Tourin' Honeybee Produce Company

Hey team!

This post is dedicated to giving a BIG, SWEET shoutout to @honeybeeproducecompany 🍯🐝

OK. I'd say it's pretty common knowledge that I'm a food nerd*
*someone who starts jumping up and down and squealing when any food-related topic is brought up, ranging from normal things like, "it's time to eat lunch" to extremely unusual things such as, "Kass, I saw vanilla bean paste the other day, weren't you looking for that?"

So when I go to super amazing grocery stores, I kind of really geek out and can't contain my excitement...

Three words: Honeybee Produce Company

Honeybee Produce Co. is located in Draper, Utah. I was lucky enough to be treated to an amazing     exclusive tour around the store... GUYS! IT'S BUZZING! 🐝🐝 I basically had a healthified "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" moment. I was full-on cheesing 😃, wide-eyed 😧, and drooling 😛 the entire time I was there - It's incredible.

Honeybee Produce Co. has...

• So many organic options
• A TON of local produce (like locally made healing bath bombs)
• Amazing vegan options
• It is very reasonably priced (especially compared to other higher-end grocers)
• A "Mountain Mix" create-your-own trail mix bar
• A glorious bulk section with a bunch of yummy selections
• An incredible infused olive oil and vinegar section (k but their caramelized garlic extra virgin olive oil... yess)
• Freshly ground peanut, almond and ⭐CASHEW⭐butter
• The coolest "Hive Eatery" where everything is made/baked in store THAT DAY (*their mangoberry salad is yummm)
• Amazing hydro lemonade and kombucha on-tap
• Vegan cloud top coconut cream ice cream

And much more!

👆Not only that, but while they do have a ton of healthy options, what makes this place so unique is that they also feature some of your favorite basic "Walmart", "kid-craving" necessities like Soda and Twinkies!

I dropped by, was treated to an amazing tour (thank you Sarah!) with the nicest & coolest employees, taste-tested the yummiest cheese spread and jelly-topped crackers (that were cranberry, apricot & pistachio flavored...) (no joke, this was a highlight of my week), sampled their amazing vegan coconut cream ice cream, enjoyed their tasty mangoberry salad, was introduced to super delish Mexican CINNAMON flavored dark chocolate, and even got to take home an amazing goodie bag that was packed full of the yummiest, cutest, most awesome healthy goodies ever!

Mangoberry Salad 🙌

Thank you to the cheese-genius herself, Diana!

I know I know... dark chocolate is my weakness

Alright, I pride myself in only promoting the things that I truly love and am passionate about right? I'm always looking for options that are healthy, different, unique, and most important - delicious! That being said, I very highly recommend Honeybee Produce Company. It has so many amazing options that are super reasonably priced. Not only that, but their "Hive Eatery" is delicious and even offers a cute hive seating area to relax and chow on yummy food. Overall, the whole atmosphere here is bomb - so fun, clean, organized, unique, cute, and happy!


Thank you Honeybee Produce Company!!

HEALTHY TOMATO BASIL SOUP

I lovvvvvvve fall!! Lately for some reason it's been so fun for me to finish classes (shocker...), escape the crisp autumn air 🍁🍂 , toast some 45 cal bread, warm up a steaming bowl of soup, and chill on my comfy couch while I fill my belly with warm, amazing food ...Which is exactly what I did after making this delicious tomato basil soup!

It's...

• Dairy-free (Creamed with tofu!)
• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Low-calorie
• Super easy to make
• DELICIOUS!!

Dairy-Free Tomato Basil Soup

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 6 oz semi-firm tofu (I got some at Walmart)
• 1/2 small red bell pepper
• 1 whole can of diced tomatoes without added salt (we'll be adding that in later!)
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• garlic salt
• dried diced onions

Directions

BLEND EVERYTHING on a high speed blender until it has reached a smooth, creamy consistency AND ENJOY!!

PB2 Banana Bowl

OK GUYS THIS IS IT. I'm officially releasing one of my all time favorite recipes EVER.
....It's the PB2 Bowl...plus healthy granola...

