Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Protein Packed!)
Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Protein Packed!)
The whole family will love these broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken breasts. Seared then baked, each stuffed chicken breast stays…
READ: Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Protein Packed!)
Vegan Almond Green Smoothie Bowl
Packed with 23 grams of plant-based protein and leafy greens, this Vegan Almond Green Smoothie Bowl makes it easy to start your day on a nourishing note. Almond butter, vegan vanilla protein powder, and soy milk create a rich, creamy base, while frozen banana and spinach blend seamlessly into a vibrant green smoothie you’ll actually look forward to. Pile on the raspberries, almonds, and cacao nibs, and you’ve got a breakfast bowl that delivers on both flavor and nutrition.
Active time: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes
Vegan Almond Green Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
For the smoothie
- 3 tsp (9g) cacao nibs, divided
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 scoop vegan vanilla protein powder
- 2 tbsp (32g) almond butter
- 1 medium banana, frozen
- 2 cups (50g) raw spinach, packed
- ¼ cup (20g) rolled oats
For the topping
- ¼ small banana, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- ½ cup (75g) fresh raspberries
- 2 tbsp (18g) whole raw almonds, roughly chopped
Directions
Add 2 tsp of the cacao nibs to a high-speed blender. Add the soy milk, protein powder, almond butter, frozen banana, spinach, and oats, then blend, tamping or scraping down as needed, until smooth.
Divide the puree between two bowls and smooth the tops. Arrange the banana slices, raspberries, chopped almonds, and remaining cacao nibs over each bowl. Serve immediately.
Serves: 2 | Serving Size: 1 cup
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 442; Total Fat: 20g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 10g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 158mg; Carbohydrate: 45g; Dietary Fiber 8g; Sugar: 23g; Protein: 23g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 963mg; Iron: 21%; Vitamin C: 34% ; Calcium: 13%
Originally published March 2026
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Carrot Hummus Recipe (Roasted, Creamy and Easy Dip)
Roasted Carrot Hummus is a creamy dip made with sweet roasted carrots, chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon. It’s a bright, flavorful appetizer perfect for spring gatherings and Easter.
Roasted Carrot Hummus
My friend made this Roasted Carrot Hummus and was so excited for me to try it that I had to recreate it at home. It’s a fun twist on classic hummus, blending roasted carrots with chickpeas, tahini, garlic, spices and lemon or vinegar for a smooth, flavorful dip with a beautiful golden color. It feels especially perfect for spring and makes a great Easter appetizer served with fresh vegetables, pita chips, or crackers. If you’re planning an Easter menu or spring gathering, this roasted carrot hummus is a great place to start. For more ideas for your holiday table, check out more of my Easter recipes.
Why This Recipe Works
Adding roasted vegetables is a simple, low-calorie way to elevate plain hummus. It not only changes the flavor but also alters the color, making it a fun addition to any veggie tray.
- Balanced flavor: The sweet roasted vegetables, sharp raw garlic and vinegar, and warm spices create a well-balanced hummus that will have you coming back for more.
- Make-ahead snack: Keep it in the fridge for a convenient snack during the week.
- Easy: After roasting the vegetables, it only takes a few minutes to blend everything together.
- Nutritious: This healthy hummus dip contains staples of the Mediterranean diet, which provide anti-inflammatory benefits and heart- healthy fats.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy roasted carrot hummus recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Chopped Sweet Onions become even sweeter when roasted.
- Carrots: Peel and thinly slice a carrot.
- Garlic: Roast 1 clove and leave the other raw. To make a less garlicky dip, roast both cloves to mellow their flavor.
- Spices: Cumin, smoked paprika, and salt
- Chickpeas, a key ingredient in hummus, are an affordable source of plant- based protein and fiber. When you drain them, save some of the liquid for blending.
- Tahini is a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds with a rich, nutty flavor.
- White Wine Vinegar or Fresh Lemon Juice: The acidity balances the other rich ingredients.
How to Make Roasted Carrot Hummus
To shorten the roasting time, chop your vegetables into smaller pieces. You can use a food processor or a high-speed blender, but if you have both, I recommend the food processor for a smoother, creamier hummus. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable instructions.
- Roast vegetables: Spray the carrots, onions, and 1 garlic clove with oil, then sprinkle with seasoning. Roast on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Puree the hummus: Add the cooled veggies to a food processor or blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. It might need a little liquid to get fully blended, so add 1 tablespoon of the garbanzo bean liquid at a time if necessary.
Variations
- Onions: Substitute a red onion or shallot.
- Prefer a milder garlic flavor? Roast both cloves.
- No smoked paprika? You can use sweet paprika.
- Spicy carrot hummus: Sprinkle in crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne.
- Flavor boosters: Add za’atar, oregano, or parsley.
- Garnish with whole chickpeas or fresh herbs.
Serving Suggestions
- Party appetizer: Serve this healthy roasted carrot hummus with raw vegetables, like cucumbers, bell peppers, and sugar snap peas, crackers, pita bread wedges, and pita chips. It’d look pretty on a crudité or charcuterie board.
- Swap it for mustard or mayo: Use it as a spread on any sandwich or wrap, like this Hummus Avocado Toast, Open-faced Tuna Sandwich, or Grilled Chicken Sandwich.
- Add it to a Mediterranean bowl. I like to recreate Cava bowls at home with roasted veggies, meatballs, feta, and hummus.
- Use it in any recipe that calls for hummus, such as this Greek 7-Layer Dip or Greek Nachos.
Storage
- Make Ahead: Prepare this roasted carrot hummus a day in advance if you’re serving it at a party.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.
- Freeze hummus in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Thaw it in the refrigerator. If it’s too thick, add a bit of water or olive oil and blend again.
More Hummus Recipes
Looking for more hummus recipes? Try my other easy homemade hummus recipes perfect for dipping, spreading, or adding to bowls.
More Spring Appetizers
If you’re planning a spring gathering, be sure to check out my other appetizer recipes, perfect for entertaining, holiday tables, or simple grazing boards.
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 /4 cup
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Preheat oven to 425°F and prepare a medium sheet pan with parchment paper.
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Add onion, carrot and 1 clove of garlic to the baking sheet. Spray with baking spray and then top with the cumin,smoked paprika and salt. Toss to coat.
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Roast vegetables for 15-20 minutes until the carrots are soft and the onions start to crisp. Allow to cool.
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Add roasted vegetables, chickpeas, tahini, white wine vinegar and remaining raw garlic clove to a food processor or blender; blend until smooth. Add liquid from chickpeas in 1TB increments to help bring together.
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Spoon into a dish and top with a sprinkle of smoked paprika– serve with crudites!
Last Step:
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- For a less-garlicky dip, add both cloves to the roasted vegetables.
- The thinner the vegetables are cut, the shorter the cook time is!
Serving: 1 /4 cup, Calories: 88.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 13.5 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 2.5 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Sodium: 399.5 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 5 g
Easter basket ideas for teens and tweens
Sharing a roundup of Easter basket ideas for teens and tweens!
Hi friends! I hope that you’re having a wonderful morning! I have a couple of appointments today and looking forward to tacos and pool time later tonight. We officially skipped spring here in Tucson and headed straight to summer. While I don’t *love* that I need to start waking up earlier to walk the dogs, I’m kind of loving the fact that pool season is here early.
Spring is always chaos – I feel like it’s pure insanity until Maycember and the end of school- and I can’t believe that March is almost over!!! Easter is totally sneaking up on us, so I figured I’d share a roundup of Easter basket ideas for teens and tweens if you’re planning and getting things ready this week like yours truly.
Please note that affiliate links are included below. Thank you so so much to those of you who support the blog by purchasing through my links!
Easter basket ideas for teens and tweens
TBH I don’t go wild for Easter. I see some elaborate basket ideas and while I applaud and cheer for it, it’s not for me lol. I keep things pretty simple: usually some summer-y things like a pair of cute sandals, a swimsuit or two, candy, and some fun stuff mixed in. I’m including tons of ideas below but please know our children are not getting all of these things!
Here’s a previous Easter basket (this one is from a couple of years ago! Also it was wild to read this 2020 Easter recap.)
While they’ve definitely moved up from LOL dolls lol, the basic framework is the same.
Here are some of the things that would be cute for this year.
Swimsuits and sandals:
Maaji is my go-to brand for P. They make the best rash guard swimsuits and they last all summer. I usually get her one or two more expensive suits and the rest from Target.
Liv loves Target and Amazon swimsuits.
Rashguards.
Birks
Cute dressier sandals
Summer things:
Coverups
Beach towels
Goggles
Mini bluetooth speaker
Fun extras:
Lip glosses
I’m going to order one of these lip butter sets and break them up (one for each of them and one for me!)
Sheet masks
Skincare
SQUISHIES. Squishies and Nee-doh is all the rage right now. I just ordered some of these.
Little Jellycats
Keychains
Sunglasses
Small coloring books with gel pens or watercolor book
Woobles set. There are so many cute ones! Love these embroidery kits, too.
Gift cards to spots they love: boba, Starbucks, etc.
Ok friends: any fun Easter basket ideas? Any traditions you love? Please share!
Here are 10 healthy Easter recipes, too.
xo
Gina
The DNA-Damager in Fried Foods
Glycidol may help explain why people who eat fried foods get more cancer.
“The main purpose of frying is to produce foods with good consumer acceptability. However, not all acceptable foods are safe.” Food chemists have been very interested in the newly discovered toxic compounds produced by frying.
We’ve been refining vegetable oils for more than a century, but only recently have we discovered that this can produce concerning compounds such as 3-MCPD and, even worse, glycidol. 3-MCPD is considered a nongenotoxic carcinogen with a tolerable daily intake, while glycidol is a known genotoxic carcinogen, meaning it can cause cancer by directly damaging our DNA, as I discuss in my video The Carcinogen Glycidol in Cooking Oils.
If a compound is not directly DNA-damaging, it’s assumed that it acts through a mechanism that exhibits a threshold; a so-called no-effect level may exist, a level below which it may not be harmful. But if a compound does damage DNA, it’s generally assumed to follow “a non-threshold mechanism…and no ‘safe level of intake’ can be derived,” because it may only take DNA mutation to start the march towards cancer. So, such substances are not allowed to be added intentionally to foods. For so-called unavoidable contaminants, the “ALARA” principle is followed, meaning that the level should be as low as reasonably achievable or as low as reasonably practicable. Since that’s what glycidol appears to be, we should try to avoid it as much as possible.
A lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 100,000 is “often used as a figure for acceptable risk in the population.” Based on lab animal data, this might be exceeded if someone weighing about 150 pounds consumed less than a microgram a day. However, thanks to the use of refined oils in so many food products, the average glycidol exposure may be more than 50 micrograms. And in children, the level of intake may exceed acceptable cancer risk by 200-fold.
So, do people who eat more fried food get more cancer? There is said to be strong evidence that there may be a higher risk of developing chronic disease among frequent consumers of fried foods, but that’s talking largely about cardiovascular health. For example, in a study of more than 100,000 women, frequently consuming fried foods, especially fried chicken and fried fish, was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, meaning such consumers lived, on average, significantly shorter lives. But that was due largely to cardiovascular mortality, whereas fried food consumption was not generally associated with dying from cancer. In men, however, a larger intake of fried food was associated with a 35% increased risk of prostate cancer. Therefore, perhaps men with an increased risk of prostate cancer should, as a precaution, limit their consumption of fried foods.
These refined oils are also used in infant formulas, which presents a problem for babies who aren’t breastfed. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has come to the conclusion that “infants who are fed exclusively industrially prepared infant milk formula would take in harmful levels of glycidol.” It should be noted that U.S. formulas contain levels of glycidol contamination comparable to those found in Europe—yet another reason that breast is absolutely best. Meanwhile, there are calls on the manufacturers of these products to do everything they can to reduce levels as low as possible.
But, evidently, the industry has yet to find a way to refine vegetable oils without creating these kinds of by-products, “while at the same time maintaining the quality of the refined product.” It was therefore concluded that this problem has no simple solutions, but I disagree. We can choose to avoid the use of oils and fried foods.
Doctor’s Note
I previously talked about 3-MCPD in The Side Effects of 3-MCPD in Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and 3-MCPD in Refined Cooking Oils.
There is no substitute for human breast milk. Adoptive families or those who use surrogates may want to look for a nearby milk bank.
🫣 Weight Loss Secret Breakfast @CatAndRatOfficial #trendingshorts #diet #food
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source
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Using frozen spinach and canned beans means these vegetarian enchiladas can be whipped up on the fly with ingredients you probably have at home. Skip the cheese to make it vegan-friendly.
Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 medium (160g) sweet potatoes
- 1 15-oz. can of enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 15-oz. can no salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and pressed to remove the liquid
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork then microwave them until they are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Lightly spread 2 tbsp of enchilada sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish to prevent sticking.
Peel and dice the cooked sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, then place them in a large bowl. Add the black beans, well-drained spinach, salsa, cumin and 2 tbsp of the enchilada sauce and stir until evenly combined.
Warm the tortillas so they’re soft and pliable by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30–45 seconds. Working one at a time, spoon about ½–¾ cup of filling across the center of each tortilla, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.
Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the tortillas and top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 2 enchiladas
Nutrition (Per serving): Calories: 379; Total Fat: 8g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 14mg; Sodium: 1032mg; Carbohydrate: 61g; Dietary Fiber: 13g; Sugar: 11g; Protein: 16g
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin D: 1%; Calcium: 20%; Iron: 21%; Potassium: 1226mg; Vitamin A: 35%; Vitamin C: 18%
Originally published November 13, 2017; Updated March 2026
The post Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.
Tempeh Reubens
Fermented soybean-based tempeh has a “meaty” texture and a mild flavor that’s a blank canvas for marinades like the mustard-based version here. Pan-fried, it’s an ideal stand-in for corned beef or pastrami. Just add Swiss cheese, homemade Russian dressing and probiotic-rich sauerkraut, and you’ve got a meatless Reuben to remember.
With the tempeh and sauerkraut, you’re getting a nice dose of probiotics because both of these foods are fermented. Plus, you’re getting a substantial serving of fiber and protein, making this meal functional, nutritious and filling.
Active time: 15 minutes Total time: 50 minutes
Tempeh Reubens
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp low-sodium tamari or coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 8-oz. (227g) block of tempeh, cut into 4 thin slabs
• 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tbsp low-sodium ketchup
• 2 tsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp chopped dill pickles
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 8 slices sprouted multi-grain bread (try Ezekiel Sprouted Bread)
• 4 thin slices Swiss cheese
• 1 1/4 cups raw sauerkraut, drained
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the tamari, vinegar, mustard, honey, paprika, and garlic powder. Add the tempeh slices and turn gently to coat in the marinade. Set aside for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight in the refrigerator to allow the tempeh to soak up the marinade.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, pickles, and pepper; set aside.
Mist a large nonstick skillet with olive oil cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the tempeh pieces (they will have absorbed most of the marinade) and cook until crisped and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the pan from the heat.
Place 4 slices of bread on a work surface. Put 1 slice of cheese on each piece of bread, followed by the tempeh and sauerkraut. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the remaining slices of bread and place them dressing-side down on top of the sandwiches.
Mist the nonstick pan again with cooking spray and place over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches and cook until the bread is crisp and the cheese has melted, about 4 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
Tip: Read labels when buying sauerkraut, as some brands are very high in sodium. Make sure to buy raw sauerkraut, which is always refrigerated. It contains live probiotics that may help gut health.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 sandwich
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 380; Total Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 12mg; Sodium: 1121mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 8g; Sugar: 10g; Protein: 23g
Nutrition Bonus: Calcium: 19%; Iron: 18%; Potassium: 567mg; Vitamin A: 3%; Vitamin C: 1%
Originally published February 16, 2021; Updated March 2026
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