Sweet Grape Salad

Growing up, my Mom had the most delicious fruit dip recipe that she would bring for me and my friends during our soccer tournaments when traveling on the weekends. Everyone loved it and it was always requested, even though I know it was extremely simple to make. 

Sometimes it just doesn't click to combine certain items until that one day when it finally happens and you realize you should've made it a lot sooner. This just so happens to be the case for this grape (fruit) salad recipe...

Extremely easy / not much thought or time to make / but DELICIOUS. 

Adding in the lemon and cinnamon is key, and takes it up a notch. 

Also, after I took these pictures I realized mixing in some granola or nuts would be the perfect addition and a great, healthy breakfast! 

Sweet Grape Salad

For the dressing:

+1 cup greek vanilla yogurt

+juice from 1/2 a lemon

+1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Fruits:

+2-3 cups seedless grapes (green + purple), halved

+1 cup strawberries

+1/2 cup pineapple

(you could also add in some green apples!)

+chopped walnuts, optional

+granola, optional

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and stick in the fridge while you cut up your fruits. Once all your fruit is chopped up and in a large bowl, pour the dressing over and stir to coat! Enjoy!

A Healthy Pizza Alternative

Pizza might be my favorite food out there. Cheese...carbs...yummy toppings and sauce. What's not to love? The might is only because that is a pretty large commitment to say/make for someone who loves food as much as I do!

If it were up to Billy, we would have pizza night every single Friday and while that sounds just peachy and all, the bod just doesn't agree. Enter these zucchini pizza boats. 

I've found that sometimes my pizza cravings are due to wanting the cheese and sauce (the bread usually makes me feel like crap after anyways), and these give you exactly that without all the extra carbs/calories!

Honestly, our house smelled so good when cooking these in the oven and they're great because just like a regular pizza you can customize them with whatever toppings float your (zucchini) boat....

Ingredients:

+2 zucchini's (this is for 2 people-do 4 if you're not making other sides to go with these, or if you think your man would want more than one)
+1 tbsp olive oil
+1 clove garlic, finely minced
+salt and freshly ground black pepper
+1 cup marinara sauce (I used Classico Spicy Tomato & Basil)
+1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
+1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
+1/2 cup pepperoni slices
+2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

+any other toppings you'd like! 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut each zucchini into halves through the length (if they don't lye flat trim a thin portion from bottoms so that they will lye mostly flat) Pat insides dry with paper towels. Take a spoon and "carve" out the seeds so that your sauce can sit in the zucchini a bit.
Align them on prepared baking sheet.
In a bowl, stir together olive oil and garlic then brush lightly over tops of zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste then spoon a slightly heaping of marinara sauce over each zucchini, leaving a small rim near edges uncoated.
Sprinkle tops evenly with mozzarella cheese then with parmesan cheese.
Top with pepperoni slices and any other toppings, placing them more near centers so they don't fall off in the oven.

Bake in preheated oven 12 - 16 minutes. Cook longer if you want them a little bit more crispy.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped fresh oregano.

ENJOY! A guilt free way to enjoy "pizza" ;)
 
(See my recipe for a mexican variation of zucchini boats here-also delish!)

ACAI BREAKFAST BOWL

Back with another healthy recipe today!

Remember when we went to San Diego this past fall and I fell in love with acai bowls?! Well, ever since we got back the struggle of not having any places that sell them here has been very real. ;) Not only are they one of the most delicious breakfast foods out there, but acai is know for it's insane antioxidant levels, healthy fats, iron, calcium, and beta-carotene.  A place here finally opened last month that sells them, but I quickly realized that it might be cheaper for me to make them myself due to how often I really crave them and want them for breakfast!

These bowls are packed with nutrients, are so delicious, and actually very easy to make. A winning combination in my book! If you have ten minutes, you can put one of these together and make your stomach very happy.

Acai Breakfast Bowl

+1 frozen acai packet (I bought the Sambazon brand from Whole Foods)
+1 frozen banana cut into pieces
+1 large handful frozen blueberries (or strawberries, peaches, etc)
+1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
+1 large scoop peanut butter

Blend all ingredients together until thick and creamy. I used a food processor for this, but you can use a blender or Vitamix. If you use a blender, you may have to scrape the sides/mix it up a couple times. The frozen fruit helps give a better texture and you don't want to blend it too long because you still want it to be thick.

Top with sliced banana, your favorite granola, and any other fruit you'd like!

Enjoy! 
See my latest recipe, Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad (healthy vegetarian option) here!

