Now…Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!  So here’s a fun round-up of some of our favorite things.  Note that there are Pinterest buttons for each photo, and those are conveniently linked to the actual post for that photo (not this round-up post).  At least they should be, if I managed to code all of them correctly!  Hope you have fun with some of these!

Sweetie Pie Pops
Nothing says “Be Mine” like pie on a stick.
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Heart Shaped Hand Pies
Or skip the stick and go for hand-held.
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Valentine Fortune Cookies
Although a little time-consuming, these little cookies, filled with love notes are sure to win over just about anyone!
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Iced Sugar Cookies We love our Glace Icing any time of year, but with dreamy pink and red swirls, they’re pretty amazing.
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Valentine Cookie Pops
Take those same cookies and pop them on a stick!
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Lovebug Cookies
All you need is a heart shaped cookie cutter for these little darlings.
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Single Serving Pie in a Jar
Our popular pie jars are extra love-y when topped with heart shaped cutouts and “Sweetie Pie” labels.
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Mini Puffed Oven Pancakes with Berry Sauce
At my house, we often do something fun for breakfast on Valentine’s Day, or sometimes we do the breakfast for dinner!
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Double Chocolate Waffles with Berry Sauce
This one makes a great meal, or an ending to a meal for dessert!
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Cream Cheese Stuffed Lemon French Toast with Strawberry Sauce
Breakfast, lunch, dessert, or snack- this will pretty much please any time of day!
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Strawberry and Chocolate Nachos
If you want something quick and easy, this is for you!  Amazingly delicious and perfect for family style or simply for two.
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Valentine’s Breakfast Surprise
Here’s a whole bunch of quick and easy ideas for breakfast foods to surprise anyone you love!
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Valentines Garland
If I can make this, I guarantee you can too.  Fun and colorful!
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Felt Rosette Wreath
If you’re still feeling crafty, whip up a bunch of easy felt flowers for this cute wreath.
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Valentine Tin Can Treats
Our surprise-filled tin cans are always a hit.  Check out this post for a whole set of labels for both tin cans, and bags of goodies.
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Cinnamon Cookie Crunch Popcorn
The title pretty much says it all…
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Sara and I are flying to Utah and back this weekend, so we might be a little slow responding to emails and questions. Well…slow-er. I’ve also found that in the past few weeks, crowds and pants make me grumpy, so, in an effort to prevent me from saying things I might regret, I’m bringing lots of healthy snacks with me, lest I find myself foodless, trapped next to crazy people (I seem to have unbelievable luck in very often sitting next to weirdos on airplanes) in a pair of uncomfortable pants. The very idea of it makes me feel like I need a few deep cleansing breaths. Or a Xanax. Neither of which I can really take right now.

I adapted this recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking. I also had to hide the leftovers because I was afraid I was going to eat them all at once. They are crispy, crunchy, salty, a tiny bit spicy, and a perfect little snack that is almost guilt-free.

You’ll need some extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and a 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans. Someday I’ll teach you guys a song all about garbanzo beans. I know y’all can’t wait. Is it weird that that and the Irish folk song about a girl who murders her entire family are the two songs I remember most from my childhood?

I just got pictures of the spices because they were prettier. Sorry about that.

Preheat your oven to 400. Rinse and drain your garbanzo beans and pat dry. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the spices and olive oil.

Toss the chickpeas in the spices…

and spread the seasoned chickpeas onto a lined baking sheet.

Place the pan in the oven and roast the chickpeas for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to gently toss/turn/mix up the chickpeas. Place it back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. You don’t want them to be burned, but they should be browning and crispy. Allow the chickpeas to cool and then snack immediately.

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So here’s some ideas for how you can use these tags.  They obviously work great with the fun Valentine Popcorn mix, but you can easily fill a bag with any store-bought goodie just as easily and have a cute treat to give to a friend, neighbor, teacher, etc.

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Whenever I post these fold over tags I get questions on how to do the ribbon, so here’s a little how-to.  Fill your bag with goodies and fold the top over.  Crease the top portion of your tag and then place it right over the creased cellophane bag.

While holding the bag (seriously, don’t let go- I only did because I had to photograph!) punch two holes.  Have your ribbon all ready so you don’t have to let go of the bag.  Place your ribbon through the front side of the tag so the ends are hanging out the back.

Then on the back side, take each ribbon through the opposite hole back to the front.  Ta-da!  No knot tying involved.  Trim the edges and experiment with thick or thin ribbon.

