Pesto Farro Salad

Farro is delicious. If you haven't had it, I definitely recommend it. There's something about the texture that makes us crave this salad weekly. Farro is the star ingredient, but the pesto, fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella pearls make it a delicious meal. 

We get our farro and vegan pesto from Trader Joe's. You should be able to find farro at your local grocery store with the other grains (rice and quinoa).  If you can't, you can always make a swap with rice or orzo. You can also substitute the vegan pesto with store-bought or homemade pesto.



Pesto Farro Salad, Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 Cup farro, uncooked 
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 1 1/2 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup mozzarella pearls, halved 
• 1/2 container Trader Joe's vegan pesto (or a 6-8 oz jar store-bought pesto) 

Instructions

• In a large saucepan, cook farro according to package directions
• When the farro is done cooking, drain any water that remains, place in a medium serving bowl
• Stir in the pesto 
• Add tomatoes, arugula, and mozzarella, stir to combine

That's all there is to it! It's a really simple, delicious and healthy recipe. It's perfect for a busy middle-of-the-week dinner when you don't want to spend a lot of time preparing a meal. It's also a great side dish to bring to a potluck. If you don't want to eat it as a full meal you can always add a protein (grilled chicken, yum!) and have it as a side dish. Hope you enjoy!

White Bean and Basil Hummus

I could live off of snacks and so could Gabe. We love crunchy things, and we love to dip said crunchy things (plantain chips, carrots, cucumbers, veggies straws) into hummus. Our go-to hummus is the plain hummus from Trader Joe's; it's smooth and has a yummy, nutty flavor to it. However, I got a bunch of fresh herbs for Mother's Day and my birthday this year so I've been wanting to use them for fun new recipes! All of these things inspired this White Bean and Basil Hummus. Let's get started. 

Ingredients

• 15 ounce can low sodium white kidney beans
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves 
• 1/4 cup tahini 
• 3 Tbsp 100% lemon juice (or the juice of one fresh lemon) 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

Instructions

• Add all ingredients EXCEPT olive oil to a large blender or food processor
• Pulse ingredients a few times to start mixing the ingredients together 
• Add 1 Tbsp olive oil slowly and blend on high allowing the mixture to become smooth 
• Add in last Tbsp of olive oil and blend until the hummus reaches desired consistency 
• Place in a bowl and serve. 

That's it! This one is SUPER simple and it's a great side dish or snack dish to bring with vegetables to a party this summer. If you find that the consistency still isn't at its desired smoothness after 2 tbsp of olive oil, you can add up to 1 more Tbsp, 1/2 at a time. We found just two was perfect for us! You can definitely also play with different flavors. Chickpeas instead of white beans and different herbs instead of basil! Have fun!

Kid's Meal: Corn Dog Muffins

Gabe LOVES corn dogs. To be honest, so does Nate. If we're being real, we know that the packaged and frozen ones aren't that great of a choice nutrition wise. These are homemade. You will know and be able to pronounce every ingredient that you put into them. I promise, if Gabe loves them, your littles will too. 

Corn Dog Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 c all purpose flour 
• 1 c corn meal 
• 1½ tsp baking powder tsp 
• ¼ baking soda  
• ¼ cup and 2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar 
• ¾ tsp sea salt 
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil, melted
• 3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• 3 turkey or all-beef hot dogs, nitrate and nitrite free, cut into quarters 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Coat a 12 cup muffin tin lightly with cooking spray, set aside
• Combine all dry ingredients (flour, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, coconut sugar and sea salt) in a large bowl, mix well 
• Combine buttermilk, oil, and eggs in a medium bowl, whisk to blend together 
• Add wet ingredients slowly to dry ingredients, whisking until just blended 
• Fill muffin cups with corn muffin mix (about ¾ full) 
• Press hot dog quarter into the center of each muffin cup 
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

These are a wonderful option for kids, but can also be great for tailgates, potlucks, or even game day at home! I hope they're as big of a hit at your house as they are at ours!

Carrot Fries

When we go out to eat at a restaurant french fries are something I love to treat myself with. Admittedly, they're my weakness. I LOVE any type of fry but I especially love Sweet Potato Fries. I also love that they're somewhat of a healthy alternative to regular, deep-fried french fries. They were my go-to at restaurants and I was always on the hunt to find the best ones in town. They were also our go-to when we grilled burgers. Until I met the carrot fry. I tried a few recipes and finally tailored one to my liking. I don't even miss regular fries OR sweet potato fries now. These are so delicious that they hit the spot. They're crispy, have a punch of flavor, and come with a side of greek yogurt dipping sauce. Win, win, win! 

Carrot Fries (serves 2)

Ingredients: Carrot Fries:

4-6 Large Carrots

1 ½  Tbsp Olive Oil

2 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp pepper

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Dipping Sauce:

4 Tbsp Greek Yogurt (0% plain)

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

½ tsp minced garlic

½ tsp pepper

Instructions Dipping Sauce:

• Place all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine

Instructions Carrot Fries:

• Preheat oven to 450°
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper
• Slice the top and bottom off of carrots then slice them in half, slice each half into thirds lengthwise.

• In large bowl mix together oil, garlic powder, pepper, and parmesan cheese with carrots

• Once thoroughly seasoned, move the carrots from the bowl to the parchment-lined baking sheet, place in the oven 

• Bake for 25-30 minutes (flipping/stirring at 15 minutes), depending on how crispy you want them.
• Serve with dipping sauce
  
  

These are honestly one of my favorite side dishes to serve when grilling food. We've shared the recipe with our families who also wholeheartedly approve. I can't wait for you to try them! 

Fall Football Series: Healthy French Onion Dip

Football is a big deal in our house. We love fall and we love football: especially college football. I'm a huge Michigan State fan and Nate is a huge Penn State fan. Our Saturdays consist of Gabe choosing which colors he's wearing, grocery shopping early, and coming home to whip up something yummy to snack on during the games. I took three of our favorite things: French Onion Dip (a family favorite), Burgers, and Cupcakes and switched them up a bit to be a little more guilt-free. 

Without further ado, here is the first recipe in this short, three-part series: Healthy French Onion Dip

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped 
• ½ cup low-sodium organic beef broth
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• Sea salt 
• 2 cups reduced-fat (2%) plain greek yogurt

Instructions

• Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat.

• Add onions; cook, stirring frequently, for about 20-25 minutes, or until onions are soft and golden brown.

• Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper if desired; cook, over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until broth has cooked down. Remove from heat. Let onion mixture cool completely.

• Combine onion mixture and yogurt in a medium bowl; mix well.

• Chill, covered, for 1 hour.

• Serve with veggie chips or raw vegetables for dipping.

I hope you enjoy this guilt-free version of one of our favorite tailgate snacks! No one will ever know it's healthy ;)