Crunchy Carrot Strips

Wash and peel the outside of the whole carrots
Peel carrots into strips
Toss in a little olive oil and your favorite seasoning
Lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet (I didn't place each strand out separately, but you can)

Bake at 350* for about 10 - 12 minutes

Store in an airtight container
Enjoy!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I am not sure which I like better: the whole roasted brussel sprout or the crispy leaves that fall off. So, I try to make both in one pan! After trimming the stems, peel off some of the outer leaves to bake into "chips". Wash and toss with some olive oil and seasonings. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes for the leaves to crisp, remove them and place the tray back in until the little cabbages are tender!

Dried Fruit Snacks

This little puppies take no time to make and are great snacks!

2/3 cups of whole almonds
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 bag of assorted dried fruit
2 tbsp honey

Put the almonds in the food processor first and process them down to a mince.
Take half of the almonds out. Add in the fruit and coconut, process until everything is the same size.
Add honey and process until blended.
Scoop out 1 inch balls, roll in remaining almonds and store in an air tight container.
Enjoy!

Chewy Banana Chips

These are just too addictive! 

Take your over ripe bananas ( I used 5) and slice them thin.

Squeeze about 2 tsp of fresh orange juice over them and toss to evenly coat.

Bake in an oven at 225* for about a hour or until golden, carmely brown.

Store in an air tight container....Enjoy!

Bacon Jam

Yep...it is as awesome as it sounds!
This recipe is crazy easy and make the house smell great.
Get out your crockpot but leave the lid in the cabinet.

Start with a pound of bacon, sliced into inch pieces. Brown them all and save about a tbsp of fat to saute the onions. Dice up two red onions and saute in the fat. Add 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup and 3/4 cup brewed coffee and bring to a simmer. Add the bacon back in, stir and transfer to the crockpot. I like the crockpot better than a pot on the stove because I am a champ at scorching stuff!

Let it all cook down in the crock pot for 4 hours, uncovered. Put the mixture in the food processor and pulse  until just chunky enough but spreadable. Put in airtight containers and store in the fridge up to 4 weeks...if it lasts that long!

Wordless Wednesday: Ice Box Pickles

Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic is not only one of my favorite smells but it makes a favorite appetizer as well! Roasting whole cloves of garlic is very easy! I cut the tops off of the bunch and place the whole thing in a baking dish. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt...then into the oven! I roast my garlic at 350 for about 45 minutes. When it is golden brown, squeeze the cloves out and mash em on some bread for a great snack! You can chop them up to put in recipes too, like mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Florida Avocado Tomato Salad

I was in the grocery store and found these GIANT avocados! Instead of Haas, the are Florida avocados. I know that there are a hundred different kinds of avocado but have no idea what makes them all different. These avocados were more yellow than green inside and weren't as creamy as the usual Haas. Regardless...they were good.

Now, I have no real recipe for this so hand with me. I took one tomato and diced it, two avocados and scooped them out and a half of a red onion and thinly sliced it. I added some salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic right before I smashed it all with a potato masher.

I could probably eat this as a salad, maybe even over some chopped lettuce or mixed in with rice. Today, I chose to eat it with sea salt pita chips. Enjoy!

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!!

Easy Appetizer

1. Pluck some basil from the garden.
2. Toothpick basil and mozz.
3. Drizzle balsamic on top.
4. Done!

Squash French Fries

These are really easy to make. And when that bountiful crop of zucchini hits, it is an awesome way to use it up before it goes bad.

The pictures below are of one small yellow squash and one green zucchini. Wash them and slice them into .5 inch to 1 inch matchsticks. You will need two bowls, one with whisked egg white (2 of them with and drizzle of water) and then other with breadcrumbs (season them how ever you would like).

Use one hand to coat the stick with egg white, then drop them in the bread crumbs. Use the other hand to bread crumb and place on a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the bread crumbs are browned. Enjoy!

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!

Dairy Free Veggie Dip

At work, we make a mean tofu ranch dressing with Tofutti Sour Cream. I mistakenly told a co-worker that it was made from tofu. She was SO excited that she had eaten something with tofu and my news of Tofutti Sour Cream had just deflated her! I can't walk away from  that type of challenge...Tofu Veggie Dip with actual tofu comin' up!

Tofu Veggie Dip

by Rebecca Kraynek

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup soft tofu (use Silken if you want a salad dressing consistency)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp chopped garlic (the type in the tube is best)
• 2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce (start with 2 Tbsp and add more if need be)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• chives (start with 10)

Instructions

Add it all to a food processor and blend. There will be chunks of chives, but that's good!

Taste and add more of which flavor you like best ( I added a tad more garlic).

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Add it all and blend away - it's just that easy!

The Eggs are Green!!

Avocado Deviled Eggs

by Rebecca Kraynek

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 eggs
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup lite mayo
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

Boil eggs to a hard boil, let cool before peeling and slicing

Scoop out yolks into a bowl

Add remaining ingredients

Smash all together

Fill egg white with yolk/avocado mixture

Chill until ready to eat

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Use a potato masher for easy smashing!

Semi Homemade Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Semi homemade is my version of "I'm a slacker and don't feel like cooking from scratch but want something that doesn't taste the it was made 6 months ago by a huge manufacturing company". Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

by Rebecca Kraynek

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients (1 loaf)

• Chocolate Chip Bread Mix
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup shredded zucchini

Instructions

Mix it all together

Place in a Pam sprayed loaf pan (or make as muffins)

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes

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Coconut Water Smoothie

Coconut Water Smoothie

by Rebecca Kraynek

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

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Ingredients (serves 3)

• 17 ounce container of Coconut Water, unsweetened
• take a 2 cup measuring cup - fill a third of it with frozen strawberries then fill to the top with frozen sliced peaches
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

Blend in a blender until smooth!

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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.

Yummy Graham Snack!

This Hazelnut Butter isn't as sweet as Nutella, but that's okay because it still tastes awesome! I love Justin's Maple Almond Butter too. Check out all of their varieties: http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/products.php