Festive Avocado Cucumber Bites

 I received a selection of Crisp tools for this review.  A positive review was not required and all opinions and experiences are my own. 

During the holiday season one of the most handy things to have is a few good appetizer recipes. Whether you have guests coming over or get invited to a party, you will probably need at least one signature, finger-friendly treat.

I wanted to make something a little lighter this year.

These little Festive Avocado Cucumber Bites were perfect. Easy to make, fresh and healthy, they won't leave you feeling guilty about grabbing more than one.

And for more fabulous appetizer recipes, check out all six from our our talented blogger. Pin them, leave a little comment love and get some new fun ideas for your holiday appetizers this year.

Busy-at-Home : Cucumber Tomato Bites with Herb and Parmesan Cream Cheese

Flour on My Face: Phyllo Apple Cranberry Bites

Adventures in All Things Food: Festive Avocado Cucumber Bites

Daily Dish Recipes: Baked Brie Bites with Olives and Roasted Garlic

Will Cook for Smiles: Southwest Chili Dip

The Gunny Sack: Spinach Artichoke Bites

Okay, I am so excited to introduce you to this week's sponsor, Crisp. This was my first time using their tools, but I was no stranger to their quality. I have been using their children's tools, Curious Chef, with is another Tailor Made Products, Inc. brand of kitchen tools.

Actually, for years I have been joking that I might just buy myself a set of Curious Chef kitchenware. Now there is a line just for me, Crisp.

Same sturdy construction, clean lines and usefulness. Great kitchen tools and they come at affordable prices. Yes, these are tools for healthy eating. And this appetizer, Festive Avocado Cucumber Bites, was the perfect match for my new Crisp tools.

I selected several tools that I either had wanted for a while or needed to replace in my current kitchen drawer. From the versatile melon baller to the herb mincer I have been using these tools daily for fruit and vegetable prep and I plan to add more pieces from the Crisp collection in the future.

For this particular recipe I used both the avocado tool and the straight peeler from Crisp. Be sure to check out the brand's Crisp Cooking Pinterest account for more great dishes you can create with their line of kitchenware.

I have gone through several avocado slicers, but this is the first tool that I have seen that also includes a slicer and pit remover, making it extra versatile. If you enjoy eating avocados, you will want one of these.

It also did a great job slicing my ripe avocados. The wire was strong enough not to bend or give as I sliced.

And the peeler was perfect for taking off the outside of the cucumber. It didn't take off too much of the soft inner flesh of my English cucumber. Just the peel.

I appreciate that.

Once the avocados are sliced, then I added them to a bowl with lime juice, cumin, salt and onion power. All mashed up, I diced up and added a  red bell pepper for a little extra color.

After peeling the English cucumber I sliced it in thick, but bite-sized pieces. With a small melon baller, I scooped out the center to create a little cup for my avocado filling.

Spoon a little filling into each cucumber bite and you are good to go.

Full of healthy fats and fresh, light veggies, this appetizer will keep everyone happy and guilt-free.

Festive Avocado Cucumber Bites

You Will Need:

• 2 English Cucumbers
• 1 large ripe hass avocado
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. salt + more as needed to taste
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

Slice off the pointed ends of the English cucumber. Peel and slice each into roughly 12 equal slices. Scoop out the center with a melon baller to create a cup. 

In a medium bowl combine the ripe avocado, lime juice, cumin and salt to taste. Mash until creamy. Stir in the bell pepper and scoop into cucumber cups. 

Serve immediately.

And, let's not forget the Giveaway! 

Would you like to try out Crisp tools for yourself?... Well, Crisp would like you to put them to the test in your own kitchen.  You could make these simple Festive Avocado Cucumber Bites for your family as well as any of the other recipes listed above... or come up with a new delicious dish yourself! Good luck.

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#Ad - Keeping it Fresh and Healthy this Memorial Day Weekend

After such a dry Spring, we finally got some rain this past week, well a lot of it. Of course, it made me worry about how we would be celebrating our Memorial Day Weekend. I had visions of healthy eating outside, easy meals, the sprinkler running and going strawberry picking with the kids.

I am a homebody right now. With this baby coming in less than 3 weeks I just want to spend some quality time with my kids. I know that there will be big changes coming for the older kids soon and I wanted to make this weekend both fun and memorable for them. That means less time in the kitchen, but still eating well.

Armed with a favorable weather forecast for the weekend, and fingers crossed, I took the family grocery shopping to prepare. Okay, I hate to shop on a holiday weekend, so I planned to keep things as fresh and simple as possible. It was pouring and the kids were all bundled up and dressed in rain coats. It was pretty hard to think about fun and sun with that kind of weather. Of course my kids were just excited about all the rain puddles we would hit on the way into Walmart.

Our local Walmart had already been ransacked midweek by people who probably had the same idea I did. I have a feeling that by the end of the week a lot of the chips, dips and easy prepared foods would be running really low, if not out. Luckily my meals were going to be simple and I found everything I needed. But as the week wore on I was still pretty pessimistic that we would have a clear holiday.

Happily I was wrong. The sunshine came out and we were able to head to the strawberry field Saturday morning. My son loves strawberries, so is more than willing to help out with picking. It is a good thing, too, because bending over is getting more challenging for me the closer to my due date I get.

This is the first year my daughter hasn't just picked the green ones. Last year she claimed they were pretty. This year it is more about the taste.

