Treats and temptations everywhere! One way that I am keeping my hands out of the candy bowls is to have homemade healthier treats prepared so that when that sweet craving hits I can satisfy it without junk ingredients! My Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch bars contain amaranth, which is a teeny tiny seed that is an excellent source of protein, iron, calcium, and fiber.

Word of caution: Buy more amaranth than this recipe states. Even though I have been making popped amaranth for quite some time, I burn a batch almost every time I make it. Don’t let that stop you though, just toss the burnt batch and start over!

Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch Bars

Ingredients:
- 1 bag Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tbsp uncooked Amaranth
- 1 Tsp Mint Extract

Directions: 
1. Place a pan (with a tight fitting lid) over medium heat. Allow to heat up for about a minute.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of amaranth to the dry pan, cover and shake pan for about 30-40 seconds and then continue to shake off of the heat for another 20 seconds or so. Pour popped amaranth into a separate bowl. (If it burns, toss it and start over. Burnt amaranth is just about as bad as burnt popcorn.)
3. Slowly melt chocolate chips via a double boiler or microwave.
4. Gently stir mint extract and popped amaranth into melted chocolate.
5. Pour chocolate mixture into molds and place in the refrigerator to set.
6. Once set break into pieces and serve or return to the refrigerator to store for when that sweet craving hits!

*If you don’t have chocolate molds, pour chocolate mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Once chocolate is set break into pieces and you have Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch Bark!

Enjoy!

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Most nights, as soon as I get my girls tucked into their beds, my sweet tooth really starts to kick in. I love baked treats but Brian isn’t a big fan so it is way too dangerous to have an entire batch of cookies sitting around just waiting for me to eat all of them! To satisfy my cookie cravings, I like to make small batches of healthier chocolate chip cookies. This recipe makes either 4 large or 6 small cookies. Just the right amount for snuggling on the couch and catching up on the DVR! 

Small Batch Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 4 or 6 cookies

Ingredients: 
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
2 Tablespoons Maple Sugar
½ Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Egg Yolk
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ teaspoon Salt
6 Tablespoons White Whole Wheat Flour
1 ½ Tablespoons Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine melted butter, nutritional yeast, and maple sugar.
3. Add vanilla and egg yolk. Stir until combined.
4. Add in baking soda, salt, and flour. Stir until combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Form dough into 4 or 6 balls and place on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes

Enjoy!

Honey Lime Melon Trio

I wrote this recipe right after Brian and I had just returned home from celebrating our 7-year anniversary on an Alaskan cruise. We had such a wonderful time enjoying each other’s company all week. Another thing that we enjoyed all week was the food! I had been in a little bit of a food rut, but all the wonderful food on the cruise has inspired me to try lots of new recipes! One of our favorites from the cruise was a Melon Trio appetizer that I knew I had to recreate as soon as we got home! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Honey Lime Melon Trio

Ingredients: 
1 Cantaloupe
1 Honeydew Melon
1 Personal Sized Watermelon
3 Limes + Additional Lime Zest for Garnish
2 Tablespoons Honey

Directions:
1. Use a melon baller to scoop all the flesh from the honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Place melon balls in a large bowl.
2. Zest the limes over the melon balls.
3. Juice the limes and whisk the lime juice with honey until combined.
4. Pour honey lime mixture over melon balls and stir to coat.
5. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
6. Garnish with additional lime zest.

Enjoy!

Feta Guacamole

Mmmm! Warm weather makes me want Mexican food! Chips, salsa, and guac are about one of the greatest food combinations ever! You already know about my love of avocados right?! Next time you have a surplus of avocados, you should try this unique version of guacamole! The addition of feta adds an unexpected flavor that keeps drawing you in and the apple cider vinegar pulls it all together with a bit of tang! 