I specifically made these with the word “popping” so they’d be cute on Tin Cans.  Click here for the full tutorial on that fun and easy craft.  You get bonus points if you fill them with popcorn too!  Just cover your cans with a cute paper and then glue or double-stick tape the tag on the front.

Lastly, you can just cut out the small square tags and tie them to a baggie of your favorite treat (Butterfinger hearts?   Yes please.)

Click the links below for the downloads.
Print on your home computer, cut out, and spread the love.

Large fold over tags for cellophane bags
Small tags for Tin Can Treats and Cut-Out labels

I’m a huge fan of red hots.  I personally think they’re totally unappreciated.  Usually people only buy them for specific recipes or craft projects, but I buy them to eat.  Seriously folks; red hots are awesome.   So take your candies and put them in a ziplock bag.  Whack them with a meal mallet, or a hammer, or something heavy to smash them up.

You could pop them in a food processor too, but just be careful not to pulverize them.  You don’t want them ground, you want them roughly chopped, like this:

Melt a pound of almond bark in a mixing bowl and then add the red hots.

Now, we use almond bark a lot and every time we do we get a million questions so let me just answer them right now.

1.  You generally find it in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.  Often on the very top or very bottom shelf.  During holidays it’s often on the endcaps.  If you can’t find it, ask someone who works there.  It’s sold in a rectangular block.

2.  Almond bark does not involve nuts.  So you really don’t need to tell me you’re allergic.  It has no nuts and no nut products.  It’s just a vanilla flavored candy, much like white chocolate.

3.  But it also doesn’t involve chocolate, so you can be allergic to that too.  It’s basically like fake white chocolate.

4.  You are welcome to experiment with actual white chocolate instead (someone always asks) but I cannot guarantee anything; it gets tricky.  Almond bark is incredibly easy to work with, it coats well, takes mix-ins well, and it tastes yummy, so that’s why we use it.  Cook at your own risk.

Okie-dokie, let’s move on!

After the red hots go in, break up the oreos. You can lightly crush them in the ziplock bag, or a quick pulse in the food processor, but I prefer to just break them up by hand because you want to leave some chunks in there.  They’ll break up more when you stir it up.

Give everything a stir

until it’s incorporated.

Then add in a little cinnamon oil.  You can use extract, but be aware that like in our Peppermint Bark Popcorn, it can cause the mixture to seize. It’s actually not a huge problem, it just looks scary.  If it turns clumpy just pour it on the popcorn real fast and mix it all up.   Cinnamon oil on the other hand will stay nice and smooth and mix right in so if you can, use it over extract. You can find oils at kitchen supply stores, or at craft stores near the candy making supplies, or certainly online.  Here in Boise, I buy it at my Albertson’s.  All that being said, you can leave out the oil and extract entirely.  I just love cinnamon so I like the extra pop of flavor, but I’m sure this would still be yummy without it, and maybe some of you would like it more mild anyway!

Once the mixture is poured on the popcorn and stirred well to coat it all, spread out the popcorn on a big cookie sheet that’s been lined with foil, parchment, or a silicone baking mat.  Melt your chocolate- and we’re just using a little bit here.  I didn’t want the chocolate to overwhelm the flavors, just compliment it.  I usually put my chips in a ziplock bag and melt them in the microwave.  Then just cut off the corner and squeeze the chocolate on.

After that, give everything a light sprinkle of kosher or sea salt.  It balances out the flavor really well.

Then you’ll want to let the chocolate harden completely.  I usually pop the pan in the fridge, or outside on a cold day to help it along.

When it’s all hardened, break it up into pieces and  you’re good to go.

It’s SO yummy and different and perfectly Valentine-y.  You get the sweet almond bark and the crunch from the red hots and the cookies just crumble in your mouth.  I dare you not to eat it all.

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Annnnd, here’s a little preview of what’s comin’ tomorrow.  I made a whole set of printables because this is perfect for giving!  Valentine Tin Can Treats, cellophane bag toppers and mini labels.  Come back tomorrow for the download!

I know that it’s technically still January and we’re still technically in healthy eating month, but Valentine’s Day is also coming right up and we want to make sure you guys have plenty of fun, easy, romantic, delicious recipes to choose from. But just in case you couldn’t tell from the recipe title, this is totally not healthy. Oops.

I love the idea of the blueberry-cream cheese overnight French toast–you guys know what I’m talking about, right? But I can never get past the big chunks of cream cheese. It just doesn’t work for me. But I kept that idea in mind when coming up with this recipe because I want so badly to like it.

