4th of July Fruit Wands

Watermelon + blueberries + marshmallows + skewers = A TON OF FUN!  What a fun 4th of July snack, side, or treat!  These little wands came together in about 10 minutes and produced a lot of smiles - incase you couldn't tell from my son's face.

I used these fun star-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the watermelon.  I know I talked about them in my Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad post and they were a perfect thing to use again for these wands.  Something about cute little shapes makes eating that much more fun!  Happy 4th of July celebrating this weekend!

4th of July Fruit Wands

Ingredients
1-inch thick watermelon slices
Blueberries
White marshmallows, Walmart had star-shaped ones!
Wooden skewers

Directions
Soak the wooden skewers in water for about 10 minutes so they don't fray.

Take your watermelon slices and cut out your stars.  Thread your watermelon stars, blueberries and marshmallows any way you'd like onto the skewers.  Enjoy!


Recipe Source: Idea adapted from weelicious.com

Almond-Cherry Granola

Store bought granola is very yummy, I won't lie.  But sometimes it's just too expensive, and not as healthy as you think it should be - if you're going for the healthy aspect of things.  This is why I love to make homemade granola.  You can adjust the seeds, nuts, oats, etc. to your liking, you know exactly what's in it, and the ingredients you buy for it can last you forever so it's a lot cheaper.  My two younger children love granola and this one is no exception.  If you're looking for a healthier breakfast option or even a snack, give this recipe a try.  I think you'll really like it.  :)

Almond-Cherry Granola
Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients
6 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 cup wheat germ, toasted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup dried tart cherries

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, maple syrup, vanilla and almond extract.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, cashews, wheat germ, cinnamon and cloves.  Pour the oil mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine, making sure everything is well coated.

Evenly spread the granola onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the granola is golden brown.  Granola will burn quickly so make sure to keep an eye on it towards the end.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the dried cherries on top.  Allow the granola to cool completely on the pan before storing in an airtight container.  Stays good for up to three weeks.

Enjoy with milk, yogurt or as a topping.

Recipe Source: One of my favorite cookbooks: Runner's World, Meals on the Run 

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

The 4th of July is almost here!  If you are still needing an idea for a side dish or a salad, I highly recommend this Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad.  The colors are perfect and the honey-lime dressing adds that extra yumminess that makes this patriotic salad so perfectly fitting for summer-time.

I love my new star-shaped cookie cutters.  They were perfect to help add a little more patriotism to this already very patriotic salad.  The variety of sizes that comes in this set is so fun and they cut so nicely.  I highly recommend them if you're looking to add some fun shapes to your meals or treats.

Mint is pretty potent, so if you're going to have any leftovers you may want to take the mint leaves out, unless you really like that extra minty taste.  But you gotta love that green!

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
4 cups strawberries, sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups blueberries
2 cups watermelon, diced
1 large apple


Directions
In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice and honey.  Set aside.

In a large bowl add strawberries and sugar.  Stir them together until all is evenly coated.  Add blueberries, watermelon and apple.  Pour the honey-lime dressing on top and toss to coat.  Add some fresh mint to garnish if you'd like.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from the spicysouthernkitchen.com

Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins

Our family loves blueberry season.  When we lived in Georgia our good friends the Murphy's invited us over every blueberry season to fill up our buckets with their home-grown blueberries.  My kids and I love those memories and I love looking back at the pictures of those days.  With each passing day I find myself wishing I could freeze time more and more often. 

On mornings when I need a break from making our favorite pancakes I often turn to this muffin recipe.  These taste "delicious" (the word my 6-year-old son uses to describe these muffins) whether you use fresh or frozen blueberries.  My favorite muffin (cookie) scoop makes it super easy to fill the muffin tins just right.

I love seeing all those pretty little blueberries inside.

Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins
Yield: 11-12 muffins

Note: You can easily make this recipe using 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour instead of half all-purpose and half whole wheat.  You can also omit the wheat germ.  I prefer the way I've shared because it's healthier and I like sneaking in wheat germ whenever I can.  If you alter the recipe from how I've written you will not need as much milk.  Instead of filling it to the 1 1/4 cup line you will probably only need to fill it to the 1 cup line (so you will only need a 1-cup measuring cup instead of a 2-cup).  The batter is thick, but you don't want it too thick so you might need to adjust the amount of milk by just a little depending on the type of flour you use.

Ingredients
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 tablespoon wheat germ
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 milk, more or less
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease 12 muffin tins or lin with muffin liners.  Set aside

Whisk together flours, wheat germ, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.  In a 2-cup measuring cup add your 1/3 cup oil and egg.  Then add your milk to reach the 1 1/4 cup line.  Make an indent in the center of your dry mixture and pour your wet mixture into your dry mixture.  With a wooden spoon or large rubber spatula, stir the two together until just combined.  Fold in the blueberries.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tins.  I love using my favorite muffin/cookie scoop.  It works perfect every time I make muffins.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack and allowing to cool the rest of the way.

Recipe Source:  adapted from allrecipes.com.

Classic Italian Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is a classic.  It makes a great side dish to bring along to a summer picnic or BBQ or shower.  It's so easy to toss it all together and has a very light feel to it.  It doesn't leave you feeling heavy which is so nice in the summer-time and which also means you have a little extra room to try out some yummy desserts.

After dicing the veggies and pepperoni you just toss the broccoli into the pasta during the last two minutes of cooking...

...and toss it all together with the dressing...

and refrigerate for a few hours (for best results) and that's it! 

Classic Italian Pasta Salad
Yield: About 12 servings

Ingredients
1 lb. tri-colored Rotini pasta
1 head broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large cucumber, diced into bite-size pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 (6 oz.) can black olives, sliced
1/4 of a purple red onion, diced
1 cup sliced pepperoni, quartered
1 1/2 cups Italian salad dressing

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add the pasta.  Cook until al dente and then add the broccoli florets.  Cook for 2 more minutes and then strain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.  Run cold water over the two until they are cooled.  Allow to drain completely and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the cucumber, pepper, olives, onion and pepperoni.  Add the pasta and broccoli and stir to combine.  Pour the dressing on top and toss to evenly coat.

Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  It's best if you can make this a few hours ahead of time to allow the salad and dressing to marry together.  Toss again before serving and enjoy.

Recipe Source: adapted from iwashyoudry.com

Strawberry Banana Spinach Kefir Smoothie {My go-to Smoothie}

I know there are a million and one smoothie recipes out there, but no matter how many times I search and try and make, I always come back to this one.  It's probably because I love getting my kefir serving in every day.  I like thinking that it's helping clean my gut!  TMI?  And I love getting a little serving of chia and flax seeds.  And I really like how it tastes!

I almost always have these ingredients on hand so it's also something I can make without running into the "Oh man!  I forgot to grab that at the store." dilemma.

I also LOVE drinking it in my favorite tumbler.  So many mornings I have made this smoothie as we are on our way out the door to run errands, and two hours later when we are driving home my smoothie is still as fresh as when I made it because this tumbler just keeps it that cold.  Even in a car in the summer in the heat of Texas!

My kids even love this Kefir Smoothie.  This little guy especially.  

It's hard to get him to stop! 

2 minutes later... still drinking.  And he loves holding our tumbler.  Makes him feel like a big kid!  And he's becoming one.  Slow down time, please!

Strawberry Banana Spinach Kefir Smoothie {My go-to Smoothie}
Yield: About 30oz

Ingredients
1 cup homemade kefir
2 bananas, frozen
1 cup strawberries, frozen
1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1 cup spinach
Ice, to your liking

Directions
Add all of the ingredients to your blender (I love my vitamix!) in the order listed above.  If you are using frozen fruit let everything sit for about 10 minutes, to allow the fruits to thaw a little.  (If you are using fresh fruit you can skip the 10 minute resting period.)  Set your blender to the "smoothie" setting and let it do it's magic.  Enjoy right away.

