20(ish)--- Macadamia Nut Butter Blueberry Cookies

I still had a bunch of macadamia nuts to use after my Hawaiian Pesto. There's peanut butter, and almond butter, and hazelnut butter. What about macadamia nut butter? I guess I haven't really LOOKED for it, but it's easy enough to make on your own. Grind up some nuts and you get butter.

Now onto the cookies. These are lovely and not too sweet. The blueberries complement the macadamia nuts perfectly.

Again, macadamia nuts = monounsaturated fatty acids= lower cholesterol levels.

Macadamia Nut Butter Blueberry Cookies

Makes 24

1 1/4 cups raw macadamia nuts

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried blueberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 365 degrees. In a food processor, chop 1 cup of macadamia nuts until smooth, ~2 minutes. Add in remaining 1/4 cup nuts and chop until small chunks are dispersed into butter.

Transfer nut butter into a large mixing bowl. Add sugars, vanilla and beaten egg and mix well with a hand-mixer on medium speed.

In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda and cinnamon. Add flour mixture into sugar mixture and beat at low speed until combined. Fold in chopped blueberries and refrigerate mixture for 15 minutes.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll cookie dough into 1" balls and place on sheet. Use a fork to press each ball. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 8-9 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and place on wax paper to cool.

Nutrition Info per 1 cookie: 92 calories, 3 g fat (1.6 g monounsaturated), 1 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates

80--- Green Goddess Dressing

Green goddess dressing is a favorite of mine. I have used mixes, bottles, and other potions to try and find the perfect restaurant-quality combination. You must make it from scratch. It is the only way. No mayonnaise was used in the creation of this lovely adornment to salads, fajitas, fresh tomatoes, pickled pigs feet, etc.


75% of the fat in this green goddess dressing comes from monounsaturated fatty acids. That is the reason for the 80 rating on this one! Monounsaturated fatty acids may have the ability to lower your bad LDL cholesterol and raise your healthy HDL cholesterol.

Green Goddess Dressing
Makes ~ 1 cup


1/2 large avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp anchovy paste (you may use chopped kalmata olives as an alternative)
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
1/4 cup low fat butttermilk
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped


Combine all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.


Nutrition Info per 2 Tbsp serving: 83 calories, 7.5 g fat (6 g monounsaturated), 1 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate

Nutrition Tip: Observations of My Grandparents

My hubby and I went to Iowa last week to visit my grandparents. I am so lucky that I still have three grandparents, all in their 90s and living at home. Their generation has so much knowledge to share with us.

My grandparents are amazingly healthy. They have never been overweight. They have good eating habits not because someone told them that they should, but because that is just what they do.

We both (unknowingly) made some great observations about their nutrition habits on this trip. These healthy habits were not things that we had not heard before, but to see it in everyday action with truly healthy people was interesting.

Here are a few things that we observed:

1. EAT REGULARLY

They eat three meals everyday. They rarely snack. Skipping breakfast, or any other meal, is not an option.

2. EAT THE MAJORITY OF YOUR FOOD BEFORE THE AFTERNOON:

Lunch is their largest meal (called "dinner" in Iowa-- crazy confusing). For "supper" they eat a small portion of what is leftover from "dinner".

3. MODERATION:

They do not "restrict" anything, but their portions of everything are small. My dad reports that this has always been the case, therefore it is not due to decreased appetite that sometimes comes with age. My grandfather has a cookie with each meal. And he can.

4. FOOD AS FUEL

When we asked them what their favorite meal was, they could not come up with one. They do not even make a special birthday meal. And not because there were too many foods to choose from. Food for them really seems to be more about necessity than desire.

5. YOUR BODY IS YOUR VESSEL

If you told them that something was unhealthy for them, they would not eat it. Done. No argument.

This is the way of eating for my grandparents. It just is because it is. And it's working.

80--- Cumin Cilantro Corn-on-the-Cob

My hubby and I went to Iowa last week to visit my family. We brought home SWEET CORN! If you've never had Iowa sweet corn you have not lived a full life. It's still early season, but it is so tasty.

Corn is a whole grain! Fantastic! But we typically drown it in butter and salt which makes it much more of a 20 than an 80. This delicious twist keeps it as an 80! Cumin is a spice with anti-carcinogenic properties as well as iron and manganese, which makes it a terrific addition to any food.

