Rainbow Snack Tray

Ready to rev up snacking?

step 1: Fill a muffin tin with assorted healthy snacks

step2: Challenge yourself (or your kids) to eat all of it through the day

This tip is a life changer. I do this for myself when I feel I'm in need of more fruits and veggies in my day. I do this for my kids regularly. Is it just me or are kids in general absolutely crazy for snacks these days? Put food out and kids that were enthusiastically playing whatever (that was previously so engaging that when you yelled their name to try and get their attention it was as if you were not there) come flocking to the table in hoards to eat a snack. I find it a little weird. Kids are weird. Snack time is a lot easier with this method becuase there is no "snack time"-they just graze all day whenever they want. And since I don't fill the tray with anything to terribly filling, they are still are hungry for meal times.

Try filing the cups with as many colors of the rainbow as you can (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink). Kids and even adults are drawn to colors. The more the better.

Some ideas:

red: strawberries, red bell pepper strips, radishes, cherries, apple slices, cherry tomatoes, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, kidney beans (um, yeah, my kids like plain beans sometimes-what?)

orange: mango, papaya, orange segments, cantaloupe, mini carrots, dried apricot, roasted sweet potato wedges or butternut squash

yellow: mango strips, golden raisins, yellow bell pepper strips, star fruit, pineapple, peaches, spaghetti squash

green: edamame, cucumber slices, sugar snap peas, pistachios, kiwi, honeydew, broccoli, peas, celery sticks

blue and purple: blueberries, blackberries, grapes, plums, purple cauliflower

pink: watermelon chunks, guava chunks, pink grapefruit

miscellaneous: mixed nuts and seeds, vegetable chips, whole grain pita chips with hummus for dipping, pickled vegetables, hard boiled egg halves, kale chips, olives, roasted and seasoned chick peas.

Be creative. Think outside the box. I once filled a tin with only mint leaves. They are yummy, refreshing and nutritious. And sometimes, I get crazy and freeze the fruit I put in my tins. I love frozen grapes and kiwi chunks.

I should say that I didn't come up with this. I totally stole it from some Juice Plus video I saw years ago.

Three Ingredient Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Ice cream from whipped cream, seven minutes, no ice cream maker required. That's my kind of trick. I have a history of failed ice cream attempts. I think I tried to make basic vanilla ten times last year, each batch worse than the last. I never knew you could screw up ice cream so badly given the ingredients. Thank goodness I found this version! If any of you have a great basic -or not- ice cream recipe, do share in the comments!

I have a love for fresh fruit ice cream. I made strawberry because the berries were ripe, on sale and looked great, but I am dying to try this with peaches. Peaches and cream? Come on!

I have to say how pleasantly pleased I am at how this ice cream turned out. Since you start with whipped cream as your base, you already have nice volume and air throughout, which is why you don't need to run it through an ice cream maker before freezing. Then, when you scoop it out once frozen, you get the same feathery effect you would get with real ice cream. It's pretty genius, I must say.

The sweetened condensed milk gives it the perfect amount of sweetness and the fresh fruit cuts the richness of the cream. I wouldn't necessarily recommend leaving the fruit out, like in case you wanted straight up vanilla ice cream. You could, in theory, add a vanilla bean and leave the fruit out and you would get vanilla ice cream. But, I think this base might be a tad too rich for that. Don't get me wrong, it would taste delicious, I just don't know how much you could eat in a sitting. To me, adding the fruit is key. Just make sure you cut it small enough for scooping. Fruit freezes, you know.

Three Ingredient Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

adapted from Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body

makes about 5 cups

1 pint heavy whipping cream (2 cups)

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped small (or another fruit of your choice) I used a bit more

Whip cream just until soft peaks stage (about 2 minutes). Add in the sweetened condensed milk, and continue to whip for another minute. Fold the chopped strawberries into the whipped cream, pour into containers with lids and freeze.

I had wanted to try this with coconut milk whipped cream in attempt to make this a little better for the body, but the brand of coconut milk I bought didn't separate in the refrigerator so I couldn't make whipped cream from it. If any of you try it, let me know how it turns out!

Roasted Chickpea Tacos

A new family favorite has been born. I give you, the ingenious chickpea taco. My family is over the moon with this new dinner. The best way to describe is to explain how you make it. Imagine coating naked little chickpeas in a paste made from onion powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and fresh lime juice and then baking. In the process, the liquid evaporates and leaves with chickpeas coated in a zesty, limey, savory coating. Pair it with some warm, sauteed red bell pepper and onion, then top with cool, crunchy and creamy ingredients like cilantro, avocado, lettuce and non-fat greek yogurt, then wrap it all up in a soft tortilla with maybe a squirt more of lime and prepare to be amazed. The toppings are just as important as the chickpeas themselves, so make sure you get all of them for maximum enjoyment. This means don't skip steps or leave things out. Your work will be rewarded. We use Greek yogurt to substitute for sour cream, and it works much better in this recipe because it's less overpowering and compliments these flavors nicely.

Before baking:

After baking:

Aside from our chickpea taco utopia, we have been getting excited about moving into our new house! Well, we actually are a way off still (we are crossing our fingers for the end of April). But paint went in, trim and tile is done and were gearing up for cabinets so it feels close. A few weeks (um, now that I think about it, it might have been a few months) ago I walked through and wrote quite a few bible verses on the studs and framing. I picked specific verses for each room. More than a couple Psalms regarding "sound sleep" might have made their way into Olivia's room ;)

I promise to give you all a full tour once we move in.

