the recipe with YOU, my faithful followers! 🙂
Yes, I want you to have the option of making your own bars because you know, just as much as I do, that granola bars rock. So take that money you were going to spend on the crappy or expensive bars and use it to buy the ingredients to make these perfect little Cranberry Pumpkin Granola Bars.
Need more reasons to love these? Thought so!
Enjoy, my friends!
And here are the pretty pictures:
A Fall spin on the classic granola bar. This one is also gluten and nut free!
Why I made this recipe: Because I am smitten with smoothies and equally smitten with matcha tea. So why not combine the two? Oh, and because I was hungry and I had these things in my house. Just being honest.
Why I love this recipe: This mango matcha smoothie is one of those recipes that’s super simple to make, yet the ingredients make it feel sophisticated. Love it for that and also because it tastes great.
How this recipe is healthy: Lots of reasons. First, portion size. It’s just one cup, which in my world, is the perfect size for a smoothie. Because let’s face it, take-out smoothies end up more like colossal milk shakes rather than nutritious, cups of joy. Second, it’s got matcha tea powder in it, a really interesting type of tea made out of whole tea leaves, which means you get loads of antioxidants, including those that may help prevent certain diseases like heart disease. Nothing wrong with that, right? Also, I like it because it’s not super sweet. This isn’t dessert, it’s a snack or a nice supplement to breakfast or lunch. Enjoy it as is or use it as the base for an amazing smoothie bowl. Yum!
And here are the pretty pictures:
A lightly sweet smoothie made with low-fat Greek yogurt, mango and matcha, perfect for an afternoon snack or as a post or pre-workout snack.
