Avocado Toast + Cheese

I know I am jumping on the trend bandwagon with this post but I do not care because I am obsessed with Avocado Toast.  For breakfast, lunch or dinner, I just cannot get enough.  As a mom, it does make the EASIEST lunch ever, allowing you to get some great nutrients in with very little time.  The only difference between mine and perhaps the uber healthy version is that I like cheese with it, because cheese is my favorite and I see no reason not to add it.  Here is what you need to do...

Ingredients:
Two slices of cheese
One Avocado
Two pieces of bread
Salt and pepper

1. Turn your broiler on.
2. Toast two pieces of bread in your toaster and then set on a baking sheet with a slice of cheese on each piece.
3. Still the toast and cheese under the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese on top.
4. Remove from the oven and place on a plate.
5. Slice the avocado and lay slices across each piece of toast.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
ENJOY!

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

I have been absolutely terrible with recipe posts lately.

It is not that I haven't been cooking, it is just that I haven't been planning appropriately and am usually enjoying the meal when I realize that I should have taken some photos.

With Spring on its way, I am going to be better at this and begin sharing some yummy recipes that are perfect for some nice weather (which I swear is coming soon for those outside of California.  We will stop monopolizing I promise!)

The hubby has an affinity to eating Paleo right now.

I do not.

In fact, I turn B*tch when I eat Paleo.

This lady needs her carbs, bread and chocolate.

But this is totally off subject.

He has been following it pretty well lately and so I was looking for some recipes that would be Paleo but that I would also eat.

 And then I found these Zucchini Parmesan Crisps.

PERFECT!

I mean, they are just zucchini!

Well, after making them I was told that since I used cheese and bread crumbs, they are technically not Paleo.

So I ate them alone.

And they were FABULOUS.

He totally missed out.

Nutella Crepes

One of my favorites foods in France were crepes.  I cannot tell you how many ham and cheese crepes I ate while I was there but I just could not get enough.  Every time I find them on a menu, they will be ordered.  Every time I find a cafe that serves crepes, it becomes an instant favorite.  I do not know why it took so long for me to finally purchase a crepe pan and try them out for myself.

I picked up the Cuisinart Classic Crepe pan and figured there was no better way to try out my crepe making abilities than by making nutella crepes for the kids after school yesterday.  They are obsessed with nutella crepes and something a little different.  I used this recipe for crepes and got to work.

The treat was incredibly delicious and so easy to make.  The pan made it entirely too easy to spread the batter around and make a perfectly round shape (which I thought was going to be the hardest part).  The recipe was a no brainer and in just a few minutes, crepes were being served!  Next up?  My favorite ham and cheese of course!

I would also like to give a big shout out to the best father, husband and friend a girl could know.  

Happy Birthday Hubby.  

The kids and I adore you!  

XOXO

Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

With Halloween just a few days away, I thought I would share my most recent Shoptopia Clip.  In this video I make three different and EXTREMELY easy ways to season and bake your pumpkin seeds.  Whether you prefer traditional, sweet or savory, there is a recipe here for you.  My favorite one?  The sweet (typical), but all three are fantastic.

What am I wearing?

The sweater is T by Alexander Wang (similar), the cords are Gap and the necklaces are Stella & Dot and CEEK.

Happy Monday.

Patriotic Rice Krispy Treats

Yesterday the kids and I got into the spirit of the 4th and decided to make some rice krispy treats with a red, white and blue spin.  We followed the basic recipe for rice krispy treats but added some red and blue M&M's and candy sticks to make them less sticky to eat.  They are an incredible easy dessert to make for the 4th and who doesn't love a good rice krispy treat?

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
40 regular marshmallows
Red and blue M&M's (pulled from a regular bag)
Star cookie cutter
Candy sticks

How To Make:
1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan on low heat.
2. Add the marshmallows and mix continuously until they are all melted.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cereal and marshmallows together until all the cereal is covered
4. Mix in the M&M's
5. Flatten mixture on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with butter or nonstick cooking spray
6. Let cool until completely cooled
7. Cut out star shapes with the cookie cutter
8. Place the candy stick into the star and enjoy!