Have you made an acai bowl before and if so what are your favorite toppings?

Top 10 Healthy St. Patrick's Day Recipes

St. Patrick's Day has always been my absolute favorite holiday! My Dad's side of the family is Irish, so celebrating is always taken very seriously around here. In addition to that, the city I grew up in (and currently work in) always has the most fun events and parades for it. People go all out here with celebrating all weekend long, and I look forward to it every year! 

However, when I think of St. Patrick's Day recipes or what food will be served at parties, I always think of really fattening desserts and drinks. Today I thought it would be fun to round up a list of the Top 10 Healthy (or health-ier...) St. Patrick's Day Recipes out there...so not only do I have some healthy options to make this year, but so do you. There's breakfast, lunch, and dinner options so that you don't always feel like you have to turn to the unhealthy items to make for you or your family!

+Copy Cat Chipotle Guacamole (of course I had to include one of my favorite appetizer recipes-bring this to a party or make for yourself, it's sure to be gone quickly!)

+Mint Chocolate Chip Greek Yogurt Ice Cream

+Skinny Peppermint Patty Shake (maybe now you can resist McDonald's Shamrock Shake and all those calories!)

+Cabbage, Bean, and Crispy Kale Soup (yum!)

+Green Egg Casserole

+Irish Soda Oatmeal Cake

+Easy Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie (a much healthier alternative to the classic)

+Basil Avocado Spread

+Pear Green Smoothie

+Spinach and Feta Muffins (really wanting to try these)

What is your favorite thing to make for St. Patrick's Day?

PS: How about that Bachelor last night? I was never a JP fan, but I could not believe some of the things he said on this finale show, and how he told Nikki she was the girl for him. That was the most least romantic speech I've ever heard. I can respect the part about not saying "I love you" after only a couple months, but it was his approach and how he genuinely didn't seem like he wanted it to get to that point that bothered me. Not only that, the man does not know how to answer questions, says he wants things to be private when you know that's the last thing he wants, and he just seems like a jerk. As for Nikki, I don't know how she sat up there smiling the whole time, I would've been holding back some major tears. What were your thoughts? Like how they cut out the part of him talking to Neil Lane and picking out a ring? Aye yai yai...

Healthy Sausage and Kale Soup

Don't leave! You are at the right blog! 

I know, I know... a vegetarian sharing a recipe with sausage in it? Totally weird. I get it. ;) But I had to share this dinner that I made for Billy. Especially since it is the coldest that it's been in two decades (don't make me tell you that it is negative nine but feels like negative thirty five..oh wait..) and soups couldn't be more perfect for this kind of thing. This makes a really large pot, so count yourself in for leftovers!

If you've been here for a while, you know how my recipes go:

-Quick, easy ingredient list, and {for the most part} healthy.

This one is no different. Just add in the fact that it's so flavorful, too. (I did try just a few bites by picking out the sausage from my bowl. I had to see how it tasted for myself!)

Ingredients:

via Allrecipes

+1 lb spicy italian sausage links, halved lengthwise

+2 large carrots, chopped

+1 small onion, chopped

+2 cloves garlic, minced

+6 cups chicken broth (low sodium)

+1 cup chopped portobello mushroom caps (optional-if you don't like them, skip them but I think they are so yummy in this soup!)

+1 cup chopped cauliflower

+2 cups coarsely chopped kale

+1 bay leaf

+1/2 teaspoon oregano

Steps:

+Heat a large pot over medium heat. Cook the sausages in the pot until browned (3 to 5 minutes on each side). Remove sausages to a cutting board to cool, reserving sausage drippings in the pot.

+Cook and stir the carrots and onion in the reserved sausage drippings (this makes it so flavorful!) until the onion is translucent. Stir garlic into carrot and onion mix-cook and stir for 15 seconds. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

+Return sausages to the broth along with mushrooms, cauliflowers, kale, bay leaf, and oregano. Stir and reduce heat to low and cook at a simmer until the vegetables are tender yet firm enough to keep their shape-about 15 minutes. Remove the sausages to the cutting board and cut into 1-inch half moons and return them to the soup. Simmer together for another 5 minutes.

Enjoy and stay warm, everyone!

 {....too soon to ask for an early spring?}

Follow me and my obsessive pinning/more recipes on Pinterest here! 

