This recipe was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill.

My children have pretty big appetites. I feel like they are always eating – as I’m clearing up one meal they are already asking for a snack. I’m not going to say this bothers me in the least, seeing their love of eating definitely makes my Italian mama heart happy. But, it can be a challenge to keep up with having smart, healthy snacks always available for them so they don’t turn to junk. I typically offer them yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit, pretzels or granola bars…but they do get bored.

I wanted to try out a new kind of snack on my kids a couple of weeks ago while we were off school for a long holiday weekend. My kids LOVE parfaits, and ask for them all the time. They keep me on my toes in the granola making department that’s for sure, I really don’t make it often enough for them (we go through it so fast when I do make it!). Instead of parfaits this time, I offered them a plate of Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Bites served along with a bowl of Greek yogurt drizzled with honey. Fancy, huh? It actually took less effort than making 2 parfaits!

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Once upon a time I was 30+weeks pregnant and said to myself more than a few times — I can’t wait to lose this pregnancy weight! It’s going to be fun, like a game! I’ve done this before, it won’t be hard! I’m going to walk with the baby in the stroller so much the weight is just going to melt off! I’m going to get fit in no time!

Clearly, I was a bit mental at the time. What in the world. Crazy pants.

Now here I am 20+ weeks post partum and I can not even believe how out of shape I am. I’m so low energy and just feel bleh all the time. Pair that up with not sleeping well most nights, I pretty much feel like a mess lately. Oh and it’s full on spring in Florida right now and let’s just say black yoga pants just aren’t cutting it anymore. Something has to be done here.

So I’m committed. I’m committed to exercising in some capacity every day (even if it is just a quick stroller walk with my baby). I need to be selfish with my workouts, it’s very important “me time”. I got back in the gym last week. I also got myself jogging a bit over the weekend (that felt GOOD!). Things have to change and it’s starting first with my attitude —

I need to be telling myself things like:

Just do it!
No more excuses!
and on the days I’m feeling down… What are you going to do about it? (this one is key)

So far it’s working.

I got this. But dang, it’s hard!

I’ve been making this kefir smoothie in the afternoons lately for my car ride to pick up the kids from school. It gives me exactly what I need to hold me over until dinner and I like to believe it gives me a little energy boost too. Micah’s not a huge fan of the blender so I have been avoiding making smoothies for a few months. Now when I turn the blender on I have to put on a really happy funny face to distract him from that “loud scary noise”. You gotta do what you gotta do right?

If you’re not familiar with kefir, it’s very similar to yogurt and can be found in the dairy aisle most likely near the milks. I discovered it a couple years ago when I was on the 17 Day Diet (…for 14 days). It’s a probiotic, has a good amount of protein and calcium, and is a great option for an afternoon snack. I personally like it’s natural tartness but feel free to add a little honey or sweetener of choice if that’s your thing.

Happy Monday!

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If you know me, then you know I love a good cocktail. I don’t always like to make them though. Mostly out of laziness, I’ll admit. When I am in the mood for a drink, I like to keep things simple (like my favorite real lime margaritas or this tropical favorite – Cocomotion). Most of the time though, I tend to stick with a good glass of wine. Hard to go wrong with that.

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There definitely was a time in my life, not long ago, that I was not very familiar with making smoothies at home. I would drink my smoothies out, BIG smoothies to be honest, and then was horrified to find out that the smoothie I was drinking had around 500-700 calories in it. Eek.

Sorry, but I’d rather eat pizza for those kind of calories. Or a bag of potato chips.

Of course, I could have always just ordered a smaller smoothie, but whatever…I just started making my own at home instead.

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Sounds like a pretty good gig right? I’m definitely smiling. 🙂

So let’s get started…

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A little of this…

and a little of that…

If you are a reader of this blog, then I’m sure you know by now that I’m a big fan of both ladies and am often cooking up their recipes. Which is why I’m a member of two cooking groups – Barefoot Bloggers and Craving Ellie in my Belly. These groups are dedicated to making their recipes and sharing them with each other. This month was a little extra special for me because it was finally my turn to choose one of July’s Barefoot Blogger recipes! It didn’t take me too long to pick Peach Blueberry Crumbles, I was in the mood for a summery dessert, and since I’m not a very talented “baker”, a fruit crumble was exactly what I had in mind.

Right now in Florida, peaches and blueberries are everywhere. I love this time of year, there is an abundance of in-season fruit at the farmer’s markets and grocery stores. While my sister in law Jamie and I were preparing this dessert we were loving the sweet smell of the peaches cooking. We made these for 4th of July and couldn’t wait to get the fireworks going so we could enjoy our dessert while watching them.

The crumbles were very easy to make and I followed the recipe to a tee. It helped that Jamie was there and did most of the measuring while I handled the fruit part. If you know me, I’m not big on measuring which is why baking is not really my thing. The good thing with making a crumble or a crisp is that you can fudge the measuring up a bit without messing it up to much. 😉

Hope all the Barefoot Bloggers enjoyed this recipe as much as we did!

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Yield: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:

 

For the fruit

• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.
3. For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles int he refrigerator and bake before dinner.

Recipe by Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home

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This week’s Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe is Oven Baked Onion Rings chosen by one of my very favorite food bloggers Mary Ann from Meet Me in the Kitchen! I have been following Mary Ann’s blog since the beginning of my life as a blogger and she amazes me with her constant cooking and baking, everything she makes looks so delicious and you will leave her blog hungry for sure.

(We had our onion rings with awesome Honey-Teriyaki Chicken)

We loved these onion rings!! Why haven’t I made them before is all I kept thinking while I was eating them. I had to change up the original recipe a bit so that I could use what I had on hand. I subbed panko for the crushed baked potato chips and instead of buttermilk used some Oikos plain Greek yogurt (thanks for the coupons Oikos!!) thinned with some nonfat milk. I loved the kick from the cayenne in the breading and loved even more how crunchy they turned out – I used the air baking method that I use whenever I am baking anything breaded. These onion rings will definitely be making an appearance in my kitchen again!

You can find Ellie Krieger’s original recipe for Oven Baked Onion Rings on Food Network. Here is my version of it:

Oven Baked Onion Rings
Recipe adapted from Ellie KriegerCooking spray
4 cups panko
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup non fat milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place a cooking rack in large rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Place panko in a shallow bowl, add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside. In another bowl, combine Greek yogurt, nonfat milk, 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings (reserve rest of onions for other uses).

Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat. Dip onions 1 at a time into the yogurt mixture, then dip into panko and place on rack in baking sheet. Spray cooking spray evenly over rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp. Season with salt, to taste, and serve immediately.

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