Tag Archives: snacks

{sunday (funday) snacks}

18 Jul

speaking of eating seasonally and such…

on sundays lately, i’ve been curating a platter fully of yummy and healthy snacks to eat in leiu of lunch or dinner. i’ll have it out while i am cooking or relaxing or whatever else and just kind of graze on the snacks… basically all day.

here are a couple of pics of how i spent my last 2 sundays :

chianti-wine aged salami, garlic-herb wafer crackers, fresh avocado, fresh pineapple, locally-grown cherries, blueberries, & peaches, super thin pretzels, roasted mixed nuts, truffle parmesan crisps, dehydrated apples, apricots, dates, various chocolate, and a homemade kombucha spritzer mocktail

homemade tuna salad, organic mini toasts, garlic-herb salami, smoked oysters, mixed nuts, homemade pickles, fermented radishes, locally-grown broccoli & cauliflower, fresh avocado, dates, apricots, locally-grown blackberries & peaches, and a ginger tonic mocktail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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{homemade gummy bears}

9 Oct

i have been making my own homemade gummy bears for a while now, and i have been meaning to write a post about it…

i have always loved fruit snacks, gummy bears, et al. however, the ingredient list always detoured me – even the natural ones are full of mostly sugar.

so, i did some research and realized that i could be making my own gummy fruit snacks! and not only that, but i could make them GOOD for me!

my curiosity was piqued when i started looking for a clean source of gelatin to help with collagen production and joint support.

…which i don’t have pictured here because i typically transfer everything i buy into a glass jar… {no shame in my game}…

anyway, i wanted to incorporate gelatin into my diet and that’s when i got super stoked about the idea of making my own gummies! so i found these silicon molds on amazon {along with the gelatin} and looked up a few recipes to get me started.

as usual, i like to keep things as simple as possible. some recipes call for honey or a sweetener, but i like to avoid added sugar where i can {so i can guiltlessly enjoy a candy bar from time-to-time}.

so – here is my very simple {2-ingredient!} homemade gummy fruit snack recipe – which yields about 200 gummies and the ratio can be adjusted accordingly :

  • 1 cup fruit juice {i usually opt for concord grape}
  • 3 tablespoons gelatin powder

you could add in some honey or agave for sweetness, but i find the concord grape juice to be sweet enough on its own.

sometimes i’ll add in some elderberry syrup for additional health benefits during the cold-season months. Continue reading →

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{foodie friday : vegetarian buffalo cauliflower bites}

2 Feb

i kind of made these by accident… as in, i-got-super-hungry-and-didn’t-have-much-in-the-fridge-to-eat-but-got-creative-and made-these-buffalo-cauliflower-bites-which-accidentally-turned-out-to-be-ahhhmazing!

…and so i just had to share the recipe. these {veggie} buffalo cauliflower bites would make a great game-day snack for superbowl sunday! and they are a great vegetarian alternative to the classic buffalo wing. {i would devour both!}

i was inspired to make this dish because i was scrolling through instagram and spotted a recipe for cauliflower florets that were battered & fried, and served with buffalo sauce and ranch – like a chicken wing! and i was thinking, “that’s probably sooooo delicious!” 

then i remembered that i had frozen riced cauliflower, and i created my own version based on what i had in the fridge…

very simple ingredients : 

  • frozen riced cauliflower
  • chopped celery hearts
  • buffalo sauce {i opt for franks!}
  • ranch dressing {i use brianna’s!}

i began by chopping the celery into approximately 1-inch pieces…

next, i sautéed the cauliflower with a little butter over medium to high heat, adding a little water as i went along to soften the cauliflower a bit more…

then, i added in some buffalo sauce to taste, and cooked until almost al dente…

finally, i scooped some of the cauliflower mixture into the celery bites and drizzled a little ranch dressing on top. it can be a little messy, but that’s what buffalo sauce is all about, right?! 😉

these little buffalo cauliflower bites are soooooo yummy and i will definitely be making them on game-day! it’s always funny to me when i cook something on the fly and it turns out to be my new favourite thing ever.

this was one of those recipes. 🙂

by the way, i didn’t watch one single football game this season, and i could care less about the patriots or the eagles… but it should still be a fun day full of snacks and silliness!

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{the most delicious holiday chocolate!}

18 Dec

i am so grateful for fellow foodie friends who get me! and who send me delicious treats like these decadent holiday-inspired chocolates… that look like logs for a cozy christmas fire! aren’t the beautiful?!

and my goodness they were delicious! 

i’m not certain, but i believe the flavours were :

  • dark chocolate almond
  • dark chocolate w/ sea salt and peppermint filling
  • milk chocolate w/ peanut butter filling

needless to say, they didn’t last too long… 

 

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{dehydrated baby bananas}

2 Mar

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whenever i notice any kind of produce is starting to lose its freshness, such as these adorable baby bananas, i know it’s time to bust out the dehydrator.

bananafaces

banana faces 🙂

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banana chips make for some great snacks!!

i also love to throw them in smoothies, as an alternative to frozen or fresh ones.

do you use a dehydrator? what are some of your favourite things to dehydrate? 

