Lifestyle

August 21, 2012

USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Stage 1 Telluride!

Guess what rolled into my sweet town of Telluride?! The worlds top professional cyclists that’s who! 126 totally awesome athletes from 24 countries blasted through charming and fabulous Telluride. In case you don’t know the USA Pro Cycling Challenge is a 7 consecutive day road race that rolls through the highest peaks of Colorado.

The entire course (five stages) is 683 miles with more than 42,000 feet of vertical climbing.

Can you imagine how exhilarating this Tour de Colorado / “America’s Race” must be with all this fresh mountain air (albeit less oxygen) and the views?!

Continue reading “USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Stage 1 Telluride!”

~ Marla Meridith

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Berries

August 20, 2012

Blueberry Mint Agua Fresca

Guess what today is? A very special day to celebrate my super friend Jenny (aka: Picky Palate) Jenny is having a baby boy really soon and a group of gals are having a virtual baby shower for her! I have decided to bring a cool, summery Blueberry Mint Agua Fresca (healthy fruit punch) to the celebration.

This refreshing drink is simple to prepare and is oh so party pretty.

Jenny, we are all so excited for you and your family, we can’t wait to meet your little guy!
Continue reading “Blueberry Mint Agua Fresca”

~ Marla Meridith

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Dessert

August 17, 2012

Maple Butter Pecan Popsicles

When I was a kid I did not understand the flavor Butter Pecan. It was something my dad craved all the time. I was more of a chocolate or cookies and cream kind of gal. Now that I am a big kid (that’s right, I’ll never grow up thank you very much) I am nuts for nuts so this flavor is among my all time favorites.

What could be more tempting than pecans sautéed with rich butter and pure maple syrup? I mixed all that with Redwood Hill Farm plain goat milk yogurt.

Sweet meets nutty, tangy & buttery…. all in a pop!
Continue reading “Maple Butter Pecan Popsicles”

~ Marla Meridith

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Baked Sweets and Treats

August 14, 2012

Crispy Gooey Trail Mix Bars

With so much back to school talk I am preparing you with a whole bunch of snacks and lunchbox friendly meals. We have been munching these Crispy Gooey Granola Bars on our Telluride hikes. I even crumble them up and add them too my Skinny Milkshakes. My kids love to dunk them in milk.

No matter how you crumble and crunch you are bound to love these homemade granola bars! I use my favorite Attune Foods cereals as the main ingredients and add lots of fun mix-ins (chocolate!) from there.

Please dash over to the Attune Foods blog to get the recipe for these sweet and healthy trail bar treats…

Continue reading “Crispy Gooey Trail Mix Bars”

~ Marla Meridith

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Berries

August 13, 2012

Raspberry Maple-Pecan Granola

If you are anything like me then you love a nice bowl of pick-me-up granola in the morning. The only thing I don’t like is store bought granola that is waaaayyy too sweet and filled with all kinds of junk my body does not need. Especially first thing in the morning.

This Raspberry Granola is made with the finest whole food ingredients to help you start the day right!

Ready, set, let’s GO make homemade granola…
Continue reading “Raspberry Maple-Pecan Granola”

~ Marla Meridith

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Appetizers

August 10, 2012

Almond Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

I have been wanting to post this tomato recipe forever! Believe it or not these photos were taken late last summer.

Then fall hit, life sped ahead and heirloom tomatoes were no longer in season. Now however they are back in full force. These tomatoes are baked not fried, but are reminiscent of really good comfort food.

Roasting the tomatoes with almond meal makes these perfect for salad toppers ~ also great as a hearty, healthy side dish. Perfect for folks on a grain free, Paleo diet.

Continue reading “Almond Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes”

~ Marla Meridith

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Chocolate

August 8, 2012

Frozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cubes

I have something fun and very simple for you today! One of life’s greatest pleasures is hot chocolate. In the summer we crave it, but want a chilled out version.

I came up with these Frozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cubes that you can put in any milk you like. They are wonderful in coconut milk, almond milk or regular milk. The choice is yours ~ I made these sugar free and vegan. A guilt free treat! As your chocolate ice cubes melt, you get chocolate milk.

