Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings

May 26, 2015 by 1 Comment

This shop featuring a Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings recipe and mediterranean dinner ideas has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SpringIntoFlavor #CollectiveBias

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings

One thing I absolutely love about summertime are the fresh flavors of summer. Everything seems to get lighter while still staying just as tasty. And I love including some light fare when hosting friends over for dinner or lunch. Especially when most of the meal is make ahead!

I recently hosted a small group of friends over for a light dinner and went with a mediteranean themed menu including a quinoa tabbouleh with onion rings, delicious sweet potato fries drizzled with homemade tzatziki sauce, and some veggies and pita bread with tzatziki dip. Paired with a great wine, this was a fabulous meal to kick of summer.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings and veggies

All I needed to do was prep a little ahead of time by pairing a quinoa brown rice blend I had left over from dinner the night before and making the tzatziki sauce that morning, I was able to throw this all together in about 10 minutes after the sweet potato fries and onion rings baked.

By prepping 1/2 of my meal ahead of time, I’m able to enjoy my guests and throw things together right before we eat. That means more quality time with my friends and less time in the kitchen.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings and sweet potato fries

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings

  • 1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
  • 1 cup english cucumbers (sliced and quartered)
  • 8 ounces feta cheese (crumbled)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa and brown rice blend (cooled)
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 5-6 onion rings (baked and chopped)
  1. In a large bowl, mix together tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and combine.
  2. Add quinoa mix to the bowl and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and stir once more.
  3. Add chopped onino rings and lightly toss. Serve with whole onion rings on the top and enjoy!

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings mediterranean spread

By using high quality ingredients like Alexia onion rings and sweet potato fries and pairing them with fresh, in-season produce, a delicious meal can be created with little effort. And you won’t be missing out on flavor.

Every single bite of this tabbouleh is filled with fresh flavor and the perfect texture. Normally a tabbouleh is not made with onion rings but the crunch of these baked rings of deliciousness is an amazing addition.

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Onion Rings bite

You can find Alexia products in the freezer section of your local Walmart. I was able to find a handful of varieties all together right next to one another in the frozen potato aisle.

I absolutely love that Alexia products are made with all natural ingredients and love to keep these on hand for quick meals with the family or when friends come over. Next time I’m picking up a bag of the new Alexia Rosemary fries to try out with my tzatziki sauce!

Alexia Onion Rings and Sweet Potato Fries at Walmart

How do you keep meals light during the summer months?

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Soups & Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

85 Ways to Use Yogurt

May 25, 2015 by 352 Comments

Are you a yogurt fan? We’re sharing 85 ways to use yogurt in your everyday recipes!

85 Ways to Use Yogurt

There’s one thing I can always count on to make me happy. Whether it’s morning, noon, or night. And that’s a delicious bowl of yogurt. It’s the one thing I reach for in the fridge when I need a snack or when I’m cooking up a meal or dessert.

I started turning to yogurt more and more as a staple in my home after going through Weight Watchers after having my oldest child. It is such a great substitute for other ingredients in recipes and is full of flavor. Plus… less calories!

And in it’s simplest form, with a sprinkle of granola and some sliced berries, it can make any day better. Plus, when you’re done eating the yogurt inside, you can make something fun out of the container!

Have some yogurt in the fridge like I do? Here are 101 ways to use yogurt!

85 Ways to Use Yogurt

Breakfast

1. In strawberry muffins

2. Sprinkled with homemade granola

3. In a breakfast cereal parfait

4. In brown sugar maple muffins

5. To make a strawberry shortcake parfait a little healthier

6. In banana blueberry muffins

7. Spruced up as pumpkin pie yogurt

8. In greek yogurt blueberry muffins

9. In apple carrot walnut muffins

10. In chocolate chip donuts

Weight Watchers Simple Start anytime snack

11. In a healthy blueberry parfait

12. In overnight oats

13. In a Pomegranate Parfait with Blueberries

14. In cinnamon streussel yogurt muffins

15. In baby bran muffins

16. In banana chocolate chip whole wheat pancakes

17. In these flavorful Pomegranate Pancakes

18. In a blackberry shortcake parfait

19. In these Red Currant and Rosemary Olive Oil Scones

20. In these Whole Wheat Cranberry Sauce Scones

21. Or these Whole Wheat Mango & Ginger Scones

22. And these Whole Wheat Orange Scones with Chia Seeds

23. Or change it up with these Whole Wheat Pomegranate Scones

24. And around Halloween, bake up these Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones

Strawberry Muffins with Greek Yogurt and coffee

 

