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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cinnamon Chip Sourdough Banana Muffins... Yes, Sourdough!

I love sourdough...the tangy flavor, the depth of flavor and of course the challenge.

No, it hasn't been a challenge for me to bake with sourdough. I have a problem with using it up fast enough. Let me explain. See I keep 2 starters going on my kitchen counter. Yes, we have used it for all the classic recipes, pancakes and bread, but I just hate discarding the extra starter.

I have given away all I can, and I think people are starting to run away for fear I will shove starter on them.

Yes, I could just toss it, but that hurts my frugal side deeply.

So I try to use it. My search on Pinterest didn't come up with any new ideas, so I went back to The Bread Bible. I scoured all my bread books in fact, but The Bread Bible was the most promising. It suggested working my sourdough into other recipes.

Of course my eyes started to cross when I saw it was an equation. You have to be sure to account for the water and flour (by weight) in the sourdough starter and adjust the original recipe accordingly.

After a mention of sourdough in muffins, I knew what I wanted to make. These Cinnamon Chip Sourdough Banana Muffins were heartier than their regular cousins, and with a little added flavor depth. I was happy.

So what you need to get started is a sourdough culture.

Now don't worry. You can get a little from a generous friend, purchase it online from a place like King Arthur Flour, or start your own sourdough. Of course starting your own takes a little more time, but it is a very easy way to go about it. There was even a recipe that came with my bread machine.

For this recipe you will need an established starter and enough time (around 12 hours) to feed and let the yeast really start growing.

Then whipping up this recipe is as easy as any regular muffin recipe. Use up those browning bananas and throw in some cinnamon chips - you have muffins!

Ready to get started?

Cinnamon Chip Sourdough Banana Muffins
You Will Need:

• 1 c. unfed sourdough starter
• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 3 medium bananas, mashed
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• zest of one lemon
• 1/2 c. cinnamon chips

12 hours to a day before you want to serve the muffins, combine the flour and starter. Add a teaspoon of water at a time, just so you can mix all the flour in. (It will depend on how wet your starter is)

After the starter has grown and bubbled for at least 12 hours, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-muffin tin with baking papers.

Combine the remaining wet ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside. Then in another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients except the cinnamon chips.

Mix the wet ingredients into the starter, then stir in the dry items until all incorporated. Fold in the cinnamon chips last. 

Fill muffin papers 3/4 full and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy!

A Day of Smiles, Treats and Blue Pixie Dust

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All experiences and opinions are my own. #CollectiveBias #ProtectPixieHollow

My home is a magical place.

Not just because my children are growing and changing before my eyes, but because in my home I never know when I will be accosted by a pirate...

or greeted by a beautiful fairy.

We pretty much celebrate dress-up and imaginative play on any day ending in "y". So, you can imagine that my kids are really excited for the upcoming Disney’s The Pirate Fairy. The Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD copy will be available for purchase at Walmart on April 1, you can Preorder it now online. We have the calendar marked.

Have you seen the trailer for The Pirate Fairy?


Trailer - The Pirate Fairy on Disney Video


Purchase The Pirate Fairy Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD at Walmart, and receive a free gift, The Pixie Hollow Bake Off DVD. This Walmart exclusive includes 10 animated shorts. On The Pixie Hollow Bake Off Tinker Bell goes up against Pixie Hollow's culinary superstars and the head baking fairy Gelata (voiced by Giado de Laurentiis). With the help of her friends, Tinker Bell must go head-to-head, "just tinkering with flour" as she calls it.

I know my kids would love to see these bonus animated shorts.

The only thing that gets my kids even more excited than dressing up? Getting to help out in the kitchen. We decided to create one healthy fairy-inspired item and one healthy pirate-inspired item that each child could help with. To get all our fresh supplies we headed in as a family to Walmart for a little shopping.

From bags of lemons to our avocados and frozen blueberries, we found everything we needed for our magical treats. I was just thrilled to also grab the rest of our household essentials.

My daughter loves all things sweet and tart, so she helped me to make a Blue Pixie Dust inspired Blueberry Mint Lemonade sweetened with local honey. We started by having her freeze blueberries in  ice cube trays for serving.

Then we squeezed the lemons by hand. 

Yes, I do have an electric juicer, but I wanted to keep things safe and my 4-year old isn't ready to tackle appliances just yet.

While my daughter squeezed, I created a simple syrup using honey to sweeten our drink. A simple syrup is just equal parts sugar (or in this case, honey) and water. I heated it over medium until all the honey was warm and well mixed. While it cooled to room temperature, I put in a mint stalk to infuse the honey with the mint oils.

