Granola Balls

We found these over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe and we love them! They are the perfect little snack. I've made a few changes - reducing the amount of honey and chocolate chips - to make them taste more like a snack and less like a dessert. You can experiment with different nut butters and add-ins as well to make your own creation. We've tried peanut butter and almond butter, dried fruit instead of chocolate chips, and adding chia seeds into the mix and they've all been delicious! They come together very quickly and stay fresh for quite awhile. Enjoy!

Granola Balls

You can easily experiment with different add-ins - just try to keep the wet:dry ratio about the same. Let me know what you try! :)

*You can use Rice Krispies if that's all you have; I just prefer all natural crisped brown rice cereal because it's usually just one ingredient and whole grain.

2 c. quick oats
1 c. crispy brown rice cereal*
1 c. natural peanut butter
1 c. ground flaxseed
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. honey
2 T. coconut oil
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing gently so you don't crush the rice cereal. Mix until well combined. Using a cookie scoop (or spoon/hands), drop rounded balls about the size of a walnut onto a lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, then transfer to an airtight container or ziploc bag to store in the refrigerator or freezer. They'll stay fresh for a week or so in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.

Source: Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Roasted Red Potatoes

I make roasted potatoes a lot.  I've never really followed a recipe and so I have never thought to put it on the blog, but they are so delicious I thought you would enjoy them!  They are incredibly versatile - you can use russet or red potatoes (gold don't get quite as crispy) and whatever herbs and seasonings you have around.  We currently have a rosemary plant growing in our backyard, so I use that most often these days, but as you can see in the picture, you can add chives, oregano, parsley, whatever floats your boat.  As long as you have olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper, they'll be delicious!

Homemade Chicken Stock

If you roast your own chicken, or even if you buy a rotisserie chicken, making chicken stock is a great way to make that chicken go even further!  Some people make stock using the meat and bones, but I find I can get a great stock from just the carcass.  I just remove most of the meat (without being too fastidious about getting every last piece), and throw it in a pot with some onions, celery, carrots and water, and let it simmer away.  I usually get about 2 quarts of stock, saving me big bucks!  I use the stock for soups, gravy, sauces, cooking quinoa or rice, or anything else I can think up.  It's delicious!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Are you a sweet potato lover?  I used to think I didn't like sweet potatoes, but they have really grown on me over the last few years.  I think I just wasn't used to them, since I never ate them as a kid.  I have come around though.  These are delicious!  I love their vibrant color and their abundance in the stores and markets this time of year.  They have a naturally sweet flavor and roast up pretty quickly in the oven.  We stuck to the basics with this recipe - olive oil, salt, and pepper, but I've seen some that use all sorts of spices from cinnamon to cumin.  Don't expect a crisp crunchy exterior like you get with white potato fries.  These are definitely softer, but the taste they get as they start to caramelize on the pan is delicious!  Enjoy!

Winter Salsa

I LOVE this time of year for many reasons - the cool crisp weather, the apples and pumpkins in abundance, the fall colors, etc.  However, I always find myself missing some of the great summer produce, namely tomatoes.  We eat so many delicious tomatoes in the summertime that nowhere near resemble the tomatoes you find in the stores year-round.  Salsa is one of those things we love to whip up with our summer tomatoes, but if you love homemade salsa all year long, don't fear!  This recipe uses canned tomatoes, and it is really delicious!  In fact, I make it a lot in the summer too, because it's so convenient, taking just a few minutes to whirl together, and it still has that fresh taste from the onions and cilantro.  Honestly, I couldn't believe how good it was the first time I made it and I have made it well over 10 times since.  Enjoy!

Honey Wheat Rolls

It's that time of year where I want to bake...a lot.  I find myself making soup several times a week and wanting to make some sort of bread or roll to go with it!  These little gems are ones I've eaten a lot (made either by my mom or sister), but I hadn't made them myself until recently.  They are delicious!  The recipe makes a dozen, but you could easily double it.  I made two batches a couple weeks ago and stuck one back in the freezer for later.  They tasted great both times we had them.  The original recipe is for a breadmaker, but I made a couple little changes after a failed first attempt to adapt them, and they've worked great.  Enjoy!

