If I Dream It...

Today is going to be my #foodiefriday - it's the day the weekend begins and often when I can justify food splurges... I am trying to have a more regularly healthy diet, but you need a cheat day now and then... right?  Maybe that's just me but I love food way too much to not enjoy it :) Plus, my day started on a bit of a sour note - so the thought of vegging on the couch snacking sounds divine now that I'm home. Plus, what better way to spend a Foodie Friday other than talking about something yummy that you can enjoy over the weekend?  Unfortunately my morning migraine is now a dull headache, but that's not going to stop me. I wouldn't let it keep me from work... I wouldn't let it keep me from walking 5 miles or doing my 15 minute ab challenge... and it sure isn't going to keep me from food! It will however, keep me from getting over complicated... but sometimes a handy quick yummy recipe is the best!  There are a ton of simple snack recipes out ther...

Ok - I'll admit, the title may be a bit misleading... this post is not about lemon bars (as good as they may be)... but rather a different type of bar that is like a lemon bar, just a different flavor :) You can really make them any flavor combo you like... and I will admit, after this one I'm dreaming up other flavors as they're a great grab and go snack, take care of a sweat craving, and really don't have a ton of unnatural sugar in them. Key word being ton, I'm sure they're still not the healthiest, but they're super good :) Strawberry Rhubarb Bars 1       Cup      Whole-Wheat Flour 1/2    Cup      Almonds 1/3    Cup       Powdered Sugar 6       Tbl        Cornstarch (divided in half) 1/4     tsp         Salt 1        pinch     Salt 4        Tbl        Oil ...

I've had a bag of red quinoa in my pantry for a long time. I originally got it to be part of a recipe that sounded good, but I didn't find all the ingredients at the time. I never really went back out to search and the quinoa just sat in the pantry. So finally I decided to make some and try something with it. And well, I'm going to pat myself on the back a little, this was one experiment I really liked! It came out so good that a few days later, I did made it again :) However, as a result, I honestly didn't take many pictures. Sorry about that. So here's the yummy red quinoa veggie salad... I didn't cook the quinoa exactly as the package said too - but you could and have it totally cold. Trust me, this is one dish that's yummy warm or cold :) I'm going to write it the way I made it though... not necessarily the way it should've been cooked. Red Quinoa Veggie Salad 1/2       Cup     Red Quinoa 1 1/2    Cup     Water 1 1/2 ...

So I've been thinking about making pretzels for quite some time. They are sooo good and I honestly do crave them quite a bit. However, I've never taken the time to try to make them on my own. Since spring has not truly started yet and we just got covered with more snow... I had some time on my hands. Because quite frankly - when the roads are covered... it's just no fun to be out in that stuff. Since I'd be staying indoors, I decided to stop and finally take the time to make pretzels. Now that I have - my next pretzel test may be to figure out if I can freeze them and then just make a few at a time instead of a whole batch... but it'll be awhile before I try that... after two cookie sheets of pretzel bites in just over 24 hours, I'm honestly pretzeled out. But they were SUPER GOOD! Can you smell the yummy pretzels? MMMM! Anyways, they weren't exactly a ton of work, but then again, I did use the bread machine to make the dough :) But they st...

Well it's been a long time since I've tried a new flavor of breakfast cookie... almost a year to be exact... but here it finally is. Another yummy treat perfect for a grab and go breakfast or a quick snack. Inspired from my earlier post  tropical breakfast cookie , here's a new flavor combination... Cranberry Cherry :) These oat cookies can be any flavor you like really... Just change the dried fruit and the cup of fruit puree. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients together Then add in your wet ingredients Mix to combine (looks much more normal now doesn't it?) Shape cookies And bake :) Cranberry Cherry Breakfast Cookies 1 1/2   Cup Oatmeal 1 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut 1/4 Cup Flax Seed (fine milled) 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 3/4 Cup Almonds (chopped) 1/3      Cup    Dried Cranberries 1/3      Cup    Dried Che...

So I had heard about these yummy little things years ago. My hair dresser mentioned them and I made them first thing. They were dipped in almond bark and super yummy! I had always just rolled them into balls and dipped them, but when we were asked to bring game day treats... and I was trying to think of something a little different than the usual - I thought why not reshape them into little footballs and dunk them into chocolate instead. Draw little white laces and make them into extra rich, yummy footballs truffles? Plus, it was an excuse for me to use the food processor again :) These really could be made into any shape you can and decorated however you want. But since I did little footballs, that's what I'll tell you about... and then you can take it from there and let your imagination run with it :) These are super easy - essentially 3 ingredients, but by adding the laces I made them 4. And these 3... ok 4... ingredient little wonders will be a huge hit! Oreo Ga...

I must admit, I have a sweet tooth! But I'm trying to cut back on the amount of sugar I have - eating mostly natural sugars or only small sweet treats. A bite or two here or there won't be that bad and it helps take care of that sugar craving when fruits just won't cut it.... right? Well that's my theory :) So I raided my freezer and pantry the other day and decided on a Cheerio treat - a little almond bark, butterscotch chips, and agave made a wonderfully sweet coating for the Cheerios. The gooey stickiness of them reminded me of making Rice Crispy Treats... but I didn't want to have to put them in a pan, cut them, and be sure they didn't stick to the pan... so instead I just made little piles of them on some wax paper to make them quickly grabbable when it's time for a sweet treat. It was messy, but they'll be the perfect snack size - just a few bites each. They were so good and plenty sweet enough to give me my fix. Plus, they were quick and e...

So I’ve been really bad at posting my gluten free journey lately. Needless to say life has been busy and I’ve not found much time to sit down and write. Sadly this also means I haven’t had much time to mess with photos either – but I do have some to share with you. This journey has been an interesting challenge. I cannot say I’ve noticed a huge physical change – nor felt all that different in all honesty. But I have learned to get more creative and think fresher – which, in the long run is really a better goal. I firmly believe that all things, in moderation, are ok as long as there’s not a allergy or health issue for you. I think it takes a bit to find the right balance and that it depends on your diet and lifestyle. There is no substitute for being healthy – and to me, that means putting good things in your body as well as working out to keep your body in shape. This is not to say that I do not enjoy to indulge in certain foods – I love to eat… I do not eat to live and I do not...