Then when the syrup had cooled, I took out the mint sprig and added the syrup to my pitcher of fresh squeezed lemon juice along with another 5 cups of cold water. Topped with frozen blueberries, ice cubes and another mint sprig, our lemonade was ready to go. For serving I put those blueberry icecubes in each glass and then added in the lemonade.

This ensure that everyone got some blueberries in their lemonade.

Mint Blueberry Lemonade with Honey

You will Need:
1 c. frozen or fresh blueberries
6 large lemons, juiced. Pulp and seeds strained.
1 c. honey
6 c. water, divided
3 mint sprigs

Create blueberry ice cubes by dividing a handful of blueberries into n ice cube tray. Fill with water and place in the freezer to freeze completely.

For the lemonade, juice 6 large lemons and place the strained juice in a large pitcher.

Create a simple syrup with equal parts water and honey over medium heat. Dissolve the honey completely into the water, take off the heat and add 2 mint sprigs to the syrup. Let it steep as the mixture cools.

When the syrup comes to room temperature, remove the mint sprigs and add the syrup to the lemon juice. Mix in 5 cups of cold water. Top with ice cubes, a handful of frozen blueberries and a mint sprigs. Serve immediately over blueberry ice cubes.

My son decided to make guacamole. We are pretty sure it looks like something one might find in Mr. Smee's galley. My kids watched Peter Pan earlier this year and they are both very into pirates, and gross foods. Well, maybe not guacamole... but bright green, this dish may be a little suspect. 

Our favorite way to enjoy this healthy treat is with all fresh ingredients and with a big bag of blue corn chips. Yes, the blue pixie dust really gets around. These just "magically" went flying out of the bag as my children tore into the bowl of dip.

Our Garden Fresh Guacamole

You Will Need:
4 large ripe avocados
2 roma tomatoes
1/4 c. red onion, diced
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
blue corn chips

I sliced each avocado in half, pitted them and then gave my son the avocado scoop and a potato masher. Once the avocados are sufficiently mashed, stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste the dip after each small addition of salt and pepper to get the flavor just right, but not too salty.

My son's favorite part is tasting. He likes to know it came out perfectly.

Sqeeze a little more lime juice over the top of the guacamole just before serving to keep oxidation from turing the dip brown. Serve with blue corn chips.

Yes, my home is magical. I just love how a Disney movie can inspire us to be creative in the kitchen as well as tap into our imaginations. Now I can't wait to actually see the movie with my children.

Who in your life would love The Pirate Fairy? 

Do You have your own Fairies, Pirates or both?

Anything but Boring! My Month of Salad Swaps with Fresh Express

I received free products from the sponsor of the Moms Meet(SM) program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to try and post about this product. My opinions and experiences are my own and do not reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC, or the product manufacturer.

Does the idea of 30 days of salad make your cringe? Do you get tired of the "same old, same old" lettuce and tomato sides?

I have to admit that I have found myself in that rut several times but this past month I have renewed my appreciation and love of a good salad. Now I am convinced it is all about what goes into your salad. How do you build your salad?

Usually I grab a bag of salad mix at the grocery store and then some sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and occaisionally an avocado. Yes, that means all my salads pretty much taste the same. No wonder I would rather eat a cheeseburger.

Throwing caution to the wind, I downloaded the Fresh Express 30 Day #saladswap App for my iPhone. I mean, at Free, I couldn't really go wrong, right?

Fresh Express is available at both Target and my local grocery store, and it is the bag I grab when I want either an easy salad kit or a ready-to-eat bagged salad mix. They are washed, rinsed, and gently dried, then sealed in a patented “Keep-Crisp®” breathable bag.

I love the wide variety of salad options.

Making all these salads actually showed me that changing up my bagged salad preference can make an old salad taste new again. I always grabbed the Spring Mix before, but now I have some new favorites for my family including the Sweet Butter and Veggie Lover's mixes.

Okay, the App gave me a list of options for swapping out my favorite high calorie foods for a sensible, but delicious salad. And there were so many great options including this Cheeseburger Salad recipe to replace and save calories from a traditional burger. The little meatballs were a perfect to satisfy my tastebuds and all my favorite cheeseburger components were on one plate.

Signing up at saladswap.com also gave me access to a progress tracker (keeping track of all those great salad swaps I am making!), motivation along my journey and even some Fresh Express coupons. Who doesn't love coupons? The website resources along with the App on my phone, got me ready to dig into some great salads. Check out the site for more information.

All these great salads even inspired me to create something new at home. Here is my Mandarin Orange Sesame Chicken salad using pre-cooked chicken strips, mandarin orange segments, Fresh Express Sweet Butter Lettuce mix, slivered almonds and sesame ginger dressing. I highly recomend it. And there isn't a tomato in sight.

