It’s the end of the season and tomatoes are going nuts in my garden! It’s funny because, before this season, I planned to quit growing tomatoes. I tried Pots and in the ground and never got much at all.

This year, my neighbor gave me four plants so I decided to go for it one more time.

Two of them seem to have given their all to keep me engaged.

This recipe is easy, and includes blanching the tomatoes and peeling the skin off.

If you don’t want to peel the tomatoes just chop them instead! It took about 10 minutes to prepare and then you can serve immediately, wait till it comes to room temperature, or even chill it. I like it at room temperature with a little parmesan cheese on top.

So a little pasta is in order!

Recipe:

3-5 fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded (optional)

1 sprig fresh basil, shredded

1 small garlic

1/4 c. olive oil

1 lb. spaghetti

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Put in the spaghetti.

Chop the tomatoes into small cubes. Place in a bowl, along with the olive oil. Crush the garlic to the bowl of tomatoes. Sprinkle the basil on top, reserving a little for the top.

Test the pasta for doneness after the time recommended on the package. It won’t cook much more so make sure it is the amount of doneness you like.

Drain pasta completely in a strainer, toss in the bowl till completely mixed. Serve on plates with Parm or fresh tiny Mozzarella balls.

Try it and time yourself. You can do this early in the day and put in the fridge or on the counter for later if you are a do-ahead person. Or just take care of the tomatoes while the pasta water is warming.

I stopped by Isabelle Farm stand to pick up some veggies. I realized that as long as I was there I should get everything I needed for dinner. Since Raleigh Street Bakery was there I decided to work with their delicious bread. I make sourdough bread myself but theirs is better!

They had some lovely little pretzel rolls so that’s what I chose. I decided to pay a little extra to save a trip and get ground beef there. It was grass fed, which I normally don’t love, but I thought I’d give it a shot. With the ingredients decided, what to make? Mexican Sloppy Joe’s on the pretzel rolls!

Mayo Clinic says, “When compared with other types of beef, grass–fed beef may have: Less total fat. More heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. More conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat that’s thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks.” That said, I like 80 or 85% fat, but well drained. According to Best food facts, this brings it down to 90%.

The grass fed did taste cleaner and my husband loved it. I had to add zucchini, tomatoes and Pace’s picante to make it interesting enough for me though!

Recipe:

1lb. ground beef

1 red onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

1 zucchini

1 tomato

1 T. Olive oil

3 T. ancho chili powder

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano

Pinch of cumin

1/4 c. Pace’s picante sauce medium

Pretzel rolls or hamburger buns

Saute the onion and garlic with 1/2 T. olive oil and set aside. Brown the ground beef with salt and pepper and the spices including chili powder. Add grated zucchini and tomato and the reserved onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the veggies are soft. Add the paces picante. Cook two more minutes. Serve on pretzel rolls or hamburger buns. These remind me of taco burgers from Taco Bell!

Over the last few years, it seems every coffee shop has come up with their version of cold brew coffee. No wonder since it is smooth and tastes much better than watering down hot coffee over ice. It never gets cold enough and is never strong enough for me! A bonus of cold brew is that it is a great and easy way to get myself out the door on weekday mornings with as little hassle as possible. This is the perfect addition to my routine, because I can start it the night before, let it steep overnight in the fridge, pour over ice in the morning and be on my way. If you have a French Press, you are ready to go!

Kelly

Cold Brew Made Easy

1/3 C Coffee Beans (depends on the size of your press and preference for strength of coffee)

Water

Ice

Grind your beans to a coarse grind. This is important to keep the coffee from getting muddy. Add ground coffee to your French Press. Fill about 3/4 of the way with water. Top with the lid, but do not push the plunger down. Put in the fridge 3 hours to overnight. After steeping, push down the plunger, pour over ice and enjoy!

On a hot summer day, there is nothing quite like a cold sweet popsicle. There are so many versions, but I love this lightened up version of a mint chip ice cream bar made with greek yogurt. I am still perfecting things a bit, but this was a solid first try. I like the dark chocolate shell hardened with coconut oil and the lightness of the mint. I may try adding some fresh mint in the next version (maybe steeped in the milk). I don’t love adding food coloring where it isn’t needed, but you could make them a fun green color if you wanted. 🙂 One things that is interesting about these, is that the greek yogurt makes them substantial enough to be filling. I used a Zoku mold, just their traditional version that goes into the freezer to set up. Enjoy a little piece of summer!

