I hope you all had a fantastic weekend filled with good food, fun, and a bit of rest before the work/school week starts back. Speaking of school…remember the bit of snow I told you about on Friday? Can you believe they cancelled school for that?! I mean, we got like 0.17352 inches!
Oh if I were only a teacher…wait, no…even for the snow days AND summer break…I just couldn’t do it. Props toallmygirls who do!
Much to the disappointment of all the neighborhood kids, we didn’t happen to get any more hellacious flakes of snow…just cold…but it didn’t bother me. I was tucked away warm in my house most of the weekend with BB drinking coffee at all hours of the day, watching movies under my best fleece throw, and making some pretty delicious meals (more of that in a later post).
Of all the things nibbled and noshed on this weekend, I just had to share with you guys a recipe I came up with yesterday:
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, but such a good addition)
salt & pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Alternate pulsing and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula until smooth and creamy!
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This sauce makes for a great dip for just about anything:
Pretzels….tortilla chips…veggies…your finger 😉
Or you could massage it into some kale and make…
Kale chips!!
BB had his first experience with kale chips yesterday and guess what…he liked them! Oh how I love converting people to the dark healthy side! Also, since he met me, he said he’s been eating Greek yogurt (he loves Chobani) and I’ve totally caught him raiding my peanut butter stash!
Don’t you just love it when your healthy habits start to rub off on those around you?
What is something you never thought you’d eat but ended up loving it in the end? I would have to say tofu is high on the list…
who knew how versatile AND tasty it could be!
So I thought I would finally recap my family’s holiday celebration from New Year’s Eve…TWO weeks later! Ugh, where has the time gone?? Well, better late than never, right?
What if I told you that there is not one, but TWO recipes included in this post? Would that make up for my lateness? Hmm? Maybe? Just a little?
Alright, let’s get to it!
I was so excited to be hosting the get together this year so that my family could finally see Casa de Broccoli for the first time. I started the day off with a little trip to the store for some necessities:
And yes, those Reese’s chips were totally necessary…you’ll see why in a minute.
 Once I got back to the house, the next few hours where a whirlwind of madness…and the best part about it? BB was there to see me in all my panic frizz-hair glory…good news is he’s still around so I must not have scared him too bad! 😉
There were desserts (almost burning)Â in the oven, hard-boiled egg shells flying through the air, smoking pot holders
Wait, smoking pot holders?
Oh yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a new strain of lung cancer discovered in a few years due to exposure to singed rubber.
Note to self: Start paying attention to what burner you turn on on the stove burners…or better yet, stop using the stovetop as additional counter space!
Luckily, I did not burn dessert…or the house…and dinner came together quite nicely. Everyone started showing up around 11:30am and by 1:00pm, we were ready to dig in!
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I finally got around to using the Honeybaked Ham giftcard that the doctor’s got us LAST Christmas. They actually gave us the same thing this year, so I put them together and order a ham the size of a small child…because you know, in the south when you mean to feed 10 or 11 people, that really means you prep for 20! 😉
There were also deviled eggs, fruit salad, and my aunt brought her 7-turned-10 layer salad (lettuce, peas, tomatoes, cheese, and other stuff…I forget what all gets crammed in there, but man, is it delicious!)
I got a bit mischevious while prepping the food and stuck a “secret” ingredient into the deviled eggs. Any guesses as to what it was?
Anyone…anyone?
BEANS!!!
I got the idea from FitSugar.com and guess what…no one had a clue! Well, that is until I sprung it on them AFTER dinner! Oh how I love sneaking healthy food into people!
*picture me rubbing my hands together with a sly look on my face*
I also made a quick batch of raw cranberry relish once my mom realized she forgot to make the sauce she had intended on serving.
I’ve made different variations of this relish before…long ago inspired by a recipe I found online, but I have failed to track down again for some time. Of course I was too busy throwing things at my food processor to bother with measurements, but if I had to guess, it went something like this:
Raw Cranberry Date Relish
By:Â Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: N/A
Keywords: raw side vegan vegetarian cranberries Thanksgiving Christmas winter
Ingredients (Serves 4-6)
2 cups raw cranberries
5-6 large dates, pitted
1 teaspoon orange zest
juice of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it reaches desired consistency.
And then of course, my dad had to have his “oh-how-convienent-there’s-even-lines-for-cutting-this-gelatinous-tube” cranberry sauce:
Ummm, yum? (Mine was waaaaaaaay better!) 😉
And well, I don’t know about you guys, but where I come from you just don’t gather this many people under one roof without a little sugar to pass around.
But this time I’m not talking mistletoe.
I’m talking…
DESSERTS!
My aunt provided the perfectly chewy chocolate chip cookies, while I offered up my recent addiction in the baking department…pineapple upside-down cake!
Oh, but I didn’t stop there…remember those Reese’s chips?
