Cucumber Salad

Anything from Grandpa Max's garden is good - this post showcases CUCUMBERS! Grandpa Max is know for his garden, mostly his abundance of tomatoes. Since the tomatoes haven't ripened yet, I will gladly make something awesome out of the cukes. If you are looking for a cool base to your salad besides the usual greens or lettuce, try this with cucumbers. 

Take a mandolin with the french fry blade...cucumber "pasta". Slice the cucumber lengthwise down the mandolin - careful with your fingers!

This is my new favorite salad dressing and it works great with cucumbers! Use the serving size (read the label!) of any dressing and toss it with the cucumbers. Then top you salad with the usual toppings: shredded carrots, tomatoes, onions, etc. Perfect!

New Fun Finds: SNACKS!

The Rice Chocolate Bar is dairy free and isn't a bad chocolate bar, taste-wise. Nutritionally? About the same as regular chocolate.

The Sahale Snack have dried pineapple, cashews and black sesame seeds....awesome munchies!

The Sweets and Beets are made of sweet potato chips and beet chips. I dislike beets. This is probably from years of Senior Living food service and pickled beets. These beet chips....I LOVE THEM!

The Pretzel Chips come in a bunch of different flavors and are great with or without dip.

Enjoy!!

Cute. Healthy. Cat Treats.

New Fun Find: HINT

I am pretty picky about my beverages. I can't drink anything with milk...or my stomach will hate me. I can't drink anything with artificial sweeteners...or my headaches will hate on me. Most flavored waters have some sort of artificial sweeteners in them so I was pleasantly surprised to find Hint. This water literally has just a hint of flavor...and that's all! Not overly sweet. Perfectly refreshing. I bought the watermelon and the raspberry-lime. Try 'em!

New Finds: Earth Fare

We have a new store in town! Earth Fare is open and I needed to see what it was all about. I picked up a few snacks after looking over some amazing sandwiches, coffees and candy! 

There is a station where you can grind your own peanut butter: Honey Roasted Peanut (which I bought), Almond, Peanut and Dark Chocolate, and Regular Peanut.

These carrot chips were among okra chips, green beans, and mixed vegetable chips. They are delicious!

New Fun Find: Green Machine!

I was grocery shopping and found myself insanely thirsty. I was really in the mood for something smoothie-like but never expected a green one! After a few minutes of trying to make a decision of green and strange or strawberry and normal, I dug deep and bought the green one. This bottle has spinach, broccoli, algae, garlic, wheat grass as well as some sweet fruits. It was fabulous and as always, I made the kids try it...and they liked it :)

Check out of the flavors here: http://nakedjuice.com/our-products/juice/green-machine

New Fun Finds: Somersaults

Oh the crunchy, crunchy, peppery goodness!!

Find them. Buy them. Eat them.

New Fun Find: Nut Crunch

These little suckers are CRUNCHY and I love 'em! I keep a bag in my desk for my 2:30 sweet craving. They come in little squares so they are easy to portion out. I saw about 5 different kinds in the store and I can't wait to try the others.

New Fun Find: Maple Almond Butter

Oh, do I love, love, love this! I found it as I was searching the health food isle for something new to try. It comes in individual pouches to buy (instead of having to buy a whole box only to find out that you hate it). I tasted it first before spreading it on my banana. It has a slight crunch to it, but not as crunchy as Jiff Crunchy Peanut Butter. It is a tad sweet and a tad salty....works perfectly for me! When I shop next, I am going for the big jar on this one :) Enjoy!

Slush Mug

I found this cool mug that turned beverages into slushies! I figured that the kids would love something like this, especially with all of the warm weather coming. As a note from the dietitian...remember that many hidden calories are from beverages. Making a fun slushy from orange soda, as the fun advertisement shows, will add a good (and unneeded) 100 calories (including juices!). So, what does a mom with a slush mug do? Use infused waters for freezing!

Squeeze some lemons, limes and oranges into your water and store in the fridge for everyday hydration as well as using it in the mugs. Or crush a few pieces of fresh pineapple with some mint leaves. Or slice up cucumber with some fresh lemon juice. Smash strawberries with lemon. The combinations could be endless - pick a fresh fruit, vegetable or herb and try it out!