Lunch

25. To spruce up tropical chicken sliders

26. In a greek chicken wrap

27. In greek style gourmet burgers

 

Dinner

28. To lighten up Pomegranate and Lamb Moussaka with Cardamon

29. In a marinade for Chicken Skewers with Dipping Sauce

30. In a chicken tikka masala recipe

31. In the slow cooker with this butter chicken recipe

32. In a Boneless Chicken Breast Kabob (Joojeh Kabob)

33. With these Filet Mignon Kabobs (Kabob-eh Barg)

34. In this Yogurt Marinated Leg of Lamb

 

Side Dishes

35. Grilled Baby Artichokes with Balsamic Yogurt

36. In carrot raisin salad

37. Mixed with mint on top of a beet salad

 

Snacks

38. In vanilla chai banana bread

39. In an apple blossom parfait

40. In apple cobbler yogurt bites

41. In cranberry orange muffins

42. With a cup of coffee and this Nut Crusted Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie ingredients

Drinks

43. With a straw in a PB Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

44. In an orange creamsicle smoothie

45. Spiced up in a pumpkin pie smoothie

46. In a strawberry smoothie

47. In this Mango-Rum Smoothie

48. With avocados in a blueberry smoothie

49. In a cookies n cream smoothie

50. With papayas in a papaya smoothie

51. In Doogh (Persian Yogurt and Mint Drink)

52. In an Orange Cream Smoothie

53. After a workout in this Mango Protein Shake

54. In a Pomegranate Smoothie

 

Dessert

55. In mandarin orange cream pops

56. For a delicious addition to a Banana Smash Cake

57. In chocolate chip muffins perfect for dessert

58. In a Plum Yogurt Cake

59. To cool down in frozen greek yogurt pops

60. In an Orange Upside Down Cake

61. In churro cupcakes

62. In these root beer float pops

63. In chocolate covered strawberry frozen yogurt

64. In pumpkin spice yogurt

65. In a berry triffle

Mandarin Orange Cream Pops aerial

66. In strawberry frozen yogurt

67. In these Strawberry-Rhubarb Creamsicles

68. In a pomegranate sundae yogurt parfait

69. Frozen in pina colada popsicles

70. In berry cake with coconut rum

71. To moisten Carrot Cake with Walnuts & Raisins

72. With a glass of wine and this Grape Upside Down Cake

73. In a vibrant Lemon Basil Cake

74. In this Red, White & Blue Jello

75. In these mini Saffron & Raisin Pound Cakes

76. In this White Rose Cake

 

Dips and Appetizers

77. In a herbed yogurt cheese dip

78. In a refreshing homemade tzatziki dip

79. In Borani-e Esfenaj (Yogurt and Spinach)

80. In this Hatch Chile Dip

81. In Borani-e Bademjoon (Persian Yogurt and Eggplant)

82. With this Mast-o Khiar (Persian Yogurt with Cucumbers)

83. In chocolate caramel apple dip

84. With apples in this PB Yogurt Dip

85. In peanut butter cinnamon yogurt dip

Mountain High Yoghurt

What’s your favorite way to incorporate yogurt into your day?

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Baking, Breakfast, Desserts, Dinner, Drinks & Refreshments, In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Creative Ways to Use Leftovers {Grilled Pulled Pork and Mac and Cheese Sandwich Recipe}

March 6, 2015 by 4 Comments

I’m sharing this delicious Grilled Pulled Pork and Mac and Cheese Sandwich recipe and other creative ways to use leftovers with Campbell’s® Sauces as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars. #CampbellsSauces

Grilled Pulled Pork and Mac and Cheese Sandwich Recipe - Creative Ways to Use Leftovers #CampbellsSauces

As I mentioned previously, pre-planning meals with a newborn in the house is quite important when I have a house full of hungry people. Luckily I’m fairly creative and have not only planned out great slow cooker freezer meals but have also figured out ways to use those meals along with others I’ve prepared to make delicious leftover dishes like this grilled pulled pork and mac and cheese sandwich.

