Super Snacks: Game Day Nachos

The Superbowl is around the corner and whether or not you’re into sports, the Superbowl is a great excuse to make some fun snacks and host a little get-together. Especially because it is hosted in one of our favorite cities and Nikki’s home- San Francisco! This year, Nikki will be celebrating in the streets of San Francisco, Super Bowl City here we come! Jess will be working in the hospital, but will definitely whip up some of these savory treats to stash in the break room for her lunch break! ER Potluck anyone?

To kick off our “Super Snacks” series, we’re sharing two nacho recipes, suitable for everyone at your Super Bowl party. Jess shows you how to make potato nachos with a homemade vegan cheese sauce (yum!) and Nikki shares BBQ chicken nachos with a green-chile queso sauce.

Over the next week we’ll be getting you Super Bowl-ready by sharing a few of our favorite snack and appetizer recipes that have proven to be crowd pleasers for foodies following any diet. We’ve got your carnivore, vegan/vegetarian, GF and paleo friends covered here and with our flavor-packed upcoming snack recipes. Stay tuned!

Click the link below to find the recipes!

Current Obsessions

Hi there! Today we’re starting a recurring feature, our current obsessions, which will feature products, restaurants, other blogs, etc. that we are totally obsessed with at the moment! Think of it as a personal Pinterest board just for our readers. These are the things we think you guys will absolutely love, because we do, too!

You guys, can you believe that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner?? (P.S. have we mentioned how much we LOVE this holiday?! I mean, with all the girly, pink, hearts, and sparkly things how can you not love it?!) One of our favorite parts about Valentine’s Day is baking super cute (and of course, tasty) treats-stay tuned for recipes! And the best part about baking? Decorating! Who doesn’t love a perfectly-iced cupcake topped with adorable and festive sprinkles? Sometimes it can be hard to find just the right “accessory” for your dessert, but search no more! We have stumbled upon the most adorable online sprinkle shop, Sweetapolita.

{image via Sweetapolita}

I mean, how cute are those sprinkles? This shop seriously has some of the best sprinkle mixes we’ve seen, perfect for decorating all those V-Day desserts! They come in several different varieties, from single-color to mixes of shape and size. You can also order sets of multiple sprinkle bottles, and everything is reasonably priced.

{image via Sweetapolita}

and you guys…the BEST part?? There are TONS of vegan sprinkles to choose from!

How cute would these edible, vegan stars be on a perfectly-iced cake??

{image via Sweetapolita}

So, head over to Sweetapolita, order some super cute sprinkles, and get baking! Everyone wil be seriously swooning over your adorably-accessorized desserts. Happy baking!

Smooth Moves

Hi guys! Jess here, sharing one of my favorite healthy snacks/meals: smoothies. I love to have a smoothie for breakfast or as a midmorning snack. It’s a refreshing start to my day and the flavor combinations are endless! My go to smoothie is banana, spinach or kale, frozen mangoes and peaches, flax seeds and hemp protein powder. I’ve been on a mission lately to mix it up a little more; here are my favorite smoothies lately. For all recipes just add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Green Protein Smoothie

These ingredients might sound random but they actually work great together! It mostly has a strong peanut butter flavor and gets some sweetness from the dates.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup coconut milk or almond milk
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 heaping handful of spinach
• 2-3 dates, pitted
• 1 cup ice cubes

Watermelon Refresher

So light and refreshing; tastes like a strawberry milkshake!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh watermelon
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup coconut water

Green Tea Smoothie

Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder that will you give you a big kick of caffeine. It has a super interesting flavor I love, which is sweetened here with agave.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon matcha powder
• 1 banana
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon agave
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• small handful of ice

Loaded Chopped Salad with Vegan Dressing

Keeping up our healthy diet through January has been a challenge. But, let’s not give up just yet! After all, we are only three weeks into 2016! Today we’re sharing a super easy, loaded chopped salad. I don’t know about you, but I totally think lettuce tastes a little better with lots and lots of crunchy toppings. This salad couldn’t be easier to make, and better yet, it is LOADED with nutrients. We topped it off with a 5 minute vegan mustard vinaigrette that we’re sure you will continue to use over and over again for other salads. As we’ve mentioned before, from-scratch salad dressings are easier than you might expect and so much better for you! Ditch all the preservatives and added sugars and start making your own dressings and vinaigrettes today, we promise it’s simple! This one is kid-tested and mom and dad approved. Pick and choose your toppings and get creative! The salad we are showing has hard boiled eggs and turkey bacon on it, so leave those out if you are vegan (obviously!). You can also add cheese if your diet is dairy-friendly. The options are endless!

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 4-6 strips turkey bacon, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 bag fresh green beans or haricot vests, chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 bunch radishes, chopped
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
• 1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

Dressing:

• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Agave syrup
• 6-8 Tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Simply wash and chop/dice all of the salad ingredients as listed above. Arrange them in a large salad bowl with the lettuce on the bottom and other ingredients on top.

To make the dressing, add the mustard, vinegar and Agave to a medium size bowl. Whisk together with a fork until well combined. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, a little at a time, continuing to whisk. When the olive oil is evenly incorporated, season with salt and pepper as needed. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve immediately. Check out the video below for step-by-step instructions!

Buffalo Chicken Salad, Two Ways

Happy New Year! Our New Year’s Resolutions are in full effect and whether you’ve vowed to eat healthier, eat at home more often, try new foods, or eat your greens, these salads have you covered. We’re sharing a traditional and vegan take on Buffalo Chicken Salad, a tried and true favorite for most everyone, and to take it a step further, we’re sharing homemade ranch recipes. Both recipes are super easy and nutritious and we even venture to say you’ll never eat store-bought ranch dressing again!

 

Click the link below to get spicy & saucy!