February 22, 2012

Oh, the Energy! Yeah, I’m Eating Meat Now.

If you had told me a year ago that I would be eating meat, I would have laughed in your face. I’ve been a vegetarian for almost all of my life. My husband and I met because we were vegetarians (thrust together at one end of the table at Thanksgiving dinner nine years ago).

Yet here we are, hoping to stay pregnant (when we start trying again in the future!), and so after decades of vegetarianism, I’m eating meat. Not just any meat, but red meat.

Frequently.

Lamb kabobs,
lentil soup with bone broth,
french onion soup,
lamb patties,
turkey sausage…

The list goes on.

I don’t particularly like its taste yet, but my body evidently adores when I consume it: within hours of eating meat, I feel incredible! (Dammit!)

I have energy! Stamina!
I become oh-so productive!

Who needs caffeine?! I’m eating meat!

I find it truly astonishing, and makes me think I will probably be an omnivore for the rest of my life.

My sister just texted me, “I want to officially welcome you to the dark side!” Oh, geez. I’m no longer a vegetarian… but I feel great!

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February 21, 2012

Healthy Chocolate Pudding Recipe

This chocolate pudding tastes decadent, but is actually quite healthy! You’ll never guess what’s in it…

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

… chia seeds!

I’ve heard for years that chia seeds are good for you — they’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids and once soaked in water they can help with hydration. While David drinks a cup full every morning, I have never been able to get past their texture… until now!

David added his own spin to this chia seeds chocolate pudding recipe I found on Pinterest, adding a banana to the mix and blending the chia mixture in the Vitamix to create a smooth texture.

Here’s how to make this rich tasting, yet healthy dessert:

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

In a medium sized bowl, add 1/4 cup chia seeds, 3/4 cup milk, 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder, and a splash of vanilla extract (optional):

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding
Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

Thoroughly stir the mixture, then allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes so the chia seeds can absorb the chocolate milk. Look how it thickens during that time:

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding
Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

Add this mixture to your blender with a banana, sweetener of your choice (we used 2 tablespoons of maple syrup since our banana was barely ripe), and enough milk to thin the mixture so it moves freely in your blender (we used about 1/2 a cup):

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

Blend on high until smooth:

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

Serve and enjoy!

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding
Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

Yum!

How to subscribe to the RSS feed via email

February 20, 2012

New Website Features

Well, hello there, dear readers. Boy did we take an unexpected break! After a week away from the blog, and some much needed R&R after our trip to Monterey, we’re back with lots to say.

First, a few housekeeping tidbits before our regular post goes live tomorrow morning.

You can now subscribe to our posts via email which means that any time we update the site we’ll send you an email (from The Creative Salad) with our entire post in it. No need to open a web browser, just click on the email and our whole post is there for you to read and enjoy.

Here’s how to subscribe:
Click here to be redirected in a new browser window to FeedBurner. Then click on “Get The Creative Salad delivered by email” link shown below:

I’ve also added a “Pin it” button at the end of posts for easy pinning to Pinterest:
Unfortunately you can’t see this button on the main page, but if you click through to the actual post (either by clicking on the post title at the top of each post or by clicking on the “Comments” link at the end of each post), you will see the “Pin it” button. (Thanks to kevin & amanda for the “Pin-it” how-to!)

I have a number of other website design related projects up my sleeve, but that’s enough for one afternoon.

Delicious Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding

We’ll see you back here tomorrow morning with a delicious and healthy chocolate pudding recipe. I know, that sounds like an oxymoron. Wait til you see the surprise ingredient! (And, no, it’s not tofu or avocado.) Ah, the suspense…

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February 14, 2012

Heart Shaped Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with a Chocolate Surprise

We hope you have a wonderful day full of love! In our house, we’re appreciating friends, family, and good food today!

Yes, I anticipate there will be chocolate involved.

Dark chocolate chips in a blue Anthropologie Mini Latte Bowl

To make these gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies, we dressed up this fabulous healthy cookie recipe (pin) (containing no gluten, processed sugar, butter or egg) with dark chocolate chips and baked it in a heart shaped silicone pan.

Heart shaped cookies

We doubled the amount of almond flour (by grinding whole almonds in 15 second increments in our Vitamix blender) to add a bit more protein to offset the added sugar in the chocolate chips.

Heart Shaped Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with a Chocolate Suprise

Indulgent, but not too indulgent…

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup of almond meal
1 cup dried fruit (we used 3/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup dried cranberries)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

3 ripe bananas
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper; otherwise, grab your silicone baking mold and place it within an easy reach.