Pizza Quinoa Casserole

Pizza-our love/hate relationship goes WAY back. Love it because it's obviously so yummy and one of my favorite foods...hate it for how it makes my body feel afterwards. Sluggish, tired, just that overall blah feeling. I remember my freshman year in college days when I thought that eating all of those late night pizza's during the week and on the weekend (what was I thinking?) wouldn't ever catch up to me. Oh so wrong.

When I found this recipe, my eyes kinda perked up because honestly I haven't had the best luck with quinoa in the past, but felt this might change my feelings on it. Being a vegetarian, quinoa is such a good source of protein for me, but every time I've cooked with quinoa I've felt it comes out a little bland for my liking. But combining pizza flavors with it? I knew I had to give this a shot and I'm pretty dang happy I did (all of you vegetarian girls out there will love this recipe! and even if you aren't, this is a good meatless monday meal option.)

Billy doesn't like quinoa (well he didn't until I made him try this!), so this casserole provides me with lunch or dinner for about 4 days. I just portioned it out into multiple storage containers and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to eat then reheated them in the microwave. So simple and delicious!

Pizza Quinoa Casserole
recipe inspiration from here

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
1 medium onion
1 green bell pepper
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 roma tomatoes
1 cup fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic
15 oz. can tomato sauce (I only used and recommend 12 oz)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (optional-I didn't use any cheese and it was still great!)
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
Salt

Directions:
+Preheat oven to 375.
+Rinse and cook quinoa: add 3 cups water and quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.
+Meanwhile, chop onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and mince garlic.
+In a skillet over medium heat, saute onion, green pepper, and mushrooms with salt for about 10 minutes or until softened.
+Add garlic, stir, and heat for 1 more minute.
+When quinoa is cooked, place it in a large mixing bowl. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, sauteed vegetables (any excess liquid removed), basil, and oregano. Stir to combine.
Spread mixture into a lightly sprayed 9x13 inch dish and gently press down. Top with a light sprinkle of cheese.
+Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

What are your feelings towards quinoa?

If it's tasted bland to you in the past, give this recipe a shot! The flavors are great and may change your mind! :)

Cinnamon and Pumpkin Spice Apple Chips

healthy, crispy, cheap, and addicting!

If you want a yummy snack perfect for Halloween weekend (ahem: to help you from sticking your hand in the trick-or-treaters candy bowl every other minute) that is easy to prepare and healthy, then this is for you!

Apple chips are so simple and if you're like me lately then maybe you have been trying to find ways to use the delicious apples that you picked up from the pumpkin patch or the store. Well, this is a good solution. It doesn't require a made from scratch pie crust (who wants to come over and help me with that?) and 50 ingredients that fill up your counter. Just get yourself some of your favorite apples and spices to sprinkle on top.

Cinnamon and Pumpkin Spice Apple Chips:

Here's what you can do to get those perfectly crispy apple chips...

+Slice (and core) your apples very thin! Thinner than some of mine pictured below. ;) The thicker they are, the more mushy they will be. Not mushy in a terrible way, but just not as crispy as you want these to be.
+Use parchment paper to cover the baking sheets for easy clean up and no sticking.
+More isn't necessarily more when seasoning these apples. I sprinkled cinnamon on just one side of half of my apples, and sprinkled pumpkin pie spice on the other half of the apples. I didn't do both sides (but you can if you want!) and I accidentally sprinkled a little too much on some of the apples that I wished I wouldn't have. Aka: you still want to taste the apples, too! ;)
+Bake at a low temperature in the oven (200-225 degrees) for one hour on one side, flip, then bake for another hour on the other side.

Then, enjoy! 

Have you made apple chips before? What do like to season them with? 

BREAKFAST EGG MUFFINS

It's about time I have a recipe post for you all! Can we say...slacker?

To be honest, I don't bake or experiment much in the kitchen in the summer. The nice weather always take precedence. Dinners are typically rotated a lot or we are grilling out, so there's not much to share recipe wise, but it seems like once fall rolls around I always want to try new things in the crock pot and bake up a storm. It's those crazy fall flavors that do it to me!

I made these egg muffins for the engagement party on Sunday, but they are truly perfect for those looking for a breakfast that is already prepared ahead of time and all you have to do is heat it up the morning of.

If your ideal breakfast description is quick, easy, or to-go then you will be a fan of these. You can make these in advance (still not very time consuming - very easy!), store in individual containers/bags, then pop in the microwave! It really is that easy, friends.

