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Easy Snack Ideas
Sometimes you want a simple snack that tastes good and doesn’t require too much time or ingredients. Well, here are 3 options you can choose from. Two are sweet and one is salty. And you can always make your own variation of each.
Peanut Butter & Granola Apples
I recently saw this recipe in RedBook magazine and decided to give it a try. I have seen people eat peanut butter and apples before, but never with granola. I didn’t have any granola on hand so I use some rolled oats I bought at Target. All you have to do is slice an apple, spread peanut butter on one side, and cover with granola or oats. The oats I used had cocoa powder, nuts and seeds as well, but no sugar.
Cinnamon Apple Toast
This is very easy and delicious. It is a great item for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Use a piece of whole-wheat bread and spread a little butter on it. Then add apple slices and a little sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon. Broil in toaster oven for about 4 minutes, keep an eye on it as everyone likes their toast cooked a little different.
Mini Pizzas
When there is not much in the house to eat or I just feel like some pizza, I usually make these mini pizzas. It requires the same ingredients as a regular pizza except you use Arnolds Whole Wheat sandwich thins for the crust. There are other brands of sandwich thins, but I like Arnolds the best.
In the picture, one pizza has tomato sauce, garlic powder, mozzarella and swiss cheese and fresh basil. The second pizza has tomato sauce with cheddar cheese and corn beef. The only reason I used corn beef was because we had some leftover and that was the only meat I had around. It tasted pretty good. Of course you can easily substitute pepperoni. I cooked mine in the toaster oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Make your pizza however you like. I usually like onions on mine.
Other snacks I like are mixed raw nuts, veggies and dip, cucumbers with tuna, and a small smoothie.
Do you have any favorite snack recipes? I would like to hear your unique creations, share them in the comment section below.
Strawberry Jello & Pretzel Pie
I found this recipe on the-girl-who-ate-everything.com and thought it looked interesting. I made this for 4th of July and it was so good!! It reminds me of a strawberry cheesecake. It is a little messy, but not too difficult to make. I wanted a dessert that was different, yet didn’t require too many ingredients. I’m a crust girl, to me the best part of the cheesecake is the crust (if it is done right that is). This pretzel crust is the perfect combination of salty and sweet and super yummy. Give this recipe a try if you like strawberry cheesecake.
What You Need
2 1/2 cups of finely crushed pretzels
3 Tablespoons of brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks of melted butter
1- 6 oz. package of strawberry instant jello
8 oz. fresh strawberries, sliced (the original recipe called for a whole pack of strawberries which is 16 oz. I only used about half, but if you want to add more go ahead)
1- 8 oz. package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
8 oz. cool whip
How To Prepare
1. Make the Jello as directed on the box and add strawberries. Refrigerate until partially set. I used the fast process on the box (using half water half ice) and left my jello in the fridge for about 1 1/2 hours. It may take longer if you just use water. Just make sure it is not too watery or it will make the crust soggy.
2. When jello is almost ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Combine the crushed pretzels, brown sugar and melted butter and press it in a greased 9 x 13 pan. I lined my pan with parchment paper instead of greasing it. If the crust is too dry and is not sticking well, you can add more melted butter.
4. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
5. Combine cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and beat with hand mixer until smooth. Then add cool whip and beat to combine fully.
6. Once the crust is cool, add the cream cheese layer on top of the crust and smooth it out. Make sure you smooth it out all the way to the corners.
7. Pour the jello on top over the cream cheese layer. I scooped my jello out with a spoon. Then place in fridge to cool.
8. It is best to wait a few hours for it to set before eating. I thought it tasted best the next day. You can add more fresh strawberries on top if you wish.
Motivation Monday (Health)
Eating healthy can be difiicult and anything that can make it a little easier is a plus. I put together two lists if you are looking for food high in fiber or high in protein. These lists do not have everything on them, but should give you some examples and serve as a reference.
*correction to the protein photo above: that should be 1/2 cup of Quinoa.
Think of each day as a day to make a change and another chance to better yourself. Don’t get discouraged if you screwed up yesterday, make it better TODAY. You only have one body and if you ruin it, you will be the one who will suffer. So take responsibility, make smart decisions and don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Make things happen, you have the power so use it!
A great quote that may help:
“The number one reason why people quit is because they look how far they’ve got to go, instead of how far they’ve come.”
information sources: todaysdietitian.com, nutritiondata.self.com
Spinach & Pepper Jack Hummus
I love hummus and I wanted to try making my own so I tried out this recipe. It is very tasty and makes a generous amount. You can always change it up depending on your particular taste.