Coconut Raspberry Ice Cream {dairy-free}

Another dairy-free coconut ice cream win!  I made this for my husband's birthday and it was so delicious.  You will not be missing the dairy at all with ice cream like this around!  It is SO simple to make - only 4 ingredients.  We used some frozen raspberries we had picked this summer and they gave it such a refreshing tartness that we loved.  Give it a try and I'm sure you'll love it too!

Homemade Corn Tortillas

I am slowly starting to realize that there just aren't enough hours in the day to make every single thing from scratch, but that sure isn't going to stop me from trying!  There are some things you can buy in the store that are somewhat close to a homemade version, but let me tell you, corn tortillas are not one of them.  Store-bought corn tortillas are pretty awful, depending on the brand, and you aren't left with many options other than frying them since they are dry and break apart if you look at them wrong.  So unless you've got a great Mexican market close by, your corn tortilla experiences may not be the best.  BUT...they are SUPER easy to make at home!  I'm not sure why I never tried them before, honestly.  They are way easier than flour tortillas and are quite delicious and addicting!  My boys and I made these together a couple weeks ago and they were great to munch on while we were making and made a delicious taco shell for our chicken tacos that night.

Grilled Salmon with Maple-Soy Glaze

Living in the Pacific Northwest has given us the chance to be near a lot of great seafood!  My husband and father-in-law were able to go salmon-fishing this summer and they both had great success.  It's been fun to be able to treat ourselves to salmon from our freezer whenever the craving hits!  I thought I would try a different recipe every time I made it, but this one was so good, we made it twice.  The combination of the soy and maple syrup gives it a great flavor and an addicting sweetness that you will love!  Kudos to my husband for catching and grilling such great fish!

Granola Bars

I know, I'm kind of on a granola kick lately, but who doesn't love granola?  I have tried SO many granola bar recipes and failed SO many times.  Some ended up as granola since they didn't stay together at all, some tasted more like candy bars, some tasted like cardboard, and some tasted like bricks.  But these!  These finally are a triumph.  They are chock full of deliciousness - oats, almonds, coconut, dried fruit in whatever variety you like, and just enough honey to make them stick together wonderfully!  I used a combo of dried dates, peaches (home-dried!), and cranberries, and loved the flavors.  But you could definitely do apricots, cherries, blueberries, or whatever else floats your boat.  I would probably always use dates as part of the combo since they make such a good glue and sweetener, but the rest you could play around with.  Let me know what you use!  Enjoy!

Loaded Granola

Our family has made a lot of changes as far as food goes over the years, and cutting out processed foods has been an ongoing goal and process.  I make a lot of things from scratch, which means I'm always on the lookout for fantastic made-from-scratch recipes.  This granola is one of them!  I love the convenience of eating cereal in the morning - especially for my husband who leaves for work early, but I hate the gobs of sugar in processed cereals, and the lack of stay-power.  It seems whenever we used to eat cereal, the kids would be starving an hour or two later.  No more!  Now that we've replaced store-bought cereal with home-made granola, we are able to have that convenience and the energy to get through the morning.  Of course, you have to prepare this in advance, but it honestly takes me less than 10 minutes to throw a batch together, and then the oven does the rest of the work.

Peach Salsa

Sick of peach recipes yet?  Just wait, I have more!  This was a fun thing to whip up with our dinner a few weeks ago.  This peach salsa actually only calls for peaches - no tomatoes, which was great for us because I didn't have any tomatoes that day!  It's pretty much pico de gallo, with peaches subbing in.  Extremely addicting and delicious!  You can serve it with grilled chicken or fish, or just dig in with some tortilla chips.  Summer's not over yet with this around!

Fruit Leather

Is anyone else out there swimming in fruit these days?  We went peach picking last weekend and went a little overboard.  We've been eating peaches, freezing peaches, baking peaches, and canning peaches, so we decided to also make some fruit leather!  It was really easy, it just took a long time to fully dry.  Of course if you have a dehydrator, this is faster, but you can just as easily do it in the oven, as we did.  Just set it as low as it can go, and give it a good 6-8 hrs to do its thing.  You can do it overnight, or even do a few hours at a time if you need to run an errand and don't want to leave the oven on.  Just keep the door closed in between.  

