Favorite Recipes

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They say it takes a certain amount of willpower and the right mindset in order to eat better in the new year and the full 364 days that follow. We agree. You’ll need both of those things—and you’ll also need the right tools. After all, you can’t very well, say, eat more fruits and veggies if you don’t have the proper gadgets to prep or cook them in first place, right? We’ve got you covered, though, with the best tools to help you throughout the year. If you’re hoping to eat better in 2019, this list is for you.

January: Chef’n Citrus Juicer, $25

Believe it or not, winter is when most citrus fruits are the sweetest and juiciest. And a squeeze of lemon or lime can do oh-so-much to flavor your food. This juicer can help you wring out every last drop of juice. Use it to splash citrus over roasted vegetables, fresh salads (instead of store-bought dressings), fish, and more.

February: Williams Sonoma Avocado Slicer & Cuber, $13

February is the start of avocado season. It’s also the Super Bowl. So while your friends are scarfing down mediocre “hot” wings, stick to the guacamole, which you can easily make using this slicer and cuber. The tool helps you easily get out all of the flesh and it also creates uniform pieces—long slices or square cubes—so you can use it to make a salad or sandwich, too.

March: All-Clad 7-Quart Gourmet Slow Cooker, $280

If you don’t already have a slow cooker (or an Instant Pot), March is your month to get one. It’s still pretty darn cold in most of the country so you’ll want to use it to make all the soups and stews. Plus, there are plenty of Spring- and Summer-worthy things you can make in a slow cooker. Our Summer Minestrone comes to mind, for example.

April: OXO Pressure Cooker Silicone Egg Rack, $12

Got that Instant Pot handy? Good, because hard-boiled eggs made in the Instant Pot are some of the creamiest you’ll ever have. Whether you’re making a bunch for Easter or you just like hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, you’ll find this egg rack to be a must-have. It holds nine eggs (or 18 if you get two racks and stack them) in an upright position to make sure the insides cook evenly all the way through.

May: Microplane Herb Mill, $20

Fresh herbs, like lemons and limes (see: January), are another great way to add flavor to otherwise boring dishes. Grilled chicken? Scrambled eggs? Salads? They all benefit from herbs. And this herb mill makes it incredibly easy to add to them to and dish. Use the built-in stripper to remove the herbs from their stems and then use the mill part to evenly mince things up without pulling out your chef’s knife.

June: OXO Stainless-Steel Salad Spinner, $50

We have two words for you: farmers markets. With the bounty of fresh produce that’s about to be headed your way, you’re going to be in Salad Heaven soon. Every kitchen needs a salad spinner and we like this one because it’s sturdy, does its job in no time flat, and is extra easy to operate.

July: Watermelon Pop Slicer, $10

Have you ever seen anything more fun than this watermelon cutter? It instantly turns a slice of watermelon into a treat and will make you forget all about that ice cream cone you’ve been thinking about. We speak from experience when we say that kids AND adults love this thing.

August: Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Blender, $550

August is bound to be scorcher this year, we just know it. Keep your cool with smoothies. Lots and lost of smoothies. There’s no better smoothie machine than the Vitamix. It pulverizes ice and chunks of fruit to make the, um, smoothest smoothies.

September: Williams Sonoma Prep Tools Adjustable Apple Slicer & Corer, $23

What to do with all those apples you’ll be picking? Slice them up, dunk them in some peanut or almond butter, and enjoy a healthy and filling afternoon snack. This slicer has an adjustable dial, which you can set to cut eight or 16 slices. Keep it in your desk drawer at work and if you’ve got a good chunk of time between meetings, set it for 16 slices so you can enjoy a leisurely snack while you check your email. In more of a time crunch? Go with eight slices.

October: Paderno Spiralizer 4-Blade, $50

The weather’s going to turn soon and a giant bowl of pasta is going to start sounding pretty darn perfect. Don’t undo all the good work you’ve done so far this year! Instead of carbo loading for no reason, turn to zoodles. This countertop gadget comes with an angel-hair shredder, chipper, fine shredder and straight blade, plus a bonus accessory to create accordion cuts. And we’ve got a bunch of spiralizer recipes that are sure to hit the spot.

November: Calphalon Elite Nonstick 3-Piece Fry Pan & Sauté Pan Set, $96

Not only is nonstick cookware super easy to clean, it also doesn’t require any extra oil when you cook in it. That means no added calories for butter or olive oil. This three-piece set (including a 10-inch fry pan and a three-quart sauté pan with lid) is one of our favorites and can cook up a meaty main and a vegetable-heavy side dish.