I’d like you guys to meet my “ugly balls”…not to be confused withSchweddy balls, but I’m sure equally delicious.
Just pretend that I didn’t have a baking chip melty faux pas with my Oreo truffles and they actually look like these:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and coat a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, beat sugar and coconut oil.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time.
5. Add vanilla and mashed banana, and stir until combined.
6. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until all of the flour is incorporated. If using, fold in walnuts.
7. Transfer batter to a loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
I was really impressed with this recipe since I ended up just taking a few different ideas for measurements from half a dozen recipes I found online, but I know for sure that this will be my go-to for banana bread from now one!
Wow, so that was a bit of a doozy of a post, huh?
Ok, just one more thing before I sign off:
Shameless photo add-in of me and BB!
And that put me at exactly 1000 words…ok, I’m out!
What was the highlight of your week? Any good Friday the 13th stories?
Wow, it feels so good to know I’m not the only one with days where I could chew my own arm off every few hours. Hmm, I would almost go as far as to say I’m normal. Well, in the best food blogger sense of the term anyways…we can only be so “normal”…I mean, c’mon, we take pictures of our food! 😉
There’s been a lot of things lately that I’ve been loving…and a few things I would rather do without, so I thought I’d share a few!
First of all, I have to start with KALE!
I bought some at the farmer’s market in Nashville when I was down there a couple of weeks ago and #1, it was still perfectly green and crisp when I pulled it out of the fridge the other day and #2, it’s been making for some dangerously delicious dinners (whew, say that three times fast!)
Above is the dinner I made for myself on Tuesday night: baked sweet potato with coconut oil and pom arils with steamed kale drizzled with peanut flour nooch sauce (2:1 peanut flour to nutritional yeast, water to thin, and just a drop of maple syrup to sweetened up the party)
And then this was last night’s meal: BBQ tempeh (pan-fried in olive oil) with more steamed kale, but this time topped with roasted parsnips and carrots and covered in sunflower seed butter sauce (SSB thinned with water)
And yes, in case you haven’t figured it out by now, about 85% of my meals involve some sort of sauce or dip…there’s just no other way to eat!
Am I right? Or am I right?
The kale even found it’s way into two of my breakfasts this week (I made one gigantic smoothie yesterday morning and ended up saving half of it for today…just added some cooked oatmeal to today’s half)
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Kale & Blueberry Protein Smoothie: (serves 1 pig or 2 humans)
1 cup almond milk
2 cups steamed kale*
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 banana
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
6-7 ice cubes
1/8 teaspoon each guar gum and xanthan gum
*From my experience, it’s better to steam the kale first so that it breaks down better in the smoothie…unless you like getting green leaves stuck in your teeth…I hear that’s really sexy in some countries! 😉
Combine all ingredients in a blender (or food processor) and liquify…best served in a near empty peanut butter jar….
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And eaten with a mixing spoon or spatula…
Leave no green bit behind!
None food related, I’ve been loving the progress that I can see I’m making in my FLEXIBILITY!
Not only can I almost get both my palms on the floor in a standing hamstring stretch, but I CAN get my thighs to touch the floor in a seated inner thigh stretch! I’ve been trying to get to the yoga classes that my gym offers more often and I can definitely tell a difference!
And to think, a little over a year ago, I couldn’t even touch my toes!!
What I’m not loving?
New Year’s resolutions!
The gym has been IN-SANE since the first of the year! I wish the ones who know they’re not gonna make it last would just go ahead and give up before March and give me back my frickin’ treadmill!*
*Let me just say that I am a strong advocate in changing your lifestyle for the better, but c’mon, you know all these people aren’t gonna be here in a couple of months!
I was just thinking this morning how lucky we Tennesseans have been lately for all the fantastic weather we’ve been having lately. I went for a fantastic run last Friday and it was…wait for it…63 DEGREES! In January!
Amazing, right?
Well, this morning when I got to work, it was a bit on the chilly and rather gloomy side:
But I thought, “Hey, it’s still not bad for the middle of winter.”
Well, that was NOT the case when I left work this afternoon:
WTH?!
But get this, with the wind chill, the weather report stated, “Feels like 19!!!!”
I don’t think I’ve said it this year, but I’ll remind you…I hate, loathe, abhor winter!
Annnnd just because I always like to end on a happy note, I wanted to show you guys a little gift that one of our receptionists received from a friend today:
The flowers are made out of shoelaces!
Is that not the cutest thing ever? I can’t wait to search for it on Pinterest! 😉
What have you been lovin’ lately? What have you not?
My name is Heather! I'm a southern gal with a passion for food, fitness, and photography...and alliteration if you didn't notice! Here you'll find a mix of random musings, delicious recipes, and hopefully a chuckle or two! Check out my "About' tab to learn more!
And yes, those Reese’s chips were totally necessary…you’ll see why in a minute.
