Recipes

Recipes

Dole Spinach Hummus & Pita Christmas Trees + Giveaway

Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-10Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-1 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-4Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-2 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-3Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-5 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-6 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-8 Dole-Christmas-Tree-Spinach-Hummus-Pita-9Seasons green-ings little bunnies! Christmas is approaching and it’s time to think outside of the box, I mean bowl (salad bowl, that is!) for creative healthy holiday appetizers! I created these adorable Christmas tree appetizers out of pita bread, pretzel sticks, homemade spinach hummus (made with Dole Baby Spinach), and red bell peppers as decorations. There is no cooking required, which makes it a win in my book, plus they’re great for kids and adults. These adorable little appies will be the talk of any holiday party! Lettuce celebrate! ha ha ha!

Dole Spinach Hummus & Pita Christmas Trees
Makes about 1 1/4 cup of hummus
Each pita round makes 8 “trees”

Dole Spinach Hummus
2 cups Dole Baby Spinach, packed
1 cup chickpeas
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 – 1 whole clove garlic
pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until evenly mixed. Scrape down the sides of food processor with a spatula occasionally if needed.

Christmas Trees
whole grain pita bread
pretzel sticks
1 red bell pepper

Cut each round of pita bread into 8 triangles. Gently poke a pretzel stick into the bottom end of each pita using a twisting motion. Spread a thin layer of spinach hummus on each piece of pita. Thinly slice and chop the bell pepper into small pieces and decorate the pita trees (like tinsel or garland).

For more healthy holiday recipes, try Dole’s Laurel RougeWinter Citrus SaladButternut Hummus Tartine with Parmesan, and Green Pancakes with Pear-Lime Relish!

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Must use a valid email address to enter. Must be a US resident to enter. Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 21st at 11:59 PM (PST).
1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, December 22nd.

This post has been sponsored by Dole. I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Siggi’s Yogurt Breakfast Bark

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I am so excited to partner with siggi’s Icelandic-style strained yogurt for this colorful, creative healthy breakfast recipe! I remember the first time I saw siggi’s on the shelf at Whole Foods. In a refrigerated aisle filled with cups of yogurt, siggi’s adorable minimalist recyclable packaging definitely stood out to me, so of course I bought it – totally based on looks (although the nutrition stats were pretty awesome as well)! Go ahead and judge siggi’s by their super awesome packaging, because their product is just as amazing on the inside as it is on the outside! Just like their motto states “simple ingredients, not a lot of sugar.”

“In fact, every container of siggi’s yogurt contains more protein than sugar. siggi’s products do not contain any artificial preservatives, thickeners, sweeteners, flavors or colors and is made with milk from cows not treated with rGBH.” -siggi’s

What is “Skyr” or Icelandic Yogurt?
Skyr, pronounced “skeer,” is the traditional yogurt of Iceland. It is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures. The whey, the water naturally found in milk, is then strained away to make for a much thicker, creamier, concentrated yogurt. So to make just one cup of skyr, with all that water going out, you need 4 times the amount of milk required to make a regular cup of yogurt. As a result of this process skyr comes out with 2-3 times the protein count of standard yogurt.

Want to try Siggi’s?
Find siggi’s in a store near you with their store locator!

Want to save on siggi’s?
Save $1 on your purchase of 2 siggi’s yogurt cups with a coupon (located at the top right of their website)

Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-1 Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-2 Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-3 Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-4 Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-6Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-7Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-5 Siggis-Icelandic-Yogurt-Breakfast-Bark-8I love siggi’s recyclable packaging. The outer label is removable so it can be recycled separately from the plastic – so clever!

For today’s recipe, I used a 5.3 oz container of siggi’s Vanilla, which has only 100 calories 0g fat, 14g protein, and 9g sugar. I love love love the Madagascar bourbon vanilla used in this flavor. You can see flecks of real vanilla bean in the yogurt, and the flavor is just magical!

With thick creamy Icelandic-style yogurt, sweet pomegranate seeds, and crunchy pistachios, this breakfast bark has the perfect combination of salty and sweet, plus an added punch of protein and antioxidants to start your morning off right!

There is minimal prep, plus it’s easy to store! Keep extra breakfast bark on hand for mornings when you’re short on time or as a healthy snack option.

siggi’s Yogurt Pomegranate Pistachio Breakfast Bark
Serves 1-2

1  5.3 oz container siggi’s Vanilla Yogurt
2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
2 Tbsp pistachios, crushed

Mix ingredients together in siggi’s container until well combined. Line a baking sheet or small freezer safe pan with wax paper. Spread the yogurt mixture out onto wax paper evenly (about 1/4 inch thick). Freeze uncovered overnight. In the morning remove from the baking sheet and cut or break into small piece and eat cold. Store extra pieces in a freezer safe container.

The Rabbit Food Pyramid Breakdown:
Produce: pomegranate seeds
Whole Grain: none (would be great with 1/4 cup rolled oats mixed in!)
Protein: siggi’s yogurt
Plant Based Fat: pistachios

Next time you’re in a morning rush about to have a meltdown; relax, open the freezer, grab some breakfast bark, and avoid being hangry at all costs!

