Tag Archives: Melanie Bolke

Heart-Healthy, Gluten-Free Snack Bars

15 Jan
Yummy and oh-so-easy gluten-free bars are a healthy alternative to sugar-filled sweets!

Yummy gluten-free bars are a healthy alternative to sugar-filled sweets!

My lovely neighbor brought us some of these delicious and not-to-sweet bars recently. I asked her to share the recipe with me, and now I’m sharing it with you! This recipe was developed and written as-is by Teri Gruss, who is the author of the About.com Guide to gluten-free cooking.

Consider baking this healthy alternative instead of cakes and cookies for Valentine’s Day  this year!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup nut butter (almond OR cashew OR peanut OR sunflower butter)
  • 3/4 cup sweetener syrup (honey OR GF brown rice syrup OR good quality Agave nectar)
  • 1 1/2 cups roasted raw nuts and / or seeds (almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds- use your favorites in any combination)
  • 1 cup unsulfured dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, blueberries, apricots, pineapple, raisins- use your favorite dried fruits in any combination)
  • 4 cups GF brown rice crispie cereal
  • 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

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2012 In Review: Annual Report for Around My Home

31 Dec

I have to admit, I love numbers. Sometimes I dream in Excel spreadsheets. I have a spreadsheet for nearly everything! So I was tickled to discover that the stats fairies at WordPress.com prepared a 2012 annual report for my blog.

If you love to look at numbers like I do, you may find this brief snapshot of interest.

Here’s an excerpt of what WordPress had to say about my blog:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 3 years to get that many views.

You can click here to see the complete report.

Looking forward to having you stop by Around My Home in 2013!

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year,

Sweet Cherry Antioxidant Smoothie

19 Dec
This super-healthy smoothie is as tasty as it is good for you!

This super-healthy smoothie is as tasty as it is good for you!

The more frequently I drink this smoothie, the more I crave it! I think it has seriously become my go-to favorite.

I’ve been drinking one serving nearly every day for a week now and I feel terrific!

It’s super-tasty, really easy, and I promise that you cannot taste the spinach. Your kids won’t even know it’s in there if you don’t tell them. It’s that good!

Sweet Cherry Antioxidant Smoothie Recipe

Simply blend the following ingredients in a blender on high for approximately one minute:

–1 cup apple juice

–1 cup fresh blueberries

–1 cup frozen dark cherries

–1/2 frozen banana

–2 Tbsp. ground flax seed

–2 heaping handfuls of fresh baby spinach

Makes ~ one 20 oz. smoothie

Note: I tend to like my smoothies a bit on the runny side. If you prefer a creamier consistency, use frozen blueberries instead of fresh and/or use less apple juice. You could also dilute the apple juice with water to reduce the amount of sugar.

Looking for more smoothie recipes? Click here.

To your health now and in the New Year,

Ready For This? Blueberry-Broccoli Detox Smoothie

12 Dec
This Blueberry Broccoli Detox Smoothie is sweeter than you think and seriously healthy!

This Blueberry Broccoli Detox Smoothie is sweeter than you think and seriously healthy!

I’ve been thinking ahead to my ritual New Year’s detox and have been experimenting with green smoothies recently. My parents stopped by a few days ago, bearing wonderful gifts: a beautiful broccoli crown from their winter garden and a new rose bush (both pictured above).

The broccoli was so fresh that I wanted to eat it raw, to best capture its nutrients. Being in such a green state of mind, I decided to try whipping up a broccoli smoothie! I came up with this quick and surprisingly tasty recipe detailed below.

The broccoli taste is actually very subtle. Overall, this smoothie is sweet going down and has a sweet aftertaste. Want it even sweeter? Add some honey or agave nectar.

Blueberry-Broccoli Detox Smoothie

Simply blend the following ingredients in a blender on high for approximately one minute:

–1 cup coconut milk

–1/4 cup orange juice

–1 cup fresh blueberries

–1 cup fresh broccoli florets (raw)

–1/2 frozen banana

–1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Makes one 16oz. smoothie

Note: I tend to like my smoothies on the runny side. If you prefer a creamier consistency, use frozen blueberries and add some soft tofu or plain greek yogurt to thicken it up.

