For the love of carbs! Start your Fourth of July morning in the most delicious AND patriotic way possible — red, white, and blue bagels. Both Bruegger’s and Einstein Bros are baking up their own tri-colored bagel beauties for your Fourth of July celebration this year. The bagels are made with the same recipe as a plain bagel, but food coloring is added to give them their swirled red, white, and blue appearance. Participating Einstein Bros. locations are taking pre-orders, and you can pick them up from July 2 to 4, 2019. Participating Bruegger’s are also accepting pre-orders. Place your order now through July 2 for pick-up July 3 or July 4. Both restaurants will stock the bagels in-store so you can swing by and pick them up last minute, but they’ll only be available while supplies last. So if you’re banking on red, white, and blue bagels to start your…
Fresh Summer Farm Stand Juice
You know you’re solidly an adult when you find yourself looking forward to the Friday evening farmers market. I love leisurely meandering through the aisle, comparing produce and the homemade offerings of one vendor to the next. I usually leave with fresh cut wildflowers, a new jar of jam, some Amish baked goods, and a whole basket of local produce. I set out to create a refreshing juice that reminded me of my summer Friday evening happy place. All of those fresh fruit smells and juicy looking veggies. It’s summertime in a glass. Here is my recipe for Fresh Summer Farm Stand Juice: Fresh Summer Farm Stand Juice Ingredients 6 fresh strawberries, rinsed with greens in tact 1 large cucumber 1 large apple, (Envy is great for juicing) 2 medium carrots, washed and peeled small handful of spinach Directions Run all ingredients through a juice, being sure to adjust your…
Brownie batter dessert hummus recipe
Yes, you read that right. This recipe calls for melted chocolate and chickpeas… together! When I learned about “dessert hummus” I couldn’t decide if it was some crazy gimmick or pure, culinary genius. You can now firmly file me in the latter category. If you’re all about the edible cookie dough trend, or if you can’t stop licking the brownie batter from the bowl, this recipe is definitely for you. No raw eggs here! Just protein-and fiber-packed garbanzos, chocolate, a pinch of flaky salt, and a splash of vanilla. It makes a thick and creamy spread, just like regular hummus, except it’s sweet, so it’s great for smearing on breakfast toast. Use it in place of those unhealthy hazelnut spreads. Dip fresh fruit, pretzels, pitas or eat by the spoonful for a healthier alternative to sweet snacking any time of day. And try easy Banana Dessert Hummus, too! 5-ingredient Chocolate…
Skipping breakfast could increase risk of heart disease, study shows
You’ve heard it before — “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But that still doesn’t stop you from slapping the snooze button and skipping out on the first meal of the day in favor of a few extra quality minutes of shuteye. But you might want to think twice. We already know a good breakfast can help you lose weight, but a new study suggests that skipping breakfast might increase your risk of death from heart disease. The study was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers used data from 1988-1994 on more than 6,500 people between the ages of 40 and 75, who had been asked how often they ate breakfast in the morning. Responses showed that 5.1% almost never ate breakfast; 10.9% rarely ate breakfast; 25% had breakfast somedays; and 59% had breakfast every day. The researchers followed up with the…
A Healthy Copycat of the famous Orange Julius Smoothie
My take on copycat recipes is this — if I want the real deal, I’ll go buy it. If I want to make it at home and eat it all the time, I have to find a way to make it healthier. Thus began my quest for a copycat Orange Julius recipe. Turns out, my recipe is not just as good as the “real thing,” I think it’s actually better. This may be because I’m aware of the gross amounts of miles on the treadmill I’m saving myself by leaving out the juice concentrate and the added sugar. But either way, it’s a pretty darn good recipe. So what is an Orange Julius? If you’re not familiar, you’re in for a treat. An Orange Julius kind of tastes like a Creamsicle. It’s not as thick as as smoothie or as milky as a shake. It’s slightly frothy. Chances are, if…
What’s the difference between an English muffin and a crumpet?