Recipe source: Tasty on My Mind

Southwestern Black Bean Wrap

I enjoy finding recipes that call for leftover ingredients like leftover chicken or rice.  This wrap is one of those wonderful little recipes.  And it can be altered to your liking - more of one thing or less of another AND it makes a wonderful light lunch that really comes together so quickly.  These wraps have become one of my summer go-to's when I have rice in the refrigerator that I need to use up.  If you give it a try I'm pretty sure you'll find yourself making it again because it's just a wonderful easy-fixin' healthy little recipe.  :)

Southwestern Black Bean Wrap

Yield: 2 wraps

Ingredients

2 tortillas, warmed

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup cooked rice, white or brown

1 cup baby spinach

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 avocado, diced

salsa, to taste

fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Add the oil to a medium-size skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the beans, rice and spinach and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the beans and rice are cooked through and the spinach begins to wilt.  Divide the mixture between the two warmed tortillas.

Spray the same skillet with cooking spray and add the beaten eggs.  Cook until scrambled and divide between the two tortillas, layering on top of the rice mixture.

Top with the cheese, avocado, salsa and cilantro.  Roll up the tortilla, slice in half and serve.

Recipe Source:  Adapted from Runner's World, Meals on the Run.

Easy Fruit and Pretzel Flag Dessert

Happy Flag day tomorrow and the 4th of July is just around the corner.  Yay!  I'm loving these patriotic holidays more and more the older I get.  I'm going to be out of town the weekend before the 4th of July so my kids and I have started celebrating early!

This Easy Fruit and Pretzel Flag dessert is so. much. fun.  It comes together so easy.  I didn't even take the stems off the strawberries!  The fruit just needs a little rinsing.  I love the fun patriotic colors.  My little Molly loved helping me lay everything out and if you can't tell... she tried a couple of times to sneak some bites during the process.  Whether you need an idea for a dessert or a side dish or just a fun snack... my vote is for this one!

Easy Fruit and Pretzel Flag Dessert

Ingredients

6 cups fresh red fruit (strawberries, raspberries or cherries), rinsed

2 cups blueberries, rinsed

3-4 cups yogurt covered pretzels

Take a serving tray and line it with parchment paper.  After rinsing the fruit, arrange the red fruit and pretzels in stripes representing the flag.  Place the rinsed blueberries in a bowl in the top left corner.  

Recipe Source: idea from freshfamilymeals 

Creamy Pesto Alfredo Tortellini with Skillet Chicken

This is such a fun and yummy meal.  I love cheese tortellini.  Colby really likes Pesto sauce.  Our kids don't care for chicken but we make them eat it about 3 times a week anyways.  And I love topping meals using my fresh little potted herb garden I have growing in my backyard.  So this meal just makes me happy.  

If you like cheese.  If you like pasta.  If you like pesto.  And if you like easy flavorful chicken (although you don't have to include the chicken in this recipe, but I highly recommend it) then you've got yourself an easy week-night dinner winner right here!

Creamy Pesto Alfredo Tortellini with Skillet Chicken

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thin cut.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2, 19oz packages frozen three cheese tortellini
1/3 cup pesto sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (plus more for topping)
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, freshly grated

Directions
Cook tortellini in a large pot according to the directions on the packages.  Drain and place back in the pot that you cooked it in (just not on the hot burner).  Cover and set aside.

While tortellini is cooking, in a large skillet heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  While oil is heating up salt and pepper both sides of all the chicken breasts.  Once oil is hot add chicken to the skillet and saute for about 6 minutes on both sides.  You want the chicken golden brown with an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast.  Once all the breasts are cooked through transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil until the pasta is done.

Also while chicken and tortellini are cooking, in a medium sized skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant (only about 10 seconds).  Slowly add the heavy cream while whisking.  Continue to heat through on medium heat.

Add sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for about 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until smooth.