 

 

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{eat the rainbow!}

27 Aug

eat the rainbow!

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farm-fresh veggies and homemade ranch dip with simple greek yogurt and herbs.

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colourful mixed bell peppers, olives, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, and mini cucumbers.

nom nom!!

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{mini caprese stacks}

10 Sep

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finger food is my favourite!  i believe in touching and playing with your food!!  😉

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and i’m kind of obsessed with tomatoes… i eat them with almost every meal, it seems. i love the colourful variety of them.  little, big, funky shaped, speckled… deep colours, bright colours…

i especially love to make little snacks with tomatoes – any way i can.

and so, i present to you… the most adorable mini-caprese stacks ever.  at least by my standards.

😉 Continue reading →

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{“i can make that!” – coconut flax granola}

17 Jul

i get on these kicks where i think i have all the free time in the world to constantly be making my own food… particularly, easy snacks.  i’m such a label-reader, that i’ll look at the ingredients and be like, “i can make that!” 😛

this time, it was granola.

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i had a gigantic container of organic rolled oats sitting around, waiting to be turned into breakfast vitamix cookies, but i kept forgetting to buy jelly!  so as i was grocery shopping the other day, it came to me.  “dude, audrey – you should totally make your own granola!” what inspired this was my other new favourite obsession right now – yoghurt.  i know it’s nothing new to a lot of you, but i never much cared for yoghurt and suddenly – just like sauerkraut, and eggs – i can’t seem to get enough yoghurt. so – i was completely stoked when i saw my favourite brand, noosa had introduced a coconut flavour!!! holy smokes dude.  AHH–MAZING! and i love noosa because they use milk from pasture-based cows.  LOVE THAT!

anyway, to bring it all full circle, i was like, “self, you should just buy some coconut flakes {super cheap} and use some pantry items to create your own granola to compliment this amazing yoghurt discovery!” {sometimes i do talk to myself like that} and so i did it – i bought some organic coconut flakes for about $2.00 and had the rest of the ingredients at home.  as per usual, i didn’t exactly measure – so i don’t have an actual recipe for you, but if i can wing it, you can wing it! 😉

ORGANIC HOMEMADE COCONUT FLAX GRANOLA :

– rolled oats

– maple syrup

– vanilla extract

– coconut oil

– flax seeds 

– coconut flakes Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday : tunacado toasts w/ a little good karma!}

8 Aug

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i’ve written about this combination before…

it seems to be a big hit!  i mixed it up a little this time, but as usual, simple ingredients here : Continue reading →

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{healthy snack options – quick and easy kale chips}

15 Jul

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one of my favourite snacks – grab a head of kale and break up into “chip” size pieces… then rinse, sprinkle on oil of your choice {i stick with EVOO, but coconut oil is great, too!} and then smother in nutritional yeast.  i use a bag and shake it up really well, then add more on top just before baking in the oven @ 350 degrees until crisp…

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they don’t last long… and they are great on top of salads, soups, or just as they are!

 

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{“fancy” french salt}

25 Jun

i love specialty foods, in case you haven’t yet discovered that about me…

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and i happen to LOVE salt – in all its varieties.

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so when a friend brought me this adorable jar of salt back from her trip to france, i was totally excited!!

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when i said to her, “ohhh i’m so excited to blog about this fancy french salt…” she was like, “wellllll – it’s just salt.  the only thing fancy about it is that i carried it all the way back home in my backpack… just for you.”

i fancy that, i say. Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} — “chocolacado pudding”

18 Feb

avocados are an amazing superfood.  packed full of nutrients like potassium, vitamin e, and health fats – avocados also are helpful at maintaining a healthy cholesterol.  they go great with tuna like in my tunacado sammy… i had heard about making chocolate avocado pudding but had never tried it…

until now 🙂

there are lots of variations and i plan to try another soon – but this one is about as simple and delicious as you can get.

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so simple.  so delicious.

– avocado

– cocoa powder

– sugar

agave works well as a sweetener, also.  i used a mix of cane sugar and agave. Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} — “this is the healthiest superbowl party i’ve ever been to”

4 Feb

hA! i’m still sort of giggling from the comment one of my friend’s made at the superbowl gathering my former roomie had this weekend.  and what a game!  way to go, ravens – so well-deserved!!

since going pretty much 100% vegan recently, it’s hard to eat out or even go to a friend’s house to eat, because basically everything that is prepared has some form of dairy or animal product in it.  so i brought over my own food and made something easy to munch on for the big game.  it was a hit!

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i also toasted some falafel in the oven and chopped up some celery, carrots, and mixed sweet peppers as well as some fruit.  one healthy spread, indeed. and all 3 dudes gobbled it up!

