FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Loaded Nachos with Avocado Cream

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This avocado cream loaded nacho post is sponsored by FAGE Total Greek yogurt. All opinions included within this post are my own and based on my own experience.

Ever since Greek yogurt made an appearance on grocery store shelves, I’ve been a fan. Seriously, who can turn down thick, creamy, low-sugar yogurt? And it wasn’t much long after discovering Greek yogurt that I began using it as a substitution everywhere and anywhere. FAGE Total Greek yogurt was and is my go-to brand. The texture and flavor of FAGE is top notch and, beyond that, you can’t beat the simple, non-GMO ingredient list.

One of the easiest substitutions to make is replacing traditional sour cream withFAGE Total Greek yogurt. I’ve always used FAGE Total 2%, but love that FAGE Total comes in 5% {I’m all about good fat!}. It’s such a simple switch and, I find that, Greek yogurt has many more uses than sour cream so it’s always in my fridge. Nachos tonight, breakfast parfait tomorrow morning!

After years of sour cream swapping, I decided to get even more creative with Greek yogurt for savory dishes. Remember how I love good fat? Well I decided to add even more good fat to FAGE Total 2% by mixing it with avocados to create avocado cream {recipe below}. Avocado cream can be enjoyed solo as a chip or veggie dip or used to make nachos and quesadillas extra special.

My husband and daughter are now the biggest avocado cream fans. And my husband was super impressed with a dip/topping having so much protein and probiotics from the live active yogurt cultures. By the end of our loaded nacho dinner, he was already thinking of what we could make to incorporate avocado cream again.

I also enjoy getting our entire family’s input on ingredients for loaded nachos because they come out so much more impressive than when I make them on my own. My husband loves black olives and green onions and my step-daughter loves tomatoes – I’m typically a nacho purist and would have totally skipped over these ingredients!

Our loaded nachos ended up including: tortilla chips, Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, black beans, black olives, tomatoes, green onions, pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and avocado cream. My biggest nacho tip is to take the extra time to create one layer of chips, add layers of all of your toppings, and repeat until you reach your desired quantity/height. I layered all of the ingredients except for the cilantro and avocado cream and put the nachos in a 400 degree oven for approximately five minutes, until the cheese was melted and the chips were warm.

 

Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips With Gruyére

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Oh Thanksgiving! Or as I like to call it, casserole season!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons. It’s the first of the major family holidays I grew up celebrating. It’s paired with a long holiday weekend. And it’s filled with so many bites {and I love bites}.

I’ve never been a huge turkey eater. But I’m also extremely attached to the way my family did Thanksgiving, especially now that I don’t make the trip back to Florida anymore. So that means, I always cook a turkey. And it also means that I cook very similar sides that are made from real food ingredients. While not everyone in my family is on the healthy eating train, everyone is headstrong about cooking with real butter, real milk, real cheese, and fresh vegetables.

And because, all year long, I’m a fan of sneaking vegetables into ordinary dishes, I created a whole food, sneaky veggie casserole that’ll leave you feeling totally satisfied this casserole season: Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips with Gruyere {scroll down for recipe}.

If you’re new to cooking with turnips, there are a few things you should know. Most importantly, turnips are different than potatoes nutritionally. Turnips contain over three times as much Vitamin C, one third as many calories, and one third as many carbohydrates as white potatoes. Texturally, they aren’t as soft as potatoes, which can be great in certain recipes because they don’t fall apart. And flavor wise, they get a little sweetness when cooked. Ultimately, I don’t recommend completely swapping potatoes for turnips unless you’re a seasoned turnip lover. But I completely recommend swapping portions of potato recipes to increase the spectrum of vitamins you’re consuming as well as lower the calories and carbohydrates of your dish without sacrificing the use of real butter, real milk, and real cheese.

I was able to purchase all of the ingredients for this recipe at the new Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park, which is a huge plus especially during the busy holiday shopping season. I get super frustrated when I have to go to a separate store to find items and it was a huge relief to see that turnips and chives were both available in the Whole Foods Market 365 produce department.

The prices at Whole Foods Market 365 were also noticeably cheaper. I was able to purchase every ingredient for this recipe, and mostly organic products, for $20.80. Had there already been flour in my pantry and milk in my refrigerator, the I would have only spent $15.42, which is quite the steal for a casserole made with quality ingredients.

And lastly, I really loved the feel of the Whole Foods Market 365 store. It was clean and orderly beyond belief. The produce department was top notch. For almost every grocery item I purchased, there was a store brand available. And!! Oh, and this is the best part. The Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park collaborates with local companies like Juiceland {cold pressed juice to order}, Easy Tiger {freshly baked breads}, and Snap Kitchen {healthy eats to go}. Overall, shopping at this store was as pleasant as it gets. I’ll definitely be making the trip to the Whole Foods Market 365 Cedar Park store {20 minute drive} as often as I can to load up on 365 products.

