a few of my favorite things

This summer I have had two yummy treats that I am obsessed with! The first will come as no surprise it's the lovely Jane Metcalf's nova granola.

raspberry dark chocolate



This is a must try for all of my foodie friends. My favorite so far is raspberry with chunks of dark chocolate, but today I am trying a new flavor with cherry and mango. I am telling you this girl is talented and her granola is perfect for my favorite healthy breakfast of greek yogurt, fresh fruit and granola. I also throw a bag of it in my purse to snack on when I want something sweet because nova granola is made all natural and sweetened with honey and pure maple syrup. Visit her web site http://www.novagranola.com/ and check out all of the options. She is based in Salt Lake City but can easily and quickly ship out an order.

My second healthy food obsession right now is kifa bars which are created by a very talented woman in San Diego who has had a career as a fitness instructor and personal trainer. She created the most delicious homemade bars that contain no peanuts, no refined sugar, no trans fat and no dairy. Oh yes and top of all of that they are delicious!

this is my favorite bar the cublamm

This is another great snack to keep on hand and a really healthy alternative for kids snacks. Visit her website at http://www.kifabars.com/ or email me and I will send you a really informative flyer that she passed along to me.

As I am trying to eat healthier and reduce the amount of sugar in my diet I find that one sacrifice I am not ever willing to make (big problem in my life) is taste. Both of these favorites are loaded with flavor and both are made by wonderful women and I think that kind of makes a perfect treat and product!!!

{happy summer with yummy healthy treats}





americana

Happy fourth of July to all!!!! Seriously what a perfect holiday, one of my absolute favorites. Today was a glorious combo of food, friends, pool, fireworks and pretty much non stop yolo'ing (last person in the world to learn this acronym). I am exhausted but thought it was the perfect day to share a favorite crowd pleasing recipe of mine. Tonight for a friends BBQ I brought my go-to pasta salad, it's quick and easy and delicious and healthy all at the same time.

I cook a package of penne pasta shells (I like to use whole wheat) and add a package of cherry tomatoes (each cut in half), fresh buffalo mozzarella (also cut into small pieces), fresh basil chopped up and top with Paul Newman's balsamic vinaigrette and salt and pepper. It is good to make this in advance and put in the fridge so that the flavor from dressing soakes in. Sometimes I will experiment and combine two dressing like a balsamic and a sun dried tomato. If I want the salad to be a little fancier I will throw in some sun dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts. Play around with how much of each ingredient you put in but I always use a full box of pasta because it seems to be the perfect amount for parties. I will say again this is always a crowd pleaser and perfect for this season.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating the great country we live in and all of the freedoms we have because we are here. I know on the fourth I am always happy for the freedom to eat what I want whenever I want, hang out my friends and just be me. God bless America!

Three cheers for America!!!!!!

so fresh and so clean clean

Tis the season for farmers markets and fresh gardens and I am totally obsessed with both! Tonight after family dinner at my brother's house in Provo we walked around his backyard and picked veggies out of the garden and fruit off of the trees. He has an apricot tree that is brimming with ripe fruit and I think I have mentioned before how I feel about apricots.

We snacked on peas and tomatoes and and made apricot milkshakes with vanilla ice cream, soy milk, apricots and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. They were the perfect summer treat.

not the best photo, but you get the yummy idea

 

I have also recently visited the Salt Lake City farmers market located in Pioneer Park http://www.slcfarmersmarket.org/  which was a perfect Saturday morning activity. I was impressed with all of the locally grown veggies (not so many fruits just yet) and all of the local food treats .

all three of these photos came from my favorite farmers booth at the market

 

I bought green tomatoes to try my first attempt at fried green tomatoes 

{to be blogged about at a later time}

Sweet Salt Lake Fresh Mint Limeade

 My friend and I picked up produce and sampled lavender honey and dark chocolate treats. We passed her friends booth called Sweet Salt Lake Fresh Mint Limeade and had one of the tastiest treats EVER! There are so many great food adventures to be had at a farmers market so I encourage everyone to find the one closest to them and plan an outing with friends or family to go check it out. I think a great idea would be to find a recipe you want to make before hand and go buy all of the ingredients from your local farmers at the market, or be adventurous and make a recipe up based on all of the goodies you buy. The Salt Lake City market was a great find and in California my favorite farmers markets were in Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar. It is a great time of year to make your diet and your lifestyle so fresh and so clean. Fill your fridge with fresh ingredients and fill your house with fresh flowers and plants, I promise it will make you feel healthy and happy.

fresh flowers in my house from my sweet niece Amber's yard