Roasted Chickpea Tacos

serves 6

adapted from Keep Calm And Carry On

8 teaspoons chili powder, plus more for seasoning the onions and peppers

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

6 teaspoons ground cumin, plus more for seasoning the onions and peppers

4 teaspoons sea salt

4 tablespoon fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons water

4 (15 oz.) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 red bell peppers, diced

Toppings:Soft or hard taco shells (I used Ezekiel tortillas)

Diced tomatoes (optional)

Avocado slices

Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

Lettuce

Fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

To roast the chickpeas: preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, lime juice and water. Place chickpeas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or coated in oil, then pour the lime juice and spices paste over them, and toss to coat. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chickpeas are slightly crispy. (Because I cooked so many chickpeas on my baking sheet, my peas never got crispy, but they were still warm and tender. If you really like them crispy, use two baking sheets and make sure your chickpeas are not crowded.)

While the chickpeas are roasting, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red peppers. Cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Season with a pinch of salt and a dusting of chili powder and cumin.

To serve, spoon roasted chickpeas and sauteed vegetable mixture evenly down the taco shell and garnish with lettuce, cilantro, avocado slices, lime wedges, tomatoes (if using) and Greek yogurt. Serve!

Healthier Pizza Margherita and My Interview

Hi friends! I have two things to tell you today. First, as far as the recipe goes, I'm all about delicious pizza without the guilt or sacrifice of flavor. Yes, I'm going to ask you to make the dough and the sauce, but I promise you both are easy, easy, easy! Recipe Link below...

Before It's baked:

The pizza sauce before it's pureed:

The second is that my friend Sally, who happens to be a Psychologist (that makes her "Dr. Sal"), is interviewing me over on her blog- www.Legacyacc.com- about food, what inspires me, and how we soothe ourselves with food and my outlook on food and weight.

This is Sally. I took this picture a few years ago at a Broncos game. Isn't she the most stylin' psychologist you've ever met, with her hat and all?

For the recipe and my interview on Dr. Sal's blog, click here. And while your there check out some of my favorite posts of hers:

-Is It Selfish To Love Yourself?

-Self Love and Spirituality: Selfishness, Wholeness and Shoulding- I love the "shoulding" part. :)

Ever wanted to get a psychologists take on a specific question you have? Sally offers a great "Ask Dr. Sal" section.

Sally also co-authors a friendship blog called "Let Me Be Me"

I guess you could say, she's a rockstar.

Zuppa Toscana

Two weekends ago we took the kids skiing on Howelsen Hill. The weather was perfect.

Jeremiah can barely stand up, but he can ski down the tiniest of bunny hills by himself.

Isabella, frustrated that she had to stay on the bunny slopes with her brother instead of racing down bumps and jumps, glided down with equal boredom and ease.

She is too cool for school.

Clearly, I'm in trouble.

I also got invited over to Danielle's house for lunch. We had this amazing Zuppa Toscana. I can't say for sure if it's exactly like Olive Garden's because I've never had it there. But I can tell you that it is amazing. But then again, how can you go wrong with Italian sausage, potatoes, kale, wine and cream? How?! You cannot. We added in more kale than directed because we love it and figured, why not get all that healthy goodness into the pot?

The soup is rich, but not all that heavy. We were pleasantly surprised how the earthy kale cut the cream. The soup is brothy and elegant, rustic and filling.

Danielle and I like to eat sausage together. I realize how strange that sounds. Mostly because that's the only time we get to since both our husbands don't eat any meat. I don't eat meat 90% of the time for health reasons, but I partake every now and again because I love it. Danielle and I think were all rebellious for making food like this. Ever heard that phrase "white girl problems?" Listen, I'm all for making dishes healthier and meatless, but there are some things you can't touch. This is one of them.

Our perfect weather has temporarily disappeared to let some snow fly. Wishing I had this soup to warm me up!

Zuppa Toscana

adapted from Annie's Eats

serves 4

1 lb. Italian sausage (or half regular, half turkey sausage)

1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, chopped (we added a whole head)
3-4 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

They're Magically Delicious

What my kids will be waking up to on St. Patrick's Day morning

Green milk, courtesy of a little food coloring and a big ole bowl of Lucky Charms. This will be very exciting news in our house. We don't eat sugar cereal except on rare occasions. Case in point? Santa once brought a box of Froot Loops to our house.

Spinach Snickerdoodle Smoothie

St. Patrick's Day is approaching quickly and I just so happen to have a perfect green drink to share with you all to celebrate this holiday. That is, if you can pass up homemade Shamrock Shakes.

No joke. This smoothie tastes like a snickerdoodle cookie. I think it's a great way to sneak in some spinach, especially for kids without them really knowing it. Except that it's green. I suppose that could give it away...Just tell them the leprechauns did it. Unless that would freak them out. In that case, just go with spinach.

To be fair, my husband does not care for this because he says it's too rich and milky tasting which is something he definitely does not prefer. That and it's green. And sweet. And he can't marry the two very well in his mind. So if you don't like milky, sweet, cinnamon flavored drinks, consider this fair warning.

For everyone else, this is a super cool idea that I have enjoyed several times. It could even be desert.

Spinach Snickerdoodle Smoothie

adapted from The Persuit of Hippieness

makes 1

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 1/2 - 3 cups baby spinach leaves

1/4 package of lite firm tofu (I used silken.) or sub a banana

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2-1 packet of stevia (about 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon) or 1 tablespoon maple syrup

6 ice cubes

Blend until incorporated and smooth. Taste. Drink!

I like closer to three cups of spinach in my smoothie to achieve that bright green color. Make sure to use the almond extract if you want a true snickerdoodle taste. It makes the difference. If tofu is not your thing, you can sub a fresh or frozen banana. Also, I use stevia because I can make my drink sweet without adding more grams of sugar like you would get if you went with the maple syrup, but that's just my personal preference. There's no bitter taste in this drink which can be troublesome when using stevia elsewhere. Happy blending!