Feta Guacamole

Ingredients: 
2 Large Avocados (or 5-6 Pee-Wee Avocados)
¼ Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
3 Tbsp Prepared Fresh Salsa
1 Tsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Smash avocados in a bowl until desired consistency is reached.
2. Mix in remaining ingredients. (You may need more or less salsa depending on how spicy you prefer your guacamole.)
3. Serve with chips. This is also a delicious addition to taco night!
Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Filled Dates

I'm kind of obsessed with dates... Both the out with the husband kind and the fruit kind. :) 

Today I am going to be talking about the fruity kind! Dates are definitely not the most appetizing looking of all the foods. Let’s be honest, they resemble cockroaches! Despite their undesirable exteriors, dates are sweet and taste similar to brown sugar. This little snack is great at providing that quick energy burst that I so often need in the afternoons! I love that I can make a whole plate full to share with friends or I can quickly just make one for myself! 

Give this little snack a try! 

Quick Snack Idea: Cream Cheese filled Dates

Ingredients:
Medjool Dates
Light Whipped Cream Cheese (about 1 teaspoon per date)

Directions:
1. Slice date down the middle on one side and remove the pit.
2. Fill empty space in date with desired amount of cream cheese.
3. Serve and enjoy.

I also like to fill dates with sunflower seed butter, almond butter, and/or
cinnamon ghee... Pretty much anything can be stuffed in a date and taste good!

English Muffin French Toast

Do you ever get a recipe or craft idea stuck in your head and you just can’t stop thinking about it until you have gone to the store, bought the supplies, and then accomplished that task? This happened to me the other day while I was browsing Pinterest. (Doesn’t it always happen after browsing Pinterest?!?) This time it was English Muffin French Toast. I love all things breakfast-y so this looked like something I would love! Swapping out the typical bread for English muffins adds a new delicious twist to French toast that is sure to make it a regular at your breakfast table!

English Muffin French Toast
Inspired by this recipe on The Kitchn

Ingredients:
8 English Muffins, split
4 Eggs
¼ cup Milk
¼ cup Orange Juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, divided
Berries, Powdered Sugar, and Maple Syrup for garnish

Directions:
1. Turn oven on to 200 degrees. Add a sheet pan to the oven and allow to preheat while you cook the French toast.
2. Add 2 Tablespoons coconut oil to the bottom of a large cast iron pot or pan placed over medium low heat.
3. Add eggs, milk, orange juice, vanilla, and cinnamon to a blender and pulse until well combined.
4. Pour egg mixture into a 8x8 or similar glass dish and dip each English muffin half for about 1 minute per side.
5. Cook soaked English muffins in coconut oil until golden brown on each side. I had to add another 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to my pan halfway through cooking the English Muffins. Once each English muffin has cooked through, immediately transfer it to the sheet pan in the oven so that the they will all stay warm until it is time to serve.
6. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, fresh berries, and warm maple syrup

Enjoy!

Quinoa Berry Salad

Have you tried quinoa yet? Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is often touted as a super food and for good reason, it is a complete protein meaning that in and of itself it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. 

Best of all quinoa is very tasty! The texture is similar to rice so I like to swap it out for rice any chance I get! Quinoa has a fairly neutral flavor so when I prepare it to serve with savory dishes I like to cook the quinoa in chicken broth rather than water to boost the flavor. Today, I want to share a sweet way to enjoy quinoa! 

Quinoa Berry Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 cup apple juice
½ cup chopped strawberries
½ cup blueberries
½ cup blackberries
¼ cup chopped almonds
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons raspberry vinaigrette (I used Trader Joe’s)

Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa well. I like to put my quinoa in a mesh strainer and rinse it under the faucet until the water runs clear.
2. Combine quinoa, apple juice, and water in a medium saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.
4. Fluff quinoa with a fork and place in refrigerator until chilled.
5. Combine strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, almonds, and coconut in a bowl. Gently stir mixture into the quinoa.
6. Drizzle vinaigrette onto quinoa and stir until combined.
7. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Enjoy!

Ranch Dip Mix

This warm weather has me craving raw veggies and what goes better with raw veggies than ranch dip? The first 3 ingredients in Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix are maltodextrin, salt, and MSG. Not exactly ingredients that I want my family to top their vegetables with! My Ranch Dip Mix contains all whole food ingredients and it takes just a few minutes to whip up a batch of mix that will yield 9 cups of Ranch Dip! 

Ranch Dip Mix

Ingredients:
¼ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
¼ cup Dried Parsley Flakes
2 teaspoons Dried Dill
2 teaspoons Onion Powder
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Dried Basil
½ teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions: 
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse mixture into a fine powder.
2. Store mixture in an airtight container.