Kelly

Mint Chip Greek Yogurt Pops

Makes 6 – 8 Pops

**All opinions are my own and I was not compensated to promote any products mentioned. These are just things I love to use in my kitchen!

Lounging around on Sunday morning watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, seeing Guy sampling the most amazing, intricate breakfasts, meanwhile having baking soda and eggs in my fridge was a struggle. I racked my brain and realized I had almond milk, baking supplies and some deer sausage in my deep freeze meaning I could make sausage gravy and biscuits, without cow!

I found this recipe from Sunshine Recipes and couldn’t wait to try it! I took a few liberties with the recipe, like adding sausage to my gravy and changing the oil amount so I will post my adapted recipe below and you can find the original at the link above.

Being allergic to dairy, this is a dish I have never made, and have never really enjoyed. I was thrilled that I was not only able to make this, but that it tasted as good as when my mother-in-law makes it and I get my one little spoonful!

Dairy Free Biscuits & Gravy

Ingredients

BISCUIT INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup plain almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 Tbsp organic refined coconut oil

 GRAVY INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp organic refined coconut oil
• 4 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cups plain almond milk, unsweetened
• pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1lb Venison Sausage

Instructions

Biscuit Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl whisk together the almond milk and lemon juice, set aside for 5-10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the coconut oil, gently mixing with a spoon after each tablespoon. The flour should resemble sand when all the oil is mixed properly.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the almond milk mixture while stirring with a spoon until just combined. The dough will be sticky.
4. Lightly flour a flat surface, and turn the dough onto the flour. Dust some flour on top of the dough and turn the dough GENTLY onto itself 5-6 times, no kneading required. Form into a 1-inch thick disk. Cut the biscuits out of the dough using a glass or biscuit cutter (there should be 6-8 biscuits). Place the biscuits on a prepared baking sheet, just touching at the edges.
5. Make a divot in the center of each biscuit, and brush tops with melted coconut oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Serve with white gravy, or jelly and enjoy!

Gravy Directions

1. In a saucepan over low/medium heat, melt the coconut oil. When melted, whisk in the flour. Slowly pour in the almond milk, whisking as you do so. Allow the mixture to bubble and whisk until desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a separate saucepan cook sausage until browned. Stir into gravy and serve with biscuits.

Welcome to our new series, makeup must-haves! I will be highlighting different makeup finds that will be a must have for your vanity. These reviews are not paid, but are my honest to goodness favorite products to use in my routine and on any makeup clients.

This week’s product is a new release of an old favorite of mine that was discontinued several years ago. This is Make Up For Ever’s Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow ($25), an update to Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Cream that was originally created for Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘O’. The downfall of the old Aqua Cream was its delivery in a cream shadow pot which had a tendency to dry out over time. The new Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow is in a tube, protecting the product from outside air and keeping the product from drying.

Color Paint Shadow comes in a wild 20 shades including 12 matte, 4 shimmer and 4 satin. The colors range from an everyday ‘Iridescent Warm Beige’ to the bold ‘Matte Red’.

I purchased the ‘I-50 – Iridescent Warm Beige’ and ‘L-54 – Lustrous Taupe’ to take with me to Lake Powell, UT in late June. I was beyond ecstatic to see this back on the shelf at Sephora because I know how well it worked. Our trip to Lake Powell was very fun, but VERY hot. Our highest high was 117º so keeping moisturizer on your face was tough, let alone trying to keep eyeshadow on, but the Color Paint Shadow did the trick! 

I placed the ‘I-50’ on my lid to my brow bone and also as a highlighter on my cheeks and the ‘L-54’ in my crease. The shadow amazingly stayed on not only through the extreme heat, but through swimming, snorkeling, jet skiing, and hot (because it was unavoidable) yoga. While I’m not the prissiest girl when I’m camping on a houseboat, it is nice to have something on your eyes in our ten days on the water.

