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What is better that a hot NY bagel with gobs of cream cheese and smoked salmon? I used to love munching those things while walking around the city on a chilly winters day. In these mushroom caps I combine couscous, smoked salmon, feta cheese and fresh dill. All the flavors of that favorite bagel put in a perfect little mushroom cap. Great for appetizers or have more of them as a full meal.
Continue reading “Smoked Salmon Feta Couscous”
The New Year is here. We are a few days into it.
It is always the perfect time to eat clean, healthy, yummy meals, but this time of year we feel an extra tug to put ourselves on the right track. We are laying the ground work for a mindful year ahead. We strive to find order in our lives and we have a clean canvas to work with. Together we take a look back at where we were in 2009 as we look towards where we want to go in 2010. This is a great time for us to find and maintain balance in our daily meals.
Each day I usually have at least one fresh salad. I love my veggies cooked, I love ’em raw and I like warm and cool ones mixed together. Give me a rainbow of tastes and flavors and you got one happy, healthy Marla. When we eat vegetables in varied colors of the spectrum we take in numerous vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals unique to each veggie. Picture a salad with varied shades of greens, reds, orange, yellow, mushroom greys and everything in between. Thats what we want in our balanced salad. Homogeny, no. Vibrancy, yes!!
Just visualize when the world of Oz shifts from black and white to full color. OK, now we are all on the same page!
Continue reading “The Simple Salad”
Happy New Year to my beautiful FFC community!
It has been a wonderful year.
I launched MarlaMeridith.com on June 25th this year. It has been a vibrant six months full of learning and creating a fabulous online community. FFC has been a wonderful way to inspire myself, while inspiring others. It is great to be creative again! Coming up with original art, photos, recipes and editorial content for you guys is such a big part of my world. I am grateful for this opportunity.
Each day presents itself with unique challenges and hurtles that I strive to overcome. Trying to find and maintain daily balance in work, play, mothering, exercise, blogging and living is serious business. It is a full time job….but I LOVE IT!!
Continue reading “Resolutions”
I have not been here long enough to give you clean, healthy, yummy Cayman style recipes. Instead I am gonna give you some sturdy travel tips. Do not fear, I will work some island magic in the kitchen either while I am here or when I get home. There are fun flavors to explore on this island. The Cayman folk like their plantains, conch (a giant sea snail) curries and spices. The people here are vibrant with colorful personalities and foods.
Until then…..lets talk about the trip over…….
Continue reading “Travel Essentials: Fit Food For Families On the Go”
Can you believe it? Christmas 2009 is here.
After loads of preparation for holiday feasts and celebrations we can now kick back and reflect on 2009. It has been a wonderful year. There is loads to be grateful for. I’ll let you in on a few things on my gratitude list this holiday season:
XO.
Our Health.
My wonderful family.
My sincere, fabulous friends.
The constant opportunity to listen and learn from others.
The honor of being a mom, in the good and trying times.
The ability to live a life full of awareness and mindful behaviors.
The access to inspire and teach others through a clean, healthy, yummy lifestyle.
LOVE
PEACE
TRUST
And then there was CAKE!!!
Continue reading “Chocolate Peppermint Devil’s Food Cake”
The heat is on, the final trips to the market are here for holiday cooking. Christmas is here and New Years is on its way. May I recommend something fabulous? This Thanksgiving I was not in the mood to cook a full bird. We prefer the white breast meat, so I went with that. Just that. A nice 3 pound organic Turkey breast. It is simple to season and it is delicious!
Were talking moist, tender and full of flavor. My family devoured it. This turkey is great for leftovers & the lunch box. It is easy to handle, with minimal cleanup and waste. The presentation when it is sliced and plated is really nice too. All around I would say the turkey breast was a winner at our Thanksgiving table. It could be a winner at your holiday dinner too!
Continue reading “Spinach Ricotta Turkey Roulade with Pomegranate”
As much as I love holiday traditions and flavors I LOVE to step outside the box too. Traditional Thanksgiving stuffing baked inside a big pan (or bird) is great, but I wanted to stir the pot a bit. Making balls out of stuffing put a twist on a classic. These Stuffing Balls were a hit with my husband, myself and the kids. They are a fun, tasty, healthy take on a holiday tradition. The little sausage surprise inside makes each one extra special. These can also be served as appetizers. Make them big or small, whatever you like!
Continue reading “Sprouted Wheat Stuffing Balls with Sausage”
I have something to say….it’s the very first MarlaMeridith.com GIVEAWAY!!! (cartwheels, flips, celebrations!) That means prizes y’all, sent with love from me to you!
Just in time for the holidays I present (drum roll please……)
Super Yummy Scharffen Berger Chocolate!!
I have been a fan of Sharffen Berger for quite some time. Rich, deeply satisfying, clean, pure chocolate. Thankfully I know the sweet PR gal over there and she so kindly sent over a large assortment of goodies for me to share with my fabulous readers! From Dark Chocolate Baking Pieces to Hot Cocoa, to Unsweetened Baking Bars. I have a splendid gamut of treats to giveaway. Here is the deal I am only gonna do write-ups and promote products that I love to use. This chocolate I LOVE to EAT.