To prepare Ranch Dip:
Combine:
½ Cup Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Ranch Dip Mix
1 tablespoon Mayonnaise  (Optional)
Salt to taste

Refrigerate until ready to serve! This dip gets better with time. I like to prepare it at least an hour in advance of serving time.

Enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Salad

I have a great recipe to add to your lunch rotation today! Avocado Chicken Salad! Not only do I love avocados because of how they taste, I also love avocados because of their many health benefits! Avocados are high in the good fats that we need for our hair and skin, they are high in fiber, and they are rich in B, K, and E Vitamins! You know that I am often doing Whole30s, which are all about eating protein, vegetables, and good fats all at each meal. With this Avocado Chicken Salad, I have all those bases covered and it is delicious! It is so hard to tell that I swapped the mayonnaise out for avocado! Even my chicken salad and avocado hating husband told me that he really liked this dish and would gladly eat it anytime! 

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients: 
1 lb cold cooked chicken
1 ½ medium avocados
½ cup chopped raw pecans
½ cup diced celery
½ cup quartered red grapes
½ cup quartered green grapes
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Salt & Pepper to taste
Spinach for serving

Directions:
1. Add cold chicken to the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn to the slowest setting and let chicken shred into desired size pieces.
2. While continuing to mix, add avocado to the bowl.
3. Once the avocado and chicken are well mixed, gently stir in pecans, celery, grapes, and pomegranate seeds.
4. Season with lots of salt and pepper.
5. Serve on a bed of spinach.
Enjoy!

Strawberry Blossoms

Do you need a last minute dessert idea? Try these Strawberry Blossoms! My Mom has been making variations of these Strawberry Blossoms for as long as I can remember. I have simplified my Mom’s recipe by using ready to eat cheesecake filling. It makes this dessert a cinch to throw together at the last minute! 

Strawberry Blossoms

Ingredients:
Strawberries
Philadelphia Ready-to-Eat Cheesecake Filling

Supplies:
Pastry Bag fitted with Star Tip

Directions: 
1. Remove green tops from strawberries.
2. Slice strawberries in half lengthwise.
3. Fill pastry bag with cheesecake filling.
4. Pipe cheesecake filling onto strawberry halves.
5. Serve right away of chill until ready to serve

Enjoy!

Raspberry Brie Mini Croissant Sandwiches

This might be one of my favorite recipes that I shared on For Chic Sake. 

Baked Brie with apples is one of my favorite appetizers but I rarely make it because I could eat the entire thing in one sitting! Right now, I love the tartness of raspberries paired with the creaminess of Brie, it is a great combination! These sandwiches remind me of a cross between a Cheese Danish and a Toaster Strudel!

These sandwiches work great for parties because you can prepare a bunch in advance and then place in the oven right as your guests arrive so that the sandwiches can be served warm. These are also great for enjoying with coffee or tea while chatting with a friend!

Raspberry and Brie Mini Croissant Sandwiches


Ingredients: 
-Raspberry Jam
-Brie Cheese (with rind removed)
-Mini Croissants
(Amounts will very depending on number of sandwiches you would like to make.)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Slice croissants in half
3. Spread about 1.5 teaspoons of jam on one half of croissant
4. Spread about 2 teaspoons of brie on the remaining half of croissant
5. Put halves back together and place sandwich on a baking sheet
6. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melty
7. Serve warm and enjoy!

Crispy Sunflower Seed Butter Truffles

Hey y'all! I am back to share another of my For Chic Sake recipes! 

My Pinterest feed seems to be full of delicious looking peanut butter and chocolate recipes lately! I have a mild peanut intolerance so unfortunately I shouldn’t take part in all of that peanut chocolate goodness. I can, however, enjoy sunflower seed butter! Sunflower seed butter is by far my favorite peanut butter alternative. It is similar enough to peanut butter that I don’t have to feel deprived of peanut butter anymore! These Crispy Sunflower Butter Truffles can definitely satisfy any peanut butter and chocolate craving! 