The best thing about this product, when I get back to my normal routine, I use it as my eyeshadow primer and it really does have a 24 hour waterproof wear! I’m thrilled to see this product back and better than ever!

If I had to pick one thing that makes the most impact for me to have  successful week is meal prep. I usually spend Saturday shopping and Sunday cooking. I try my best to look at my week and make things as easy as possible. I know that if I have healthy meals and snacks ready that I don’t have to think about, I am much more likely to stick to my nutrition goals. It doesn’t bother me too much to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day. My days at work are busy enough that if I get breakfast and lunch in on time, I am doing really good. I do get a bit bored eating the same thing for dinner when I have more time to sit and enjoy what is in front of me. All of this food costs me about $6.00. It always makes me feel good that I am feeding myself real, healthy food and saving money at the same time. If I tried to go out for these things every day, I would spend more than $20 per day, that is a difference of $70 per week! More on my weeknight dinners later…For today: here is what is in my lunch box this week:

1. Coffee Mug – My Kleen Kanteen keeps my coffee warm for hours if I get busy and forget about it. This saves me money and time (when I remember to make it before I head out the door).
2. Smoothie – My green smoothies get made the night before and put into a Blender Bottle. The less I have to do in the morning, the more likely I am to get to the gym before work!
3. Lunch – Made and packed on Sunday. I try to measure everything so I end up with the right amount of food. When I do this for two, I measure the right amounts for each of us. This week is shredded chicken with a little sugar free BBQ sauce, roasted sweet potatoes with chili powder and green beans.
4. Snacks – Strawberries & Peanut Butter Protein Balls.
5. My Cute Owl Lunch Box! It really is the little things sometimes. This one has served me well for over five years. I am on the hunt for a new one, but haven’t found the right thing yet.

Now I am ready to run out the door prepared for success to start the week! What are the strategies you use for success? Have a wonderful week!

Kelly

Kelly is religious about her green smoothie prep. I like to do something similar, but I haven’t gotten past green in the green drinks. I do however like chocolate and peanut butter in mine!

The tasks are simple and similar to Kelly’s.

I like to line up 5 Rubbermaid containers half cup size (Please comment on what else you can use these for!) along with the blender. This will yield 5 extra meals and one for the moment!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop Whey protein powder (or plant, meat or egg protein, if you can’t do whey)
• 1 tsp peanut butter
• 1/3-1/2 banana
• 1/4 c. frozen raspberries
• 1 tsp golden flaxseed
• Pinch of cinnamon, ginger, cayenne

Ice

1/2 c. coffee or water

Start with the whey and measure into each container and follow with the first items and finish off with the spices. Freeze the containers. When you are ready to use (and for the blender pak), put ice and coffee or water in the blender and whirr! Start slow, gradually increase the speed. If necessary, add a little more water.

Serve. If you’re on the run use your favorite to go mug. If you like to indulge yourself,, I  as I do, serve in your Fav Costco wine glass. The flax doesn’t stick and it’s easy to clean.

My fitness pal says it is 252 calories. Not bad to start the day! And you won’t have a mid-morning slump! Or enjoy for lunch or snack to add a little fruit and protein to your day.

If you are anything like me, I am always looking for ways to make things that will save me time during the week. I always need something quick to grab that will also keep me on track with my goals. This is one of those fun easy ideas that has saved me more times than I can count. These are sweet, salty and a great way to satisfy a snack craving or give you a quick burst of energy before a workout or when you are dragging your way through the afternoon. What are your favorite snacks?

PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BALLS

1 Cup Rolled Oats

1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Shavings

1 T Chia Seeds

1 t Coarse Salt (I like pink, grey or Kosher)

1 ¼ Cup Natural Peanut Butter (I usually use Justin’s smooth, but use your favorite!)

½ Cup Maple Syrup (the real stuff!)

3-4 T Unsweetened Dried Bing Cherries

½ T Vanilla

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients (oats, coconut, chia, and salt). Add peanut butter, maple syrup, cherries and vanilla and mix well. Divide the mixture into 12-24 balls. (I tend to like making them smaller so I can manage the portions). Place them on a parchment paper lined sheet and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy!

~Kelly