Cinnamon Roll Muffins with Greek Yogurt Icing

Nate LOVES cinnamon rolls. He could eat probably six of them in a sitting. He grew up having them on Christmas morning while opening presents, so they have a special place in his heart. I love them too--I mean, who doesn't!? Cinnamon is a great thing, and if you put icing on anything--I'm game. But, we know that they're not the healthiest choice for us. As a treat every once in a while, sure! Something we can grab for a snack every day... ehh....

Enter these cinnamon roll muffins. Made with a combination of almond flour and all-purpose flour, sweetened with pure maple syrup and coconut sugar, and topped with a greek yogurt icing.. this is something you can for sure snack on every day if you'd like!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins, Serves 12 

Muffin Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar 
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup ghee, melted 
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup almond flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt 

Greek Yogurt Icing

• 3 heaping tbsp 0% plain greek yogurt 
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
  

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F 
• Line muffin tin with liners and set aside 
• Place sugar, coconut milk, maple syrup, ghee, egg, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a blender, cover and blend on medium until smooth. Set aside. 
• Combine all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, mix well. 
• Add dry ingredients to blender with wet ingredients. Blend until a smooth batter forms. 
• Pour batter evenly among muffin liners. 
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
• While muffins are cooling, make icing. Combine greek yogurt and powdered sugar in a small bowl, whisk to combine. 
• When muffins are cool, top each with 1 tsp of icing. 

Try them and see! They're delicious and definitely hit the spot when you're craving a cinnamon roll.

Black Bean Burrito Bowl

When I was in college Chipotle and Qdoba were on our short list of places to go grab a quick dinner. A burrito with queso, pico, sour cream, guac, cilantro rice, chicken, and grilled veggies.... I was in heaven. However, I know that this wasn't the healthiest choice.

College was a long time ago, but my love for Mexican food has not gone away. I have just found a way to make my own, healthy version. Using fresh pico de gallo, grilled chicken, greek yogurt, and avocado this burrito bowl hits the spot and is EVEN better than the college take out that I craved weekly.

So if you love a good burrito bowl as much as me, let's dive in!

Black Bean Burrito Bowl, Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked brown rice, warm 
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice 
• 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed, drained, and warm 
• 1 1/2 cup grilled chicken breast, cubed 
• 1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese 
• 1 cup fresh pico de gallo (we love Trader Joe's mild pico) 
• 1/2 medium avocado, diced 
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (0%-2%)

Instructions

• Combine rice, cilantro, and lime juice in a medium bowl, mix well 
• Evenly divide lettuce between serving bowls (4) 
• Top lettuce with cilantro-lime rice, beans (1/4 cup), Cheese (2tbsp), Pico (1/4 cup), Avocado
• Top each bowl with 1 Tbsp of Greek Yogurt
• ENJOY!

Sometimes we like to crush up some plantain chips for a bit of a crunch on top, or some tortilla chips! We also like making four servings and getting at least 2 meals out of it. This is a great leftover meal to pack for a lunch or to save for dinner another day.

Fresh Fruit Popsicles

I don't know about you, but once it hits a certain point in summer, I'm ready for cooler temps and fall. However, as a teacher, I also am torn because I don't want to wish summer vacation away. It's been HOT here. We've been doing everything we can to cool off including lots of trips to a little local lake and the community pool. Gabe has become a water bug and it's a lot of fun! Another thing we love to do as a family is share popsicles. However, I know how much sugar can be in the freezie pops that Gabe loves, so I came up with an alternative.

These homemade popsicles have chunks of mango, slices of kiwi and strawberry, and blueberries in them. They hit the spot on a hot day and they're toddler and husband approved.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 mango, sliced
• 1 medium kiwi, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced 
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Instructions

• Heat up honey and water in a small pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes, until the honey and water are well blended. Cool to room temperature.
• While water cools, even distribute fruit into four popsicle molds, set aside
• Pour the lime juice into the water/honey mixture, stir until combined 
• Pour lime juice mixture into the molds, covering the fruit. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until set. 

I hope these help cool your family off on a hot day! Enjoy!

Dine and Dance: July Date Night In Box

We got back last weekend from our 24 day vacation to Michigan. When we got home our Date Night In Box was waiting for us....at our neighbor's house. The mailman failed to follow the instructions to stop our mail.... thank goodness for great neighbors! We were pumped to get it!

July's date was all about dining, dancing, and dashing.