Black Beans {a la Cafe Rio}

These beans are delicious!  We love them in tacos, burritos, taco salad, or just on their own.  They are a total breeze to put together and turn plain old black beans into something totally amazing!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Have you been picking blueberries this summer?  We're fortunate enough to live in a place where berries grow in abundance, and we've been blueberry-picking several times this summer.  This has been one of our favorite ways to enjoy them.  Blueberries are so tasty fresh, but I have to admit, I love them even more when they're cooked and they burst with juices and flavor.  These muffins are super easy to whip up and they are quite healthy too!  You can use fresh or frozen berries; and yogurt, buttermilk, or non-dairy milk.  We've tried them all ways and they're delicious anyway you do it!  Enjoy!

Red Potato Salad

I'm wishing I had taken a photo the day of, but didn't because we had company, so this is the next day - it was still utterly delicious as leftovers!  Just not as pretty...

I love potatoes - in any form.  I've always loved potato salad.  I grew up eating my mom's potato salad, which is delicious, but I've never been the type that only liked one type.  I'm a lover of all.  This potato salad is incredible.  It's loaded with everything good - celery, dill pickles, red onions, eggs, fresh dill, dijon mustard, and the list goes on.  I love that it's so easy because you use red potatoes that you don't have to peel.  I rarely make potato salad because it always seems so daunting, but this was a cinch to put together and it was SO GOOD.  We had some people over for dinner and everyone was in love and wanted the recipe.  Winner!

Summer One-Pot Pasta

I have a love-hate relationship with cooking in the summer.  I love the salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lightness of food in general in the summer.  But I never want to come in from the fresh air and spend a lot of time preparing meals!  Especially when it's hot out.  This one-pot pasta was a total hit because it was SO easy and SO fast AND it tasted fantastic!  I can't wait to make it with tomatoes fresh from our garden (fingers crossed my kids don't eat them all off the plant before I can use any!).  We did use our own basil and it was tasty!  You literally throw everything in the pot with the pasta and water to cook, and it makes it's own flavorful sauce and is ready in minutes.  If we had a gas stove it would be even faster, because the longest part was just waiting for the water to boil.  Next time you find yourself needing something for dinner quickly, try this out!

Homemade Lara Bars {aka Date-Nut Bars}

(coconut cream, pictured)

Have you ever had "Lara Bars" before?  They are, quite simply, a bar made up of dates and nuts.  Some have other additions, but the base is always dates and nuts.  I tried them for the first time a few years ago and thought they were quite good.  Since then I've always wanted to make my own since the ingredients are so simple.  If you haven't used dates before, don't be afraid.  They are a fruit that grows on a date palm tree (my sister in Florida has one in her yard!).  You can buy them with or without the pit - just remove it if you buy them with, it's very easy.  I've found them at Costco and several other grocery stores.  They are naturally very sweet and sticky, so they are great for binding things together and providing sweetness.

Bok Choy Brown Rice Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Temperatures are warming up across the country which means it's time to switch from soups to salads!  We eat a lot of salads in the summer time and I'm always up for trying new ideas.  I saw this one over at Annie's Eats and knew it was going to be a winner.  Lots of crunch and delicious flavors and even better - my kids loved it too!  There are quite a few steps, but if you cook the rice and chicken ahead of time, it's pretty easy to put together.  Sometimes if I have extra rice from another meal, I'll pop it in the freezer to use for this salad later.  Chicken - same thing.

Maple Pecan Ice Cream {dairy free}

(Sorry for the terrible picture - I just wanted to eat it!!)

Intrigued?  This was the most indulgent creamy delicious dessert I've had in a long time.  We don't eat sweets very much, especially now that I'm off of dairy.  But for Mother's Day, my amazing husband whipped up some homemade ice cream using Coconut Milk that was OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD.  I couldn't believe how creamy it was!  We made a super simple Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream for my 4 yr-old's birthday a couple months ago and it was totally delicious (just coconut milk, cocoa, and sugar - I guess I better put that recipe up too!), but this one was a little more complicated but incredibly amazing.  Thanks dear for making me such a fun treat!