Now, my 30 days are not up, but I wanted to share the fun so you can sign up and start on your own salad swaps. Head over to the site, saladswap.com or download the App and then head over to grab a coupon from Moms Meet to get you started. While you are there, check out Moms Meet, a fun place where eco-minded parents meet. There is some great information and products being discussed there.

Connect with Fresh Express on Facebook and Pinterest for even more inspiration and product information.

What would like to swap?

Cinnamon Almond Coconut Granola - March Secret Recipe Club Recipe

Does anyone else feel a little dazed when they buy a box of granola these days?

"Settling" (during shipping) can be very unsettling when I find the box less than half full. Then there is the price. I always cringe when I start to think about what it would cost me to make at home. Granola is one of those things.

My husband is actually the big granola fan in the house, but I will eat it when its available. He likes to top his yogurt with a little granola in the morning. I, in contrast, am a straight up by the handfull or in a bowl of milk sort of gal. But, I love my granola packed with dried fruit and nuts.

So when I saw Rebekah's Cinnamon Almond Coconut Granola, from her blog Family, Food and Fun. I knew I had to make it for March's Secret Recipe Club.

It was a great fit this month being assigned to make something off of Rebekah's blog. With 5 kids, I knew that her recipes would have to be good. Back in December she was assigned to my blog and chose to make my Triangle Delights. There were lots of sweet recipes on her site, and some savory main dishes, too... but the granola kept calling to me. I have been meaning to make some to go with my homemade yogurt, but just keep putting it off.

Well, no longer. And I am glad I didn't find anymore excuses.

The ingredients were already waiting in my pantry. Since planting has started on the farm I am already getting in a Spring mood and am just itching to start some deep cleaning. The first stop is going to be my pantry.

Rebekah's original recipe called for almonds and coconut, but she suggested adding more goodies in if the mood struck. I snuck in some craisins and dried pineapple to clear out my shelf. Since the granola is tossed in syrup and then baked, it is a great chance to use any overly dried out fruit. My craisins were on their last legs but plumped up perfectly in this recipe.

The syrup? It was made from coconut oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. I had just enough coconut oil that needed to be used and I was delighted with the light flavor it imparted.

After a brief simmer, everything gets tossed to coat and then spread out evenly on two baking sheets.

Really, does it get much easier than this? I think it might have taken longer to drive to the store for granola than to just make it myself.

I baked mine for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Then I had to stop myself from devoring it before it cooled completely. Even my husband grabbed some handfuls and declared it a success.

So if you have been putting off making your own granola, what's stopping you? This recipe is a great place to start.

Cinnamon Almond Coconut Granola
recipe from Family, Food and Fun

You Will Need:
8 cups old fashioned oats
1 c. unsweetened coconut
1 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. dried diced pineapple
1/2 c. craisins
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. honey
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, dried fruit and almonds.

In a small saucepan, combine the coconut oil, brown sugar, water, honey and cinnamon over medium heat. Bring it up to a boil and then take the syrup off the heat. Whisk in the vanilla bean paste and salt. Pour this warm mixture over the oat mix and stir and coat evenly.

Distribute between two large baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the trays and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes. You want the nuts and oats to be slightly toasted and crisp.

Enjoy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Striving for a Balanced Lifestyle in 2014 - 5 Rules To Live By

These tasty ideas for starting the year right are part of the Nestle Back on Track, #WowThatsGood Campaign. I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Happy New Year!

I have a feeling that 2014 is going to be a great one. Don't get me wrong, last year was a big one for me. My son Elliott was born, my oldest started Kindergarten and I turned 35. The last one was probably the hardest for me, but I have achieved a level of comfort in my own skin that my 20-year old self would envy.

Of course, that doesn't mean I don't want to improve on a good thing...

I am not big on creating New Year's Resolutions. I have a rather bad track record for completing them, but I do enjoy goals. Sometimes it is nice to have a game plan for achieving a balanced lifestyle. My plans include some simple switches, tricks and products like Lean Cuisine, Skinny Cow and Coffee-mate to help achieve my goals for the year.

So on our weekly trip into Walmart I picked up a few extra items in addition to our household staples to get  ready for the first day of the year and beyond.

I am not worried about a quick fix. Yes, I have baby weight to lose and could eat healthier this year, but I am not interested in eating bland tasteless meals or trying out a fad diet. Instead I am looking for ways to be healthier and happier long term. So my first rule of 2014 centers around starting each day right.

