Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip {Gluten-free, PB2, appetizer, Party Fare}

This is such a tasty dip and with fewer calories and fat than straight peanut butter you feel much better about eating it! It uses peanut butter powder, which is such a cool product! It's peanut butter that has been pressed to remove the oil and fat. You simply re-hydrate it with warm water ,or in this case yogurt, and bam, delicious peanut flavor without all the calories. I love this with crunchy, tart apples but it's also great with celery, snap peas, pretzels, crackers, etc. Click over to type2diabetes.com to see my recipe and some serving ideas. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Jack-'O-Lantern Fruit Plate {Halloween Party}

This is more of an idea inspiration than a recipe. Just wanted to share the fun little fruit Jack-'O-Lantern my 4 year old and I made together this morning for his Preschool Harvest party. I peeled all the little Mandarin oranges (which are SO sweet and delicious this time of year) and together we arranged the fruit. All together it only took about 20 minutes (lots of peeling), which was good since we did it in a mad dash before school this morning.  I didn't want those oranges getting dried out.  It was a fun and tasty project and one that I hope all the preschoolers will enjoy as well.

Tip: We used an orange "Pumpkin-shaped" plastic platter, with slightly upturned edges, to help with this. Any circular or oval platter will work. We used just about 1 bag of Mandarin oranges, 1 celery stalk, about 8-10 strawberries, two handfuls of grapes and a 1/2 handful of blueberries.

Update: We've gone on to make this multiple times and every single time it's been a huge hit for both kids and adults alike. It's so fun and attractive to look at and everyone loves to see fresh fruit at an otherwise candy-overloaded party. It is important to wait until the last minute to peel the oranges and I like to keep them covered with plastic wrap until it's time to serve to keep them from drying out. ...click here for the recipe!

Berry Agave Smoothie {Dairy Free, Low Fat}

My hubby makes the best smoothies! I think they taste better than anything you can buy and how great to know exactly what you are drinking. Here's his latest creation, it's completely dairy free, gluten free and packed with protein and fiber. This is calorie dense so if you are watching your intake of liquid calories you may want to cut the recipe portion in half. Here's what my super creative hubby has to say...

A while back I set out trying to find a healthy late evening snack. I needed something low in fat and low acid forming with a good amount of protein, making smoothies is now a nightly ritual for me. They are much easier to make than I originally thought. It is also a great way to get some healthy calories with lots of vitamin C and much much more! Smoothies taste awesome too!

This smoothie has been perfected by a long process of trial and error. The agave nectar gives it a unique flavor that makes a good smoothie - amazing - It is a flavor that you can't get from a smoothie shop. What's with the hemp? I have a thing against dairy products (more personal than physiological) so the traditional smoothie proteins such as whey or yogurt don't make the cut. I used to try flax meal but it was too fatty and soy is mostly GMO (genetically modified). So now I use Hemp protein which is a super food, packing in lots of healthy stuff. And no, this is not the same hemp as you may be thinking of - you can't get high from this stuff. All the ingredients are easy to find organic and inexpensively at many markets..

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Recipe: (22-oz smoothie)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of frozen organic berry mix (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries)
1 1/2 cups of frozen organic strawberries
1/3 cup of frozen mango (small handful)
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp organic hemp protein powder
2-1/2 to 3 cups of cold water or fill with water to about 1-2 inches below the fruit [I like my smoothies thick]

Blend in a blender until fully combined. I usually have to assist the blender a couple of times with a spoon because of how thick it is. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts:
22 ounce serving contains: ~465 calories, 14 g protein, 23 g fiber, 100 g total carbs, 3 g fat ...click here for the recipe!

Apple Crisp {Gluten Free}

This is a tasty sweet my hubby made.  It was quite tasty and a great way to use up some extra apples.  He made it gluten free by using a gluten free flour mix but you can always use all purpose flour as well.  This would be heavenly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but we didn't have any so I settled for a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Recipe: (serves 6-8)
to make your filling
5 medium apples, peeled, sliced into 1/4″ thick slices
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix – you may need to add a bit more if your apples are especially juicy.

to make your topping
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/3 cup gluten free quick cooking oats
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375'F.
2. Peel and thinly slice apples and place in a large bowl, drizzle with lemon juice and stir to mix. Add flour, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine, pour it all into 8"x8" glass baking dish. The mixture should be a sticky paste consistency that coats the apples.
3. In another bowl cut together cold butter, oats, flour and sugars using two forks or a pastry cutter, until it's well mixed and crumbles. Sprinkle topping mixture over apples and press down lightly to cover all the apples.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and internal temperature is 200'F.  Serve warm.
...click here for the recipe!

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Fruit Rainbow

This is what's for snack today at my son's preschool along with our Pretzel Shamrocks.  It was fun to make and I had my 3 year old help! It's one of my passions in life to help kids learn for themselves how to choose delicious, beautiful, colorful food that also happens to be good for them, so I was all over this idea.  What kid {or adult} can resist sweet fresh fruit that's already been washed and diced and laid out for them in a pretty display.  Hope the preschoolers love it!

Fresh fruit lined up in a colorful rainbow, complete with a pot of gold at the end {golden raisins}.
The "clouds" are string cheese pieces for some tasty protein to balance it all out.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!

...click here for the recipe!