What You Need
1 can of chickpeas (16 oz.) drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons of tahini (ground sesame seeds)
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 cups of fresh, roughly chopped spinach
1/4 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil
sea salt & pepper to taste
How To Prepare
1. Put chickpeas, garlic, tahini and lemon juice in a food processor. (Don’t forget to drain and rinse the chickpeas first.)
2. Pulse until fully combined and all chickpeas are broken up.
3. Add in spinach, salt, pepper, cheese, and olive oil. Pulse until smooth and creamy.
4. Take a taste test and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if necessary.
Serve with pita chips and refrigerate any leftover hummus.
I like to eat this with Stacys multigrain pita chips that I purchase at my local grocery store.
recipe adapted from: healthywithheather.com
A Few of My Favorite Things
There are many products that I love and I wanted to share just a few with everyone.
My favorite conditioner, face scrub, hand soap, body wash and razor
1. Lavender Vanilla Hair Conditioner from Bath & Body works
They don’t sell this anymore, unfortunately, but it makes my hair smell so good. I’m pretty sure they still have this scent, but not in conditioner.
2.Apricot and White Tea face scrub from Bath & Body works
This scrub smells so delicious and feels great on my face. I stocked up on these when they went on sale.
3. Lemon Pomegranate Pop hand soap from Bath & Body works
This scent smells so delicious! I think I bought this last summer and shortly afterward they didn’t carry the scent anymore. It is now summer again so I’m hoping they will bring it back.
4. So Sexy hair conditioner from Victoria’s Secret
I love how this conditioner makes my hair smell. They sell shampoo too, but since they are so expensive I just use the conditioner.
5. Pink organic Shea Butter body wash from Victoria’s Secret
I bought this when it was on sale and ended up really liking it. it has a refreshing smell that is nice when you don’t want something so perfumey.
6.Intuition razor by Schick
I have used intuition razors ever since they came out and love them.
- my favorite perfume, mascara, eyebrow liner, and nail polish
1. DKNY perfume – Be Delicious, green bottle
I LOVE this perfume and sadly my bottle is now empty. One time I was in an elevator and the guy next to me asked what my perfume was called because it smelt so good. I’ve never gotten a compliment on any other perfume before so I’d say it’s pretty good.
2. Essie Nail Polish – color: no more film
I like all different types of nail polish, but this one goes on nicely and looks great. It still chips like most, but it lasts a little bit longer. I have only tried this color so far, but they have other great colors to choose from.
3. Avon Pro Brow Enhancer
I never used to wear brow liner or did anything to my eyebrows (other than pluck/wax them), but I tried this one day and loved it. It is a liquid that you brush through your eyebrows and makes them look great. The liquid actually looks like your real eyebrow hair, sounds weird, but it’s great. The only thing is it doesn’t last very long if you use it often.
4. Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions Mascara
I have tried many different mascaras and so far this is my favorite. It is doubleended, one side is white and the other black. The white you put on first and it adds “extensions” to your lashes, and then you put the black over it. It makes my lashes look longer than any other mascara and never clumps. Most mascara I have used makes my lashes clump together which I hate and this works much better.
my favorite cookies, muffin mix, and chocolate
1. Peppermint crunch cookies from Archer Farms
These cookies are Target Brand and were sold there during Christmas time. When they went on sale afterward, my mom and I bought a bunch of these after we tried how amazing they were. Unfortunately they were a seasonal item, and will probably not be coming back, but at least we stocked up. They sort of remind me of a much better version of girl scout thin mints.
2. Ghiradhelli double chocolate muffins
I like baking sweets from scratch, but sometimes you don’t feel like doing all that work. So when I’m in the mood for some delicious chocolate muffins, I always go to this Ghiradhelli box mix. I bought them at my local grocery store, but sometimes they are not always available. These really are pretty good though.
3. Hills Bros White Chocolate Caramel cappuccino mix
I love coffee and bought this one day just to try it. It makes a decent instant cappuccino, but what I really like to do is add it to my coffee for extra flavor.
4. Dove chocolate – dark
Sometimes I just want a little dark chocolate and my go-to is Dove. I usually buy a bag of these to keep around in case I need a chocolate fix. I find that these taste much better than Hershey chocolate.
If you really want to try some amazing chocolate, go get yourself one of these Chocolove bars with dark chocolate, dried cherries and almonds. They used to carry these at Target, but now I have to venture over to Whole Foods or the Fresh Market if I want one now. They are pricey (I think it is $3 and change for one bar), but so worth it! They were recently on sale for $2.50. So delicious!
What are your favorite products?
instillari 