Looking for more smoothie recipes? Click here.

To your health,

Easy, Peasy Taste of Fall – Perfect For Dinner Any Day Of The Week

15 Nov

Perfect for cool outdoor weather, this dish is satisfying, flavorful, and optionally gluten-free!

If you enjoy lots of flavor, you’ll love this dish! This simple and delightful fall meal takes just minutes to prepare:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

These brands are the ones I use for this easy fall dinner, but feel free to switch things up a bit depending on availability in your region or personal taste!

Main Dish:

–Spinach & Garlic chicken sausage by Bilinski. I buy it because it contains no pork casing – the fact that it’s delicious is a bonus!

–Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta sauce by Williams Sonoma.

–Ancient Grain Quinoa Pasta (any shape – I had elbows on hand). Feel free to substitute your favorite pasta.

Salad:

–Fresh baby spinach.

–Apples (unpeeled). Gala or Honeycrisp both work well with this recipe.

–Walnut halves/pieces.

–Blue Cheese crumbles – use sparingly, as the flavor is very strong. Consider placing it in a separate small bowl, allowing your guests to help themselves.

–Olive oil vinaigrette dressing. (I like Newman’s Own).

PREPARING YOUR MEAL

–Grill sausage whole on medium-high for ~4-5 mins each side.

Quick tip: Opt for grilling the sausage earlier in the day and then refrigerate it until needed. Simply slice and warm the sausage along with your sauce while pasta is cooking.

–Cook pasta according to package directions.

–Warm Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta Sauce in a saucepan while pasta cooks.

–Chop apples and assemble the salad. Toss in olive oil dressing.

–Drain pasta and toss lightly in olive oil. Return to cooking pot (should be emptied of all cooking liquid), and toss with pasta sauce, coating evenly. Top with chicken sausage and fresh parmesan cheese.

For easy decorating, add a mini pumpkin to each dinner plate and toss a few leaves on your table.

Enjoy the flavorful taste of fall Around Your Home!

Fall Anyone? Pumpkin Smoothie

2 Oct

Mmmm….the delicious taste of fall in a glass!

I saw some beautiful pumpkins at the grocery store this week and it prompted me to try this pumpkin smoothie recipe below. I typically never add sugar to my smoothies, but this one is pretty bland without it.

To freeze the pumpkin puree, simply pour it from your blender (or a can!) into an ice cube tray or silicone brownie mold pan. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag for storage and use in recipes like this one!

Pumpkin Smoothie

Simply blend the following ingredients in blender on high for approximately one minute:

–1 cup coconut milk

–1 large dollop greek yogurt

–1/2 cup frozen pumpkin puree

–1 tsp. cane sugar

–sprinkle of cinnamon

–sprinkle of nutmeg

–top with whipped cream and cinnamon and add a cinnamon stick

Note: vanilla ice cream would be a delicious alternative to the yogurt if you’re not concerned about the calories

Looking for more smoothie recipes? Click here.

Warning: Addiction Likely

11 Sep

Let’s just say these PopCorners disappeared quickly after this photo was taken!

I stumbled upon my new favorite snack indulgence at the grocery store last week. Though I typically try to stick to the outer sections of the grocery store (produce and dairy), I do wander occasionally into the middle aisles where all of the processed foods lurk.

PopCorners come in several flavors!

That’s when I discovered PopCorners. PopCorners taste exactly like popcorn, but in the form of a chip. They are delicious and gluten free (watch for my upcoming post on why I made the switch to gluten-free living). I seriously could eat an entire bag.

Oh, and PopCorners come in Kettle Corn flavor, too!

The best thing about PopCorners? I’ve been wearing braces now for 20 months, and popcorn has been a forbidden food choice throughout my orthodontic treatment. Now it’s an option for people with braces, too!

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