One of my favorite things in the universe are cream cheese filled croissants. Also right up there are strawberries and lemons together. I also love French toast made with croissants instead of regular bread because the texture is so fabulous. So…this recipe is kind of a combination of all my guilty pleasures.

You’ll need about 6 large, stale croissants, softened cream cheese, a couple of fresh lemons, eggs, milk, lemon extract, powdered sugar, and lemon extract. You’ll also need Strawberry Sauce and sliced fresh strawberries for serving (sweetened whipped cream would be amazing on top of the strawberry sauce as well).

Combine the softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, the zest from one lemon, and the strained juice from one lemon (about 2 tablespoons) in a medium bowl…

and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Slice the croissants in half lengthwise

and generously spread the bottom half of each croissant with the cream cheese mixture, using all of the cream cheese.

(Just in case you’re wondering, the cream cheese on this particular croissant is not even close to generous enough. Learn from my mistakes…)

Press the croissant tops down onto the cream cheese, flattening them a little. Cut them into halves (or even fourths, depending on what you need to do to fit them into the pan) and place them into a 9×13″ pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Whisk together 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon extract, and the zest of another lemon. Pour evenly over the croissant mixture

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight for for 8-10 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Place the covered pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the croissants are golden brown and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.

Cut into squares and serve with strawberry sauce, sliced strawberries, and, if you want (how could you not want), sweetened whipped cream.

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Hot Corn Dip
This is one of my absolute favorite dips.  Don’t stress that fresh corn isn’t in season, it’s just as great with frozen fresh corn (just stay far away from canned!) Frito Scoops are a must!

Hot Crab Dip
Every time I see this picture I want to dunk a chunk of warm bread onto it.  And that’s saying a lot from a girl who gags at the very thought of seafood.  If you like crab, this one’s for you!

Jalapeno Popper Dip
Jalapeno Poppers are a game-day staple, so try this creamy cheesy version right out of a bowl.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
This is one of the first dips ever posted on our blog and it’s definitely become a reader favorite.  A little spicy, a little smoky, and plenty of ooey gooey cheese.  We love this one with crusty baguette slices.

Garlic Artichoke Dip
Seven cloves of garlic go into this little pot of heaven.  How could the end result not be amazing?

Quick and Easy Mexican Dip
Three ingredients baby!  Sausage, cream cheese, and salsa- amazing with corn chips.

Chili Con Queso Dip
Another great cheesy Mexican dip- I keep this one in a mini crock pot to keep it warm.  It has so much flavor, and a little kick.

Now that we’ve covered warm, cheesy, naughty dips, let me show you some fresh semi-healthy ones!

Hot White Bean Dip with Bacon
This is another one of my favorites; the flavor combo with lemon, rosemary, and bacon is so great and the base is white beans which pack in both substance and a little protein- love it with pita chips! 

Roasted Egg Plant Spread
Check out this post and take a look at all of the vibrant veggies that go on the roasting pan.  Even if you’re not a fan of eggplant, chances are you’ll love this.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
A great twist on traditional hummus with smokey roasted peppers.

Doctored 7 Layer Dip
Who doesn’t love a good 7 layer dip?  Take a look at Kate’s tips to doctor it up beyond the norm.

Seven Layer Greek Dip
If you’re a fan of traditional seven layer dip, check out this Greek version.  Hummus, feta, olives, and all kinds of other great stuff.  Fresh, healthy, and totally delish.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
If chips and salsa is your normal go-to, try spicing it up with a green version.

Guacamole
Guacamole isn’t rocket science, but if you want it to turn out amazing every single time, check out our recipe.  And I swear I didn’t add food coloring to this avocado, or photoshop it- it was that green!

Zesty Blue Cheese Dressing
If you’re planning on hot wings, make sure to slice up some celery and whip up a batch of this Blue Cheese dressing- it will rock the flipping socks off the bottled stuff!

Hopefully that gives you a few new things to try, or reminds you of some old favorites!
For your Pinning pleasure:

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I’m also trying really, really hard not to make every single one of my posts about being pregnant because I realize that the world is not pregnant with me and I also realize the world does not revolve around my pregnancy and me (unlike my first pregnancy when it did–just ask my sister Annie.)

That said, food and pregnancy are inextricably related, at first for the aversions and then for the cravings. Throw in the fact that, at least for me, a little too much salt, sugar, or fat can send a perfectly good day to a very bad place and I spend a lot of time thinking about food (and, let’s face it, I think about food a lot to begin with).