Crispy Sunflower Butter Truffles
Yield About 40 Truffles

Ingredients: 
1 Sleeve Graham Crackers (use gluten free if desired)
1 Cup Sunflower Seed Butter
1 Tbsp Honey

1 Bag of Chocolate Chips
Himalayan Pink Salt for sprinkling

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine graham crackers, sunflower seed butter, and honey.  Process until graham crackers are well crushed and mixture comes together.
2. Form mixture into small balls and place balls on a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until firm.
4. While truffles are in the freezer melt chocolate chips. (I typically use the double boiler method but microwaving would be fine too!)
5. Remove truffles from freezer and coat with melted chocolate.
6. Place coated truffles on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each truffle with a bit of pink salt.
7. Refrigerate until set and serve cold!

*Notes*
I haven’t tried it, but I am sure that peanut butter or any nut butter would work great in place of the sunflower seed butter.

I use only Pink Himalayan Salt in my kitchen. Kimberly Snyder has a great blog post explaining differences in salts! 

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Soup

The next recipe that I want to share from my For Chic Sake recipes is one that I make at least a few times a month! In fact, this tomato soup is one of Kenley's very favorite foods! Making tomato soup this way takes just a bit more time than opening a can but it isn't really any more difficult and the results are totally worth the extra bit of time to roast the tomatoes! 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Serves 2 (plus our 2 girls who barely eat)  :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs Cherry Tomatoes

½ Cup roughly chopped Onion

¼ tsp minced garlic

Scant 2 Cups shredded cheese (I use Kerrygold Dubliner)

Pepper to taste

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.     Place tomatoes and chopped onions on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3.     Cook tomatoes and onions in the oven for about 20 minutes or until some of the tomatoes begin to burst.

4.     Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cheese to the Vitamix. Blend on low speed for a few minutes to get everything combined then up the speed to high and blend for 5 minutes.

5.     Serve immediately

Enjoy!

*When we are on Whole30 I substitute a spoonful of ghee for the cheese! It is still super yummy! 

For Chic Sake Recipes- White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Granola Bars

Sorry for the unannounced blog hiatus! My computer has stopped reading memory cards so I haven't been able to upload pictures in quite some time! I still need to get it fixed but in the mean time I thought I would post some recipes that I haven't posted before!  I used to be a food contributor on ForChicSake.com but that site has shut down so I am going to repost all those yummy recipes here! 

Let's start with the very first recipe that I shared! 

White Chocolate Covered 

Strawberry Granola Bars

Ingredients:

1 stick salted Butter

1/2 cup Honey

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

2 cups Instant Oatmeal

1 cup Rice Krispies Cereal

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries

1/3 cup White Chocolate Chips (plus more for drizzling if desired)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine oats, rice cereal, and strawberries. 

2. Add butter and honey to a saucepan set over medium low heat. 

3. Once butter melts and mixture begins to bubble, stir constantly for 3 minutes. 

4. At the end of your 3 minutes remove mixture from the heat and allow mixture to cool for       another 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally. 

5. Add vanilla extract to butter-honey mixture. 

6. Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir to combine. 

7. Stir in white chocolate chips. (The longer you wait to add the chips the less likely they are to melt) 

8. Dump mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Add another piece of parchment paper over the top of your granola mixture and pound to desired thickness with a potato masher. This step helps your granola bars to stick together. 

9. Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator to allow granola bars to set for at least 1 hour. Cut into bars and serve, or cut into bars and drizzle with additional white chocolate if desired.

These bars have the best consistency when stored and served straight from the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

I happen to have all of these ingredients in my pantry so I think the girls and I will whip up another batch of these tomorrow!!  

Dark Chocolate Mint Crunch Bars

My latest recipe is up at For Chic Sake! Go check it out! 

*I made these pre-Whole30 :) 

Oreo Coffee Pie

Head over to For Chic Sake for my Oreo Coffee Pie recipe! 

Honey Lime Melon Trio

Inspired by our cruise to Alaska, my latest recipe is up at For Chic Sake!  

Grain Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake

My latest recipe is up at For Chic Sake! Check it out! 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Head over to ForChicSake.com to check out my Roasted Tomato Soup recipe!

Small Batch Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies!

My latest recipe is up at ForChicSake! I made these again with the girls last night as a treat for eating their dinners so well! Now they are kid approved as well as Brian and Keri approved!