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- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 cup DOVE® Fruit blueberries
- 3/4 cup pecans, crushed
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/2 avocado, mashed and frozen
- 3/4 cup golden beets, raw and cubed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 packet (25 grams) Sunwarrior Classic Protein Vanilla powder
- 1 Tablespoon Sunwarrior Activated Barley
- 2 Tablespoons Sunwarrior Ormus Green Natural
- 2 Tablespoons Sunwarrior Liquid Light
- Good source of protein (7g)
- Less sugar than other yogurts and only 190-210 calories.
- Comes in a 5.3oz container
- 2- 5.3 ounce containers Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Raspberry Chocolate Yogurt
- 4 Chocolate Graham Crackers, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder granules
- Redi-Whip whipped cream
- 1/2 cup red raspberries
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Easy Toddler Party Planning with Whole Foods Catering
March 5th, 2015
A few weeks ago we had my youngest daughter’s birthday in our home. One of the things I did not expect or realize is how many people and little toddlers I would have running around in our home. While I always thought we have a lot of space in our town home, adding 20 people to one floor really adds up. Luckily it was such a smooth party and the sound level was awesome. Truth be told, I never thought I would be throwing parties until my kids were five. Who am I kidding?
Since I am now expecting baby number three, I knew that I had to give myself to least amount of work when planning and preparing the birthday party. Although everyone knows I like cooking, I knew that I needed to focus on cleaning and party decorations and prep. Since I am a working mom, there is only so much time I have to get things done although I would be one to take everything upon my plate.
During the week of the party, I made sure to do some cleaning and minimize the mess before the party on the weekend. It worked to some degree but then planning crafts and activities for the kiddos took up some time the night before the party. I shopped for party decorating essentials Party City and Walmart and made sure everything was ready for Saturday.
Do you know what and who was my lifesaver? Whole Foods. Their catering department and bakery are fabulous and their menu choices were great. It was really hard to choose but one of the things I decided when planning the menu is that I did not want to have toddler foods at my party. Since I was having parents and kids over I really wanted to have food that all people would enjoy. Since I know my kids eat what I make them I was assured that whatever I ordered they would taste and eat.
We placed our order for Fresh Roasted Deli Meats and Cheeses, a Fresh Fruit Display, and a Vegetable Antipasto Platter. The deli meats came with fresh bread slices and condiments like mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. It also came with a huge platter of sandwich fixings like tomatoes, lettuce and grilled onions. It was an amazing presentation. The Vegetable Antipasto platter came with a saffron aioli that was out of this world.
How did the kids respond to the foods? The fruit was definitely a hit! The fresh pineapple, grapes, blueberries and melon was so sweet. The cheese and deli was also well received but most of all, I was happy seeing the parents enjoy the food as well. They were all impressed with the spread especially with the Vegetable Antipasto which included grilled eggplant, portobello mushrooms, carrots, onions, squash and bell peppers with provolone and marinated fresh mozzarella cheese. It was just delicious and so fresh for a wintery party day.
The Roasted Deli Meats and Cheeses consisted of Italian marinated roast beef, lemon Dijon turkey breast, balsamic grilled chicken breast – and delectable cheeses – creamy Havarti, Emmentaler Swiss and hearty cheddar. It was amazing having the variety too!
What people asked most about was the cake we ordered for our two-year-old. I have actually only made cupcakes or small smash cakes so it was nice having a cake to have my girls blow their candles. Since our theme was Minnie Mouse, we had Whole Foods Bakery at Devon work a colorful theme that was like Minnie since they do not create brand specific cakes.
I was most excited about the natural food coloring I knew Whole Foods was now using for their cakes. It was perfect since my daughter’s theme required a lot of red food coloring that would normally contain Red 40. The cake decorations were great and the buttercream was delicious with each bite. Everyone was happy with their slice of cake.
All in all I think our party was a huge success. Everyone played, ate and enjoyed watching the kids have fun. I am happy that Whole Foods Devon came through for this busy momma. It sure was low-stress planning and made for a fun and relaxed environment. Try ordering from them for your next birthday party!
Disclosure: All food was provided by Whole Foods Devon Catering and Bakery departments.
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Chocolate Blueberry Bars
March 4th, 2015This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LoveDoveFruits #CollectiveBias
During winter, one of the challenging things is staying healthy and eating the right foods. It is so easy getting stuck in a rut of eating comfort foods or just in general, eating 24/7. I would not consider myself a snack-loving person, but my little girls definitely like their snacks so now that I am 18 weeks pregnant, I have to force myself to eat small snacks in order not to get nauseous.