Add your pesto sauce to the tortellini and stir until well combined.  Then add the Alfredo sauce and the mozzarella cheese. Combine well again and serve.  Add some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top if you'd like.


Recipe Source: adapted slightly from will cook for smiles.

Raspberry Lemon Whole Wheat Muffins

My mom was an amazing gardener.  She had the most incredible garden in our backyard and some of my favorite memories of her (there are hundreds!) are looking out our back door and seeing her working in her garden.  It made her happy and even after working long days at the hospital she would go out and take care of whatever was growing and needing her attention.  I remember there were a few summers when she grew raspberries.  I would go back to the garden with her and pick the raspberries and eat them while I talked to her and watched her work.  I should have done more of the working than the eating.  But when I see raspberries I remember those times and it makes me smile.  So, raspberries make me smile.

I love their color and their tartness.  I love eating them plain or mixed in my granola or in a salad or in my dessert.  I love eating them in these muffins!

These Raspberry Lemon Whole Wheat Muffins are super moist.  They are healthy!  There is no added sugar (unless you want to sprinkle a little on the top before baking them).  They are perfect as breakfast or a snack.  They are a wonderful summer-time recipe.  And I LOVE the added lemon zest.

When I opened up the oven door to take these muffins out - oh my.  Raspberry lemon heaven.  The smell was so good.  I couldn't wait for them to cool before I had to taste one.

Raspberry Lemon Whole Wheat Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease muffin tins and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oil and honey.  Add the eggs and whisk well again.  Then add the yogurt, vanilla and lemon zest.  Whisk well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and with a big spoon or spatula mix just until combined.  Gently fold in the raspberries (they don't need to thaw).  The mixture will be very thick.

Scoop the batter our evenly between the 12 muffin cups.  I use my favorite muffin scoop.  This scoop is perfect for filling muffin tins and I use it every time we make muffins or cupcakes.  Bake the muffins for 24 minutes, or until they are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them and allowing them to cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack.  If you have leftover muffins, store them in a tight tupperware at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.  Freeze any other leftover muffins for up to 3 months.


Recipe Source:  adapted slightly from cookie and kate.

Watermelon Lemonade {The Perfect Summer Drink}

I love water.  It's about all I drink.  It's about all my kids drink.  I don't know if it's because I find it very refreshing or because that's all I ever saw my mom drink or because if I don't drink enough of it during the day I get a headache or because I'd rather get my calories from yummy delicious food.  (The last reason may have nailed it on the head.)  I don't want to use calories drinking when I could use them eating, but when I saw this Watermelon Lemonade, I had to try it!  And I loved it.  I love it as a summer drink.  My kids loved that I was giving them something besides water.  I think Colby's mouth may have fallen open a tad when he saw it on the table - shocked I was drinking something besides water.  

This Watermelon Lemonade is refreshing.  It's simple.  It's fresh.  It's light (maybe not in the sugar content).  It's easy.  There is no reason not to serve it this summer whether for an event or for your family or heck - just for yourself to enjoy day after day during a hot summer's week.  What a fun twist to lemonade.

Watermelon Lemonade

Ingredients

6 cups watermelon, cubed and chilled (about 1/3 of a watermelon)

3 cups cold water

3/4 cup freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice, chilled

1/2 cup sugar (more or less depending on taste)

Ice

*Mint, optional for serving

Directions

Add watermelon to a blender and pulse until it's well pureed.  Pour juice through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl or pitcher.  I got about 3 1/2 cups watermelon juice after straining it.

In a large pitcher whisk together the cold water, lemon juice and sugar until all of the sugar has dissolved.  Stir in pureed watermelon.  Add ice.  If you don't want to add very much ice you may want to up your water amount from 3 cups to 3/12 or 4.  But if you add ice, the ice will melt quickly on a hot summer day and dilute the taste, so that's why I do 3 cups - to allow a little wiggle room for the ice to melt since I'm not a chugger when it comes to drinking.

*I love mint, but if you leave it in too long - mint is strong so just be aware of that.

Recipe Source: adapted from cooking classy.