Cumin Cilantro Corn-on-the-Cob
Serves 4

4 ears sweet corn, shucked
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Aluminum foil


1. Soak ears of corn in water for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat grill.

3. Mix cumin and sea salt in a small bowl and set aside. Place 3 Tbsp in another bowl, then use a brush to lightly spread oil onto soaked corn. Sprinkle cumin/salt mixture onto each ear, then sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

4. Wrap each ear tightly in aluminum foil.

5. Place corn on the grill over medium heat for 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately!

Nutrition Info per 1 ear: 110 calories, 6 g fat (5 g monounsaturated!), 3 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 2.4 g fiber

80--- Grilled Taco Pizza

We harvested some beautiful salad greens from our garden. They are small and tender and so delicious. Most people would think "Salad!". My first thought was "Taco Pizza!".

I used raw tortillas for these pizzas. They are made by Tortilla Land and they are the only ones I use anymore! Fresh = Fantastic. Our taco pizzas were vegetarian, but you can add any variety of toppings to make them your own!


Grilled Taco Pizza
Makes 5

5 uncooked tortillas (you may use regular 10" flour tortillas if you must)
1 1/2 cup low fat refried beans, try mine
1/2 cup water
1 large yam, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 tsp ground cumin, divided
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
3-4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin rounds (or feta)
2 1/2 cups fresh salad greens


Preheat and clean grill. Spray grill rack with baking spray. In a large dish, toss yam rounds with 1 Tbsp chile powder, salt, and 1 tsp cumin. Place yam rounds onto grill rack over medium heat and cook for ~2-3 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. When cool, cut into 1/2" cubes.

Place refried beans in a medium nonstick saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp cumin and 2 tsp chile powder. Heat on low until warm.

On clean grill rack, place tortillas (two were all that would fit at one time on mine). Cook over medium-low heat. When grill marks appear, remove from grill. On side with marks, spread 1/3 cup refried beans, chopped yams, chopped onion, jalapenos (if desired), fresh chopped tomato, and cilantro. Place a few mozzarella slices (or feta) evenly onto toppings. Return pizza to grill for additional 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy.

Remove from grill and place 1/2 cup fresh salad greens onto pizza and slice into quarters. Garnish with salsa if desired and serve.

Nutrition info per 1 pizza: 260 calories, 5 g fat, 10 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber

80--- Hawaiian Pesto

Somebody who loves me went to Hawaii and all I got was a bag of macadamia nuts. Just kidding. That somebody was my parents and I was really stoked about the nuts.

Macadamia nuts have more monounsaturated fats (that may lower your LDL cholesterol levels) than any other natural food source. These little buttery balls are also full of vitamin E and selenium, both powerful antioxidants.

This pesto will take you to the islands. My husband said it was the best pesto that I had ever made. Ho'omaika'i 'ana (congratulations) to me!

I used mine as a sauce for some whole grain spaghetti and garnished with fresh shaved Parmesan cheese and viola blossoms (edible). This would also be terrific on a grilled chicken breast or on a turkey burger.

Hawaiian Pesto

Makes ~ 1 1/2 cups

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, stemmed

1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves

1/3 cup raw macadamia nuts

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup pineapple juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Place all ingredients into a small food processor or blender. Blend until pureed and smooth in texture.

Will keep in refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Nutrition Info per 3 Tbsp: 70 calories, 7 g fat (5 g monounsaturated), 1 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber

20(ish)--- Strawberry Mint Sangria Popsicles

These are not for kiddos. But they are adult-beverage/dessert perfection.


Strawberry Mint Sangria Popsicles
Makes 5-6 popsicles

1 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
8 strawberries, stemmed and chopped
10 fresh mint leaves, finely minced

Combine the red wine, strawberries and mint in a small bowl and let sit for one hour.

Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stirring occasionally, heat just enough to dissolve the sugar. Place in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Set a strainer over a medium bowl and strain the fruit from the wine. Divide the strained berries and mint evenly between all popsicle molds (it will fill each 3/4 of the way). Whisk the cooled orange juice mixture into the wine.

Pour the sangria mix over the fruit in each mold, leaving a quarter-inch of space at the top. Place tops on molds or place molds in refrigerator for one hour prior to inserting sticks. Freeze overnight. Run molds under warm water to dislodge popsicles.