Ooh, did I reel you in with that title? Am I, a weight-loss blogger, whole foods advocate, green-smoothie-lovin’-mama, giving you permission to indulge?
SURE!!! Go ahead…after all, you deserve it right?
Here are some of my favorite treats:
Baked Tomatoes with Mozzarella Cheese
It really is as simple as it sounds: slice a nice, fresh, juicy tomato, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, top with a smidge of shredded mozzarella, and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and browned. Yum!
And just in case you were wondering if you should try this or not, let the pictures speak for themselves!
The true measure of a successful treat: do the kids like it? I’ll take that as a resounding yes!
Spinach Casserole
I got this recipe from a dear friend a couple of years ago and it is the one dish that made me realize I actually like spinach. It’s so simple and it’s one of my kids’ favorites.
It’s simply a package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained, combined with 16 oz. of cottage cheese, 8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese and 3 eggs, beaten. Mix all of that together, put in a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Delish!
Tomato Caprese Salad
I love all kinds of salad, but at this time of year when fresh tomatoes and basil abound, two of my favorite foods ever, this one takes the cake. Just take a look at this beauty.
Simply slice some fresh tomatoes, layer each slice with a fresh basil leaf and a small hunk of fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle the entire salad with a bit of salt and pepper and drizzle with some balsamic vinaigrette (to make your own just mix one part balsamic vinegar to one part extra virgin olive oil-you know me, no measuring allowed).
Watermelon Cucumber Salad
And how about this for a little bit of sweetness at the end of a long day? This idea was submitted by blog reader, Chris Brown Newmark, on our Facebook page yesterday (you have “liked” us on Facebook already haven’t you?).
I knew I had to try it as soon as she mentioned it! The ingredients are super simple: watermelon and cucumber. That’s it! Can you believe it? And let me tell you, it is SO yummy!
Another favorite summer treat: watermelon by the slice
What did you think this post was going to be about? Proof positive that you CAN treat yourself. But when you DO treat yourself, make it count with healthy foods loaded with nutrition.
Who said eating healthy had to be a drag? Or hard? Or expensive? I made all of these treats for around $5…combined! Or you could spend that on a “value” meal at McDonald’s.
What are some of your favorite “treats”? Have a recipe submission you would like me to make and publish? Leave a note in the comments and I will contact you!
I am linking this post up at Weight-Loss Wednesdays over at Confessions of a Snowflake.
The Chick
OOOh…those all sound yummy! Although I have to admit…maybe not the spinach casserole. Unfortunately I am not a spinach person. But since you said you weren’t either, I might be tempted to try it…for you
Take care my friend!
And thanks for joining Weight Loss Wednesday!
Oh Alicia-you should try it! It is not overwhelmingly spinach-y. Hey, all of my kiddos gobble it up like they’ve never been fed before so it HAS to be good! Three out of four had second helpings of it tonight!
woohoo
I’m not a huge fan of tomato’s but your recipes sound so yummy!
Thanks for the shout out, glad you like the watermelon/cucumber salad
Thanks for suggesting it Chris-what’s not to like? Watermelon, yes! Cucumber? Yes, please! The kids loved it too! I think it will be even better tomorrow once the cukes have a while to “marinate” in the juice of the watermelon.
Lisa – where do you come up with all of these recipes. Do you come up with them yourself? They look so good. As you know, I have been trying to live a healthier lifestyle for some time now, but I always seem to eat the same boring things and I don’t have a creative bone in my body, so I have to rely on others and still their dish ideas. I am definitely going to try these recipes.
Gloria-I do come up with a lot of them on my own. I am not very creative in other areas, but I love to cook. Another great source is allrecipes.com. Seriously, they have every recipe under the sun and you can even do an ingredient search. Say you have a bunch of tomatoes on hand you can just put that into the ingredient search and it will give you tons of recipes that you can use them in. It’s my go-to online resource. I’m glad you like getting the recipes because I have been posting so many lately-I didn’t want this to turn into a cooking blog lol, but sometimes I just have to share!
these all look so delicious….can’t wait to try them all!!! thanks for sharing!!
Mmmm… that cheesy tomato sounds like grilled cheese sandwiches, but with tomato. I think I’m going to have to try that one out! My big guy thinks tomatoes are evil, but I’ll bet I can get the little one to eat it!
Oh my goodness, SOOOOO happy to see your kids eating the good stuff!!! Thank you! I ate crap from the beginning, and while I know it is in my own hands now to take control, and I am not playing the blame game, but getting all that crap early on made it so much easier to make those foods my habit foods and breaking the habit is SO HARD. Not impossible, just hard.
Oh I’m so happy. So so happy.
I totally agree which is why I am so passionate about serving my kids good food. For years though, I have fed them much better than I fed myself, so now we are changing that. Thank you!
Hey, I’m thinking of making that spinach casserole this week. What size package of spinach and how many servings would you say that it makes?
Oh, I got the socks today. Thanks!
No problem Chris! Let me know how they compare to others you have tried!
The casserole serves about 8-10, 1/2 cup servings. I hope you like it. You can just use one of the small boxes of frozen (10 oz maybe?) I used a family size bag and split it in half. Hope that helps!
Your treats look absolutely delicious!
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