Getting creative with leftovers doesn’t have to be hard. Many dishes can be recreated simply by pairing them with another dish or adding a few other ingredients to change things up.

One of my favorite things to do is make a protein in the crock pot like chicken, beef, or pork, and have that meat slated for a few different recipes to make throughout the week. Cooking it up on a Monday means that I could easily have dinner prepped for Monday night, Wednesday and Friday! And we’re not eating the same boring leftovers.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Ultimate BLT Sandwich plus Tips on Cooking Bacon

August 25, 2014 by 12 Comments

Ultimate BLT Sandwich with Avocado Ranch Spread

There’s one word and one alone that can describe why my family can’t completely kick paper towels. And that word is BACON! While I can clean my counters with cloth rags, use cloth napkins at the dinner table, and dry my hands off with a kitchen towel, nothing compares to using a paper towel to drain and cool off.

My family is pretty obsessed with bacon and we always seem to be cooking more up. With the kids starting to demand bacon on a more regular basis I needed to figure out how to streamline the process but still end up with delicious, slightly crispy bacon for the family.

And, of course, create a deliciously simply BLT sandwich while I cooked up my last batch of bacon. Complete with an avocado ranch spread that really hit the spot.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Healthy Back to School Lunch Ideas and Tips

August 21, 2014 by 6 Comments

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Healthy Back to School Lunch Tips

Packing lunches can start to feel monotonous really quickly if you don’t have a lot of variety. This year I’ve been challenged to really thinking outside of the lunch box when it comes to packing healthy foods for my kids.

And since it’s the first official year I’ll be packing my son’s lunch for Kindergarten (and not just a day out like last year) I’m kind of excited to find new ideas to keep things fresh and exciting for him. Since we also have to send along a snack, I’ve included some snacks in here as well.

And, of course, I’ll be sending along some cute lunch box notes for my son to read as well when he’s munching on his goodies.

If your brain is really stuck on what to pack this year then check out some of these tips:

Healthy Back to School Lunch Tips

Keeping Things Bright

To mix things up this year, I really wanted to do something colorful and healthy. That’s where I got the idea of parfaits for their school lunches. Have the kids help make their school lunch parfaits the night before if that gets them excited.

You can use easy to open containers to help keep things from getting too messy at lunch time. I like to use whatever organic fruit I have on hand, which can get really colorful.

Healthy Back to School Lunch Tips - parfaits

From Left to Right Clockwise: Broccoli, Grapes, multi-grain crackers, Honest Kids Tropical Tango Punch, vanilla yogurt parfait with granola and strawberries, almonds, Applegate ham, Organic Valley sharp cheddar

DIY Lunchables

I’ve always loved the idea of how easy store bought lunchables are, but sadly they’re not very healthy. I’ve recruited my whole family into loving the idea behind DIY lunchables.

All you really need to complete this fun and healthy lunch idea is to have a container with trays or at least separate containers to give the lunch that ‘lunchable’ feel.We LOVE our Laptop Lunches bento box to make things easy at lunchtime. I pack organic juice, crackers, lunch meat, fruit, and then a “bakery” treat. My kids really love the variety that a DIY lunchable brings to the table.

Healthy Back to School Lunch Tips - pizza lunchable

From Left to Right Clockwise: Honest Kids Tropical Tango Punch, Cucumbers, Annie’s Bunny Grahams, Applegate Farms Turkey Pepperoni, Marinara Sauce, organic string cheese, french bread slices, peach

Mix It Up

If you are really having a hard time finding things to pack for your child, consider trail mix. My kids really love the idea behind trail mix because it’s yummy and I love it because it’s easy. And only includes 3 simple ingredients: granola, almonds, and raisins!

Even if your children can’t have nuts, there are a variety of items you can mix together to create the ultimate trail mix for your little one. Think of other dried fruits, maybe some mini chocolate chips if they are looking for a small treat? The possibilities are endless.