“this is the healthiest superbowl party i’ve ever been to”  – one of them exclaimed.  i laughed so hard, it was so great.

salsaguac-web-1 Continue reading →

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{meatless monday} something fun for the holidays! — mini chocolate-dipped lady apples

17 Dec

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every now and then, i’m creative with sweets.  i’m not much of a baker, so i don’t keep common baking components around the house – i seldom even have milk in the fridge.  half & half, maybe… anyway, i wanted to try to make some candy-dipped apples of some kind without having to make an extra trip to the store, so this is what i came up with. i bought the apples prior, with the idea of creating something fun with them for the blog, and i had all the other items lying around.

i just think these are so fun – take them to the office for the holiday party, or make them as a special after-school snack for the season… either way they’re super easy and cute and everyone will love them! Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday – buffalo chicken wraps and a favourite lager}

6 Dec

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i’m excited to share this super easy, fun, and delicious recipe i discovered this a while back from the cute sisters over at deux chicago – they always have the cutest ideas! and no game day is complete without eating something with buffalo sauce on it!

these are so super simple and easy to prepare and they are always a hit!  i simply buy a preroasted chicken, eat a little of it for dinner, then pick the meat off and use it for my buffalo chicken wraps! Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} — “vitamix breakfast cookies” and another vitamix smoothie

29 Nov

these are always always always a hit.  i’m not much of a baker, but when i find something that is easy to make and that people like, i try to create it into my own.  i have yet to quite create the perfect consistency for these {i’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to anything i make or do}, but i do think i found the right name for them.  the ingredients are so simple and healthy that you could literally eat them for breakfast – and not feel at all guilty about it!! they are also great for holiday parties or after school snacks. a good source of dietary fiber and protein as well as healthy fats. Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday} – homemade black bean & tomato hummus w/ a pumpkin ale

16 Aug

too soon?!

it’s not quite autumn, i do realize that — but the air in colorado has been changing and i even saw some yellow leaves on a green tree on my walk around the lake the other day… just sayin’ – pretty soon, they’ll be tons of corn and pumpkins!

and besides, i love blue moon beer.  i’ve tried {almost} all of their beers and i have enjoyed each one.

simple black bean hummus : 

 

– chickpeas {“this” many}

– 1 can or box black beans

– some tomatoes {did i mention how i don’t measure…}

i used these delicious little cherry tomatoes and golden nugget tomatoes. how incredible do just their names sound?!  yum.

throw those three simple ingredients in a food processor, add in a little S&P, and spin in some EVOO as needed – start with a little, add as you go if necessary…

blend until desired texture… you know, like – hummus 🙂

serve with whatever.  for lunch, i smeared some on a slice of naan bread.  pita would work, too. add in some falafel and make a wrap out of it…

or, dip some blue chips in it.  YUM!

i accompanied it with this yummy brew.

who cares if it’s kind of an autumn beer?!  it was spicy-ish, less pumpkin than spicy – at least according to my palate.  i love the colour and i really enjoyed it. warm and complex, it would be good alone as an after-dinner drink, or with a mild dish like this hummus or even a mild cheese.

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buffalo chicken wraps w/ a twist {and is it football season yet?!}

2 Jul

these were such a hit!!  and i got the recipe from these super cute sisters over at deuxchicago.  such a simple idea, but i so appreciate alison and laura for sharing the recipe and for “healthing” it up a little 😉 

and, being a huge football fan – i’m so eager to replace my normal monday night game crave – chicken wings – with these tasty new treats.  i don’t really eat meat all that much anyway and chicken is okay in my book when i do.  but i don’t really like the wings because there is hardly any meat and you just end up eating fried oil and i don’t know… this is just so much better!  i begin with a roasted chicken that i pick up from whole foods market on their wednesday chicken sale (7 bucks!) Continue reading →

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easy “cheesy” {vegan} kale chips

28 Jun

these always disappear fast!

have you ever tried nutritional yeast?  i actually kind of love it.  a lot.  many of my vegan friends would tell me about it and i never really tried it on anything until someone suggested i put it on popcorn.  which, as you know, is totally what i do now! nutritional yeast is a great cheese substitute, as it has a creamy flavour that is almost nutty or buttery.  i find it to be amazing on kale chips. you can usually find it in the baking isle or in bulk, at most health food stores including whole foods market. Continue reading →

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product endorsement #3 – whirley pop

26 Jun

whirley pop.

do you remember this?  i actually don’t.  but apparently it’s old school cool and marvelously classic.  i’ve loved having it and we now make more popcorn in the house than anything, i swear. low fat, low carb, whole grain, and if you buy it in bulk you save tons and it’s a snack with variety that everyone will love!

the whirley pop itself is so easy to use. you can make your popcorn with any good quality high heat oil and it doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to pop a large bowl to share.  fun for kids, too — just make sure they are always supervised!

my roomie and i love to drizzle a little coconut oil over ours and then smother it with tons of nutritional yeast.  it makes for an almost cheesy flavour.  it’s SO GOOD!  i know you’ll love it too – so try it! and go get a whirley pop!  20 bucks is a good investment for a 25-year warranty, right?!

one more thing i want to add — sort of a shameless plug here — please consider always and only buying organic NON-GMO corn.  if you aren’t sure why, please read one of my rants about GMOs… and do your own research, then decide for yourself.

thank you always, for reading 🙂

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