December: Williams Sonoma Touchless Tare Waterproof Scale, from $50

Holiday baked goods get a bad rap. While, yes, it’s entirely possible to eat adorably decorated sugar cookies for dinner. It’s also possible to choose better-for-you treats this time of year. We’re talking crisps and cobblers, banana bread, and oat muffins. The key to any top-notched baked good: a scale instead of a measuring cup. It gives you a more accurate reading, resulting in a better treat. Our touchless, waterproof scale couldn’t be easier to use.

Lucy Hale doesn’t believe in making resolutions in the new year, not only because she knows it’s hard to keep them, but because she believes we should be making them year-round. Last year, the “Pretty Little Liars” alum made a promise to herself that she’d run a marathon, but this year she’s taking smaller strides because slow and steady wins the race.

Why You Can’t Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions

“Last year, my resolution was to run a marathon,” the 29-year-old actress told The Daily Meal. “Do you think I did that? Absolutely not. So this year, [my resolutions are] basic, like live in the moment, spend more time with family — those sort of things. I do need to be off my phone a little bit more. I’ve said I want to read more because I love reading. I don’t know if I necessarily believe in resolutions because we should be doing that all year long, not just when the year starts.”

Getting to the gym is likely the most popular goal people set in January, but Hale has always been good about working out. We know this because she’s in great shape, but also because an astronomical number of photos exist of her leaving the gym. The rest of them — or the majority, at least — show her outside the coffee shop with an iced latte in hand.

“It’s so funny. They [paparazzi] only follow me to like, Starbucks because that’s literally all I do. I go to work, work out and go to Starbucks,” she said. Hale’s go-to drink is an iced soy latte, but she’s trying to have less soy, so she’s switched over to iced almond lattes and dirty chai teas instead.

As for her diet, it’s constantly changing. Hale says it’s hard to eat healthily when she’s traveling, but finds that she feels her best when she’s drinking tons of water. She also stresses the importance of eating breakfast and why she never skips it.

“I used to skip breakfast and I was like, ‘Why do I feel like crap all day?’ It’s because I was skipping breakfast,” she said. So in the morning she has a high-protein meal — egg whites, chicken or salmon — with lots of fruit because it gives her energy, but she admits she could afford to eat more vegetables. With all this in mind, Hale reminds us that it’s OK to eat other foods if you want them.

“My downfall is french fries and sweets, but I’m not a person who sticks to a diet,” she said. “I believe in moderation, and if your body’s telling you that you want something, go out and have it.”

Speaking of eating well, Elvis knows a little something about that. No, not the King of Rock and Roll — though he was named after him. This one is way fluffier and exponentially cuter. A few years back, Hale’s manager gifted her the now 3-year-old, 9-pound malti-poo and it’s been nothing but love ever since.

When he’s not getting his usual freeze-dried, grain-free turkey dog chow doused in hot water — which Hale says smells “absolutely god awful, but he loves it” — the lucky man gets spoiled with chicken, rice and veggies.

“The thing is, he expects it and he won’t eat the dog food anymore because he knows there’s better out there and will sit around all day waiting for it,” Hale said. “He knows. He’s too smart.”

Hale’s compassion for animals reaches beyond the love she has for her own four-legged friend. The “Life Sentence” front-runner — who is currently filming horror movie “Fantasy Island” in Fiji — is teamed up with Cheerios to raise money for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which helps protect and rescue animals in the United States. At the end of the partnership, her sights are on donating $100,000 to the organization, but not without beating the competition first.

Consumers who buy a box of Cheerios will notice the brand’s “Good Rewards” Buzzcoin symbol. Once scanned, they can vote Hale and the ASPCA, “Creed” actor Michael B. Jordan and Feeding America, or the New England Patriot’s Rob Gronkowski and the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation — all great charities, but Hale’s hoping by the end of this, she’ll come out on top.

“I’m a huge animal lover. I’ve always just really gravitated towards animals. I have a dog of my own and have grown up with dogs my whole life. They don’t have a voice and the ASPCA is the leading voice for animals, so [the partnership] just felt right,” she said. If you share the same passion for your pet, it’s important to stay in the know about what’s best for their bodies. Make sure you’re feeding them the healthiest dog food, and you may want to avoid these ones altogether.

Strawberries and Custard Cream – A deconstructed summer trifle that is a heavenly no-bake dessert. Use whatever fruits and cookies you have on hand for an easy dessert that everyone will love.

