Robust Recipes

Healthy, Flavorful Food

Smoky Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

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Smoky Sun Dried Tomato Hummus is the perfect summertime snack, side dish, or appetizer. It's easy to make, creamy, and bursting with that sun dried tomato sweetness with a rich smoky flavor that will keep your taste buds dancing! It's even vegan and gluten free. Hi, welcome to August! We've made it! August is meant for devouring all the fresh summer produce we can, sipping refreshing drinks, and savoring the heat. Let's get to it! Smoky Sun Dried Tomato Hummus was inspired by my … [Read more...]

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie - not to be confused with a shake! This simple, healthy smoothie only requires 6 ingredients. It's a great addition to your breakfast, as a post-workout smoothie, or for a healthy dessert. Hi, friends. You know you want a sip of that rich, creamy, chocolate-y, peanut butter-y,  banana-y goodness, don't ya? Seriously, this Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie is so tasty it may fool you into thinking it's a shake. That trickster! But it's not; it's a … [Read more...]

Beet Basil Hummus

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Beet Basil Hummus is a refreshing, slightly sweet and earthy variation of traditional hummus. It is loaded with fresh basil leaves to give it that summertime flavor! Hi, Friends. I hope you have been enjoying a wonderful summer so far. How is it July already? This week we returned from our second out of three family vacations of the summer. We spent a few short days in Minnesota on a lake with Paul's side of the family. We swam in the pool, waterskied, tubed, and jet-skied. We enjoyed … [Read more...]

Gluten Free Chocolate Blackberry Sage Scones

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If you have been following this blog for awhile you will know that our house does not have central air and that our kitchen is on an end of the house that literally traps heat every time I turn on the oven, or even the burner. What I'm saying is in this hot weather all I want to eat is hummus and popsicles (not together of course). I have no desire to cook - this is a real problem when you're a food blogger. Here I am complaining about how hot our kitchen is and how my oven becomes the devil … [Read more...]

Chocolate Mint Energy Balls (GF)

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Chocolate Mint Energy Balls are here to save the day! They are these lovely little chocolaty, minty, slightly gooey balls that taste almost like dessert, but they are perfectly acceptable to have first thing in the morning, before breakfast. They are packed with ingredients that will give you plenty of lasting energy (as the name suggests). Guys, I get it: life is hectic. Weekday mornings are even more hectic as you try to get your workout in before you get yourself cleaned and dressed and … [Read more...]

Ranch Hummus

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Hummus is my go-to way to eat raw veggies. It's rare that a week goes by that I haven't whipped up a batch of hummus at home. But ever since making my Skinny Ranch Dip a few weeks ago I have been craving more ranch flavors - plus sometimes it's good to switch it up - so I thought, why not combine the two flavors? Ranch dip + hummus = the ultimate veggie dip! Remember how, when we made our Skinny Ranch Dip, we also made our own ranch seasoning mixture? Because it's so, so easy to do and saves … [Read more...]

Skinny Ranch Dip

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With Memorial Day coming up at the end of the month - you know, that three day weekend when everyone thinks they are going to have a party in their backyard or a picnic, but then it always rains (okay, at least here in the Midwest it does) - I thought it was the perfect time to share my take on Skinny Ranch Dip. Because, let's be honest, is it ever any kind of spring/summer party without a veggie platter served with creamy, dreamy ranch dip? About a year ago I shared my Cashew Ranch Dip which … [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...]

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...]

Homemade Nutella

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Friends, are you ready for today's recipe? Just by reading the name of the title, half of you are drooling and are excitedly running to your kitchen to get started! The other half of you are thinking, "But I can just buy a jar of Nutella from the store and call it a day." That's true, you can buy a jar of Nutella. It's convenient, it's decadent and delicious. OR you could make your own jar of Nutella and feel like a rockstar! Guess what, the homemade version is, of course, better than the … [Read more...]