Make Your Own...Frozen Yogurt Dots!

I saw these cute little frozen yogurt dots on Pinterest via this blog and knew I had to try them. Henry is a huge fan of yogurt so I was sure they would go over well. Plus, they're incredibly easy to make.

All you need:

a cookie sheet (or wax paper)
yogurt
plastic baggie
a freezer

Ready for the easiest directions ever? I almost feel silly typing them out because the photos are self-explanatory but maybe this will help someone out there! ha. Here you go:

1. Put the yogurt in the plastic baggie.
2. Cut a small hole in one corner of the bag.
3. Squeeze little dots onto your cookie sheet or wax paper.
4. Freeze for about an hour.
5. Enjoy with your little one!





These were a huge hit with Henry which was great because I always buy the Happy Baby Yogurt Melts from Target, but they run about $4 a pop. And really, he goes through them way too quickly to justify spending that much on one bag of snacks! I got an entire cookie sheet full of drops from just one small yogurt container, and I'd much rather have him enjoy straight yogurt than freeze-dried ones in a package. And like I said, Henry loved them!

Let me know if you try these out, and if your kiddo likes them too! And if you don't have a little one, let me know if you liked them- a child is only optional. :) Happy yogurt-dotting. xo

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Blueberry Pie Baked Oatmeal!

I posted a photo of my breakfast the other day on Instagram and got a lot of questions about the recipe. It's actually quite simple, and I do it two ways depending on time and ingredients. On this particular morning I made it the "long" way...but most mornings I'll do it the cheater way, which isn't really making anything at all, unless you count throwing already-made oatmeal into a bowl! ha.  I also found this recipe for it that looks good as well. It just has a couple different ingredients like honey and soy milk.

But here's my super tasty recipe (I'll also show you the cheater way down below):

1 cup oatmeal (I prefer steel cut)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (you can add more if you prefer your oatmeal to be less thick)
1 cup blueberries

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spray an oven-safe dish with some cooking oil, pour your oatmeal mix into it and bake for about 30 minutes or until it thickens up.

And for that super quick-store bought way-

2 packets Kashi GOLEAN Hot Hearty Honey Cinnamon Oatmeal
a huge handful of blueberries
water to achieve your desired thickness

Throw all of that into a bowl. Microwave for 2.5 minutes. Let it sit for 1. And voilà! A delicious and quick breakfast you can even bring to work with you!

Happy breakfast-ing!

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Recipe: Clean-Eating Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins!

So I have this little thing I like to call a sweet tooth. I'm not really sure where it developed, or when, but it's definitely there, and most nights I find myself craving something (anything!) sweet after dinner. I typically try not to eat past 7, and while I'm not much of a late eater anyway, I do like a little sweet treat here and there. I try to minimize the amount of processed food my family eats, so a clean-eating lifestyle really works best for us. Luckily there are a million delicious "real food" concoctions just waiting to be cooked or baked, and I find many of my most favorite recipes from one of my favorite clean-eating ladies, Tosca Reno!  This recipe in particular comes from one of my most-loved cookbooks- The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook (you can also get it via Amazon).  Tosca has put out quite a few books all about clean-eating and we own a lot of them; they're great!

So, today's recipe is from that book!  Happy cooking, and enjoy!


Ingredients:
1 cup dry, old-fashioned oatmeal flakes
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup skim, rice, soy, or almond milk (I used Almond Breeze's unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 egg whites, beaten (vegans, you can substitute egg-replacer also- I've tried it and it works well with this recipe)
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp + 1tsp canola oil
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dried cranberries*
1/4 cup raisins*
1/4 cup dried cherries*

*if possible try to get these from your health food store- "juice sweetened" or unsweetened dried fruit works best. The typical store bought dried cranberries, etc. are loaded with unnecessary sugars.

Directions:
1) Preheat over to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2) Combine oatmeal, applesauce, milk, eggs, flax and oil in a medium bowl.

3) In another medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, including dried fruit.

4) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into it. Stir until all ingredients are just combined.

5) Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes (I bake mine for about 15-16).  Cool. And enjoy!

I usually like these best after they've cooled and sat for awhile. They are beyond delicious, and healthy too!