Across the street from our house is a cute little strawberry stand. It’s an adorable little hut and the man that works in it is very kind and we have a very broken English/German conversation whenever I buy berries from him. (He also sells white asparagus, that is a THING here in Germany. The grocery stores have these crazy asparagus peelers just for the white ones.)

I can’t help myself and buy strawberries a few times a week. They are teeny tiny berries, and they taste better and sweeter than any strawberry I’ve ever had in my life. They are incredible.

We have had a few very hot days already this summer, and we do not have air conditioning. This is the third place we have lived where air conditioning isn’t the norm. In the States, most businesses and stores have a/c, but not here in Europe. It’s just plain hot. And it’s hot everywhere.

It isn’t unbearable, but I don’t like to turn the oven on when it gets over 80°. A not so great turn of events is that our building is under construction and the builders have scaffolded around around our grill area, so we can’t use our grills. The last few summers, I’ve basically cooked every meal on the grill, so I’m not thrilled about this turn of events. I’m relying heavily on no cook meals, my Instant Pot, and the stove.

Not turning on your oven in the summer also means not a lot of baking going on. Desserts like this Strawberries and Custard Cream are perfect for hot days when you want something sweet and something cool.

A couple of days ago I shared with you how to make Diplomat Cream. It’s an amazing custard cream mixture that is heaven. It is light, fluffy, and I want to just grab a spoon and go to town.

I wanted to make something that was simple and unfussy. I love a trifle, but more often than not, my trifle bowl is holding something decorative and I am too lazy to wash it out. So I decided on a deconstructed trifle-y thing. It was incredible. I gave some to my neighbors and they all agreed. Even the kids.

Think of this as a formula, not a recipe. I wanted the freshest, sweetest summer berries. The custard cream. Something with crunch. And some mint. (Basil would also be wonderful.) I had some waffle crisps and meringues in my pantry, but anything crunchy will work. A chocolate wafer or even an Oreo would be be amazing. You know what else would be great? Some limoncello or amaretto soaked berries.

You need contrast with desserts like this. If it is all the same texture, it can be sort of boring and one note. So crunch is necessary. My only regret when I made this is that I forgot the sliced pistachios that I had in my pantry. Chocolate shavings would be great, chopped nuts, really anything you want as long as it has some bite to it.

Strawberries and Custard Cream

• Fresh strawberries, washed and halved
• Diplomat cream
• waffle crisp cookies
• meringue cookies
• fresh mint

This is simply assembly. Break up some cookies and meringues and line the bottom of a large plate. Top with some custard cream. Spread the cream over.

Top with a generous handful or two of strawberries.

Repeat with another layer.

Sprinkle with finely chopped mint. Grab some spoons and dig in.

This summer I spent 2 weeks in Morocco. It was my first time in Africa, and I was super excited to cross my 6th continent off my list. I had been dying to go to Morocco forever!

The number one place I wanted to visit was Chefchaouen, the famous “Blue City” of Morocco.

Chefchaouen (Sheff-shah-win) is a beautiful, tiny village nestled in the mountains of Africa.

It’s famous because the entire city is painted blue!

Chefchaouen is a maze of narrow, colorful, vibrant blue streets winding all throughout the city.

If you’re wondering how many days to spend in Chefchaouen, we spent 2 nights and it was perfect. There’s just enough wandering and exploring to do in 2 days without getting bored and seeing the same stuff over and over.

I’d never been to Morocco before, so I had no idea if safe, reliable public transportation would be available. If you’re researching how to get to Chefchaouen, it can definitely be a bit confusing at first. There’s not a lot of information online, so I was worried it would be difficult to get there!

If this is your first time too, don’t worry! It’s pretty easy to get to Chefchaouen. The CTM Bus line offers direct buses from Fes and Tangier.

Taking the CTM bus from Fes or Tangier is definitely the best way to get to Chefchaouen. The buses are clean, comfortable, luxury coaches with reclining seats and air conditioning. They are also very inexpensive!

We took the CTM Bus from Fes to Chefchaouen. It takes about 4 hours. There are usually only 1-2 departures to Chefchaouen per day, so it’s better to buy your ticket at least one day in advance so you’re sure to get a seat.

You’ll need to buy your ticket from the bus station in Fes. If you’re staying inside the Fes medina (you probably are, it’s the best place to stay!) you’ll have to take a taxi to the CTM bus station.

