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Orange Mango Braised Fish with Lime Coconut Quinoa

Orange Mango Braised Fish with Lime Coconut Quinoa-6

I am so excited to share this recipe with you – even more excited than usual! Is your mouthwatering at the title – Orange Mango Braised Fish with Lime Coconut Quinoa? Doesn’t that sound amazing? Doesn’t it sound like something you’d want to eat while sitting at a beachside restaurant on a warm, breezy night? That’s totally the feeling I was going for here. A few weeks ago Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice contacted me about partnering with them to create a unique recipe using one of their award-winning juices. I hopped over and took a look at the Natalie’s website to read more about the company. I was really impressed with what I read about the company and their dedication to providing an extraordinary product. I decided I needed to try this juice as soon as possible, so I readily said I’d love to work with them.

Natalies Orchid Island Juice

Natalie’s sent me samples of all of their juices to try. And that has been amazingly fun. Imagine you’re my kids and you come home from school, open the fridge to get a snack, and there are a bazillion bottles of citrus juice staring back at you. We have all been in heaven!

Natalies Orchid Island Juice-3

Before I get to the recipe, I want to give you a little background info on Natalie’s because I love their story! The Sexton family lives in Florida. They are fourth generation citrus farmers. For sometime, the family had been wanting to sell juice squeezed fresh from the fruit in their citrus groves, but there just wasn’t enough time to make it happen. Marygrace Sexton decided to make her husband’s dream a reality. She named the company after her daughter, Natalie. Today the company is run by Marygrace and her daughters. (Hooray for women-owned businesses!) They produce numerous varieties of juice that are sold in 30 U.S. states and 24 countries worldwide.

(Click through for the recipe and to hear more about Natalie’s Orchid Island juices!) (more…)

Quinoa, Grapefruit and Golden Beet Salad

Quinoa Grapefruit and Golden Beet Salad-2
I’m always on the lookout for new healthy recipes to make for my family. My friend, Kelly Pfeiffer who writes the food blog, Nosh and Nourish, just came out with a book  called Superfoods at Every Meal: Nourish Your Family with Quick and Easy Recipes Using 10 Everyday Superfoods. I have been so excited to have it on my shelf! Today I’m sharing Kelly’s crazy delicious recipe for Quinoa, Grapefruit and Golden Beet Salad from her book.

Quinoa Grapefruit and Golden Beet Salad-7
Years ago, when I first found out I was expecting my first baby, I realized something had to change. I was a veggie hater through and through. But I finally made the connection that it really did matter what I put into my body, especially as I was going to be growing a baby. Everything I ate, the baby would also be “eating.” The decision was easy, but implementing it was a little more difficult. It took a long time for me to get brave and try all these veggies I’d been avoiding all my life. As I sit here over a decade later, I can’t imagine a day without veggies. It may have taken a long time, but I am now a veggie lover. Healthy eating is important to me and I’ve made sure to make it a priority as I raise my kids, too. It requires constant adjustment dealing with different food preferences and all of that, but I think we’re winning the battles. It’s easier when I’m armed with really good recipes. (more…)

Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Flourless Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies-3In our family, we have high expectations for gluten-free cookies. I’m the only gluten-free one, so a lot of the time, I make stuff for everyone else. But that gets kind of old. Making two separate dinners or desserts is a lot of work and frankly, a huge pain. My family has more or less agreed that we can stick to gluten-free recipes if they are really, really good. And there have certainly been some major fails, but these cookies? These Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies received the most praise of any cookie that I’ve ever baked. Ever. In all my 33+ years. I so much wish this recipe was my brain child, alas, it is not. Because I would brag from the rooftops! The recipe comes from the genius mind of my friend, Brianna Hobbs from Flippin’ Delicious. She’s written a book, The Essential Gluten-Free Cookie Guide, that contains 50+ recipes for chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, and more. She graciously allowed me to share this recipe for Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies with you. Believe me when I tell you that you will want to make them immediately, preferably in a double batch. (You’re welcome for that little tip.)

Flourless Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies-2

These cookies have pretty much changed my life. I have made flourless recipes before, but cookies have never, EVER been this amazing. Instead of birthday cake this year, I’m making a big batch of these. They exceeded every expectation I had and blew them out of the water. (more…)