Part of the instructions were to have the partner who doesn't make dinner as often, cook for the night. However, Nate and I both like to cook, and both cook dinner frequently, so we decided to make dinner together. It was a homemade pizza (one of my favorite meals!). We had a lot of fun! DNI provided our chef hats, pizza crust, pizza sauce, parmesan, and Italian seasoning. I personally loved wearing the chef hats. It put a silly spin on things, and I know that we can use them to bake with Gabe in the future (he has one of his own too!). The pizza turned out delicious! Pepperoni and banana peppers, which is a combo we frequently do at home or order in anyway. The menu spoke to my Italian soul. There was a vegetarian option as well. Gabe helped us make our dessert before we went to bed so we could refrigerate it and eat it cool: Cannoli dip with mini chocolate chips. All I can say is YUM!

While the pizza was cooking we did a choreographed dance. There were three dances to choose from: a fun wedding dance, a hip hop routine, and an old school dance number. Nate and I chose the wedding routine. I laughed SO HARD. I'm not the best dancer, and normally I don't get out on the dance floor unless Whitney's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" comes on, or I've had a couple of cocktails. The moves weren't hard (which I'm sure was on purpose), and Nate made up some silly moves of his own that kept me laughing the entire time.

After dinner and dancing we played a competitive game called Date Dash. We each took turns reading a card and giving 5 answers that corresponded to the category in 30 seconds. I won! Some of the cards were tricky, which made it even more fun. Then we played a game to find out which pizza is our spirit animal. Nate and I were both supreme. I guess we REALLY know that we're soulmates now. ;)

As always, we had a blast and can't wait for August! If you want to get in on the fun, here's the link to grab your own box!

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!

Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken and Mango Dressing

As we start our trek back from vacation (we've been gone since June 26th!), my body is craving routine and fruits and veggies. Last year when we got back, by Nate's request, we had a salad week. I'm excited to add this one to our rotation for Salad week this year! It's loaded with chopped veggies, has a killer, homemade, mango dressing and is topped with grilled chicken breast....YUM! There are a few steps included in this recipe, but once it's all tossed together it's totally worth it. Let's do this!

Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken and Mango Dressing, Serves 2

Dressing Ingredients

• 1 cup ripe mango, chopped 
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (packed if you would like more cilantro flavor) 
• 1 tsp red chili pepper paste 
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 
• 3/4 tsp sea salt 
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Salad Ingredients

• 6 cups spring mix, divided 
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 mini cucumbers, diced 
• 1 bell pepper, sliced thinly, divided 
• 1 mini avocado, diced 
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
• 1/2 cup mango dressing, divided 
• 20 plantain chips, crushed and divided

Instructions (Dressing)

• Place mango, cilantro, chili pepper paste, garlic, red wine vinegar, and salt to your blender 
• Blend on low until combined 
• Slowly add the olive oil until dressing thickens to desired consistency

Instructions (Salad)

• Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup of mango dressing for 30 minutes to overnight (the longer you marinate, the stronger the flavor) 
• Grill the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°, let chicken rest for 5 minutes
• Divide spring mix, 3 cups each, on serving plates 
• Add 1 chopped cucumber, 1/2 sliced bell pepper, 1/2 diced avocado, 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro to each plate. 
• Thinly slice chicken breast and place on top of the salad 
• Pour desired amount of remaining dressing salad 
• Top with crushed plantain chips
• Enjoy! 

The fresh flavors of this salad, and the homemade dressing, will leave you craving it over and over again. I wouldn't be surprised if you add it into your favorite rotations for summer like we do!

Crunchy Chicken Salad over Sweet and Tangy Slaw

I'm all about meals that I don't have to cook in the summer. I don't love turning on the oven or even cooking on the stovetop--especially when it's hot out. Yes, we have air conditioning... I'm just a baby when it comes to being too hot. Anything that I can whip together with ingredients from the fridge is a win in my book. This one is full of veggies and is a perfect lunch for a hot day.

Crunchy Chicken Salad Over Sweet and Tangy Slaw, Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp dijon mustard 
• 1 packet stevia (optional) 
• Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional) 
• 2 cups coleslaw mix
• 1 small apple, chopped, divided use
• 1 (5oz) can chicken breast (drained)* 
• 1/4 cup plain (0%) Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped celery 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional) 

Instructions

• To make dressing: combine vinegar, oil, soy sauce, mustard, and stevia (if desired) in a small bowl; whisk to blend 
• Season with salt and pepper, if desired; whisk to blend. Set aside. 
• Combine coleslaw mix, half chopped apple, and dressing; toss gently to blend. Set aside. 
• Combine chicken, yogurt, celery, garlic powder (if desired), and remaining half appl in a medium bowl; mix well. 
• Top coleslaw mixture with chicken salad. Serve immediately. 

You could totally make a huge batch of the slaw as a topping for burgers or as a side dish for a potluck BBQ. As always--I'd love feedback if you try this recipe! It's one of our favorites in the summer.

*If you'd rather use tuna in this recipe you can definitely do that. Substitute your 5oz of chicken breast for 5oz of light albacore tuna packed in water, drained.