Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait!

  I kind of feel like St. Patricks Day is my least favorite holiday.

Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com

Obviously any excuse to eat a bowl of Lucky Charms with green milk is a fantastic holiday, but the idea of wearing green bothers me. I remember being in middle school and making my dad rush me to the nearest store to find some hideous green t-shirt because EVERYONE would be wearing green  at school the next day and I didn't have ANY green shirts. (Was that a run-on sentence?)

I still don't.

Do people even wear green shirts?

Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com

I wish I could say that my children don't know what Lucky Charms are, but sadly grandma and grandpa have taken care of that. And I'm not going to lie and say Lucky Charms are horrible and unhealthy and no one should ever eat them because, well...Marshmallows for breakfast?! Come on!! That sounds amazing...

When are they going to come out with Lucky Charms made with JUST dehydrated stale marshmallows?!

This is a healthy lifestyle blog.BTW.

Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com

With the holiday soon approaching, I could obviously share many 'Green' recipes, but this year I want to focus on the rainbow! For some reason when a plate is full of color and vibrant foods, it becomes all that more appealing. (At least to me and my babies.) This first 'rainbow' food post is all about fruit, and tomorrow I'll post a recipe made with veggies! I've got both your bases covered!

Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com

The idea of this rainbow fruit parfait is that it's topped with white clouds and a sprinkle of gold, because gold is found at the end of every rainbow! The fruit is interchangeable, and if you have more time you could make the shape of a rainbow on a plate. As for the white clouds, I used greek yogurt for added protein. You could easily use a non dairy yogurt or a whipped coconut milk cream! Yummmmm!

Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com

Rainbow Fruit Parfaits

Prep time:

5 mins

Total time:

5 mins

Taste the Rainbow!

Ingredients

  • Rainbow colored assorted fruit
  • Greek yogurt mixed with honey-or non dairy yogurt, or coconut milk whipped cream
  • gold sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Arrange the fruit by color in a shallow glass. (You can also arrange in the shape of a rainbow.
  2. Add a dollop of your 'clouds', or cream on top, followed by gold sprinkles.
  3. Serve immediately.
  4. (If wanting to make ahead, don't add the greek yogurt or cream until it's ready to be served!)

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Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com
Taste The Rainbow Fruit Parfait! - A Healthy and Colorful Treat via http://thediva-dish.com

Don't tell anyone, but I'm almost tempted to buy a St. Patty's day t-shirt at Walmart. Do you think the other moms will be wearing them too?? I hate feeling left out...

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Looking for a Shamrock Shake, similar to the one a popular fast food joint serves?! The big difference is it's healthy, made with natural sweeteners, and it's good for you!

A Better For You Shamrock Shake

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6983511855_9ce92a720f_z

The Best Way To Start Your Morning!

  I almost feel silly about posting the following 'recipe', because to some it might seem kind of like, "Well Duh!"

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I realized though that this 'idea' wasn't always a 'DUH' thought for me, but more of like a, "Eh, who cares?"

Make sense?

Without trying to sound like an email in your spam inbox, the following is something that has truly helped me loose weight and keep it off. Sadly, I only recently discovered this a few months ago, because like I said before, this didn't seem like THAT big of a deal.

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Every morning I've started drinking lemon water. Duh right? We've all heard how starting the day off with Lemon water can boost your metabolism and do many other things, but for some reason I never did it.

A few months ago I caught a nasty cold/flu bug and my throat was KILLING me! I starting drinking warm lemon tea every morning, noon, and night. I noticed that my cravings for, well chocolate (because that's ALL I crave), were minimal and I wasn't always reaching for something 'sweet'. I've learned that sometimes when we think we are hungry, we are really thirsty. But I've always just put carbs & chocolate  in my mouth because I.Love.Food.

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This was a life changer for me, despite how 'little' this really is.

SO, what do you do? I fill up a large pitcher in my fridge with lemon slices, juice of a few lemons, and water. I leave it in my fridge and pour myself a glass in the morning. (Sometimes I heat it up, and sometimes I don't.) Then through out the day I'll drink regular water, but if I notice I'm craving something sweet or like a Ding Dong, I pour a glass.

If I really want something sweet, like a Twinkie, I'll add a few drops of liquid stevia to my class. I don't know why, but I really look forward to drinking it sweet. I've been having it as I watch my nightly trash tv...

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You can add many other things like mint leaves, cucumbers, fruit cubes, etc., but right now I'm loving just lemons.

It's small and simple changes like these that make a difference in living a healthier lifestyle, honestly.

(But don't worry. I still eat chocolate.Every day.)

Stove Top Potato & Kale Dish

Ok...I know potatoes aren't necessarily the type of food that makes you excited and eager to make ASAP...But i'm on a mission in my household, and in a few weeks I'll disclose all the details of what I've been working on. But to get you somewhat excited, you should know that it's all about healthy grocery shopping each week on a LOW budget. It's about stretching food, using the ingredients you have on hand, and not over spending each week at the grocery store!

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Normally during the week I visit the grocery store 2-3 times. Eeeeeee!! Partly because my girls eat a flat of berries a day, and partly because I'm a food blogger. Sadly, I buy A LOT of food to go along with my long lists of ideas that I have planned for this 3rd child of mine (the blog), but I usually don't get to most of them.

HENCE I buy more than I need which equals...I spend more.

It's really a simple fix, but I've never been a simple person. Ever. Ask my husband. And my parents. I'm fantastic.

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Near the end of the week I start to notice that the few things I have left in my kitchen are no where near what I want to eat, so at that point I head to the grocery store and buy what we would rather have...

But I'm changing.

So what happens when I open my fridge and see some rotting potatoes, a handful of kale, and a lemon?  As my good friend Tim Gunn once said..."Make it work."

So I saved the lemon for the baby, and made a potato dish that was flavorful, comforting, and surprisingly didn't taste anything like 'the end of the week.'

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*I love this dish because it contains a great variety of vegetables, which is always a plus! Feel free to jazz these up as a breakfast side dish, or top them like you would a baked potato!*

Stove Top Potato & Kale Dish

Ingredients

  • 3 TB. coconut oil

  • 2 TB. chopped garlic

  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced

  • 2 large carrots, shredded

  • 1 green bell pepper diced

  • 4-5 golden potatoes, peeled and diced

  • 1 bunch curly kale, stems removed, leaves chopped

  • opt: a little veggie broth to add while the potatoes are cooking, about 1/4 cup

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • preferred seasonings (We like a sprinkle of paprika, garlic, hot sauce, and cumin)

Instructions

  1. Heat your coconut oil in a pan on low/medium heat.

  2. Cook your onions and garlic until onions become translucent, about 3-5 minutes.

  3. Next add in your carrots and bell pepper. Toss and cook for 2-3 minutes.

  4. Add in your potatoes, toss, and cover the pan with foil. Add a little broth if you want the potatoes softer more than crispy. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  5. Once the potatoes are cooked to your liking, add your seasonings to taste.

  6. Fold in the kale, cook for a minutes to warm kale.

  7. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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These would be perfect with tons of toppings as if you were loading a baked potato, such as:

Eggs, cheese, greek yogurt, salsa, beans, hot sauce, etc...

But out of the above toppings, only one thing was in my fridge...Salsa. :)