With my husband busy cutting hay today and the kids and I being worn out from all the strawberries, we opted for a super easy and fast meal outside on the back porch. Our family-go-to-favorite during the warmer months is Taco Salad with homemade Catalina dressing.

I enlisted my best salad spinner to help while I prepped the chicken. We make our taco salad a number of ways, sometimes with meat and sometimes without. This time I wanted to cut down on cooking time by using the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips and heating them with just a little taco seasoning for added flavor.

I added just a 1/4 cup of water and let them heat through. It was much faster than slicing and browning all that chicken myself.

I even had time after prepping all the veggies to make a pitcher of whole juice strawberry lemonade. I thought it would be a fun treat for the kids after picking the berries. It is as simple as it sounds, just strawberries, lemons, sugar to taste and diluted with water and ice. Everything goes into the blender and it was garnished with some fresh sliced strawberries.

I set up our salad bar outside on the table. My kids prefer to have a hand in fixing their own salads. Even if I dished up the exact same ingredients and portions for them, it just wouldn't be the same. Our salad bar included items that were either rinsed and sliced, thawed or from a can, so prep time was around 10 minutes total.

The salads were a big hit and so was the fresh air outside. It was the perfect way to kick off our Memorial Day Weekend. I was very pleased with the simple addition of the chicken in our salad, as well. It was moist and tasty. A great little added protein boost to our fresh and hearty salad. Who wants a heavy or complicated meal on a such a beautiful day?

The Kruse Family's Favorite Taco Salad

You Will Need:

• Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips
• Taco seasoning
• 1/4 c. water
• iceberg lettuce
• tomatoes
• sliced olives
• kidney beans
• sweet corn
• avocado
• sharp cheddar cheese
• Catalina Dressing
• Tortilla Chips

Heat the Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle with taco seasoning to taste and then add 1/4 cup water to the pan and let them simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is warmed through.

We like to set up all our ingredients in salad bar fashion and let everyone help themselves. Build as you like and then top with Catalina dressing. This is such a fresh and easy dinner. Enjoy!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

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Pregnancy Cravings Satisfied with Lean Cuisines Salad Additions #BYOL

What can I say?

When I was pregnant with my son, I was crazy for carbs. I think I survived on baked potatoes and pasta. Okay, it wasn't a good look for me. Sweet desires came when I was pregnant with my daughter. I had a real thing for hot fudge and brownies. Unfortunately, I still haven't lost that baby weight. This baby? Well, my desire is green, leafy and piled high in an endless number of combinations. Salad is currently king in my mind. But, who has the time to chop all those veggies?

I am not a big fan of eating out, but I do love the variety of salads I can have someone else make for me. This pregnancy I am a "mature mom" of 34 and moving a little slower. I am happy to have help where I can get it. Especially when it comes to preparing my food. So most of my salads have been from our favorite restaurants.

 If I was to create my favorite Asian Salad or Cobb Salad at home I would have to buy a large amount of ingredients and involve a lot of prep work. Most of my favorite salads at a restaurant here cost as much as my husband's entree!

When I pay that much for a meal I like to take my leftovers home to finish the following day. Have you ever taken home a salad? With all the dressing and ingredients mine usually come back out of the fridge limp and soggy. Not very appetizing, right?

Earlier this month I noticed this coupon in the January edition of All You magazine. I always find the best Walmart coupons in there! Be sure to check out the Walmart site as well for other great coupon opportunities. I hadn't heard of the Lean Cuisine Salad Additions before and saved this one for later. I was intrigued that I just needed to #BYOL, or bring your own lettuce.

I found signage all over the Walmart grocery area. There were signs in the frozen section as well as near the lettuce and bagged salad mixes. You can take a peak at what I found in my Google+ album.

When my husband went away for a Farm Bureau weekend I had to come up with some simple meals for myself and the kids. My kids have a really restrictive diet so I usually end up making their dinner and then single serving meals for myself. This was the perfect chance to try out these new Lean Cuisine products. I am never good at cooking for just one person.

The kit contained everything I needed to make a quick and delicious salad for myself. I just needed room temperature water, a microwave and my favorite lettuce mix.

The kit is frozen so I put the salad dressing in room temperature water.

Then I microwaved the steamer bag containing chicken and vegetables for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. I let it cool slightly before putting it on top of my greens. Topped with crunchy noodles and salad dressing, I was good to go in less than 4 minutes. Now, that is faster than I usually get seated at a restaurant!

So how did my Lean Cuisine Salad Additions: Asian Style Chicken stack up to my favorite restaurant salads?

Pros:

• Economical
• Faster than I am usually seated at a restaurant with my family
• Perfect portion for me (less waste and guilt!)
• Fresher than a restaurant. I control the greens used how they are washed
• I can savor my salad in my pajamas... if I want to.

Cons:

• I need a bigger freezer now!
• I have minimal prep and clean up.

Overall I was very happy with this tasty new find! This was not only delicious, but it was so colorful and visually appealing. Now I can have salads for a quick lunch or dinner when the mood strikes me. I don't have to worry about planning out a recipe, shopping for all the various ingredients or doing all the slicing and dicing in my kitchen.

This is convenience food that makes me happy.

Want to connect with Lean Cuisine on social media? Find them on Twitter and Facebook.

*Disclaimer - I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and NESTLE #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions and experiences are my own.