For more creative recipes using siggi’s, visit their website!

Health & Happiness
xo-Catherine

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siggi’s rather delicious yogurts with simple ingredients and not a lot of sugar.
Try delicious flavors like vanilla, pumpkin & spice, and mixed berries & açai, power up your breakfast with their recipes and print a coupon.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of siggi’s Dairy. The opinions and text are all mine.

Strawberry Banana Candy Cane

Strawberry-Banana-Candy-CaneI am all about cute healthy snack ideas, and this one is is sure to please kids and adults! It would be a super cute holiday breakfast for little ones, or a fun festive setup for a chocolate fondue date night with friends or loved ones! All you need are freshly sliced strawberries and bananas!

I cannot believe how quickly Christmas is approaching! I’ve been doing pretty much all of my Christmas shopping online this year, and I cannot wait to give my family and friends their gifts because I feel like I totally nailed it! Have you gotten close to finishing (or starting!) your holiday shopping?!

So on Sunday, Matt came home from a month on tour (he has been on the road since Nov 1st)! I drove down to San Diego to see him and get lunch with his parents before he left again 4 hours later for the Jingle Ball tour! I thought you guys would get a good laugh from this photo we took. Full “Grumpy Cat” face (perfect that my nickname is Cat), latched onto his leg at San Diego International Airport, haha.

Matt-and-Cat-airportBeanie: Ebay (color: mustard)  |  Sweater: Forever 21  |  Leggings: Zella  |  Boots: Stuart Wizeman (also here)

Health & Happinessxo-Catherine

Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich

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This Thanksgiving, Dole and I are encouraging families and individuals to include greens in their meals! We know that Thanksgiving can be a hard holiday to eat healthy for, but with a few little swaps and the addition of fresh Dole greens, it can be done!

I was completely stumped while trying to think of a healthy Thanksgiving recipe until I saw my friends Taryn and Julia the other day. I asked them, what is a dish that gets left out during Thanksgiving? Something uncommon. That’s when it hit us as we were all talking – there’s plenty of delicious side dishes for Thanksgiving, but there also tons of leftovers, and not much to do with them – except for eat the same meal over and over again for an entire week. I’ve surprisingly never made a sandwich out of leftover Thanksgiving food, but I am alllllll over it this year!

Since most Thanksgiving leftovers are pretty rich, I added some fresh Dole Spinach and my new favorite type of “bun” to my Thanksgiving sammy! I just recently discovered sweet potato buns, and I seriously wish I knew about them sooner. When baked with olive oil, they taste amazing as a bread or bun replacement, plus they’re loaded with beta-Carotene which is excellent for vision.

Sweet Potato Buns

The biggest (widest) sweet potatoes you can find.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice sweet potato into 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch thick slices. Coat both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the sweet potato rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes. Flip the sweet potatoes halfway through baking.

Leftovers Sandwich Ingredient Ideas

Dole fresh spinach or sautéed spinach
Tofu Turkey (or regular turkey)
Cranberry sauce
Creamed corn
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Gravy
Green beans
Stuffing

I hope you have a happy & healthy Thanksgiving with your family and friends!
xo-Catherine

For more healthy thanksgiving recipes, check out Dole’s Butternut Squash with Eggplant-Pomegranate Sauce, Caramelized Pear, Roasted Tomato and Lentil SaladVegetable & Kale Au Gratin, and Roast Turkey Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Must use a valid email address to enter. Must be a US resident to enter. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, November 26th at 11:59 PM (PST).
1 winner will be randomly selected and announced on Thursday, November 27th.

This post has been sponsored by Dole. I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Evolution Fresh Green Lemonade

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite little afternoon refreshers. I work from home on my computer, surrounded by food, while creating new recipes for my blog, as well as brands that I work with – so sometimes it gets tricky to not eat everything that I make. I will usually sip on a green juice while I’m working in the kitchen to keep myself from shall I say… over sampling recipes, but I’ve noticed that I drink them pretty quickly and then start snacking and munching on the recipes even though I’m not hungry – just out of habit. That’s why I’ve started making green juice ice cubes and enjoying them in fresh lemonade!

When I freeze my fav Evolution Fresh Sweet Greens cold-pressed juice and pour lemonade over it, I sip on it much slower while the green juice cubes defrost into the lemonade and give it a healthier and earthier flavor! It’s really refreshing and it’s a simple way to get a daily dose of greens! It’s also a great way to introduce green juice to kids if you’re looking for ideas!

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Green Lemonade
Seves 1-2 (if you like sharing!)

1 bottle Evolution Fresh Sweet Greens with Lemon
1 cup RFFMBT Naturally Sweetened Lemonade

Shake Evolution Fresh green juice well. Pour green juice in an ice tray and freeze over night. Fill a glass with ice cubes and then fill to the top with lemonade. Start sipping and enjoy as the green juice starts to defrost into the lemonade. Add lemonade as desired.

RFFMBT Naturally Sweetened Lemonade

6 fresh lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon Liquid Stevia (Lemon Drop Flavor is my favorite for this recipe)
4 cups of water
1 cup ice cubes

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