Today is the Kentucky Derby. As my horse-loving friend was preparing for the big race, we were discussing big fancy hats, Mint Juleps, and all things traditionally Derbyish. My 6-year-old was present for the discussion, and asked if I could make him a Mint Julep. I’m not big on giving kids (or myself!) lots of sugar, and I’m definitely not giving them Bourbon, but I did make us all a delicious, refreshing Sparkling Mint Drink using the mint in our garden (the one thing that reliably comes back for us year after year), sparkling water, and a bit of sweetener.… Continue reading
dairy-free
Healthy Snack: Turkey Avocado Roll-Ups
My 6-year-old takes a class once a week at a local art studio. The class lasts three hours, and the kids all bring a snack to eat when they take a little break part way through class. The one caveat to this snack is that the art studio is a Nut-Free Zone (neither peanuts nor tree nuts are allowed), so many of our staples can’t be eaten in that space.… Continue reading
Simple Sun Tea Recipe
Are you looking for a refreshing drink on for a hot summer day? One of our favorite summer time beverages, which works just as well on a sunny spring day, is sun tea. Sun tea takes no fossil fuels to make it; instead it’s made by pure sun power. It also tastes great, and is a zero- or low-calorie healthy drink (depending on if and how you decide to sweeten it).… Continue reading
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
The other day I wanted something chocolatey. Really chocolatey. A friend of mine had told me that she makes avocado pudding as a healthy sweet fix. I didn’t have her recipe, but decided to go ahead and make up one of my own.
I put the fruit from two large avocados into my food processor, decided to sweeten the mixture with dates, and then added other the ingredients until it seemed about right (to be read: extreme chocolate taste).… Continue reading
Grain-Free Broccoli Breadsticks
While I was searching for something new to try in our kitchen, I stumbled across this recipe for Broccoli Breadsticks. We could eat all the ingredients in the recipe, and I happened to have all the ingredients except fresh basil on hand. So I modified it slightly and we decided to give it a try.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I made this recipe, but the breadsticks didn’t turn out how I imagined they would (perhaps I focused too much on the word “bread” in breadsticks).… Continue reading
Homemade Maple Vanilla Ice Cream
We had the opportunity to get some more cream from our local dairy; in addition, we had friends coming over to visit. This combination seemed the perfect reason to make another batch of homemade ice cream (last time we made chocolate ice cream, see HERE).
This time, my 6-year-old requested that we make vanilla ice cream, but not the banana kind (I often use bananas to sweeten my ice cream.).… Continue reading
Easy Egg Salad
Have you had enough of plain hard-boiled eggs? Here’s an easy way to transform your hard-boiled eggs into a simple egg salad. It’s great for making sandwiches, adding a scoop to a lettuce salad for a protein boost, using as a dip for sliced raw vegetables, or simply eating plain with a spoon. Egg salad makes a great lunch at home or on the go.… Continue reading
Healthy Snack: Apple with Peanut Butter
My 6-year-old was looking for a treat this afternoon. We had too much going on to tackle a big baking project, so I decided to pull out this old standby. It’s simple, nutritious, tastes great, is full of fiber, and it has a nice balance between fats and sugars. Best of all, both of my boys though it was a wonderful treat.… Continue reading
Potato-free Shepherd’s Pie
Several months ago, we had a bunch of leftover pureed cauliflower “mashed potatoes” (recipe HERE). On a whim, I decided to make a shepherd’s pie using the cauliflower as a topping. Everyone loved it, and it’s now become a regular part of our dinner rotation. For this reason, I’ll steam and puree 3-4 heads of cauliflower at a time – so we have enough for our first dinner as well as enough to top our shepherd’s pie with leftovers.… Continue reading
Grain-Free Spiced Breakfast Bread
After my recent success with an ultra-simple Grain-Free Bread (recipe HERE), when I stumbled upon an old bookmark for this Breakfast Bread recipe, I decided to combine the two and make a very simple spiced breakfast bread.
If you haven’t mixed up the Chai Spice Mix, than cinnamon (or any combination of the spices in the mix) would work in its place. … Continue reading