Blueberry Orange Bonus Smoothie

Ready to start your week off on a healthy note? This smoothie should do the trick. Not only does it taste delicious, but has two big bonuses. The beautiful purple shade is hard to resist and definitely resembles more of a treat than something healthy. And what the color doesn’t show, is the hefty amount of ripe summer squash included in this. That means a nice serving of veggies to start the day on the right foot and the munchkins are none the wiser. Big plus for sure, right?

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Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Can you ever have enough hummus in your life? I’d say no. There’s so many different flavor combos you can make with chickpeas and it is such a perfect compliment to so many situations. Crackers and crudité with friends, mid-morning snack for the munchkins, topped with all the goodies for a giant party platter or loaded with sizzling meat for a delicious meal. (recipes for both of the latter coming soon.) Hummus is almost always a good idea. And lucky for me, my kids agree. Especially little Miss Sparkle, my pickier eater.

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Watermelon-Mint Agua Fresca (Agua de Sandía y Menta)

Today is the first official day of summer. And that means it also happens to be my birthday, along with my twin brother’s. Having our birthdays always conincide with the longest day of the year and the kick off to the school’s out/ warm weather season, almost always meant two things- we usually celebrated with some sort of outdoor pool or park party and watermelon was always on the menu. This year will be different in more ways than one, but at least there’s still my favorite fruit. And one of the ways I plan to enjoy it, is with this Watermelon-Mint Agua Fresca. The perfectly delicious and refreshing cold beverage for this hot and humid summer solstice.

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Easy Lentil Bread (Gluten Free + Vegan)

It seems crazy to me that I’ve only recently begun making lentil bread. But, I’m so glad I discovered this recipe a few months back and have been experimenting with it so I can share it with you today. This Easy Lentil Bread is life changing. That might sound a little nuts. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. While all bets are kind of off these days, in pre-pandemic life, I didn’t eat bread during the week. It was a choice. (A silly one you may think.) But since, there’s no way I have the willpower to give up a treat (particularly ice cream,) I decided I could save my other big food love, bread, for the weekends. I gotta say it wasn’ that hard and if we happened to be out dining somewhere on a weeknight, then obviously I indulged. And of course, when it comes to simit, that doesn’t count. It’s not bread anyways. It’s a tradition. See this post.

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The Best Chocolate Chip & Zucchini Banana Bread

With all the quarantine baking going on, I think it’s safe to say banana bread might be at the top of the baked goods charts right now. I’ve been seeing so many beautiful loaves and loaves of banana bread swirling around social media. That’s not surprising during these difficult times as it’s such a comforting classic for so many of us.  And it comes with two big bonuses. A guaranteed smile from it’s lucky recipients (at least in my family) and it makes use of the less desired brown bananas, so they don’t have to go to waste. A win-win all around. And if that isn’t enough, bananas being available all year long mean delicious banana bread is always in season.

While many might have a trusted banana bread recipe they turn to when the urge strikes to do some baking, do they have one that includes ripe summer zucchini and chocolate chips??  Well in case you don’t, or perhaps could use one that is absolutely scrumptious, let me tempt you to try what I call The Best Chocolate Chip & Zucchini Banana Bread. 

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