One of the snacks I enjoy eating and great for on-the-go snacking is trail mix. A bag filled with nuts, raisins, chocolate and dried fruit makes a great combination.
When I went to Walmart last, I found a new product that took care of the dried fruit and chocolate aspect for my snack time called DOVE® Fruit which is real fruit dipped in DOVE® Dark Chocolate.
I found three products with three different fruits such as cherries, cranberries, and blueberries. Now anything chocolate-covered is just about my favorite so I was excited to add this to my snacks.
Would not chocolate and fruit be a great way to snacking? I love the fact that I only need a handful of delicious trail mix to satisfy either my hunger pangs or even the sweet tooth before going to bed. Why not eat it with some on my favorite dried fruits?
When I was making some blueberry bars for breakfast I decided to give it a punch with the DOVE® Fruit blueberries with some crunchy pecans. Once they baked, they were so moist and I only had to take one small bar with me. While they look like dessert, the blueberries are definitely breakfast and even snack-worthy. I took them to church for breakfast and I did not expect so many to compliment me. I even had one lady tell me she did not even have breakfast and what a relief to have something homemade and scrumptious available that morning. It made my morning of course.
It was a simple recipe that my girls loved watching. There was a little help from them but they were eager to taste their snack the day I made it. Here is all that you need to make these available at home or even on-the-go for you and your family:
The cream, butter, and sugars are mixed in with one egg. The dry ingredients are placed in a separate bowl and them mixed together. The batter will be thick but it will spread in a pan.
Add the frozen blueberries into the batter and pour into a 9×9 glass pan. I then added the DOVE® Fruit blueberries and crushed pecans and pressed into the batter and baked for 40 minutes.
I allowed the bars to cool for 45 minutes to an hour before cutting into them. They are very dense and can be cut into small squares or even large squares for dessert.
What ways to you use better for you ingredients to make delicious snack foods?
Chocolate Blueberry Bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients (12-16 bars)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×9 glass pan.
Sift flour, salt, soda, and set aside. Add the frozen blueberries into the flour. Mix the sugars with the melted butter until thoroughly mixed, then add the egg, egg white, and vanilla extract. Mix until creamy.
Add sifted ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until blended. Spread into the glass pan until evenly spread.
Add the DOVE® Fruit blueberries on top and press into dough. Add the crushed pecans and press into dough as well.
Bake for 40 minutes and cool for 45 minutes. Slice into 9 bars for dessert or cut into smaller bars for snack pieces.
See more great DOVE® Fruit recipe ideas on the DOVE® Fruit social hub and also download a coupon to save on your DOVE® purchase.
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Sunwarrior Avocado Beet Strawberry Smoothie
March 3rd, 2015
This is a sponsored post with Sunwarrior.
I am so ready for spring to makes it appearance. I am no longer in the mood for warm wintery foods or any comfort foods that remind me of winter. All I think about is the sunshine and warm weather which is why I have been obsessing about taking a trip to San Francisco, the land of perfect weather.
One of the meals or foods we prepare often are smoothies. Even though it is winter, I know it is the best way my daughters and I can get our greens and our fruits in one glass. I know some of you might not like cold fruits during the winter, but we usually only have 1-2 frozen fruits in our blender and the milk and water we add tames the cold temperature. Every time I take out my high-powered blender, that my daughters will be beside me asking me what I will be putting in the smoothie of the hour.
One of my most recent smoothie adventures lead me to using my frozen avocado that I had packed a few months ago. Since becoming pregnant, I have desired eating more avocados, so I thought a great way to keep my fiber intake was to include it in my smoothie instead of adding my usual banana. It has way more potassium too!
When I started creating my smoothie I knew I had a recipe challenge to enter. Sunwarriorsent me a few samples to try to make my perfect morning smoothie and I was excited to chose the samples I was to include in my recipe. It is hard for me a mother of two small girls and pregnant with my third, to be consistent with eating small meals throughout the day. I really enjoy having smoothies but also with plenty of protein where I know that I will not crash after drinking it, since I am hypoglycemic.
I started by using Sunwarrior’s Classic Protein powder in Vanilla flavor. I loved the fact that this protein powder is vegan, raw, free of chemicals and uses stevia as their sweetener. The fact that it contains brown rice protein tells me that it contains all the essential amino acids my body needs and is easily digested.