If you are interested in some more 4th of July fun, I am over at My Thirty Spot today sharing a little wardrobe inspiration for the holiday!  Come visit here.

A Lighter Chocolate Milkshake

My kids love sweets.  Surprise surprise right?  Ice Cream, cookies, cupcakes, candy.  They love it all.  This is to be expected with a mother who also has a slight addiction to all things chocolate.  I seem to always be walking the tightrope of not indulging them with sweets but also not being too crazy about it that one day I find candy bars hidden under the mattress.  

To help with the balance I am constantly looking for recipes that offer the sweet flavor my kids love but are not filled with SO much sugar and fat.  I came across a recipe for this lighter Chocolate Milkshake, and thought I would try it out.  

It was a hit with two out of three of the kids (Middle Man is SO picky that this was no surprise at all) and I enjoyed it myself.  With coconut milk, agave, bananas, peanut butter and cocoa powder, it created  a blended drink that provided some nutrition AND tasted like a dark chocolate milkshake.  Is it an In and Out shake?  No.  But it did curb that craving for something sweet and was a refreshing drink on a hot day.  With summer right around the corner this will be a running staple in the house when the ice cream cones feel like they are on overload.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

After spending the day inside on Saturday, I was itching to get out of the house for a bit and pull together a good meal for dinner.  Whole Foods is one of my favorite places to go shopping and I casually roamed the aisles with a friend (yes, it was Girl's Day at Whole Foods), taking in my little bit of escape.  One item I was grabbing ingredients for was Jalapeno Cheese Bread.  When I came across the recipe it just looked too good to pass up and I was right.  It was SUPER EASY to make and had so much yummy flavor.  Served with filet skewers and sauteed kale, it was the perfect spicy addition to celebrate everyone being healthy again.  Still crossing my fingers no one gets sick...

What you need:
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
3/4 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 jar pickled jalapenos
1 loaf sourdough bread
salt, pepper and paprika

Steps:
1. Mix mayonnaise, cheese and 1 tablespoon brine from the jalapeno jar; season with salt and pepper
2. Broil 4 slices of bread on a baking sheet until golden
3. Flip slices over and spread cheese mixture across
4. Top with chopped pickled jalapenos and a dash of paprika
5. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then cut each slice in half

* recipe courtesy of Food Network

Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana Fingers

Gone are the days of a few crackers and fruit as an after school snack.  My boys come home HUNGARY and it seems, eat our entire kitchen.  I cannot even imagine what the teenage years are going to be like.  I have been trying to come up with some heartier snacks for them to get them until dinner and these Grilled Peanut Butter-Banana Fingers from Cooking Light: Real Family Food did the trick.  A little protein, a little fruit and a little sweet.  They were perfect and not to shabby for me either.  What is not to love about peanut butter, chocolate and banana?  I will tell you.  NOTHING.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
4 slices white bread
1 small banana, halved crosswise
cooking spray
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons honey (optional)

To Make:
1. Preheat pan or panini grill
2. Spread peanut butter evenly over 2 bread slices.  Cut each banana half lengthwise into three slices.  Layer banana slices over peanut butter on bread slices.  Top with remaining bread slices. ( I actually put the peanut butter on all four slices because I hate when I have a grilled sandwich and it is not evenly spaced.  Blame my OCD).
3. Coat outside of sandwiches with cooking spray and grill, about 1 min on each side.
4. Cut sandwiches into 4 slices.
5. Drizzle sandwich slices evenly with chocolate sauce.  Serve with honey for dipping (one son liked this, the other didn't.  I did not think it was necessary and sweet enough without the honey)

The Perfect Acai Bowl

On Tuesday Baby Girl and I spent the morning at the Sambazon Acai Cafe in Newport Beach, learning about the company, their commitment to sustainability, their products and of course, their incredible Acai Bowls.  I have had Acai Bowls in the past but it has not been anything I have ever tried to make at home.  They actually walked us through, step by step, how to make the perfect Acai Bowl and I could not believe how easy it is.  It was too good not to share and so I am.

