Movie Snack-Time! - Watermelon Feta Salad

Okay. So I was definitely a bit skeptical about this at first...

 

 

...but my skepticism quickly faded.

I am not a fan of ordering in high sugar, high fat foods for movie nights. My boyfriend used to love to order pizzas for movies, and I happily participated, until all my food allergies erupted. Not that I'm complaining. It was these allergies that taught me that I had to take a healthier road.

I really wanted sweets this past movie night, but at the same time I wanted the saltiness of a bag of chips, and the satisfying feeling that comes from protein rich meals.

I was Pinteresting it up for snack ideas...(surprise)...when I came to a watermelon feta salad. I had watermelon, I had feta...why not?

I just crumbled a tiny bit of feta over a few pieces of melon to start...but that quickly turned to giant chunks (as you can see) upon tasting it.

The tangy-saltiness of the feta and the sweetness of the watermelon are so complementing to each other. I have been eating this all week...(I even ran out of feta and had to get more just for this salad). The best part is it's high in fiber and protein and is super hydrating. Guilt free!

If you like watermelon and you like feta, you will love them together! Let me know what you think. Yum!

Apple Nachos

Super sweet and healthy alternative to  traditional nachos. I had a craving for sweet and crunchy yesterday evening, and discovered these are perfect for movie nights!

 



 

 

You will need:

1 apple (I chose Gala because they are super sweet and crunchy)

1/2 tsp. of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp. of butterscotch chips

1/2 tsp. unrefined coconut oil

 

1. Start by quartering your apple, and cut out the core. Continue by slicing away thin pieces from each quarter.

2. Add coconut oil, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips to  small bowl and microwave stirring frequently until all are melted together (I left a few butterscotch chips unmelted for texture).

3. Drizzle the mix over your apples and ready to serve!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding...that actually tastes like chocolate pudding

I was skeptical to try this, but it is a delicious way to get those heart-healthy fats, especially for those who don't like avocados! It actually tastes an smells like chocolate pudding.

 

 

 

You will need:

1 avocado

1 heaping teaspoon of cocoa

2 packets of Truvia or 2 big tbsps. of honey

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or creamy milk of your choice)

1 stemmed cherry to garnish (optional)

 

1. Cut, peel and pit the avocado and add to the blender.

2. Add in milk and blend the avocado and milk together.

3. Mix in cocoa and Truvia/honey and blend until smooth.

 

*Note: I prefer anything chocolate to be more on the bitter side, so don't be afraid to taste test and add more or less cocoa or sweetener as you desire!

 

Serve and enjoy!

 

I got this idea from http://www.mindbodygreen.com/ which is an incredible blog to check out for health and wellness. I did modify the recipe to make it my own, but I would recommend testing out their version as well!



Gluten-Free Cinnamon Tortilla Chips with Blueberry-Mango Fruit Salsa

Today I realized I had way more gluten free tortillas left than I could eat as wraps, so I decided to mix things up a bit. Let's just say the results were pretty amazing.

You will need:

1 pan

Tinfoil

1 tsp. of coconut oil (preferably organic and unrefined)

2 large gluten free tortillas (or 4 small ones...or tortillas of your choice)

Cinnamon to sprinkle

1/2 cup of fresh mango

1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

1 heaping tbsp. of Light Cool Whip

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover your pan with tinfoil (you can spray it with cooking spray if you feel the tortillas might stick...I didn't...probably should have. Haha.)

2. Lay out your tortillas on the pan and get a teaspoon of coconut oil out.

3. Place the coconut oil in a boil and microwave until melted.

4. Spread/drizzle the coconut oil over the tortillas and then sprinkle cinnamon over them (use as much as you like)

5. Cut the tortillas into little triangle-shaped pieces about the size of average tortilla chips (triangle-SHAPED is the keyword. Mine tend to vary as the cutting goes on...haha). Place in the oven for about 5 minutes or until they have reach desired crispiness.

6. Chop up blueberries. (I put wax paper over the cutting board because it makes my life easier when it comes time to clean up)

7. Chop up the mango.

8. Place the blueberries and mango in a bowl and mix together.

9. This is optional, but I like to add a dollop of Light Cool Whip and sprinkle cinnamon on top to garnish. Yum.

10. Place tortillas on a plate and they are ready for dipping. Mmmm.

 ...and this is the result you can expect because they are soooo yummy! I could have demolished the whole pan! Good luck!

Fruit Salad Deluxe

I made this over the holidays and it was amazing!

You will need: 

- 4 large strawberries

- 1/2 cup of pineapple (preferably fresh)

- 1 orange

- 10 maraschino cherries

- 1 tbsp. walnuts

- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon-sugar mix. 

Slice:

- Strawberries

- Pineapple

- Oranges

- Apples

Cut cherries in half.

Mix all but 5 cherry halves together in a medium size bowl.

Sprinkles walnuts and cinnamon-sugar over top of the mixture.

Place the 5 cherry halves on top in any design.

Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Serves 4.