When I’m growing babies (let’s see how many euphemisms for “pregnancy” I can come up with in a single blog post), breakfast is a tricky meal for me. I need a lot of calories, I need them fast, I need complex carbs and protein, and I hate eggs. Also, I’m dead tired and trying to get two kids up, dressed, fed, not looking like orphans, and sent to school with a decent lunch as well as trying to get a dog to do her business rather than be distracted by the mean neighborhood cats that like to taunt her.

I’ve dabbled in different breakfast options here and there, but most things either leave me feeling weighed down, starving, crashing, or filled with inexplicable road rage an hour later when I’m on my way home after taking my kids to school. (Sidenote: my husband just loves gestating Kate. I do believe I’m painting a lovely picture of myself right now).

So anyway, I started making this smoothie a few weeks ago and it has changed my life. Totally not being overly dramatic here. I’ve tinkered with proportions and I still do from time to time, depending on how I’m feeling and what I’m in the mood for. No, it’s not super low in calories or sugar (although it’s not an over-the-top dessert smoothie made with ice cream or sherbet or frozen yogurt). Yes, it has a juice base, which I realize is not super cool or hip in the smoothie-making universe, and yet…I don’t really care. It does, however, keep me satisfied, energized, and feeling really great for a good three hours (at least). Like…it makes me feel like my batteries have been charged. (Yes, I know, we’re moving back into cheesy territory). If I make and drink a full-sized smoothie (I usually cut it down by at least 1/3), it has 1.8 grams of fat, 8.3 grams of fiber, 21.6 grams of protein, and is loaded with potassium, Vitamin C, folate, calcium, and iron. It has a serving of dairy, 3 vegetable servings, and 4 servings of fruit (plus some change). Not too shabby. Plus it tastes really, really, really good.

So what’s in this magical concoction? Orange juice (try and get the good stuff, like the not-from-concentrate good stuff, not necessarily the fresh-squeezed good stuff, which you are often required to pay for with your firstborn child), non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt (make sure it’s actual Greek yogurt with twice the protein, not Greek-style yogurt that uses thickening agents), frozen blueberries, baby spinach, crushed ice, and oat groats.

Oat what now? Groats.

They’re optional, but, after experimenting with different grains (and no grains), I’ve found that these seem to be the magic ingredient. I found mine at Whole Foods in the bulk section, and I’ve actually seen Bob’s Red Mill brand at my local grocery store (if you can’t find them or don’t want to use them, you can always use steel cut oats). Oat groats are the whole oats (think grains of wheat, only grains of oats…except that they’re groats of oats…) They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and help stabilize your blood sugar. They help keep you feeling full and satisfied. Plus, you don’t have to cook them, which is always a bonus in the morning. You don’t have to use them, and they will add a grainy texture to your smoothie, but I don’t mind it–the oats are sweet and they make me feel like I’m tangibly doing something good for myself, like running on the treadmill or giving up Teen Mom (neither one of which I’ve done lately).

In the jar of your blender, add your juice, yogurt, oat groats (it’s just fun to say…)

blueberries,

spinach (you can’t even taste it, I promise), and crushed ice.

Blend thoroughly–even in my Blendtec, I have to run it through on the whole juice setting twice. This is a serious smoothie. Take it with you when you drive your kids to school. Road rage crises will be averted.

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This is something we make often at my house (sometimes even for dinner!) because it’s made with super basic ingredients.  Just milk, flour, eggs, and a bit of butter.  I make mine with the least amount of eggs possible, so it’s not so…eggy.  They’re just soft and pillowy and perfect for dipping in just about anything.  I just put everything in my blender and then pour them into a mini muffin tin.

Unless of course your awesome blog partner sent you the world’s cutest cast iron mini-heart pan for Christmas, then definitely use that.

Pop the pan in a hot oven and watch that batter puff right up.  See how those edges browned up?  That’s why I love using cast iron, but a simple nonstick muffin tin works great too.

While they’re in the oven you can whip up a quick berry sauce.  This is one of my sneaky secrets.  It’s so easy to make a fresh berry sauce if you’re like me and keep those bags of frozen fruit in the freezer for smoothies.  The triple berry mix from Costco is great, or just frozen strawberries or raspberries.  Or fresh certainly works as well, but I don’t usually have a fridge stocked with fresh berries in January.  I just mix up a few frozen berries and a few tablespoons of whatever berry jam I have in the fridge.  I heat it in the microwave for a bit and then mash it all together with a fork, adding sugar if needed.  The jam sweetens and gives body to the sauce and the berries make it taste like it’s fresh.  It’s so easy; I use this for ice cream, pancakes, waffles, and all kinds of stuff like that.

