Sustainable & Creative Living
Meal time is stressful when you have a growing toddler. One day, all is good and they gobble up anything you put in front of them. The next day, they throw it your face. Dry, salty snacks that are loaded with carbs usually do the trick as a quick and easy snack, but they also get boring. If you’re looking for something a bit healthier than the average toddler snack, try these Frozen Yogurt Covered Bananas. They can be whipped up in a hurry from [Read more…]
This is my all-time favorite salad! It can be served in the summer, spring, fall, or winter. I’m making it in honor of Father’s Day for my husband because I got this recipe from his late Mother many years ago. To be exact, it was 1983. She gave me the recipe so I could bring this dish to a family Fourth of July party. I still have (and use) the original piece of scrap paper that she wrote the recipe on.
Pizza is, hands down, my favorite guilty indulgence. I love it! One of my favorite pizzas is called the Magical Mystery Tour made by Mellow Mushroom. It has a pesto base with Portobello and button mushrooms, topped with warm, gooey feta and mozzarella cheese, a touch of spinach, and just the right amount of jalapeños for a bit of spice. If calories weren’t a factor, [Read more…]
When my son started teething at around four months old, my first instinct for natural pain relief was to let him chew on chilled teething rings (a go-to for most moms). When these classic favorites didn’t do the trick, I tried what seemed like every teething toy imaginable. I now carry around a gallon size zip lock bag in my diaper bag filled with what I refer to as [Read more…]
I came up with this quesadilla recipe one Saturday afternoon when I didn’t have a lot of food in the house and I didn’t want to go to grocery shopping until Sunday. When I found the artichoke hearts and chickpeas in the pantry (two of my favorite foods) I had a feeling I could come up with something tasty. Then I found the corn tortillas in the fridge and I knew that a delicious meal would soon be on my plate.
When my kids are in the mood for a special breakfast treat, there’s usually pancakes involved. Although these ones are made from scratch, they’re pretty simple to whip up in a hurry. When I first came up with this recipe, I only added chocolate chips, but I’ve since incorporated [Read more…]
Strawberries are my favorite fruit. In fact, they’re one of my favorite foods. I love them! Who wouldn’t—they’re beautiful, practical, and versatile.
Strawberries make the perfect snack: you wash their red sweetness, put them in a container, and they’re ready to go anywhere. You can also dip them in just about anything for extra flavor. This little fruit can be made into smoothies, candies, cakes, pies, and salsas. One of my favorite treats to make from this fruit is my delicious Strawberry Muffins with Strawberry-Lemon Glaze.
This Creamy Artichoke Dip is a big fan favorite in my house whether it’s Superbowl Sunday or any other game day, a holiday, or any day I make it! It’s warm, tasty, and so simple to make. This batch size serves 5 – 7 people– depending on how hungry everyone is! You may want to double it for a larger gathering.
After the holiday season, with its sweets and treats, we’re probably all going to be thinking about cutting back on the calories for a while. We are, after all, going to have to fit back into our skinny jeans! We might be cutting back on sweets, but this recipe is full of flavor and is a really tasty and healthy treat.
With the holidays upon us, our homes will be overflowing with joy, love, and cranberries –well, with all kinds of delicious foods! Unfortunately, most of us throw out more of that food than we’d like to admit. Smoothies and juices are a great way to use a lot of the extra fruits and vegetables we find in our kitchens.
I came up with these smoothie combinations from different fruits and greens that I needed to use up before they went bad. I don’t buy fresh cranberries often, but I know I’ll have plenty of them in the house during the holiday season. They also stay fresh in the fridge for several weeks because of their acidity.
These low-calorie no-bake oatmeal cookies are some of my favorite treats. They also happen to be very healthy. Oatmeal is high in fiber and protein so it stabilizes blood sugar and is filling. I eat oatmeal every morning (yes, EVERY morning!) for breakfast. Because oatmeal is so healthy, I came up with these low-calorie no-bake cookies as a tasty snack:
