Friends!!

Happy Easter weekend! Happy Passover soon! Happy Spring!

Despite the fact that it was snowing (what the heck?!!) here in MA this morning, our family is looking forward to a weekend full of egg hunts, friends, church celebrations and family visits!

Easter came early this year, so I didn’t have time to get a brand new blog out to you. So, I’m sharing and adding to the Easter blog from last year- read through it for some new recipe ideas and some good reminders of how we can, in fact, stay on track over a holiday weekend and still enjoy lots of good food!

I’m super excited to see friends and family this weekend and feast on lots of good stuff. I’ve been busy looking up healthier recipes to make. And there are so many- and guess what?? They can be JUST as delicious as our “traditional” holiday indulgences…

So I was inspired to throw together this quick blog for you with some fun Spring/Holiday ideas for your next get together too 🥗🍳🧇🥧

🍳LETS TALK BRUNCH! There’s probably not a meal out there that I enjoy more than brunch. And not just for the mimosas (though those don’t hurt). And believe it or not, brunch doesn’t have to be full of carbs and fat- it can even be tasty without those. My faves?? Make a huge fruit salad and a frittata. And better yet- make double so you have easy breakfasts and snacks for the week 👌👌

DON’T SKIMP ON VEGGIES : You know the best way to enjoy a holiday meal without feeling like crap after?? Fill half your plate with veggies. Yep- same thing you should be doing for all your meals, only on holidays, that other half of your plate may be filled with some yummy tradional foods you don’t get to eat very often. Awesome!! But, still nourish your body with some veggies!! If you’re heading to Easter lunch/dinner, bring a fun Spring salad or a cute veggie plate, like this one, found here: https://www.madetobeamomma.com/easter-bunny-veggie-tray/

KEEP APPETIZERS LIGHT: I don’t know about you, but I look forward to enjoying the meal, so I don’t like to fill up too much on heavy apps. This year, we’re putting out a fruit and cheese platter and I thought these peppers were super cute too! For a healthier option, I’d fill the peppers with hummus rather than cream cheese (but also cause I really hate cream cheese. I know- I’m one of very few but I stand firm in my dislike of this filling) Anyway, use a healthy filling and make this for a cute app:

AND LASTLY, DON’T FORGET A SWEET TREAT: What’s a holiday without some sweets, right? Personally, I do a very low gluten and lactose diet, and that can be hard when it comes to desserts. Here’s a recipe I’m gonna make for a sweet and refreshing Spring treat:

Love this for an Easter treat 🐰🐥//INGREDIENTS//-

1 cup almond flour

4 scoops vanilla IsaLean shake (you can find that here: https://jessicatreadwell1.isagenix.com/en-us/shop/weight-management/isalean-shake?pid=e18379664dad4b4e8390fd15c5022321)

2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (separated into 1 1/2 cups and 1 cup)

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

3 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp sea salt

DIRECTIONS: Put all the ingredients except 1 cup of coconut in a food processor and blend until well combined.Scoop out a heaped teaspoon of mixture and roll into a ball with hands.Finish off by rolling in coconut to cover the outside of the ball.Set in fridge for 1 hour to chill and set.

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend, time spent doing the things you absolutely love and joyful memories made ☀️☀️

Off to dye the Easter eggs with the kids! 🥚🥚
Cheers, friends!
~Jess