In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut, and almond meal. Add salt, cinnamon, and allspice and stir until evenly mixed. Add dried fruit and stir until well combined, checking to ensure that the dried fruit does not stick together in big clumps.

In another bowl, mash bananas with the back of a fork, then add canola oil and vanilla extract; thoroughly mix. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then add the chocolate chips and thoroughly combine.

Press the batter into the silicone mold or place spoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool and then enjoy!

Have any left over? Save them for the next morning. We really like eating these cookies for breakfast! They taste better and are more healthy than grabbing a granola bar on your way out the door.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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February 8, 2012

Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine’s Day

Here’s a simple project that can easily be adapted depending on the amount of time you have (more on that at the end of my post!).

Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine's Day

We had such fun making our Valentine’s Day hearts!

First we used colored pencils and a heart-shaped stencil to trace hearts on to black construction paper:

Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine's Day

Our daughter then colored each of the hearts with pastels:

Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine's Day
Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine's Day
Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine's Day

We applied a thin coat of Mod Podge to seal the pastels and give a sheen to the paper:

Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine's Day

After the paper dried, we cut out the hearts and wrote messages in metallic gel pens on the opposite sides:

Black Paper Pastel Hearts for Valentine's Day

Here’s a tip if you don’t want do deal with the extra step of Mod Podging your project:
Use colored pencils, crayons, or gel markers instead of pastels to color your hearts! Since they don’t rub off, you don’t need to seal them.

A quick and easy alternative with the same colorful, fun results.

Tasty and Easy Valentine's Day Food Ideas and Treats from Pinterest

February 7, 2012

Tasty and Easy Valentine’s Day Food Ideas

I have a quick and fun Valentine’s Day craft to share with you tomorrow (stay tuned!), but first here are some easy to make love-related, mostly-healthy food pins from my Valentine’s Holiday Fun board over at Pinterest.

Featured above:
1. Roasted Potatoes for Valentine’s Day (pin/source)
2. Calimyrna Fig Hearts (pin/source)
3. Fruity Valentine heart kabobs (pin/source)
4. Heart Strawberries on Toast (pin/source)
5. Hearts in an Apple Sandwich (pin/source)
6. Simple XO Cupcakes (pin/source)

We are particularly fond of making ordinary cookies, muffins or breads (like the Brazilian Cheese Bread shown below) in heart shaped silicone baking molds (we own this one):

Heart shaped Brazilian Cheese Bread for Valentine's Day

Also, be sure to see my list of kid-friendly Valentine’s Day craft activities for hours of entertainment.

View these and many more fun Valentine’s activities, gifts and recipes on my Valentine’s Holiday Fun Pinterest board.

(images obtained via Pinterest)

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February 6, 2012

DIY Photo Decoupage Platter

The round-up of decorations from this year’s birthday extravaganza continues. To see all the birthday party posts, please click here.

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

Growing up, the Spritzer family had a special glass platter (with etched hearts!) that came out for birthday celebrations. My daughter and I thought it would be fun to recreate this tradition, while adding a Creative Salad twist to make it our own.

First we cut out some of our favorite family photos that we had printed on plain white paper:

Kid using scissors to cut out circular family photos

We played with the layout of the photos until our daughter found an arrangement she fancied:

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

We adhered the photos with Mod Podge on to the underside of a circular, glass Pyrex platter that we found at our local thrift store:

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter
DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

Then we glued small pieces of brightly colored tissue paper on top of the photo layer:

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

As we placed the pieces of tissue paper, we brushed glue on top to smooth and adhere the paper:

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter
DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

We added glitter glue before adding another layer of colored tissue paper:

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

Then we sealed the paper side of the platter with several more coats of Mod Podge, being careful not to get any glue on the front side of the platter. Here’s how our birthday platter turned out:

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

Festive, personalized, and very fun!

DIY Photo Memory Decoupage Platter

A special birthday treat.

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February 3, 2012

Easy Sore Throat Tea Recipe

Have a sore throat? Then this remedy (from my good friend Alissa) is for you:

Easy sore throat tea recipe

Add the juice of one lemon, a sprinkle of Cayenne (not so much that you can’t drink it!), and one tablespoon of honey to two cups of hot water.

That’s it! Drink and enjoy.

I know it sounds crazy: how can a simple drink make such a difference?!
Well, let me tell you, it works for me!

Quite frankly, I’m relieved. I have a birthday to celebrate this weekend and I want to enjoy myself. Sore throat, be gone!