Robust Recipes

Healthy, Flavorful Food

Naturally Sweetened Horchata (V + GF)

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If you have had horchata before you are probably pretty excited right now! If you have never had horchata, then, my friends, you are in for quite the treat! BTW, if you have had Rumchata before, horchata is pretty similar, only minus the rum. We are continuing on with our Cinco de Mayo recipes, and I have another beverage for you to enjoy. I remember the first time I tried horchata at a Mexican restaurant.  I was in college, my parents were visiting, and I took them to my favorite Mexican … [Read more...]

Skinny Orange Lime Margarita

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Are you guys ready for Cinco De Mayo recipe numero dos?! You didn't think I would let Cinco De Mayo pass without a Margarita, did ya? This Skinny Orange Lime Margarita was a happy accident. Recently, I have been craving margaritas. It's probably due to the green grass and the thought of warmer weather-margaritas scream long, warm summer days-(and because of Cinco de Mayo, duh!)! I actually wanted to share a skinny lime margarita recipe with you, but when making a margarita I accidentally … [Read more...]

Pea Soup (V + GF)

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Happy spring, friends! I know that I keep mentioning spring, but it truly excites me - like little girl giddy excited. Besides doesn't the post of this title, Pea Soup, just sound like spring? And that gorgeous bright green color! I can barely handle it. As you know, I cannot survive cold weather without some warm soup. Even though it is officially spring and the sun is shining, the grass is green, the birds are chirping, we can still have some chilly days. Seriously, Mother Nature, … [Read more...]

Blueberry Almond Energy Balls

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Happy Friday, friends! I don't know about you, but I am ready for spring. Our weather in Iowa has been teasing us a little. We've had several gorgeous 60 degree days with bright sunshine. On those days Paul and I have busted out the grill! Not only do I love grilling and the smell of food cooking outside, but it also gives me an excuse to relax. Paul doesn't do much cooking, but he does enjoy grilling! This makes me very happy! This week, we are supposed to have a lot of rain and possibly a … [Read more...]

Apple Cinnamon and Barley Pudding

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Really the name of this post should be Apple Cinnamon and Barley Flummery. Yup, I said FLUMMERY. If you're reading this from England or Ireland (don't you love the internet?!) then you  already know what flummery is. But if you're from America, then you're like, HUH?! According to Wikipedia "Flummery is a starch based sweet soft dessert pudding". Although the word flummery is pretty fun to say I decided calling it pudding, because in my mind that's what it is.   Guys … [Read more...]

Coconut White Russian

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  But why would you want coconut in your White Russian? Why, oh WHY would you ever mess with anything as simple and perfect as a White Russian? The answers: 1) Because it's delicious 2) Because that's what I do here. I play with recipes, I add my own twist to a classic recipe, and I create my own recipes. It's fun; you should try it! Really, my true reason for trying out a Coconut White Russian is because I really hate dairy milk. It grosses me out, it always has. Growing up in … [Read more...]

Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews

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Happy Monday, Friends! I have a little something for you to help kick-start your Monday: Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews. I hope you're as excited as I am! The idea for Sriracha Honey Roasted Cashews came from an advertisement for one of those order-a-box-of-fresh-healthy-food-and-it-comes-straight-to-your-door companies. Their example of a snack item was sriracha roasted cashews. I heard that and just had to find out what that would taste like, because I love sriracha on everything - even in … [Read more...]

Cherry Almond Smoothie

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Really, the title of this post should be "Cherry Almond Pie in a Glass" because it's that yummy! This smoothie was created because I had an abundance of frozen cherries in my way-too-small-freezer. My first idea was to throw some almond butter into the mix because cherries and almonds are meant to be. Then I thought, "why not bump up the almond flavor by throwing  in a tiny bit of almond extract?" Almond extract; talk about a ton of flavor! The result was -"why do I have to share this with my … [Read more...]

Roasted Veggie and Wild Rice Power Salad

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Question: Do you have any turkey leftover from Thanksgiving? I know it's been over a week since Turkey day, but I had so much turkey leftover this year (which is never a bad thing) that I needed a way to eat it. This Roasted Veggie and Wild Rice Power Salad is the perfect way to make use of it. If you already gobbled up all of your turkey (haha bad joke), then no worries, feel free to throw in some leftover chicken, or simply keep it vegan. Originally I had thought about making a wild rice and … [Read more...]

Apple Spiced Granola

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Hi, friends. You know those mornings when your alarm rudely chirps at you and all you want to do is roll over and hit the snooze button a few times? By "a few times" I mean 10! As the chill settles into Iowa I find it's harder to leave my warm bed each morning. Most mornings I wake up right as my alarm goes off, and sometimes 20 to 30 minutes before. I know, I'm kinda crazy, and to be honest with you, I never thought I would be a morning person, not in a million years! I really, truly love what … [Read more...]