TIP: make the granola first so the smoothie base doesn't melt 👍😉

PB2 Banana Bowl

It's definitely cool to take your bowl outside and enjoy the morning sun as you demolish it! 😊

Serves 1
Ingredients (for smoothie base)

• 2 heaping T of PB2 powder
• 1/2 c ice
• 1/4 c almond milk (amount might vary depending on blender & desired consistency)
• 1 small to medium sized RIPE banana
• 2 squirts stevia
• large pinch of pink himalayan sea salt (this gives the smoothie a super delicious "buttery" taste, but normal salt always works just fine as well 😀)

Directions

Blend everything! (Thicker consistency is ideal)

**AH! THIS SMOOTHIE IS MY FAVORITE! It is super light & low-calorie and often I will just drink the smoothie on its own without the extra work of making granola! (But the granola is still amazing)**

Ingredients (for sweet n salty granola)

• 1/4 c crispy rice cereal
• 2 T slivered almonds
• 1/8 c quick oats
• 2 heaping T of PB2 powder
• 2 T pure maple syrup
• A large pinch of pink himalayan sea salt (or just normal sea salt)
• optional: a few squirts of "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" spray
• optional: handful of shredded sweetened coconut
• optional: throw some sliced banana on top

Directions

Mix everything together in a separate bowl and pour on top of smoothie base

**This granola recipe is so bomb because it is light & oil-free! It pairs so perfectly with this smoothie bowl and is soo delicious! My mom will sometimes ask me to make her a bowl of just the granola so she can munch on it! YUM!**

Turkey Feta Spinach Burger

Who loves burgers? Me! ✋

The thing I love about eating healthy is that you can still eat the things you love minus the full/heavy feeling!

These burgers are MONEY. They are one of my favorite meals ever!

PS sorry for not putting exact measurements! I rarely use exact measurements anyways, but this recipe is fairly simple so definitely try it out!

Turkey Feta Spinach Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 part extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 part chopped spinach
• 1/4 part feta
• 1/4 part quick oats
• 1/4 part egg whites
• salt & pepper
• around 3 T garlic powder (they need more than you'd think)
• garlic salt
• 1/8 part dried or finely chopped onions
• optional: whole wheat burger bun or iceberg lettuce wrap(my fav)
• optional: garnish with parsley

Directions

Mix everything together in a large bowl

Form into patties and grill on a greased pan for 5 minutes each side on medium high heat

*If using a whole wheat bun, grill the bun on the pan as well

*If using a lettuce wrap (MY PERSONAL FAV!!) rinse the iceberg lettuce thoroughly and wrap it around the turkey burger in place of the whole wheat bun

**TASTES AMAZING paired with a ketchup and mustard mixture

Snack Ideas

LOTS of questions I have gotten about what my healthy go-to's are when it comes to snacks! (Yoda...?) I definitely love my snacks and throughout my many munching years, I have developed a few yummy go-to's. Here are some of my favs!

Low calorie "midnight snacking" type of snacks

• lightly salted rice cake
• lightly salted rice cake with warm chocolate PB2 drizzled on top (or "slathered" on top if you're me...)
• apple 
• cotton candy grapes... 😛😍 or just normal seedless grapes (I love to freeze them!!)
• 45 cal bread toast with spray butter on top
• Almond milk smoothies

Healthy every-day "fat burning" type of snacks

• lightly salted almonds
• lightly salted cashews (THE BIG BINS FROM COSTCO ARE BAE)
• chocolate almonds (NOT the chocolate covered ones... Walmart sells a brand that is "chocolate flavored" and they're to die for!)
• pistachios
• popcorn (with little to zero butter)
• apple
• apple dipped in Sara Natha's maple almond butter 
• cotton candy grapes... 😛😍 or just normal seedless grapes (I love to freeze them!!)
• 45 cal bread toast with spray butter on top (or chunky peanut butter)
• multi grain crackers with sliced turkey on top (or the light/low-fat string cheese on top) (or both)
• light string cheese
• lightly salted rice cake topped with chunky peanut butter and jam 
• roasted chickpeas (the store bought ones are really good but even better, try roasting them on your own without any oil.. yum 👌)
• Two Moms in the Raw blueberry or cacao nib granola bars
• Larabars or RX bars
• reduced sugar chewy granola bars
• peanut butter ginger chews
• dark chocolate - in moderation (👈 the moderation part rarely ever happens for me so if I know I am going to scarf it, sometimes I'll just try to completely avoid it!)
• my homemade oat banana bread :):):):):):) (I love heating it up in the microwave and putting maple almond butter or "I can't Believe it's not Butter" spray butter on top!)
• CO2's salted caramel coconut chips 
• Almond milk smoothies (ice+banana+almond milk+cocoa/cacao powder+stevia+pink himalayan sea salt) or (ice+banana+almond milk+PB2 powder+stevia+pink himalayan sea salt)

MY BIG SNACKING TIPS:

-Remember moderation. Too many times I've started snacking, then continued snacking on seconds, then switched to a different snack, then another, then all of a sudden I've eaten the equivalent of an entire meal... plus my stomach hurts.
-Carry a water bottle around!! I notice that when I'm feeling snacky, sometimes I'm actually just thirsty. Now that I carry a water bottle around with me everywhere, I have noticed that my stomach feels satisfied more often!