Healthy Back to School Lunch Tips - trail mix

From Left to Right Clockwise: fruit salad, carrots, Honest Kids Tropical Tango Punch, trail mix, bagel with cream cheese

Dip it Good

One thing we’re discovering this year is yummy and healthy dips to pack in lunches. Let’s face it, packing veggies and fruits can seem bland, we are mixing it up with various dips. Hummus is one dip your children might love trying.

You can also create yummy fruit dips out of organic greek yogurt and chia seeds. With this base, you can add a variety of items to your fruit dip, like chocolate chips and peanut butter. This really brings variety and fun to any school lunch (plus it keeps it healthy).

Healthy Back to School Lunch Tips - dips

From Left to Right Clockwise: cantalope, ants on a log (with almond butter), Honest Kids Tropical Tango Punch, french baguette, pasta with marinara sauce

Multiple Fruits & Veggies

I’ve noticed that when I pack my kids a variety of fruits and veggies it gets gobbled up. My kids love opening up their lunch to find a garden full of fruits and veggies. Of course, I like to arrange it so it’s more fun to eat. I might make the container represent a forest with broccoli as trees and little grapes as the bottom part of the forest.

If I want to make things bright, like a rainbow, I’ll pack cut up a green and red apple, peel an orange, and add red and green grapes. Eating with color is always more fun, especially when it’s arranged to look cool.

How do you spice up school lunches while keeping them healthy?.

Lunch Box by Thirty One | Bento Box by Laptop Lunches | Container by U·Konserve

Pinterest Inspiration

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, In the Kitchen, Kids Health, Lunch, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Salad In A Jar Ideas

March 31, 2014 by 9 Comments

Salad In A Jar IdeasEven though I work from home, I need something quick and easy for lunch or else it’s 3pm and I’ve realized I haven’t eaten since breakfast. So when I saw a few salad in a jar ideas I knew I had to create a few of my own.

So when Fresh Express sent out a few coupons for me to test out their salads and partake in their 30-day Salad Swap challenge. Basically the challenge is to take mealtime favorites that are higher in calories and swap them for a delicious, lighter salad creation.

I just took the challenge one step further and put my salad creation into a jar for easy access and easy storage. Now I just have to grab a salad from the fridge and chomp away as I work without actually having to prepare anything! Win-win.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Lunch, Soups & Salads, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

April 6, 2013 by 10 Comments

One of my favorite all time lunch (or dinner) option is a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of creamy tomato soup. My favorite menu item on Nordstrom Cafe’s menu is, of course, the grilled cheese & tomato soup and it’s my kids favorite too (the sandwich, not the soup).

So when I heard that national Grilled Cheese day was coming up this week I knew I had to share my favorite way to prepare grilled cheese at home. Yup… I’m sharing the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich recipe with you!

Now the components of a grilled cheese are simple, a spread on teh outer layers of bread to brown, some yummy cheese and a pair of bread slices to hold the cheese in.

You can change up the type of cheese and type of bread to reflect what you love the most but I always go with at least one cheese that’ll melt well. And I usually use two different types of cheese.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

[Read more…]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , ,

Tomato Zucchini Soup {Lunch Recipe}

July 23, 2012 by 11 Comments

 

I love simple lunches. Something I can whip up or reheat easily is key. So when I was figuring out what to do with all of the tomatoes we have coming in right now from our garden, I knew that a soup would be perfect. Now I normally roast my tomatoes with some other veggies to make the base for my marinara sauce so I thought why not roast up some tomatoes for a soup as well.

This recipe, from start to finish, takes 30 minutes and can easily be made in larger quantities to store for future lunches (or dinners!). It’d go great with a grilled cheese and a salad. The kids loved it as well!

Tomato Zucchini Soup

  • 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 2 medium zucchini, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 handful fresh basil, stems removed
  • Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay tomatoes and zucchini on sheet.

Mix olive oil and garlic together in a small bowl. Drizzle over vegetables. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

Remove veggies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Add to Magic Bullet, food processor, or blender (your choice!) and blend for a few seconds until just combined. Add basil and salt and pepper. Blend until it’s at the consistency you like.

Pour and serve. This soup can be served cold, lukewarm, or hot. It tastes good either way!

Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

What type of soup do you love? 

Filed Under: Lunch, Recipes, Soups & Salads, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,


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