In the next few weeks, I will dish out some Skinny and so not so Skinny ways to use your Scharffen Berger. By the way, everything can be kinda skinny if we can maintain mindful portion sizes and infrequent indulgences! For this giveaway, I will present 3 reader/winners with a sweet grab bag of Scarffen Berger chocolate. I’ll package it up and send it your way. All you need to do is unwrap and enjoy it. Really, it’s that simple.
Ready to dig in?
This is all I ask from you, dear FFC readers……..
MarlaMeridith.com Scarffen Berger Contest Rules:
Winners will be chosen randomly, the more entries you have the more chances you have to win yum yums!!
To enter to win this Scharffen Berger contest: Leave a comment on this post telling me why you want this chocolate soooo very bad (that should be very easy!)
To receive a bonus entry: Spread the word about this giveaway. Go ahead and Tweet it, Facebook it mention it on your blog (with a link back here,) send an e-mail to a group of buddies. You know talk it up!! Please come back this way and leave a second comment to let me know you spread the word and how you did it.
OK, you want another bonus entry? Leave a recipe in the comment field. Chocolate-based…..skinny or not!
This contest will close Sunday, 12:00 am PST
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED, Thanks for participating! I will e-mail you if you won goodies.
Note: I LOVE my International visitors and I am truly grateful for your readership! That said, this competition is open to US residents only. Customs and all that red tape stuff gets in the way sometimes. Thanks for understanding!
Skinny Meets Chocolate
Is it possible to make such a thing happen? Sure, why not. When you use high-quality chocolate you get loads of flavor without weird additives. Your chocolate should have only recognizable ingredients. Some include:
You get the drift. Recognizable and pure.
Fresh Benefits
Chocolate is loaded with Flavonoids (antioxidants.) The darker you go, the higher percentage of these benefits come your way. Chocolate is a win-win treat. You get health benefits and taste bud satisfaction!!
The Blender I use:
I have had great luck with the single-serve Rocket Blender by Bella Cucina. My frozen drinks have a great texture and there is no guesswork as to how much ice and water to add. I just fill the cup to the fill line. Half ice and half water. Done.
Click HERE for Recipe Details.
Fresh Additions
Top or blend in your Skinny Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate with the following:
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The other night I was craving a crispy, flavor filled, warming and slightly indulgent meal.
I had 2 pounds of raw chicken breast staring at me from my chilly fridge. With an attempt to satisfy everyone around here, I came up with this light, lean, baked, and dare I say “Chicken Finger” kind of thing. I can’t believe I just muttered those two words. What the heck is a chicken finger anyway? A deep fried, waaaay too breaded, poor cut, of hormone filled chicken that is on kids menus…..everywhere. When my kids have these mystery “fingers” I cringe a bit and convince them to order fruit on the side rather than the extra helping of deep fried. Fries.
Just to make me feel better 🙂
and to lessen their belly aches later!
In an attempt to make a healthy version of restaurant kid fare I came up with this recipe. These Skinny Almond Crusted Chicken Strips are oh so good. A perfect mix of crispy flavor, health benefits and pure satisfaction. With organic chicken breast, almond meal, spices and cooking spray. No guilt and no icky feelings follow.
Continue reading “Skinny Almond Crusted Chicken Strips”
Butternut squash is great in sweets and savories. If you are out of pumpkin & sweet potatoes or just want a change of ingredients this is a nice diversion. All three have a similar flavor & texture profile when added to baked goods.In this recipe I combine many seasonal flavors. The cardamom and cinnamon mixed with butternut squash give an interesting holiday twist to a traditional banana bread….or cake.
This cake is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas breakfast, brunch or dessert. Top with some freshly whipped cream & chocolate sauce for an extra decadent treat!
Continue reading “Banana & Butternut Buttermilk Cake”
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I think I just went to heaven. Absolute blissful Pumpkin Coconut Curry heaven. This blend of ingredients tastes like something I would hope to find in a restaurant but never have. A creamy blend of flavors, just perfect for a chilly fall or winter meal. This curry tastes rich and heavy, but in reality it is not. It is filled with good for you ingredients. Were talking curry loaded with lean protein chicken meatballs and antioxidants pumpkin not to mention all the benefits found in the coconut milk and spices.
Continue reading “Pumpkin Coconut Curry with Chicken Meatballs”
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On my last post I shared a savory take on polenta:
Mini Polenta Cakes {with Feta & Wild Mushroom Ragú.}
I am loving the diversity of polenta. In this recipe I created a sweet “pudding” that is yummy enough to have as a dessert and healthy enough to have for breakfast. I added a sneaky ingredient for flavor and bonus nutrition…butternut squash. I have been doing so much with sweet potatoes and pumpkins lately, I figured it was time for butternut squash to get some love! Continue reading “Butternut & Coconut Polenta Pudding”