Breakfast Egg Muffins:
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients-
>>best part is you can add whatever you like, but this is what I used

+12 eggs (1 per muffin cup-so if you only want to make 6 muffins, you only need 6 eggs)
+1/2 cup white onion, chopped
+1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
+1/2 cup shredded cheese (since these were for the party I put cheese in all of them, but I did make some later with no cheese to make them healthier)
+Salt/pepper
+Cooking spray
+Muffin cups

Steps-

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place 2 paper muffin cups into each of the 6 holes in your muffin pan. Make sure you use 2 otherwise the egg can soak through. Spray the inside cups generously with cooking spray.

In a pan, saute the onion and peppers over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Just long enough so the onions start to get soft.

Divide the veggies evenly between each muffin cup, then top with a little cheese.

Whisk all of the eggs together with salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour egg into each of the cups so they are about 3/4 full. Then, use a fork to carefully stir all the ingredients in the cups together.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the muffins have risen and the tops just barely start to brown.

Yum, yum!

Like I said up top, I made these later with no cheese and also with egg whites and they are just as good. I actually prefer the egg whites because I have a little yolk allergy that most of the time I don't pay much attention to, but hey-life's short.

Have you made egg muffins before?

Healthy Tilapia Recipe / Visit to Sage

Thank you all for your comments yesterday. I'm always blown away by how sweet and caring you all are, and also how many of you have been in or are in the same shoes that I'm in! It makes my day to read all of your kind words.

If you follow me on the Insta (which I think you should-that is if you want to see pomeranian pictures, Chicago scenes starting tomorrow, and other things I find really interesting), then you may have seen this picture I posted one night about a delicious dinner I made...

 tilapia with grilled zucchini and squash

I guess I figured since I make it all the time and it's pretty simple that I shouldn't share how I make it, but then some of you sent me questions about how to make it, so I decided to share really quickly because it is a super healthy and my go-to when my nights are really busy.

If you don't like fish, then you may want to skip to the bottom of this post. :)

Tilapia "With A Kick":
-2 tilapia fillets 
-cherry tomatoes, 3/4 cup
-half an avocado
-fresh basil, chopped 
-onion (red or white), 1/4 cup
-paprika, cayenne pepper (very little!), lemon juice, pinch of sea salt, and pepper (to taste)

Here is what I do: thaw out the tilapia fillets, place on a baking sheet, season tilapia with paprika, a pinch of sea salt and cayenne pepper, and then squeeze a lot of lemon juice on top of the fillets. I also cut up slices of lemon and place them on top of the fish and leave it on them to cook while in the oven. I bake the tilapia in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, at 375 degrees.

Tilapia can taste pretty bland to me, so I like to add a little something something for on top. While the fish is cooking in the oven, combine the cherry tomatoes, onion, basil, and avocado in a small bowl. I like to add some red wine vinegar to this mixture and a little bit of EVOO...just a tad. I like to keep my recipes really simple so I don't add many ingredients or seasonings to keep them as healthy as possible.

Once the fish is done cooking (it will be flaky when you cut into it), I top the fillets with the veggie mixture.

As for the grilled zucchini and squash....I only season them with pepper normally and cook them in lemon juice and water until they get a little brown on both sides. Yummy and really healthy!

_

Over the weekend, my girlfriend Angela and I crossed another brunch spot off of our list of finding the best brunch in Columbus.

We went to Sage American Bistro, which is actually off High St. on Ohio State's north campus.

Our verdict? We loved it.

The service was fantastic, there was no wait, the restaurant was clean and really cute and trendy on the inside (exposed brick!), and the food was delicious.

I got what they call their Chorizo, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Hash, but I didn't get the chorizo. It came with two eggs, green peppers, yellow peppers, red peppers, and onions. The salsa it comes with on the side has a HUGE kick to it and is really flavorful. Absolutely loved this dish and would go back to get it!

Angela got their Sausage Frittata and really liked it. She said the arugula on top was really tasty and she would get this again. The only complaint she had was that they charged her $5 for her orange juice and you didn't get very much and it wasn't that good, ha.

The prices are on the higher side ($10-13 per dish), but we were really happy with the food so we didn't mind. Sage also has lunch and dinner that we mentioned wanting to check out sometime!

