I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get back in the salad again. Although soup really is one of my g0-to favorite ways to fill up (any time of the year), salads are high up on the list as well (if you’ve been reading my blog for a while then you probably know how much I love salad by now!).

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Since the new year began, I have been really making an effort to cook more healthy meals at home to avoid eating out. Sometimes that is easier said than done. With trying to cook more at home, I am also trying to add some variety to our meals – as much as we love them, we have been getting a little bored of our go-to dinners.

This Orange Walnut Crusted Salmon was pretty effortless and the entire meal was ready in just under 30 minutes. It’s a light, high in protein, low in carb meal and with all the omega-3s in the salmon and walnuts, it’s heart healthy too. It’s pretty much a winner all around in my book.

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This post is created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. However, the views and opinions included are my own.

My kids love asking for parfaits when I offer to make them as an afternoon or after dinner snack (aka dessert). I started making parfaits years ago and they get excited about eating them every single time. Parfaits are not only pretty to look at, but they can be filled with some pretty tasty ingredients. With my recent trip to a local dairy farm here in Florida, as well as a trip to a dairy farm in Rhode Island, I can’t help but think about and appreciate the hard-working families that are really behind the wholesome dairy, like the Greek yogurt in these parfaits, that my family enjoys. You can read more about my experience at the farm here.

Whether I’m making a parfait for me or my kids, I always go with whatever combination of seasonal fruit, yogurt, nuts or granola I have on hand. This particular parfait was inspired by one of our favorite fall fruits, pears. We love pears this time of year, and you can pretty much always count on finding a tub of good vanilla Greek yogurt and nuts in my fridge too. Call it a snack or call it dessert (or even breakfast!), a parfait like this creamy Greek Yogurt Parfait with Pears and Walnuts always hits the spot.

To make our parfaits extra tasty (and fancy!) I like to spice them up a bit. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger and a drizzle of sweet honey and it was the perfect touch. I like to chop the fruit and the nuts to the same size so that it’s easier for each spoonful to have a taste of everything combined. The perfect flavors for fall and my kids absolutely loved the combination.

You can make the parfaits with traditional layers, or if you are in a crunch for time and just want to keep it simple you can add your ingredients to a bowl and enjoy it all the same. If you are looking for an entertaining idea for breakfast or brunch, set out the ingredients separately and offer a build-your-own-parfait bar.

Greek Yogurt Parfait with Pears and Walnuts

Yield: 2 parfaits

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups vanilla bean Greek yogurt
• 1 pear, chopped small
• ground cinnamon, for sprinkling, to taste
• ground ginger, for sprinkling, to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• honey, for drizzling

Directions:

1. Add 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt into the bottom of parfait glass. Top yogurt with chopped pears and sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger, to taste. Add chopped walnuts and drizzle with honey. Repeat layer, then top with a dollop of yogurt.
2. Serve immediately for best presentation or cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours to serve later.

This post is created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. However, the views and opinions included are my own.

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Next month, this blog turns 9 years old. I seriously can’t believe I’ve been sharing recipes online for that long. I’ve been digging around in my archives, looking at some of the food and recipes we’ve eaten over the years and to be honest, it makes me feel so nostalgic! I started a little project of remaking some of the recipes so I can update the photography and clean up the posts. One of the recipes I recently remade was from June of 2008, the first week I started blogging. I’ve made these Mini Honey Mustard Meatloaves with Roasted Potatoes so many times over the years and it’s one of my family’s favorites – not only did I add new photos to the post, but a video as well.

While I was revamping that post, I uncovered a slaw recipe from Cooking Light that I had made with it…and decided to change it up a bit. I love slaw salads of all kinds…some of my favorites include this Asian Almond Slaw Salad, this Mexican Slaw Salad with Black Beans and one of my lunch time go-tos this Broccoli Slaw Salad I make with gorgonzola, nuts and balsamic vinegar. Good stuff!!

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Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend!! My holiday started last Thursday when my friend Kristen flew into town for a visit. We planned a fun couple of days earlier this year with tickets to Justin Bieber (we are closet Beliebers) and a day of eating and drinking around the world at Epcot with our friend Julie. Music, food, drinks and friends – doesn’t get much better than that!

Before we started getting ready for our night out with JB, I wanted to make something to snack on while we sipped some wine and got ready. I literally whipped up this Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese Spread with Walnuts in minutes, with ingredients I almost always have on hand.

It’s fun cooking for friends and I was excited to experiment with an appetizer idea that had been in my head for a while. My daughter and husband approved as well!

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These Breakfast Fruit Skewers were inspired by my friends at Produce for Kids.

It’s that time of year again – I’m happy to partner up with Produce for Kids to promote their healthy-eating focused campaign with Publix Super Markets. Last year’s campaign was able to provide 2.2 million meals to local families in need – that is pretty incredible work! Here’s how it works, the Publix and Produce for Kids campaign runs June 2 – June 29 and is supported by 13 fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers. With each Publix store purchase of any of these fruits and veggies from the supporting brands (see image for a list below), funds are donated to local Feeding America food banks. To stay up to date with campaign happenings be sure to join the Produce For Kids Campaign Page on Facebook (you’ll also have the opportunity to win $100 gift card to Publix!).

My heart is always behind any program or organization that promotes healthy eating and provides aid in feeding hungry families…this is why I love everything about Produce for Kids! Please support them any way you can – look for signage at your local Publix, find recipes on their website and and tag any healthy creations and ideas with #produceforkids.

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The school year is winding down for us this week, the countdown is on! I am so ready for summer break to get started and slooooow down. I am sure that I’m not alone in feeling this way! The month of May kind of kicked me in the butt so it will be nice to not feel like we have somewhere to be or go or do for a while. It’s possible that I may start cooking proper dinners again too. 😉

Oh hey there summer…

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The recipe for Asian Almond Slaw Salad was developed in partnership with Fisher Nuts.

Anyone have Spring Fever yet? I think it’s safe to say always have spring fever, for the most part. Our weather situation in Florida is nothing to complain about but I cherish the small pocket of time it feels like spring here, which is right about now. I spent most of this last weekend in the yard trimming landscaping and planning for flowers. Cleaning up my herb pots is next on the list. Nothing feels as good to me as a few hours of work in the sunshine (when it’s not sweltering hot).

This is the time of year that I am also ready to get back in the salad. I say that all the time but January is just not a big salad month for me, and I have to be honest, I’m missing raw, crunchy veggies in my life right now. I pulled together this Asian Almond Slaw Salad in honor of getting back in the salad and sharing a heart healthy recipe with you since February is American Heart Month. I think it’s safe to say you already know that fresh fruits and veggies are considered heart healthy foods, but did you know that nuts are too?

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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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Summer food truly does make me happy. Living in Florida, I do feel lucky that our summer food season is already among us with beautiful and colorful fruits and veggies already popping up in the grocery stores and produce markets. I am always more inspired by warm weather produce, mostly because when it comes to cooking, I admittedly tend to have a lazier approach and enjoy fresh, simplistic recipes that are fruit and veggie heavy – think salads, smoothies & anything that can be cooked on the grill.

I’m excited to be partnering up with Produce For Kids today to help promote their new summer e-cookbook, Simply Summer: 20 Fresh Cookout Recipes – this e-cookbook is now available so be sure to get your free copy! Today’s Peach Pie Smoothie recipe is from Simply Summer and it showcases one of my favorite summer fruits – peaches!

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