Once you arrive to the CTM bus station in Chefchaouen, you will need to take a taxi to the blue part of town. There will be plenty of taxis at the bus station waiting to take you. It’s less than 10 minutes to the blue part of town.

A taxi should not cost more than 30 Moroccan dirhams (about $3 USD). If you really want to haggle with them, or walk down the street a bit, you can probably get a taxi for 15-20 dirhams.

There are no cars inside the walls of the blue part of town, so your taxi will drop you off right outside the city walls. Be prepared to drag your luggage to your hotel. The taxi driver will offer to carry it for you, but they will also want a huge tip!!

Chefchaouen is a photographer’s paradise!

Everything is so bright and colorful.

These are the pigments used to paint the city!

I couldn’t stop taking pictures of all the doors!

Here is a map of Chefchaouen with some of the best, most Instagram-worthy locations:

The famous “Instagram alley” is the first photo in this post, the rainbow steps is the second, and the bright blue stairs is the fourth photo from the top of this post.

For everything else, the best thing to do is just wander in this area, around the green dotted paths and you’ll see it all!

We stayed at the Riad Rifandalus. The rooms are very cute and traditional, and the air conditioning works extremely well.

Our cute room at the Riad Rifandalus in Chefchaouen!

Breakfast and WiFI are included. Breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace with a beautiful view of the blue city.

The shower had very good water pressure, but the hot water did not last long at all! Maybe 2 minutes max! I had to be very quick in the shower, and I turned off the water when I was shampooing or soaping up.

If you’re here to take pictures, Riad Rifandalus is in the perfect location. It’s right next to the famous blue alley you see in all the Instagram pictures of Chefchaouen.

I also considered staying at the Casa Perleta. It’s a bit closer to where the taxi drops you off, so if you want a shorter walk with your luggage, you might prefer the Casa Perleta.

Both hotels are very close to the famous Instagram alley. Check out the locations of both hotels on the map above.

There are two main things to do in Chefchaouen.

The first, of course, is wander around and explore this beautiful blue city!

But the other thing you really need to do is hike up to the Spanish Mosque for the best view of Chefchaouen.

View of Chefchaouen from the Spanish Mosque

How to Get to the Spanish Mosque

If you’re exiting the Riad Rifandalus, take a left and walk all the way down the street until you’re outside of the city walls. Cross the bridge over the little waterfall and cross the street. There you’ll see a trail going up to the right to the Spanish Mosque. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the top.

The Spanish Mosque in Chefchaouen is the perfect spot to watch the sunset!!

For another view of Chefchaouen, if you don’t want to do the hike, there is a store in the main square of Chefchaouen, near the Kasbah. The name of the store is L’art Maroc (look for the name above the door). It is right next to the big green door. The owner of the store very kindly let us go up to his rooftop for this view!

See more posts from Morocco!

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Easy Caribbean Chicken and Rice Lettuce Wraps are hearty and flavorful, made with Caribbean-style rice, seasoned chicken, and tangy mango salsa!

This post is in partnership with Zatarains – all opinions are my own. 

Summer came and went in a hot second – it always does! Just like every year, I am caught in that bittersweet emotion of saying goodbye to the longer days, tan lines, and daily dose of fresh watermelon, and welcoming in the cooler weather, cozy sweaters, and Fall flavors.

Lately I’ve been leaning heavily on my arsenal of super-quick and easy recipes for back to school season, this year more than ever as we’ve just welcomed our newest little family member and I’m getting the hang of life with three (gah, THREE!) kids  and don’t have hours to dedicate to weeknight meals.

Fast and simple is the name of the game right now, and I am a big fan of using quality ingredients like Zatarain’s rice mixes that allow you to cut out prep time without cutting out flavor.

Did you know that September is National Rice Month?! My love affair with rice began when I was really young. When my family went out for Chinese food, I would always ask for a bowl of plain white rice with a little soy sauce on the side. I kid you not, that was my personal heaven. Later I grew to love all sorts of rice like pineapple fried rice, veggie fried rice, and Tex-Mex rice, and over the years rice has become a staple ingredient in my cooking.

I recently whipped up these 30-minute Caribbean Chicken and Rice Lettuce Wraps to celebrate National Rice Month in partnership with Zatarain’s and my family is over the moon in love with this dish.

Zatarain’s has been bringing fun and flavor rice mixes – made with 100 percent U.S. grown long grain rice! – to the table for over 125 years and they, like me, believe that rice is so much more than a standalone side or something to serve protein over. Rice can be the heart of the dish, and that’s exactly the case with these chicken and rice lettuce wraps!

