Roasted Honey Carrots for Easter

  Spring is just about here and Easter is just a couple of days away! When I think of Easter, I think carrot cake, carrot muffins, honey ham, bunnies, hot cross buns, chicks and so on. When I went looking for healthy Easter recipes, they were just about all Carrot Cake, Carrot Muffins or some sort of sweet. They are all great, amazing looking recipes and I really don't think you could want any more Easter Sweet Recipes!

    My sister and I have started a 3 week long Cleanse, so we can't really enjoy any of those delicious Easter treats right now. But I still wanted to make something tasty for the holiday that we could enjoy and still stick to our cleanse, so I decided to make one of my favorite dishes. Honey Roasted Carrots!

  These roasted baby carrots are a perfect side dish for Easter dinner or any other meal! They are sweet and savory with the honey and herbs and they get roasted to perfection! So, lets make some honey roasted carrots!

Ingredients:
4 cups Baby Carrots (Or you can roughly chop up the regular size carrots)
4 TBS Olive Oil
3-4 TBS Honey
1 TSP Rosemary Leaves
2 TSP Ground Rosemary
1 TSP Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper

Lay out your carrots into a baking pan. I am using a 9x13 pan so that I can lay the carrots out flat.

  Sprinkle them with the olive oil, honey, salt and pepper and onion powder. Then add the rosemary leaves and ground rosemary. I like to use both ground rosemary and the leaves to get flavor and a great presentation!  Use a spoon to mix every thing together, making sure to get every piece of carrot coated in honey and olive oil.

  Put them in an oven set to 400 F for 30-45 minutes. You will want to stir them every 20 minutes or so to get an even roasting. When they are done they will be soft and beginning to crisp in places. Take them out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

They smell so amazing and they will make the house smell nice too! I can't tell you how much I love these roasted carrots!

 

I made these and served them for dinner along with a few other dishes!

 

    Be on the look out for a post about the Oven Roasted Peppers and Onions!
The carrots were a great addition to our family dinner and I think they will be for yours as well! Whether you make them for Easter or another meal, these Honey Roasted Carrots are sure to be a hit!

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Keep Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Follow the blog on Twitter @ Spinachisgood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett

Smoothies

  I love smoothies at anytime and for any meal! They are a great way to get necessary nutrients in to your diet. Not only are they a easy and quick meal to make and eat but they can and are delicious and satisfying. I think a lot of people don't like smoothies because they don't feel full or satisfied by them. The way to fix that it to know what to put in them and how much.

Often I get into a habit of throwing the same things into my smoothies every day and I tend to get bored by them. But, I also have found several combinations that I just love and I make all the time! These recipes are simple yet pack a power combo of flavors and nutrients! I hope you like them!

#1 Mean Green Smoothie
1/2 ripe Banana
1/2 cup fresh Spinach
1/2 apple(with peel and seeds)
1/2 orange( or a whole 'Cuties' orange)
Cube of fresh Ginger
Spoonful of Chia Seeds
Spoonful of Ground Flax Seed
1/4 cup Coconut Water
Splash of Lemon Juice
Enough Water to Blend.

# 2 PB and Banana Smoothie
1/2 ripe Banana
2 TBS Peanut Butter(or more if you want)
Spoonful of Chia Seeds (Optional but they don't have a taste and they're super good for you!)
Spoonful of Ground Flax Seeds
1/4-1/2 cup Almond Milk(depending on how liquid you like it)
Ice


#3 Good Morning Smoothie
1/2 frozen Strawberries
1/2 frozen Pineapple
Spoonful ground Flax Seeds
Spoonful Chia Seeds
1/4 cup Coconut Water
1/4 cup Coconut Milk(or Almond Milk)
Scoop of Protein Powder( I suggest a vanilla flavor)

#4 Blueberry 'The Bomb' Smoothie
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
2 TBS Almond Butter
1/4 cup Almond Milk
Spoonful Ground Flax Seeds
Spoonful Chia seeds
Ice
Enough Water to Blend



Well, I hope you liked these 4 smoothie recipes! You will probably notice that I include chia seeds and ground flax seeds in all of these smoothies. That is to add more nutrients to the smoothie. If you want to know why chia seed and flax seeds are so good for you, check out my Super Foods posts for more info on them!

These are just a few of the smoothies you can try! Have fun with it and the more you experiment the more of your own smoothie recipes you will make!

If you like this post, please share with a friend and check back for more post soon!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Follow the blog on Twitter @ SpinachisGood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett

Wholey Guacamole!

  If you read my previous posts( Super Food Facts) you will know how good Avocados are for you. I like to use them wherever and whenever I can! This recipe for guacamole is not only delicious, but a great healthy snack or side dish for just about any occasion!

I love guacamole a lot! Every where I have it, its made a different way. And, though its usually pretty tasty, I have my favorites. Among those is my own recipe of course! I was taught how to make guacamole a few years ago by a family friend in Houston, and I have been making it ever since. It is so easy to make, you can customize it to your own preferences, and its a great way to use up almost-too-ripe avocados!

So, let's make some guacamole!

Ingredients:
2 large, ripe Avocados
1(10 oz) can of Rotel
2 tsp Lime Juice
1tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper

Start by slicing and scooping the avocados into a bowl. With the back of a fork, mash them to desired texture. I like mine a little chunky! The riper the avocados are, the easier this job is!

 

The next step is to add the spices and Lime juice. Fresh squeezed lime juice is best, so use that when you can. To make squeezing your lime easier, roll it on the counter a few times to loosen it up!

 

 

Stir this together and then add the garlic and Rotel. I like to add half the can, stir in, and then see how much of the rest of the can I want. This way I always get the perfect avocado to Rotel ratio!

 

Mix this together and you're done! Taste it to see if you need more salt and pepper or lime juice!

 

Serve with corn chips, on tacos, taco salad(one of my favorites!), on a sandwich(instead of Mayo) or however you like it!

I love this recipe so much! Its super easy to make and you can keep it in the fridge for a quick and healthy snack!

If you have enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

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