Overall, it has been one of our favorite stops so far on our journey. So far, we have visited: Katalina's Cafe Corner (our favorite so far), Knead, Skillet, and now Sage. If you are ever in the Columbus area, I would recommend all of these places, except Knead! :)


 
 

The 5 Best {Health} Decisions I've Made

1. GIVING UP MEAT:

There are plenty of articles you can read about why eating a plant based lifestyle is beneficial for your health, but I'm not here to push my beliefs on any of you (well maybe a littleeee bit), just to share what makes me feel my personal best. Soon it will be 3 years since I decided to give up meat and become a pescatarian, and I honestly don't see myself ever going back to eating meat. I can count on two hands the occasions where I've "slipped" and had some form of meat whether it be a wing, a slice of pepperoni on a pizza, etc. in the past 3 years. The times that this happens I've found is if I'm at a big bridal shower or birthday party and there aren't many choices of what I can eat other than salad and I'm really really hungry....or if I'm at a happy hour, have had a few brewski's, and want one of my husbands wings (or like when I was in TX and these crazy kids made me try oryx for the first time). I don't hate meat, although ever since I stopped eating meat I can barely even look at chicken or sausage, I've just made a choice to cut it out of my life. Food is your fuel and I feel my best when I eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and fish.

If you are interested in eating more plant based or cutting out meat, I highly recommend trying a Meatless Monday (for example) or going one-two days a week without meat and see how it makes you feel. If you don't think you can give up meat entirely, that's OK, just make sure you are eating lean meats and watch your red meat intake. I've honestly never felt better, had more energy, and I fully believe it's because of this and numbers 2-5 that I'm about to share with you!


2. CUTTING BACK ON DAIRY, BREAD, AND PASTA:

SOUND THE ALARMS!

This one might be the biggest change I've made, even more so than giving up meat. I mean this not only because of how long it took me to realize how much dairy (cheese!) I was actually putting in my body, but because of how I've felt cutting back on these certain items. Holy cow! It will blow your mind (and scale!!) how much better you will feel and I promise you that. If not, I give you permission to come pound on my door and tell me how wrong I was and that I need to cut you 5 slices of cheese right away.

My husband and I are obsessed with cheese. We love all kinds, but it does NOT make me feel good when I eat it. The same goes with white flour breads and pasta. These do nothing for my body and I feel so weighed down after I eat them. That's why I had to say goodbye to them, for the most part. Do I still have white bread on occasion? Sure, but it's very rare. If I eat bread (which I would say is maybe once every two weeks), it will be 100% whole wheat with a lot of fiber in it, or a wrap that is similar. Pasta hasn't been very hard for me to give up, so I can't give much advice here for that. Do I still eat dairy? Yes, sometimes I will have a greek yogurt if I want one or put a small amount of cheese on my tacos, but this isn't very often and I make sure it's in moderation. Do I still indulge in ice cream or fro yo? Heck yes, I'm not saying I plan to give these up (#lezbehonest) anytime soon, but I just make sure it's not too often. There comes a time when a girl just needs her fro yo, mmkay? ;)

Once the shock of cutting back on these items subsides from your mind, you will realize how much you were eating in the first place and you won't want to go back. You will feel too good to do that! :) 

"It's not about restrictions, it's about creating new habits"

3. NO POP:

There is no reason you (yes, you) should be drinking pop/soda/whatever you feel like calling it anymore. JUST STOP. No more of this "I just have one diet coke a day" business. Just put them down all together.

In high school, I thought my Dad was going to have an intervention with me because I would order 3 Mountain Dew's BEFORE our dinner even came to the table. It was bad. Since I feared he would take away my car keys or AOL (not AOL!), I decided one day to just give it up. Best decision EVER.

Water is your best friend, people.

4. JUICING:

Ahh, the phenomenon that is juicing. You can read here why I love juicing so much, but I just want to say that ever since I bought my Breville juicer, I've had so much fun coming up with new combinations for juices and I look forward to making them. It's like your body craves it. Not even kidding.

My favorite combination right now: 1 green apple, 3 celery stalks, 1/2 a cucumber, 1/2 a lemon, 2 handfuls of spinach.

5. FALL IN LOVE WITH EXERCISING (OR YOUR GYM!):

Find one form of exercise you love doing. If you are sitting there reading this right now and thinking to yourself that you don't have one form of exercise that you love, it's time you branch out and find one! NO EXCUSES. There is something out there for everyone. For me, I've always enjoyed running (mainly the runners high that comes after it) but spinning is what I truly love doing. It's my favorite type of workout my gym offers because it's high intensity, doesn't make me bored, burns so many calories, pumps me up, and it never fails that I'm in the BEST mood when I walk out of that class (even if my legs feel like they might fall off). I love endorphins more than I love shopping for fall clothes which says a heck of a lot.

