Spiced Honey Roasted Hazelnuts

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Spiced Honey Roasted Hazelnuts

I’ve come to love stepping outside of the box in the kitchen. Spicing things up figuratively and literally. So when I started to plan how I’d spice up a 2 ingredient chocolate cake I immediately thought to turn to nuts and honey as my inspiration.

Because what’s better than chocolate, hazelnuts, and honey? Well… maybe peanut butter but peanut butter is everywhere!

I have never roasted nuts on my own before from scratch (besides one time when I purchased an almond roasting kit from Target a few years back on clearance for Christmas gifts… but that doesn’t count because it was a kit!). I’ve heard it’s easy and figured I’d give it a go. Luckily it was easy! If you remember to watch the nuts closely so they don’t burn.

And these Spiced Honey Roasted Hazelnuts really did hit the spot when topped onto the cake.  [Read more…]

Outshine Funny Face Frozen Fruit Bars

I created my healthy #Outshine Funny Face Frozen Fruit Bars as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars by Crowdtap.

funny face frozen fruit bars #outshine

You know that time in the day that you just start craving something sweet or salty? Because I know it isn’t just me! There’s some time either right after nap time and before my husband gets home or after the kids are in bed that I just crave something bad.

And since I’m on Weight Watchers and trying to watch the mindless snacking, I’ve been trying to find alternatives for my old go-to’s as well as healthy snacks that the kids can enjoy with me as well. So when I found these deliciously tasty looking frozen fruit bars on my most recent grocery trip I knew I had to try them.

60-70 calories each and no fat?! Sign me up! Plus I knew the perfect way to make these bars the ultimate after school snack for the kids. Put funny faces on them! What kid could resist awesome funny face frozen fruit bars? Not mine. [Read more…]

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bar Recipe

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Pistachio Health Institute. pistachio granola bar recipe

I absolutely love finding great, healthy snacks that both of the kids and I love. Over the past few months, the kids have expressed an interest in pistachios. Mainly because they see their grandpa eat them but also because they love how fun they are to eat!

Since I’m always up for a challenge when it comes to food, I love that it takes SO long to enjoy an entire serving of pistachios. That means that I get to slowly enjoy my snack instead of rushing through eating it. And the kids love trying to open each one themselves making it a game to them.

When I choose snacks I try to choose ones that’ll keep me feeling full and satisfied. Pistachios are a good source of fiber, providing 12 percent of the daily value per 30-gram serving. And besides the health benefits, eating fiber may help you feel full longer and makes it easier to follow a healthy eating plan. Go pistachios!

pistachio granola bar recipe pistachios

Healthy snacks are great for a healthy lifestyle. They can help make us feel good and taste great as well. And? You get more nuts per serving with pistachios than any other nut out there. If you reduce your serving to 30 pistachios, you have a great 100 calorie snack ready for you to enjoy.

Below are a few great tips from Celebrity Trainer Valerie Waters as she helps us focus on smart snacking:

pistachios shine like the stars large

Since my kids already love pistachios I thought I’d take their love one step further and make some delicious dark chocolate pistachio granola bars for them as an after school treat. Something they could make with me after they got home and enjoy after naptime (because you better believe I still enforce naptime here!).

I took a few ingredients we had in the cupboard, chopped up a handful of pistachios, and made some delicious granola bars that are sure to be a hit when they wake up!

pistachio granola bar recipe ingredients

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bar Recipe

  • 1 cup Chex rice cereal
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup sweetened granola
  • 1/4 cup pistachios (shelled and chopped)
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened)
  • 1/8 cup coconut (unsweetened)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup almond butter (unsalted)
  • 1 tablespoon honey or raw agave (more or less to taste)
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the rice cereal, oats, granola, pistachios, chocolate, dried cranberries, coconut, and salt.
  2. In a small bowl mix together almond milk, chia seeds and almond butter. Stir until almond butter is dissolved into almond milk.
  3. Add almond mixture to dry ingredients and mix everything together until a dough forms.
  4. Press the dough into a wax paper lined 8 x 8 inch dish or a bar pan. Place the dish into the freezer and let set for about 20 minutes, or until hardened. Cut dough into bars. Wrap the bars individually and store in the freezer or fridge.

 

pistachio granola bar recipe bar pan

pistachio granola bar recipe cut out

What are your go-to healthy habits for 2014?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Pistachio Health Institute.

Vanilla Chex Cranberry Pecan Bars

Vanilla Chex Cranberry Pecan Bars

I love cereal. Like LURVE cereal. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Too bad the husband doesn’t do breakfast for dinner. But that’s another story…

So when I received a few boxes of Vanilla Chex to try out in the mail I didn’t hesitate to jump in and indulge in a bowl (or two). And when my daughter saw what I was doing she demanded that I share. I almost didn’t.

I told her I was going to make something for our playgroup’s halloween party with them and her eyes got big. She was so excited to see what I was going to make. And I’m pretty sure I made her day when I showed her these Vanilla Chex Cranberry Pecan bars I threw together.

They were pretty darn good!

[Read more…]

Keeping Kids Healthy with Great Snack Options {Back to School Special}

Keeping Kids Healthy with Great Snack Options

Now that the kids are going back to school and the craziness of summer is coming to an end, it’s time to start talking healthy snack options!

One of my main concerns with my kids is the fact that they want to snack all.day.long. So I’ve tried my best to offer a variety of foods to not only keep them open minded about what they eat, but also keep them aware of the colors they eat and trying to make sure they get to every color of the rainbow!

If they’re going to snack, they’re going to snack the right way.  [Read more…]

Food, Nutrition, and Health Tips for Kids

Food Nutrition and Health Tips for Kids - great snack and meal ideas

One of the biggest problems I have when it comes to my toddler and eating is that he doesn’t eat meals like I do. He would much rather snack all day then have large meals.

So in order to get him to eat during the day I let him have small snacks every two to three hours versus a set breakfast, lunch and dinner. And because it’s so easy to grab a pre-packaged snack from the cupboard I needed to find some simple, quick, healthy snack ideas to keep him fueled throughout the day. [Read more…]



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