Blend some up and make a Chocolate Lover’s Skinny Milkshake or a smoothie. The sky is the limit…

Current Giveaways:

Pottery Barn Kids $100 Back to School Gift Card
Popcorn Cravings (last day to enter!)
Baby Bullet (on my Facebook page)

Continue reading “Frozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cubes”

~ Marla Meridith

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Giveaways

August 5, 2012

Back to School Bucks! Win $100 Gift Card to Pottery Barn Kids

Over here we LOVE Pottery Barn Kids. This is one of our favorite places to shop for Back to School. Even though I want summer vacation to last forever ~ the reality is school starts in just a few weeks!

My kids love PBK’s patterned backpacks and lunch totes. We also love that items can be personalized with names & lots of other things, including superhero’s and athletic team logos. PBK has hip, stylish and durable lunchbox accessories too including utensils, Thermos, Klean Kanteen, Lunchskins, sandwich punch cutters and more.

I am thrilled to offer a $100.00 eGift Card to Pottery Barn Kids so you can get started on your Back to School shopping pronto! I want to see your favorites for Back to School on Pinterest, whether it is recipes, blog posts, products, crafts….anything at all. (It’s OK if you don’t have a Pinterest account, there are many ways to enter this giveaway ~ see below.)

Continue reading “Back to School Bucks! Win $100 Gift Card to Pottery Barn Kids”

~ Marla Meridith

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Breakfast

August 3, 2012

Roasted Peach Tapioca Pudding

Pudding for breakfast? Yes please! That is what has been going on around here. Have you ever roasted peaches? Have you ever made tapioca pudding? I love little tapioca pearls, they add such a fun texture to your pudding. Usually tapioca pudding is made with eggs and cream. I lightened my recipe with low fat creamy coconut milk.

Tangy peaches, smooth coconut and tapioca combine to make a dreamy flavor filled experience.

Let’s make some pudding!
Continue reading “Roasted Peach Tapioca Pudding”

~ Marla Meridith

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Giveaways

August 2, 2012

Popcorn Cravings Giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for your entries!

Do you crave the crunch and flavor of gourmet popcorn? We sure do!

I am thrilled to share the super hip and fabulous Popcorn Cravings with you. The awesome folks over there have offered up a great BIG prize gift pack for 5 winners!

Their popcorn is all natural and is perfect for snacking, entertaining and for gifts. Their online store is beautiful & simple to navigate to help you find the perfect match for all your popcorn cravings.

Let’s work on satisfying this popcorn craving together…
Continue reading “Popcorn Cravings Giveaway!”

~ Marla Meridith

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Breakfast

July 31, 2012

Mango Banana Lassi Milkshakes

Looking for some cool, healthy, summer sips? Have you ever tried a lassi? I know you have had plenty of milkshakes. This chilly, creamy, sweet drink is your favorite milkshake with some saffron sass thrown in.

Lassi’s are common in India, Malaysia and plenty of beautiful regions that I need to visit some day. Sweet versions include fruit, saffron and yogurt.

For now I will sip mine poolside here in USA ~ Join me for some lassi milkshakes and let’s dream about far away, exotic parts of the globe…
Continue reading “Mango Banana Lassi Milkshakes”

~ Marla Meridith

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Guest Posts

July 30, 2012

Guest Post: Bev Cooks

From the very moment Bev hit the food blog scene she dove in and created a HUGE splash. She has kept up the pace ever since with her sass, wit and charm.

We have not yet met for reals, but I just KNOW we will hit it off fabulously when we do. Have you ever checked out her blog BevCooks.com? Oh you must! She creates amazing recipes and takes really pretty photos them ~ not to mention you will giggle really hard with her silly writing style. Bev is a savory loving gal. Her recipes are great for lunch, dinner, entertaining an Project LunchBox.

Let’s see what Bev has cooked up for us today…(Bev, I haaaaad to add your Fried Zucchini Chips!)
Continue reading “Guest Post: Bev Cooks”

~ Marla Meridith

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