Hello, hello! Let's sweeten up the start of this workweek with some cookies, shall we? It's no secret that I have a sweet tooth. One of my favorite ways to experiment in the kitchen is to come up with recipes and meal creations that are healthy ways to satisfy that sweet tooth. Today's recipe is a perfect example of that: apricot almond oatmeal breakfast cookies. Summertime is my favorite season for produce. I just cannot get enough summer fruit in. Cherries, nectarines, strawberries... you name it, I love it. The fruit star of today's recipe is the adorable apricot. ... [Read More]
apricots
Apricot Almond Energy Bites [vegan, gf]
Hello, hello! I hope that you had a lovely weekend. Mine was pretty relaxing except for some power outage shenanigans. My hubby was away for the Marine Corps, and on Friday night my pup and I went for a long sunset walk along the beach. We came home to the power being out and I was unable to get into my house. Let's just say I had to get creative and borrow a neighbor's garbage can to hop onto and climb over my fence to get to a spot where I could let myself in. It was eventful! I was pretty proud of myself for being resourceful. :) Besides that little bit of craziness, it was a low-key weekend. My cousin visited from Long Beach and stayed with me. We took Harley for a little hike at a nearby park, and went out for Mediterranean food, wine and live music on Saturday night. It was ... [Read More]
Strawberry, Cashew & Apricot Salad with Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette
Hi friends! Hope you that you had a great weekend. Mine was pretty low-key: did some schoolwork (got 100% on my second test!) and stuff around/for the house, went hiking, got some beach time in and just enjoyed the summertime weather. And speaking of summer, today's recipe is most definitely seasonally appropriate. I came up with this salad after having recently eaten a strawberry basil Greek yogurt. I loved the flavor combo, and when I picked up strawberries during my next grocery store run, I started thinking about pairing local strawberries with basil from my backyard for a dish. In general, I like to switch things up in the kitchen, but this just isn't the case when it comes to salad dressings. My go-to dressing mix is extra virgin olive oil + fresh lemon juice + balsamic ... [Read More]
A Healthy Sweet Treat: Baked Honeyed Apricots
Well, another weekend is coming to an end. My guests headed back to the East coast earlier today, and I was just glued to my TV watching HBO's True Blood, so it's a pretty typical Sunday night for me just relaxing with Harley! Before planting myself on my couch, I perused my kitchen for a snack. I was in the mood for something sweet but light, and found 3 almost overripe apricots sitting in the back of my fridge. I love apricots because they're these little, sweet fruits that you can eat in a few bites, yet they add some flavor to yogurt, cottage cheese, or salads, or are yummy to eat on their own as mini snacks. Not wanting my apricots to go to waste, I turned on my oven and pulled out just a few ingredients to bake a guiltless nighttime snack... Baked Honeyed Apricots 3 ... [Read More]