I used Zatarain’s Caribbean Rice Mix, sautéed in a little butter and simmered in water and coconut milk, as the base for these lettuce wraps and I am so thrilled with how flavorful this rice made the whole dish. I stirred in some seasoned chicken, and topped it all with fresh mango and bell pepper salsa for the ultimate balance of sweet and savory.

Your family is going to love this quick and easy, incredibly flavorful recipe so much! It’s the perfect way to kick off the busy, back-to-school Fall season AND National Rice Month – but don’t be surprised when your family requests it all year round!

Say goodbye to “365 by Whole Foods Market” stores! The short-lived, nominally cheaper versions of the upscale supermarket have flopped and are being transformed back into regular Whole Foods stores.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Whole Foods 365 Products

After announcing the decision to stop expanding locations of 365 in January, Whole Foods has decided not to do away with the properties, but rather to repurpose all 12 of the 365 locations nationwide as regular Whole Foods stores.

“We have decided that it’s in the best long-term interest of the company to concentrate our efforts on growing the core Whole Foods Market brand moving forward,” Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said in an internal memo, according to Supermarket News. He says the decision is based on the fact that regular Whole Foods stores are lowering their prices (even though some feel that it’s an illusion), so the company sees less of a need for their version of a bargain store.

“As we have been consistently lowering prices in our core Whole Foods Market stores over the past year, the price distinction between the two brands has become less relevant,” Mackey continued. “As the company continues to focus on lowering prices over time, we believe that the price gap will further diminish.”

Yahoo Finance is relating the 365 closures to another cause. They say the small-format chain, which currently boasts locations in California, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, New York and Oregon, was not thriving — and that many of the new Whole Foods that were slated to open this year and in the previous year were meant to be 365 stores but were opened as regular Whole Foods due to 365’s underwhelming performance.

According to the publication, the stores will remain open as they are restructured into regular Whole Foods. Due to their small size, the future Whole Foods stores may lack certain amenities such as a butcher counter. 

The Daily Meal has reached out to Whole Foods for comment. 

The first 365 store opened in the trendy Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake in 2016. Like all 365 and Whole Foods locations, it carried 365 Everyday Value products, as well as a few local and branded products.

The Silver Lake complex is also home to the only By Chloe restaurant location in Los Angeles. The vegan spot has a cult-like following among cool New Yorkers, and it attracted much of the foot traffic to the adjoining 365 store. It quickly became one of the 40 places in LA you’re likely to see celebrities.

August 19, 2018

An amazing combination of sweet and spicy! And the chicken comes out perfectly tender and juicy with a finger-licking sticky glaze!

Have you tried Korean fried chicken yet?

There’s this place in Koreatown a few miles from home that I always go to – probably once a month. They serve it mild, medium or hot. I always get the mild but my mouth is on fire for days!

Still, it’s the best Korean chicken I’ve ever had.

Now I have tried to recreate this, but not the fire-on-the-mouth situation, in kabob form. Because, hello, we’re still smack dab in the middle of summer. We still need like 27 more kabob recipes to get us through this season.

And hey, it’s way healthier than the fried version. So you’re welcome for that.

Now all we need is a super simple gochujang marinade – it’s perfectly sweet and spicy, and it makes for the perfect sticky glaze you just can’t get enough of.

Gochujang is readily available in most grocery stores in the Asian foods section – and you can make so much with the leftover gochujang like bibimbap and kimchi fried rice!

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

An amazing combination of sweet and spicy! And the chicken comes out perfectly tender and juicy with a finger-licking sticky glaze!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons and set aside.
2. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine gochujang mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, up to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
3. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers; brush with canola oil.
4. Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Brush skewers with reserved gochujang mixture, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.

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Source: https://damndelicious.net/2018/08/19/korean-chicken-kabobs/

A combination of almond butter, matcha powder, oats and protein powder create a tasty base for these Matcha Green Tea Protein Bites making them the perfect pick me up snack for mornings, afternoon, or before and after a workout.

I came up with this recipe after sharing my Matcha 101.  I couldn’t wait to find more ways to work matcha into the kitchen.  I just love the sweet, earthy, grassy flavor that matcha has and you can’t beat the health benefits.

• Is packed with antioxidants including the powerful EGCg.
• Calms the mind and relaxes the body
• Boosts metabolism and helps burns calories
• Naturally detoxifies the body
• Calms the mind and relaxes the body
• Is rich in fiber, chlorophyll and vitamins
• Enhances mood and helps with concentration