Tag Archives: spring

7 Healthier Spring Weight Loss Methods That Work

spring-weight-loss

We are well into the swing of 2024. How’s it going so far? Do make resolutions and then walk away? Or do you check-in with yourself? Spring break is the perfect time to reassess your progress to goal and what you can adjust to help keep you on track and see that resolution through to the end.

If you’ve tried something that didn’t work for you, maybe consider switching gears a bit. Or if you’re using spring as the impetus for making healthy changes, then you’ll need a place to start.

Here are new players on the weight loss scene — big program changes to age-old standards a few exciting new faces that deserve your attention!

The Atkins 40

Atkins revealed a new diet plan at the start of the year, a fresh take on their famous low- or no-carb way of life. The Atkins 40 is a new, revised program that focuses on sustainability and results. People are encouraged to eat from all of the major food groups, starting at 40 net grams of carbs instead of the previous 20. The program is best designed for people who have less than 40 pounds to lose.

What You Can When You Can

The #WYCWYC meme has taken the social web by storm, and this incredibly refreshing theory will be available in a book in just a few weeks. Written by Roni Noone and Carla Birnberg, the What You Can When You Can philosophy focuses on living in the moment — something that will likely appeal to everyone. The book will be released at the end of April, thanks to a hashtag that has already gone viral. If a healthy lifestyle on your own terms appeals to you, without any pressure or guilt, then it’s time to see what you can do… when you can! (more…)

DIY Flavor: The Best Herbs to Grow in Your Garden (or Window)

herbs

Have you ever considered getting into the whole herb gardening thing? I certainly have, but as always, I need a strong resource to wrap my mind around what is the easiest and most beneficial thing to grow at home. I didn’t find this quickie guide, so I did the research and created one for us all. It turns out herb gardening is easy and a super healthy and cost-effective way to add heapings of extra flavor to your food. Here are the best greens to grow in an indoor or outdoor herb garden. All you need to get started are a few pots, a little bit of soil and some seeds! 

 

basil

Basil
Basil is super easy to grow at home. All you need is some seeds and the sunlight. Basil is so versatile—use it in soups and salads or make pesto with it. It works great in Italian dishes (obviously) and it can add a fun flavor blast to stirfrys too! Basil is also awesome for clearing your skin and mellowing your stress. Who knew?

Try it in a summery peach caprese salad! (more…)

Spring is the Time for Savory Asparagus Prosciutto Crepes with Balsamic Reduction Drizzle

The biggest draw of brunch is the possibility of creating that perfect marriage of savory and sweet, as breakfast tends to be sweeter and lunch much more savory. It’s also a perfectly good excuse to get a little fancy in the kitchen for no reason at all. All of that comes together in these crepes that are just as beautiful to admire as they are to devour!

asparagus crepe
My mother-in-law is somewhat of a crepe connoisseur. A self-proclaimed “Army brat,” she grew up in Europe where the world’s best crepes were a regular part of her family meals. I knew if I could win her over with these Mediterranean-inspired homemade crepes that we were on to something. It’s safe to say they got the MIL seal of approval!

asparagus crepes

We used a whole wheat flour and white flour mixture to give us the nutrition and the texture we wanted in these super-simple crepes. Then, we stuffed them full of some of the best ingredients we know: a handful of spring’s first asparagus, tender and salty prosciutto, creamy and sweet goat cheese, and a little bit of tart lemon zest.  (more…)

Make This Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad with Blackberries and Grilled Baguette Croutons

Don’t you love those moments in the kitchen when inspiration strikes and the result is a meal or dish so outstanding that you have to shout it from the rooftops…or at least from your blog?

This salad is my most recent moment of a) we have nothing to eat, b) those tomatoes are going to go bad soon so I should use them, c) and I guess I have some greens, too, d) and what about blackberries…

roasted tomato salad

You know the drill. This time, a Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad was the result of desperate brainstorm. And if this is the result, let desperation be your muse always!

I had these baby heirloom tomatoes just begging to be eaten and every time I looked at them – so tiny, so juicy, so pretty – all I could think was how incredible they’d be roasted. Drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and crushed garlic, my hypothesis was on the nose. The entire house was filled with their tantalizing aroma, their tender skins burst just right, and they became the shining star in an otherwise ordinary salad.

balsamic tomatoes

On a bed of fresh spring greens, I chopped bites of baby mozzarella. I like to buy as close to fresh as possible, which is the containers of mozzarella balls soaking in water. (more…)

The Easter Dozen: 12 Surprising Recipes for a Perfect Easter Brunch Celebration

Easter is symbolic of so many things, but for me, it is the sure sign that spring has arrived. I love brunch in the spring more than any other season. It just seems as delicate and pretty as the season itself, which provides a pretty good excuse to take my meals to the patio.

This Easter, while the kids gather eggs and trinkets left by the elusive bunny, and your family celebrates the Easter holiday and all that it means to you, enjoy a little bit of this and a little bit of that from our well-appointed brunch menu.

Like a bag of jelly beans, there’s something in here everyone will like! But unlike those beans, it’s all way less processed and far more indulgent and nutritious.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

carrot cake muffins

You don’t even know! Dessert meets breakfast in a muffin that’s almost too good to be true. Bake a batch and hope the bunny doesn’t make off with all of these, made with whole grain flour, fresh carrots, and a to-die-for cream cheese frosting filling.