When those little golden puffs are done just pop them onto a plate or platter and drizzle with some melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  You can either pour the sauce over, or put it in little bowls for dipping.  My kids love dipping them in maple syrup too.

A little Cool Whip or sweetened whipped cream makes it extra special.

Since these are pretty quick and easy, they’d make a fun special breakfast for Valentine’s Day.

Annnnd I know we’re focusing on healthy eating this month, but stick with me!  The fact that these are miniature makes it really easy to portion.  One little mini muffin sized puff (alone) clocks in at just over 20 calories, so you can definitely have 5 or 6 with some fresh fruit on top and a dallop of cool whip and still not even be splurging.  Eat up!

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So sometimes, when my daughter stays a few extra hours at preschool and I don’t feel bad about telling my husband that he can make his own dang lunch, I make fish for myself for lunch. Is that weird?

I do have a few confessions about this particular recipe. First, I don’t have a lot (read: any) pictures of the creamy dipping sauce because I was making it up as I went along. Second, and along those lines, for me, this fish was super tasty, but the sauce ended up knocking my socks off, so it kind of became a vehicle for the dipping sauce. If it were socially acceptable to eat it by itself, I would (and really, why isn’t it?! People eat sweet yogurt by itself all the time, so why not savory? I think I shall start a revolution…)

This comes together super quickly because fish doesn’t need to marinate for very long. You’ll need honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, fresh ginger, olive oil, and 16-24 ounces of your favorite fish (the original recipe called for mahi mahi, but I couldn’t find any mahi mahi, so I used and liked tilapia. I’d bet all my unfolded laundry that salmon, although fishier, would be fabulous.)

Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and oil. Rinse the fish in cool water and then place it in the marinade. Let it hang out for 20-60 minutes.

While the fish is marinading, whisk together 6 ounces of low-fat or fat-free plain Greek yogurt, a little garlic and grated ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, some grated lime rind, green onions, some kosher salt, and a little Sriracha sauce. I used 1/4 teaspoon and it the sauce itself was pretty spicy, but once you got it on the fish, it was perfect for me. However, you might want to start with just a few drops or 1/8 teaspoon and then go from there. Let it hang out in the fridge until you’re done cooking the fish.

When you’re ready to cook the fish, heat an indoor grill pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray or brush with vegetable oil. Cook the fish for 4-6 minutes per side or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. You can also place it on a foil-lined baking sheet

and cook it under the low broiler setting in your oven for 4-6 minutes per side. Serve with brown rice, steamed veggies, and with the creamy dipping sauce.

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So here’s a great, quick and easy side dish recipe.  Start with a head of cauliflower.

Remove all of the stem and leaves and then just carefully cut it into large florets.  It’s a little different than broccoli in that the pieces sort of stick together more.  You’ll want to slice the florets into about 1/4 inch slices.  See in this picture below, it’s basically just one piece of stem. You’ll want to keep most pieces attached to at least some portion of a stem so it doesn’t all fall apart on ya.

Just toss it all on a foil lined baking sheet so it’s in a single layer.  You want all of the pieces to have contact with the pan so they can brown and caramelize.  Next, drizzle on fresh minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil.  A little trick you’ll see in the instructions is that I heat the oil and garlic in the microwave just to warm it.  That infuses the oil with the garlic flavor, therefore better flavoring your veggies.

And sprinkle on some kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, too.

You’ll notice when you toss it all together that you’ll have little bits all over.  It’s crumbled pieces of cauliflower and garlic and it’s the best part after it’s cooked!  Scoop all of those up and sprinkle them on top of everything else before you put your pan in the oven.

Now, pop that pan in a hot oven and let it do its thing.  Everything starts to brown and caramelize and smell amazing.  You’ll toss it midway through, and then toss it with a little parmesan cheese in the last few minutes of baking.  See how it looks like it all shrank in the photo below??  That’s because I ate half the pan with my fingers before I even snapped a picture.

In fact, I just ate it all plain.  Comin’ from a self-professed cauliflower hater y’all!

PS, if you own our cook book you’ll see this is basically the exact same way I cook my broccoli.  Try it with both!  

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