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Monthly Archives: February 2017

Strawberry Arugula Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Strawberry Arugala Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette 1

Happy Monday, all! Today we have another recipe for a simple, flavorful salad. Drumroll please for: Strawberry Arugula Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette!

OK, so this salad sounds sups fancy because it has ingredients much more exotic than the stereotypical wah-wah iceburg salad with its watery leaves and cucumber and tomatoes and croutons and ranch. I mean, for one, it’s got a dressing that contains the juice of blood oranges.

Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon and Fresh Thyme

Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon and Fresh Thyme 1

It’s time for another cozy, yummy comfort food that will make your tummy feel like it’s wrapped in a warm blanket of love and deliciousness! Say hello to Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon and Fresh Thyme!

I’ll never turn down a bowl of hearty soup. It’s one of my favorite food categories ever, right up there with nachos, caprese salads, and anything containing unsweetened raw cacao. So even though the weather here in Metro-Detroit has been absolutely stunning the past week, with multiple blue-skied, sunny days, temperatures in the upper 50s and 60s(!), and spring feels despite it being February, I’m still digging this filling, traditionally cold-weather soup. It’s hard not to with its rich cream base, savory bacon bits, plentiful potato chunks, and plethora of spices including fresh thyme, which is pretty much one of my favorite things right now on account of it’s so lovely.

Turmeric-Kissed Date and Banana Smoothie Bowl with Sliced Avocado

Turmeric-Kissed Date and Banana Smoothie Bowl with Sliced Avocado 1

Happy Saturday, guys! SATURDAYYYYY!

Heralding Saturday as amazing is not a revolutionary declaration, I know. Most of us are pretty damn into today. I’m especially excited because here in the D, we’re supposed to have a temperature high of 60 degrees today – 60! In February! Heck yes I will be spending as much time as possible outside today!

And to top it off, I’m presenting an incredibly healthful + scrumptious breakfast recipe that will get us all revving high and ready to take on this beautiful day. Say hiya to the Turmeric-Kissed Date and Banana Smoothie Bowl with Sliced Avocado!!!

Why is this smoothie bowl so rad?

Dark Chocolate Waffles

Dark Chocolate Waffles 1

It’s Valentine’s Day, guys! A day of love!!!!!

Once I look past the hyper-commercial aspects of Valentine’s Day, I love it. Because I do believe that at its unvarnished core, Valentine’s Day is a noble day. At the very least, it’s a great reminder to show the people in your life + yourself that you care about them. And you can show them that you care today AND any other day of the year by making these glorious Dark Chocolate Waffles.

MMMMMMmmmmm, CHOCOLATE.

Chocolate is one of my great joys in life. And since I am my own best Valentine, I’m unabashedly advocating that I consume as much of it as I want today – which is why I included both unsweetened raw cacao AND a whole melted dark chocolate bar in this waffle recipe.

Fennel, Cranberry, and Mint Kale Salad with Orange Honey Vinaigrette

Fennel, Cranberry, and Mint Kale Salad with Orange Honey Vinaigrette 1I find comfort foods are critical during these chilly, gloomy winter months in boosting my morale – but so are fresh fruits and vegetables. They remind me that sunnier days are coming! That’s why I love this Fennel, Cranberry, and Mint Kale Salad with Orange Honey Vinaigrette recipe!

This dish feels like the quintessential winter salad to me. It contains hearty, seasonal elements: fennel, cranberries, oranges. It’s brightly colored and full of vibrant flavor, helping to ease the winter blahs. And the mint adds a freshness that makes spring feel THAT much closer.

Spicy Sausage, Barley, and Veggie Soup

Spicy Sausage, Barley, and Veggie Soup 1

Today I have a recipe that’s going to up the cozy factor in your life. Say hello to Spicy Sausage, Barley, and Veggie Soup!

February is most definitely a time for ultra coziness here in Michigan. We are deep in the throes of winter and weeks and weeks of gray and gloom, so I’ll take all of the warm-fuzzies I can get!

Ricotta Bacon Date Dip

Ricotta Bacon Date Dip 1

We’ve got a good one today, guys: a Ricotta Bacon Date Dip that is creamy, sweet, and savory all in one! Better yet, it’s a snap to make.

It’s not the time for elaborate meals right now. It’s Big Game weekend here in the U.S. (am I as a lay person not even allowed to use the term “Super Bowl”? I never know.)! Time for beer and wings and nachos, silly TV ads and Gaga’s halftime show, betting games like squares! And football, of course.

For many of us, the football is incidental. I am not a football person. But I like having an excuse to loll on the couch in my sweatpants eating insanely rich foods – like dips!

Chocolate Coconut Banana Smoothie Bowl

Chocolate Coconut Banana Smoothie Bowl 1

Today is all about the kind of chocolatey, coconut-y banana-laden goodness that beckons you out of bed in the morning with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Chocolate Coconut Banana Smoothie Bowl is IN THE HOUSE!!!!

(I never underestimate the power of a delectable breakfast to motivate me to rise. Awaking with the image of fresh-baked muffins in my head made getting up for class sophomore year a delight. Oh, dorm food days, I do miss you sometimes!)

I’m a wee bit enthused about this one. This Chocolate Coconut Banana Smoothie Bowl recipe contains unsweetened raw cacao powder AND cacao nibs (think a more natural version of baking chips). Unsweetened raw cacao is LIIIIIFE, in my book.