Eggs Baked in Avocado

egg avocado

Turn your egg hunt upside down when diners discover this exquisite way to serve breakfast. Not only is it chock full of protein and healthy fats, but it looks adorable and is incredibly easy to prepare. (more…)

5 Fun Ways to Enjoy an Adult Spring Break!

Happy Spring Break, guys! Even if you do not have a week off of like back in the school days, I have good news: There are plenty of ways to enjoy adult versions of Spring Break! Here are five easy, fun, and most importantly, healthy ways to enjoy Spring Break.

hike

1. Take a hiking trip!
Even if you only have a day or two off of work (aka, a weekend), that is plenty of time to go on a long hike. Make it a picnic by packing sparkling water, hummus, and mixed raw vegetables. Becuase I know I always need something to look forward to—besides the beautiful view—by the time I make it to the top! (more…)

10 Places for Allergy Sufferers to Avoid this Spring, and How to Cope if You Can’t

Spring is here, bringing with it green grass, warmer temperatures, baseball season, and allergies. Depending on where you live, you may be feeling the effects of allergies more strongly than others. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has released their list of “the 100 most challenging places to live with allergies.”

seasonal allergies

The 10 Worst Places for spring allergies:

  1. Louisville, Kentucky
  2. Memphis, Tennessee
  3. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  4. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  5. Jackson, Mississippi
  6. Chattanooga, Tennessee
  7. Dallas, Texas
  8. Richmond, Virginia
  9. Birmingham, Alabama
  10. McAllen, Texas

(more…)

Blood Orange and Raspberry Sorbetto Mimosas Make Waiting for Spring a Little Easier

Well friends, we’ve thawed out from the polar vortex and now my attention is firmly fixed 21 days from now. Groundhog Day. Please don’t see the shadow little guy; this girl is ready for spring!

An early, warm spring filled with brunches on patios and showers with friends and mimosas.

sorbet mimosas

These won’t be any ordinary mimosas, though. Oh, no sir! Or ma’am!

These will be fizzy, bubbling flutes of Sorbetto Mimosas.

Leave your juice behind. Even fresh-squeezed has nothing on creamy Talenti sorbetto floating around in that suspended little bubble dance.

You can use any flavor you like. In fact, a few flavor options — like Talenti’s mango, lemon, or even strawberry gelato — at a baby or wedding shower will make your mimosa bar the most memorable of the season!

raspberries and raspberry sorbet

We can’t get enough of Talenti’s Roman Raspberry – tart and sensual. The color is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, which is pretty appetizing if you eat with your eyes. (more…)

This Lighter Chicken Caesar Salad with Grilled Croutons Embodies a Local, Fresh Summer

We spent Mother’s Day a little differently this year. My family and I spent the evening at a local farm planting 150 herb seedlings. It felt good to dig in the earth, watch the warm sun set over the vast Kansas prairie, and spend some truly quality time with my husband and daughter.

grilled chicken caesar salad
We left MG Honor Farms with a promise to return and lend our hands to the tomato harvest, and with a lot of fresh greens and veggies. Clint Brauer built the farm on his late grandmother’s land as an homage to her memory. As well, to serve the people of our community, saying, “MGHonor Farms was created to help those who have realized their true priorities, have an option to purchase healthy food for themselves and their families without any herbicides and only organically certified pesticides.”

Every community deserves a resource like this.

kale and greens
The next evening we enjoyed the fresh spring greens and crisp kale in a salad that paid us well for our hard work the night before and reminded us of a promise to enjoy this summer more than any other. Escaping from the confines of winter, a big entree salad that is light and satisfying always feels so refreshing on these warmer days. That’s exactly what we made. (more…)

7 Cinco de Mayo Recipes for Your Guilt-Free Fiesta

mexican recipes

Cinco de Mayo is one of the unofficial starts of summer and one of the most food-focused holidays in the US. Who would want to pass up a day where tacos, guacamole, and margaritas flow like fireworks on the Fourth of July? If you’re a calorie counter, that might be you.

Mexican food is known to be rich and heavy and full of fat and calories. A meal at On The Border could push you past 2300 calories for two margaritas, chips and salsa, the three ground beef enchilada dinner with chile con carne, rice, and refried beans, and a sopapilla to round it all out. You know that’s more than a day’s worth of calories, right? And we won’t remind you how bloated you’ll feel afterward.

We plan on celebrating Cinco de Mayo this year, and want you to do so, too! That’s why we’re sharing a few tips and recipes to do so with much less guilt. (more…)

A Strawberry Lemonade Cake For Your Sweetest Spring Celebrations

My daughter is turning three this week. As any mother can attest, I just can’t understand where the time has gone. She’s smart, sassy, full of song, and has been waiting for her birthday for months. With no prompting she has provided constant reminders of her wish for birthday hats, balloons (one of each color), and a cake (with fire on top) for months. I was happy to finally oblige with all three this weekend.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

The cake, of course, is the centerpiece of any birthday party. But I’m also that mom and sugar is a rare treat in our house – birthdays being a reasonable exception. Still, I didn’t want to overload her, myself, or our guests with a sugar bomb topped with more fat and sugar in the frosting. So, I shared my vision for a fresh, homemade, but easier-on-the-sugar cake with our assistant editor and resident baker extradordinaire, Dana.

This Strawberry Lemonade Cake was a hit! It was rich and dense like a restaurant or bakery cake, but felt clean, light, and perfectly sweet. That’s because we didn’t use any butter and went light on the sugar, but made up for it with honey and fresh strawberries. (more…)