1. Fuel up with Breakfast
The most important meal of the day? For this busy Mom, it is often the hardest to fit in. Up with the alarm, going non-stop till my son is safely on the bus, wears me out. Then my attention turns to the baby and getting my daughter going, chores and obligations fill up every other available moment.

Too many mornings I haven't gotten around to feeding myself. Now, my head knows I can't make it through a busy day without eating, but my schedule doesn't always leave me time. At Walmart I grabbed the LEAN CUISINE® Morning Collection™, Turkey Sausage English Muffin so I would have no excuses.

This is the perfect grab and go option. I started yesterday by defrosting and heating my sandwich in the microwave. It was delicious, filling and I didn't have to prepare each piece separately or leave my house to enjoy it.

Okay, so breakfast?

Check.

2. Move More
This one should be easy with small kids, right? Well, all those short bursts are great, but I would like to carve out more time to elevate my heart rate, 30 minutes or more. So with new shoes and some new tunes on my iPhone, I am going to lace up each morning when I take my son to the bus stop. I have a good stroller and shoes for my daughter. Since I have to leave the house anyway, this is the perfect time to fit exercise in.

Okay, movement?

Check.

3. Cut Back on Sugar
I have a sweet tooth the size of New Jersey! I do enjoy baking (you may have noticed this with my frequent dessert posts) and don't plan to give it up anytime soon, but I can cut back on sugar in other places. My morning coffee is one.

The first thing I do when I head downstairs is make a fresh cup of coffee. Coffee creamer has been my weakness since the baby was born. I look forward to it in the morning. A simple switch of the Sugar-Free French Vanilla Coffee-mate and I am only adding 15 extra calories per serving to my cup of coffee, no extra sugar, but loads of vanilla flavor.

Now, that is a reason to get out of bed in the morning!

Less sugar?

Check.

4. Plan Ahead to Eat Right
Okay, now that I started my day right, I still need to keep the momentum going. Life always has unexpected surprises in store for me. I don't always make the best food choices if I don't have easy and fast options on hand. Again, I was able to find more Lean Cuisine options to help with this.

I love simple and fast foods. These LEAN CUISINE® Stuffed Pretzels in Three Cheese & Spinach appealed to my ooey gooey love of pretzels and cheese. These are easy to heat and take with me or eat one-handed while feeding the baby.

The outer savory pretzel crust was great with the cheesy, rich filling. The perfect finger food.

Then there are veggie days. Some days I really just want to chow down on a big salad or a big wrap bursting with veggies. The LEAN CUISINE® Wrap ADDITIONS™ in Creamy Balsamic Chicken was perfect for lunch yesterday. With a microwavable steamer bag filled with broccoli, peppers, asparagus, and chicken, the package also contains a pouch of tangy balsamic spread. All I have to do is supply was the wrap and lunch is served.

This would also be perfect for a whole wheat pita, flat bread pizza or even lettuce wraps. I didn't want to waste a drop of the spread. I think they should market it on it's own. It would make a killer veggie dip.

And the last selection I chose was the LEAN CUISINE® Sesame Chicken. Again, It was delicious, easy and fast to make. No excuse left for me to grab fast food or skip a meal.

With so many tasty options, which would you grab for a fast lunch? I am not sure I could choose just one. I love variety in my food though, so having a wide selection ready in my freezer will keep me looking forward to lunch time.

Delicious, portioned food, fast?

Check.

5. Treat Yourself
And after a long day of being a Mom, I like to have a simple treat. You know that moment when the house goes still and everyone else is finally asleep? That is my time. Time for a cup of herbal tea and a little chocolate treat.

I don't do well when I try to deprive myself.

I found this Skinny Cow Divine Candy and it was the perfect evening sweet for me. 3 chocolates per package with caramel centers for just 130 calories a pouch. Did I mention I love caramel? Now, that I can work into my 2014 plan.

A treat for me?

Triple check.

And if you still aren't sure that these Lean Cuisine meals taste as amazing as I hope they look, Lean Cuisine currently has a Try It Money Back Guarantee at Walmart. Purchase 10 Lean Cuisine entrees between 1/1/14 and 2/15/14 and see the difference. Here are the details:

LEAN CUISINE Feel Great Money Back Guarantee (“MBG”) available to residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C. only and only valid at Walmart. One MBG per household/address. Cash register receipt(s) and UPC codes required; no copies accepted. Register receipt(s) must be dated no later than 2/15/14, nor be postmarked later than 2/28/14. MBG covers Walmart price of 10 LEAN CUISINE entrées and any tax thereon; postage required to mail in MBG request not included. Official MBG Form (required), and full terms can be found at Walmart.com/nestle. Offer ends 2/15/14.

Do you make resolutions? 

How will you achieve your goals in 2014?