Ancient Grains Poké

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I’m always on the hunt for dishes where I can incorporate quinoa. Quinoa sushi, quinoa granola, quinoa with shrimp & kale – the FoodFash archives are filled with this protein and fiber packed grain. So when I received a shipment of Village Harvest’s Organic Benefit Blends, I couldn’t wait to dream up another quinoa dish that was special enough for one of these blends.

The perfect recipe came to mind after having poké bowls twice in one week {one on a bed of greens and the other on a bed of rice}. Why not recreate this classic Hawaiian dish at home with the Ancient Grains blend? Fresh seafood, raw veggies, and a blend of quinoa, millet, and buckwheat sounded like an incredibly refreshing, feel-good meal for the peak of summer.

An added bonus is that knowing Village Harvest’s background will also make you feel good. As a company, they define social sustainability to not only mean caring for our planet, but also their employees.

  • Village Harvest has pledged 1% of their profits to run programs that give back to the farmers and local communities from which they source their products.

  • Village Harvest has pledged to donate 1% of their employees’ time to charitable causes and sustainability efforts.

How wonderful is that!

I used the Ancient Grains blend for this recipe, but I’m willing to bet that the Antioxidant and Protein blends would be delicious in this recipe as well.

If you’re interested in these products and they aren’t available at your local store, please use this link to fill out a product request. Otherwise, all of the Organic Benefit Blends can be found at Village Harvest’s online shop. And shipping is free when you order eight bags.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

5 Easy Ways To Keep Your Health Game Strong This Summer

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I don’t know about you, but bathing suit season totally snuck up on me this year. Between starting a new company, moving in with my boyfriend and his daughter {what!}, and creating content for FoodFash, I was struggling to keep up with me. After I completed all of the new company “musts” and got everyone settled in the new place, I created manageable habits to keep my health game strong this summer {and beyond}.

1. Daily Green Smoothies

Whenever I fall off the fitness wagon, my first step towards positive change is re-introducing green smoothies into my morning routine. If I can have control over one thing, one thing, every day, it’s a nutritious breakfast that knocks out a few servings of fruits and veggies. When impromptu meetings and other life distractions kidnap my day, I can go to sleep knowing that I consumed approximately three servings of roughage that day.

I also have the constant struggle of trying to find a plant-based protein powder without stevia on the ingredient list. Although I’ve turned to stevia during major cleanses when absolutely zero sugars are allowed, I try to steer clear of stevia {mostly because I don’t like the overpowering taste}. When I received Bob’s Red Mill Nutritional Boosters, I was over-the-moon excited to see their protein powders are plant-based and sweetened with monk fruit, not stevia! The fact that they are also made with prebiotic and probiotic fibers are a welcomed bonus. Scroll to the bottom of this post for my favorite fruit and veggie packed smoothie recipe.

2. Vitamins

For a long as I can remember, I have always teetered on the edge of anemia and Vitamin D deficiencies, making daily vitamins an extra important part of my daily routine. Keeping my vitamin bottles in the bathroom near my toothbrush has been a helpful reminder to take my ever-growing list of vitamins before I leave the house. And, by teeth brushing point, chances are high that I’ve already finished my green smoothie and I won’t get nauseas from taking vitamins on an empty stomach.

3. Stocking the Freezer

How many times have you decided to go out to eat because there’s nothing in your refrigerator? For us, that was becoming a daily excuse. I started stocking the freezer with chicken, salmon, shrimp, and green veggies. By doing this, we had almost every protein/veggie dinner combo covered and it started to get really impossible to make up excuses. Pro tip: Shrimp thaws incredibly quickly and this recipe is extra delicious.

4. Water

Water used to be the most simple box to check when I had a desk job. I’d fill up a giant bottle of water that I’d make myself finish before leaving for lunch and I’d repeat the process before leaving for the day. Boom! But when I’m working on a construction site or out of my car, water is the easiest thing to forget. Keeping reusable bottles of filtered water in the refrigerator and making a habit of taking one with me when I leave the house helps water intake when I’m mobile. We also started keeping a water carafe at the dinner table so we can refill our waters without interrupting our meal. And we have a general rule to finish our waters before clearing the table.

5.  Quick Cardio

I am thabest at being too busy to exercise. But fitting in 30 to 45 minutes of cardio is really as easy as just doing it when you’re eating nutritious food, taking vitamins, and drinking enough water. I do not like doing any major exercising in the morning as I feel ravenously hungry and tired throughout the day. But a quick cardio session before I get ready in the morning has really helped increase my energy levels in an exponential way. And the yoga studio near our new place has a 9am practice, which allows me to fit in one to two classes per week as well.

I hope that you’ve found this list both helpful and manageable. Best of luck with keeping your health game strong this summer! Click here for $3 off coupon for any Bob’s Red Mill Nutritional Booster.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.