When it comes to breakfast breads, most of us are carb-loving connoisseurs. Toasts like wheat, rye, and sourdough are just the beginning. Scones, muffins — both blueberry and bran, biscuits and bagels make their way into our morning meal more commonly than we’d care to admit. And of course you know the English muffin. It’s the sturdy, humble base to your oozing Eggs Benedict and the spongy exterior of your McDonald’s McMuffin. English muffins, and all of these other common carbs, are sold in the bakery and bread aisles of just about any grocery store nationwide. So that leaves the crumpet. What the heck is it? You’ve probably joked about tea and crumpets in your best stuffy-English accent before, but did you really know what you were talking about? Have you actually ever seen one in the States? English muffins and crumpets are two entirely different creatures, but they have…
This is how the ‘continental breakfast’ got its name
Maybe you booked one hotel over another because it served a free continental breakfast. The idea of starting your day with a complementary all-you-can-eat buffet is just what some travels dream of. But if you take a moment to think about it, there isn’t anything especially “continental” about juice and muffins. So what’s with the name? The term “continental breakfast” actually originated in Britain in the mid-19th century. There, the phrase “the continent” refers to the countries occupying the mainland of Europe. Therefore, a “continental breakfast” denotes the type of breakfast you’d be served in places like France or Italy. Breakfasts in these countries are famously light and delicate when compared to the full English breakfast — a heaping plate of sausage, beans, toasts, eggs and more — or an American breakfast — usually some combination of sausages, bacon, pancakes, waffles, potatoes, and toast. As the nation grew and hotels…
Cherry almond smoothie
Cherries are totally underrated as smoothie ingredients. I had been experimenting with new smoothie flavors, when I realized, I had not made one cherry-based smoothie — ever! Cherries are full of antioxidants, promote healthy sleep, and may even reduce post-exercise inflammation and pain. For someone training for a marathon like me, it’s an ingredient to definitely be added into a daily diet. Cherries are harder to find in the frozen food aisle than other berries, but I managed to find them in several local stores. If you’re unable to find them, you’ll (sadly!) have to wait until summer, then pit and freeze a bunch for later. Cherries are sweeter than strawberries, so they hold up well against almond milk. Greek yogurt and chia seeds add enough protein to make this morning mix a well-rounded meal. Enjoy! Cherry almond smoothie Ingredients 1 cup frozen cherries (or fresh, pits removed) 1/2 cup almond…
Cranberry, orange, almond smoothie
You may think of cranberries as a fruit option only between Thanksgiving and Christmas when popular dishes like cranberry sauce and cranberry baked goods prevail. But there are plenty of reasons to eat the fresh, ruby red fruit all year long. Cranberries have long been known to help reduce the likelihood of urinary tract infections. They also contain important vitamins such as C, E, K, manganese, fiber, and loads of antioxidants. Antioxidants are known to limit the damage caused by free radicals in your body, and help reduce signs of aging as well as helping to fight cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Cranberries may also reduce bad cholesterol, help fight gum disease, and boost your immune system. Get the picture yet? Eat more cranberries! You can add fresh or dried cranberries to any number of salads, salsas, smoothies, or dishes, but eating them fresh delivers the most health benefits. This…
Healthy carrot cake smoothie
Don’t you just love dessert for breakfast? Of course eating actual carrot cake for breakfast isn’t exactly a healthy or energizing way to start your morning, but this cool and creamy smoothie is the best of both worlds. Actually, you’ll love this smoothie anytime you want a perfect breakfast, dessert or even a snack. This carrot cake smoothie tastes just like your favorite carrot cake dessert, only lighter and healthier — so it’s totally guilt free. The Greek yogurt replaces with cream cheese so you’ll get a filling dose of protein instead of fat. Maple syrup makes for a great smoothie sweetener, and it can work really well, so start with just a tablespoon and adjust accordingly from there. It’s just eight ingredients and can be whipped up in no time with any high speed blender in under 5 minutes. Keep this one on file for the new year, or…