While I normally add spinach or some sort of greens to my smoothie I decided to add Sunwarrior’s Raw Organic Ormus Greens Natural. It contains potent nutrition from alfalfa, barley grass, wheat grass, spinach, oat grass, parsley, moringa, and ginger making this product a powerful superfood. Additional to this I added Sunwarrior’s Activated Barley for fiber and enzymes which I need more in my diet and since it is a slow-burning carbohydrate it provides sustained energy. Hey, this momma needs that for sure!
The last Sunwarriorproduct I decided to add to my smoothie was the Liquid Light, which contains fulvic acid. According to Sunwarriorsite, fulvic acid is neither an acid nor a mineral, but a small, complex compound that has a fairly unique ability to attract and hold both negative and positive ions. This makes it an important transporter of vitamins and minerals. What was so attractive about this product for me was that it neutralizes acidity in the body.
I am sure you are wondering how it all tasted in my smoothie but I could hardly taste any additional ingredients other that my frozen strawberries and avocado, and fresh beet with almond milk. It was possibly the creamiest smoothie I have had in a long time and I had no indigestion or crashes after consuming it. I was happy to know that I was getting a substantial amount of Sunwarrior goodness in my delicious drink.
What is important for you to have in your smoothie?
Sunwarrior Avocado Beet Strawberry Smoothie
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients (two 8-ounce glasses)
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend on high for 3 minutes or until ingredients are well-blended. Pour into two glasses and enjoy.
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Valentine’s Day with the Family {Recipes included}
February 17th, 2015
This year our Valentine’s Day was packed with activities! While we usually don’t put a lot of attention to the day other than going out for dinner, the day and evening turned into a whole celebration of family time. My husband had prepared me beforehand letting me know that he was taking out the whole family out for breakfast. I was excited because not only is it my favorite meal of the day but my girls love it too and LOVE going to a restaurant.
If you could only hear my girls (2 and 3 years old) scream with delight. RESTAURANT!!!! Yes. We are raising little foodies and they like it. We originally were going to a greasy spoon in Downingtown called Coffee Cup, but since they have AWFUL coffee we decided to try a NEW place in Kimberton. We arrived with ample time and actually before the crowd arrived but despite that our breakfast order took almost an HOUR to be brought the to table. We almost exhausted all options for our young girls at the table only to receive very tasteless food.
Despite all that we at least had great coffee and my husband surprised me by sending me off for a few hours on my own while he took care of the girls. What was I to do with myself? I went into my local nail salon and had my eyebrows waxed and I had a manicure. While I never planned on doing either, I was happy I got to do them both! After that I went shopping the rest of the time and came home and relieved my hubby so he could get an oil change.
Our dinner plans were all relaxed since we were not going out on our own. I originally planned to prepared the meal for my husband and I to enjoy but then my husband said he was going to prepare it so the girls could enjoy it too. Well, plans changed because I had a recipe job to finish and the meal preparation was going to take longer than planned. We prepared a separate dinner for the girls to have before going to bed and their daddy surprised them with chocolate-covered strawberries. You can only imagine their delight.
Our whole meal was a treat from Whole Foods and while we thought it was going to be simple, the process for each portion of the meal just required time. We first started out with our appetizer which was a scrumptious Warm Cheddar, Ale and Bacon Dip that tasted like a fondue, which is something I have not had in a long time.
My husband prepared the recipe and halved it since we knew it was just the two of us enjoying it. The recipe called for a hoppy ale, which is my favorite, which made for such a tasty dip and the Cabot extra sharp cheddar was amazing! We accompanied it with blue corn chips but we knew it would be amazing with crusty bread too. Our oldest daughter enjoyed tasting the dip too while my youngest shoved it away.
While my husband got the girls ready for bed and played with them, I prepared Potatoes Au Gratin. This is a traditional dish over the holidays at my mother’s house, but I looked forward making it during a non-traditional time. I used a newer recipe that took about an hour to cook and it was so creamy and flavorful with each bite.
Hubby was in charge of making the filet mignon and veggies. While he scanned various articles on the best way to cook meat, I knew he had been wanting to try a new method for cooking beef called the reverse sear.