The Perfect Acai Bowl

Ingredients:

2 frozen Sambazon Original Rio Blend Smoothie pack

1/2 banana (1/4 if it is ripe)

3 oz. milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or juice (I used almond milk)

granola 
Toppings (strawberries, chia seeds, bananas, coconut, almonds....really, anything you want!) 

Steps:

1. Pour the liquid in your blender.

2. Add the banana

3. Add the two packets of frozen smoothie

4. Blend just enough to create a thick, smooth texture (around 30 seconds, depending on your blender)

5. Scoop into a bowl or cup and sprinkle with granola
6. Add your toppings!

Baby Girl loved the Acai Bowl we made at the cafe enough to not share much with me but I made my own to make up for it.  I topped mine with strawberries, bananas, coconut, and almonds.  Also, feel free to add protein powder, superfood greens or anything else to the blender.  It really is the perfect breakfast or snack!  

You can pick up the Sambazon smoothie packets at your local Costco, grocery store or health food store, depending on your location.  You can search here.      

Homemade Granola

I recently developed an addiction to granola and yogurt.  It is such an easy breakfast or snack.  I have heard about making your own but never really attempted it until yesterday.  I found this recipe and loved the abundance of nuts and coconut in it so decided to give it a try.  It was not only easy to make but SO GOOD too.  I cannot believe I wait this long but I can promise you, I will no longer be buying granola.  That would just be silly now.

Easter Treat: Resurrection Bread

To kick off Lent and the Easter season on this Ash Wednesday, I thought I would share with you this cute recipe given to us during our Oldest's First Communion prep class.  It is always hard to explain to the children the idea that Jesus rose from the dead and the simplicity of this recipe helped in them grasping the concept.  They could make it themselves and they actually saw something "disappear".  The best part is that Baby Girl kept saying, "I didn't want Him to disappear!" as she was incredibly upset that the marshmallow was gone...

Resurrection Bread

Ingredients:

1 can of 8 crescent rolls

8 large marshmallows

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Heat your oven to 375 degrees

2. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl

3. Melt butter in a second bowl

4. Roll marshmallows in the melted butter.
5. Roll marshmallows in sugar/cinnamon mix to coat.
6. Place a marshmallow in the center of the crescent roll triangle

7. Wrap carefully to try and completely seal so the marshmallow doesn't seep out as it heats.

8. Cook for 10 minutes (watch though, all ovens vary).

The marshmallow represents Jesus, the crescent roll represents the cloth the soldiers wrapped Him in after His death on the cross and the oven represents the tomb.  After the rolls cook, open the roll and see that the marshmallow (Jesus) isn't there because He has risen!  And as quickly as the rolls were there, they were gone.  The kids LOVED them.

I understand that many reading this may have different beliefs but this really was a tasty treat that brought the children into the kitchen and allowed them to make something themselves.  I recommend it for everyone!

I just noticed that I have posted a lot of recipes lately.  Take advantage of it.  I am sure I will fall into a "I am not cooking for a while" hiatus again soon!

Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

The hubby made these AMAZING Fried Mac and Cheese Balls for Super Bowl.

They were RIDICULOUS.

You should make them too.

Happy Weekend.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Since I completely bombed the last healthy recipe I tried to make, I have done a 180 and made one of the most unhealthy but completely delicious recipes out there.

On New Year's Eve I was introduced to the Buffalo Chicken Dip by the Brown Eyed Baker.  A friend of mine had made it and I was hooked.  To say that I may have eaten half the pan would not be an understatement.  Of course I had to get the recipe and make it myself.

The end result was just as good as I had remembered it and though I received a phone call from my mom and then forgot that it was in the oven, the overcooked cheese on top did not ruin it.  I will in fact remember the next time to set the timer for 30 minutes instead of 40 just in case.  Served with tortilla chips and celery (you know, to make it a little healthier) made the perfect appetizer with friends.

This may be making another appearance on Super Bowl Sunday since everything you eat or drink on that day has no calories.