Now I know exercising is hard, but if you belong to a gym that you really like it's much easier to get yourself there. I belong to Lifetime Fitness and have been a member ever since I got out of college and if I had to switch I might shed some tears. I love what my gym has to offer, I feel comfortable going there, and it motivates me. Don't bother going to a gym that you hate! Well, I take that back, a gym is better than no gym, but try and find one that you don't mind going to, if possible. Find one that works for you.

 Because doing a Jillian Michaels DVD while on vacation in FL (with my hair down no less) is normal? Just go with it...

Last but not least, this should be #6 but since I prefer odd numbers today, let's just go with it-drink as much water as possible-lemon water, water infused with fruit, ANY water! Your skin and body will thank you.

Any questions? Feel free to leave in the comments below or email me.

At the end of the day, if you feel tired/sluggish/unmotivated you are the only one to blame and it's time to look at your eating habits. I mean, unless you prefer feeling like crap day in and day out. Evaluate what you're putting in your body. Are you exercising enough?

This is really cliche but you only have one body, so treat it right!

What are the best decisions you've made for your health?

 

 

Oatmeal Yogurt Breakfast Blend

Phew. We've made it to hump day!

Rocky wanted me to first tell you all thank you for the birthday messages. He says he had a fantastic day and has the best parents in the world (this is an already well known fact). We bought him some new toys and bones, took him for a long walk and car ride, and I made him these peanut butter and oatmeal cookies in the oven....

It's safe to say he loved them.

Anyways, today I have a new favorite breakfast recipe to share!

Just like most of my other recipes, this is SO simple but tastes really yummy. I don't eat dairy that much anymore, but sometimes I want a yogurt every now and again, so this is my special treat for when I do have it. 

If you want an easy, healthy breakfast to add to your morning routine-this is it!

What You Need:

+1/2 cup oats, uncooked

+1/2 cup yogurt

+1 peach (cut into small pieces), or you can use any fruit you'd like!

 

 What You Do:

Combine oats and yogurt in mason jar. 

Mix well so all the oats are fully coated in yogurt. 

Add your peaches. 

Refrigerate for 8 hours.

The yogurt softens the oats overnight and in the morning you wake up with a delicious, already prepared breakfast!

note: if you aren't an oatmeal fan, make a parfait and use granola!

Easy peasy.

Has anyone made this for breakfast before? 

Give it a try!

Healthy Sweet Treat {Frozen Banana Bites}

Have you guys tried the amazingness that is Dole's semi-new chocolate covered banana bites?

Give me dark chocolate, banana, and maybe some peanut butter and I will be your best friend for life. I guess this means me and Dole are bff's right now (better watch your back Steph).

Anyways, they are all the rage these days, which in turn means this girl is constantly searching high and low for them to not be sold out at our grocery stores (they can be found in the frozen section by the ice cream and such-in case you haven't tried these bad boys yet). When they are in stock, I feel like I just hit a portion of the lotto.

Well, sometimes it takes a product being out of stock for my brain to fully kick on and say, "hey Katie, you do realize you can make these yourself, right? All it is banana's cut up, covered in chocolate, and frozen. Put those babies in your freezer and you're good to go!" ........OH, YES. Genius.

Now, making these at home may mean that yours don't look AS pretty as the store bought ones, but hey, who cares if you aren't sacrificing the taste? Not me.

Frozen Banana Bites:

Ingredients:
-3 ripe banana's, cut into 1" slices
-2 dark chocolate bars or a bag of your favorite chocolate chips (I used 2 70% cacao bars, but you can use whatever you want)

Directions:
They are pretty self explanatory...but you just want to cut up your banana's, melt your chocolate in a microwavable bowl (make sure to stir every so often so it doesn't get hard!), take a toothpick or a spoon and dip your banana slices into the chocolate to coat. As you can see, I did some of the slices fully covered in chocolate and some just dipped in them. I also did a few topped with almond butter! Place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and stick them in the freezer overnight.

I suggest experimenting with what you put on them...you can't do that with just buying the Dole kind. Take that, Dole.

Some ideas: almond butter, sprinkles, peanut butter in between two banana slices (YUM!), nuts...the list could go on and on. 

Who wants to come over and eat the rest of my stash? They are oh-so delicious.

PS-THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to those of you who left suggestions on my California post yesterday. Me and Billy were absolutely blown away with your awesome recommendations and cannot wait to try some of these places you mentioned. We are also now craving and dreaming about Mexican food from Old Town 24/7, so thanks for that. :)

PPS-Does anyone have any tips for booking hotels? Where do you find the best deals? What are your favorite websites?

That's all she wrote...