He wrapped each cut of meat in bacon to add a little fat. He then salted and peppered the meat, rubbed it with minced garlic and placed in a preheated oven at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes. He used his Thermapen meat thermometer to measure the meat’s internal temperature. When it reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit, he pulled it out of the oven and let it rest a few minutes. He then placed the meat on a pre-heated cast iron skillet for about 1-2 minutes per side until the internal temp was between 135-140.
The meat was the MOST tender piece of meat I have had in quite a long time. It was so flavorful! He also cooked the asparagus perfectly with some lemon juice, salt and pepper. While it all looks simple on a plate, I thought it was such a gourmet-tasting meal. It was so awesome to be able to have something so nice and fancy at home and we saved money on babysitting too!
The last course of the evening was the chocolate zabaglione we have had before. We have always used Giada’s recipe and so I made that over the stove so we could enjoy after our lovely dinner. It is such a simple dessert but it is sure to wow your guests for a dinner party. We love it and know that it is a one-time decadence. It is normally enjoyed with berries so we sliced up strawberries which then completed our evening.
Thanks to Whole Foods in Devon for setting us up with all the fabulous ingredients to make this gourmet meal possible. I have had a lot of people ask about the Belvoir Sparkling Elderflower Pink Lemonade and I have to say that it was a most wonderful substitute for wine for this meal especially for this pregnant mom. I love finding unique products at Whole Foods to make them a staple.
How was YOUR Valentine’s Day?
Disclosure: Our meal was sponsored by Whole Foods Market in Devon
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Quick Raspberry Chocolate Yogurt Parfaits with new Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt
February 14th, 2015This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MullerMoment #CollectiveBias
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope that everyone is having a lovely Saturday with their loved ones even their little ones too! One of the things I cherish most these days is a little time out for myself after having long weeks with my little girls. You know what I mean mommas! We need breaks. If you also remember I am about 4 months pregnant and my energy level goes to level zero by the time 8pm rolls around.
In the evenings, after the girls are in bed, I quickly pick up the house and clean the kitchen and then decide what to do to relax. Some nights I have to catch up on work but who really wants to do that? I certainly don’t. I rather cuddle with a warm blanket with a drink, a book or a favorite television show.
I usually like waiting to have dessert with my husband on the nights he runs really late because we catch up on his day and he with mine. Even though my husband prefers ice cream, we both try not to have it quite often. We like having our weeknight treats so when I found out that Walmart carried a new Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt, I was so excited to try a new treat.
Relaxing on the couch with a treat is definitely a way I like unwinding for an evening so doing it without the guilty pleasure is a plus. Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt is:
While we would normally serve ourselves close to a cup of ice cream, this yogurt barely measures a cup but it is so decadent! I chose to make a parfait using with an additional on-hand ingredients to make for a special treat for a tired mama.
I grabbed a few chocolate graham crackers, crushed them, added some vanilla powder and espresso granules. I took out the whipped cream from the refrigerator and had some delicious fresh raspberries from the fridge. I placed the crushed graham mixture and added 2 Tablespoons at the bottom of the parfait glass. I then added half the yogurt on top of the crumbs and sprinkled some dark chocolate chips. I added whipped cream and then repeated the process again. It took me a total of 10 minutes to make this parfait and it was so so delicious with no added guilt.
Quick Raspberry Chocolate Yogurt Parfaits with new Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients (2 parfaits)
Instructions
Use 8-ounce parfait glasses. In a ziplock bag, add 4 graham crackers, seal bag and crush crackers, while in the bag using a mallet. Softly crush. Add the vanilla powder and espresso granules to the crushed graham crackers.
Assemble the parfaits. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of the crushed graham crackers to the glass. Place half the yogurt over the crumbs. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips and 5-6 raspberries on top of the chips.
Add whipped cream and then repeat the process with graham crackers, ending with the rest of the yogurt. Decorate the top with raspberries and whipped cream. Enjoy.
What is a quick dessert you like making during the week?
Want to try this new yogurt? Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt comes in three flavors: Vanilla Bean, Raspberry Chocolate, and Mint Chocolate Chip. Visit www.Mullerquaker.com to sign up on for their mailing list and receive the latest news and offers. As a thank you, you’ll also get a coupon to use toward your next purchase!
In addition, Müller® Yogurt is on Rollback at Walmart for $.88 until March!
Müller® Ice Cream Inspired Yogurt is just the right amount of wrong. Whether it is a touch of indulgence to start your morning or an indulgent break in the afternoon – go ahead and indulge because you deserve it!