The Original Acaí Bowl

Who doesn't love Acaí bowls?
✋ me when I can't afford them....

Acaí bowls are not only delicious, but they contain a super fruit (Acaí....) that is pack full of healthy antioxidants. Fun little fact: antioxidants help the body in avoiding damage to cells caused by oxidants.

While these delicious bowls are SO YUMMY, they tend to be extremely over-priced and can often contain loads of extra sugars.

So to all of the Acaí bowl lovers out there, (and to anyone in general) here is the solution!! This is my recipe for your typical, "original" flavored Acaí. (One that is cheaper and way more healthy!)

The Original Acaí
(BTW this is my secret recipe so don't let it get out okay? 😁😂)

Serves 2
Ingredients

• 1 Sambazon unsweetened Acaí packet
• 1/2 c shredded ice
• 1/2 c frozen blueberries
• 1 date (optional)
• 1 banana
• unsweetened almond milk (only a tiny swig at first, then add more to reach desired consistency)
• Optional: 2 large dollops of agave or honey (sometimes instead of agave or honey, I only add a few squirts of stevia)

Directions

Blend and enjoy! Top with homemade granola (recipe below), sliced bananas, and a swirl of honey! 

Homemade granola👇👇

The cinnamon granola topping

• 1 c almonds
• 3 c oats
• 2/3 c honey
• 2 T coconut oil
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/8 t almond extract 
• 1&1/4 T cinnamon

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Chop the almonds so that you have a bunch of different sizes - some finely chopped, and some larger (it might be a good idea to take half of the almonds and process or blend them to get finer bits)

Mix all of the almonds, oats, and salt in a large bowl 

Microwave the honey and coconut oil for about 30 seconds, then add in the vanilla and almond extracts

Pour the wet honey mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix so that everything is coated evenly

Pour your entire mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Bake for 5 minutes, stir everything around, then return to the oven for 5 more minutes

Spread granola evenly onto wax paper or a different baking sheet and allow it to cool

After completely cool, break it apart and store in an airtight container!

Quinoa Quiche Bites

Quinoa Quiche Bites
These are a perfect savory meal for a healthy morning breakfast, snack, lunch, (or I even eat them for dinner... and dessert...)

Makes about 36 mini bites
Ingredients

• 1 c uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• water to cook quinoa
• 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
• 2 c shredded spinach
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1/2 c shredded nonfat cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c nonfat parmesan cheese
• 3 T dried chopped onion
• chopped low-fat fresh ham
• garlic salt to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• pink himalayan sea salt (or just normal salt) to taste
• pepper to taste

Directions

Cook quinoa according to package directions

Let it cool off

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix cooled quinoa and all of the ingredients in a large bowl

Fill greased mini muffin tins with the mixture

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown

*Can be stored in fridge for up to 3 days

*You can also freeze them for later and heat em up in the microwave when ready to chow!!

You can also use larger muffin tins which yields around 12 :)

That's it I'm recreating it

Hello again!!

CannIgetta GIRLS TRIP!?

Like I've mentioned, my mom and I are besties. We decided to take a long & fun drive to So Cal where we spent the weekend just chilling and watching my bro's HS football game! (& partying in Disneyland but don't tell Dad...)

Since she knows I'm a food nerd, she wanted to take me to try this "delicious/weird/healthy pizza" that she had tried once with her friend a while ago. So we took a little trip to MALIBU!!

It's this place called Malibu Farm and HOLY INCREDIBLE. We shared the cauliflower crust pizza and it tasted like the food-stars aligned and shed inspirational light beams on the hands that created it... and if that made zero sense, lets just say it tasted AMAZING!! It's one of those food moments where the flavors come together so perfectly. Shoot I'm salivating.



Yup. Definitely gonna try to recreate it.

👆That statement actually brings me into another one of my favorite foodie tips! Whenever I order something amazing, I ALWAYS get the weird nagging desire to run home and recreate it but even healthier and yummier. If I nail the recipe, I'll have to post it soon!! Can't wait to food process some cauliflower!! (Wow... if I heard myself say this as a kid I'd probably disown myself).

Oh! And we also decided to try the vegan peanut butter ice cream... another incredible dish. My mom is lactose-intolerant and my stomach sometimes gets gurgly after I have dairy too, so I had fun explaining to my mom that "vegan" meant no animal products and that it was completely dairy-free! Sooo yummy. And the bananas paired perfectly with it 👌

All in all the whole menu looked killer. & I'm dying to go back to try the spaghetti squash lasagna!! (and obviously get that cauliflower pizza again...) Thank you Malibu Farm!!