Nutrition:
Calories: 120 (this could be cut down by using less dried fruit)
Calories from fat: 31
Protein: 3g
Carbs: 20g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 3g
Fat: 3g 
Sodium: 17mg

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Dinner idea: Potato Tacos

Here's a very easy dinner idea that's vegetarian (vegan if you omit the cheese and Greek yogurt), healthy, and delicious!

You'll need:

2 medium potatoes (sweet potatoes would be great as well!)
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 jalapeno
1 clove of garlic (minced)
can of black beans
can of corn
red pepper flakes
sea salt
cumin
and any other types of spices you like - even taco seasoning could be substituted for all of this- Trader Joe's has a delicious mix available!
corn tortillas (I prefer Ezekial brand)
fresh cilantro
tomatoes
lime
cheese
and the MOST important part - plain, non-fat, Greek Yogurt (more on this later)

 1. Chop all your veggies (peel the potatoes) and throw them into a big bowl.

2. Add in the black beans, corn, and all the spices and mix. Now, when we cook we don't always follow a recipe and when it comes to spice we are heavy handed...so just add spice to suit your taste!

3. Heat up a little oil in a pan and throw everything in there. Cook on medium heat until the potatoes get a nice, golden crisp to them.  If you want to get fancy you can cook the onions and garlic first with the spices. That's what Hank usually does but see that glass pan in the photo above? We initially tried to bake this concoction in that, but found it didn't work, so we switched the pan, which was great! But because of that little hiccup we weren't able to brown the onions, etc. Either way must work though because the end result was delicious!

 

3. Then, make your tacos pretty with all of the other stuff! Cilantro, lime, tomatoes, whatever floats your boat.  And let me continue my little plug about non-fat Greek yogurt. It is the BEST substitute for sour cream, ever.  Hank even prefers it.  You get great health benefits, no fat, and it tastes so good. And once you go this way, you'll start to want to put it on and in everything! Dips, dressings, icing...the list goes on.

Happy potato-taco-ing!

 

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Meet my favorite homemade salad dressing!

I love salads, and there is no better time for a fresh, crisp salad than summertime. My typical go-to dressing is balsamic vinegar, but on a recent trip to my Mom's house she turned me onto the BEST dressing I've ever tried. And the most wonderful part? It's virtually calorie-free, yet tastes rich and delicious...annnnd, you can make it at home.
All you need?

• 1 delicious salad in a container with a top (my personal favorite: spring greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, avocados, and slivered almonds!)
• jalapeño mustard
• balsamic vinegar
• a little container to mix your dressing in

And all you do?

• Make that salad!
• Take the little container and add in a generous dollop of jalapeño mustard (about as much 'dressing' as you think you'd want).
• Add some balsamic vinegar to the mustard, put the top on...
• and SHAKE IT GIRL!

Finally, add your totally delicious salad dressing to your salad, put the top on that container and give it a few good shakes to disperse the dressing.


I can't wait to hear what you guys think- I bet you'll love it! Let me know! :) And happy salad-ing!

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Easiest recipe ever: sea salt and vinegar kale chips

When I saw this recipe for super healthy kale chips I knew I had to try it immediately, and I am so glad I did! (click here if you have no idea what kale is!) The chips were a total hit with not only myself, but Hank too, which was awesome. Baking the kale in the oven transformed the green, leafy vegetable into a delicious, slightly salty snack that totally hit the spot as a crunchy side dish to our risotto and "chicken" tonight. Tomorrow we're going to try the same thing with spinach, so I'll let you know how it goes.

First off, buy a bunch of kale at your local grocer. If your regular store doesn't carry it, try your natural foods store, but it should be pretty easy to find.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Tear the leaves off of the long stem running down the middle. I tossed the leaves into a colander as I tore them off. Rinse the leaves WELL and dry thoroughly. We don't have a salad spinner, so I just used a paper towel to try off each individual piece.

Place the leaves in a single layer on parchment paper, on a cookie sheet. Below you'll see that I accidentally used wax paper at first...no big deal until the oven started smoking! haha. When that happened I just moved the kale straight onto the cookie sheet and it was just fine. But anyway, drizzle olive oil and vinegar all over the leaves, then top with sea salt. If you don't want to do the vinegar you can just do olive oil.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until you notice the leaves shrinking and looking crispy. We had no issues with the kale being soggy whatsoever, and each chip was crispy and REALLY delicious!

Enjoy!

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