Summer Fun with @BlueDiamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almond Gluten Free Salsa & Burgers, and Berry Almond Shortcake in a Cup #SummerTime #Recipes #Ad

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds.

Below are two very easy, and delicious Summer Time recipes for using Almonds.  The first recipe I used Blue Diamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almonds, Tomatoes, and Peppers from my garden to make a Savory Salsa that is All Natural, and Gluten free.  I used the salsa over top Burgers for a BBQ today. Everyone loved it! Especially my Nephew, and his friends, it was sweet while sneaking in good Protein from the Chopped Almonds. Then for something even sweeter, I made a Berry Almond Shortcake in a Mason Jar Cup, with Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds.

Rosemary & Black Pepper Almond Salsa Recipe, 

Ingredients, 

1/2 cup Blue Diamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almonds 

4 Large Ripe Tomatoes

6 Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

2 Sweet Yellow Bell Peppers

1 Sweet Red Bell Pepper

1 cup Red Onions

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Vinegar

1/2 tsp Salt

Directions,

Dice up the Bell Peppers, and take the seeds out.  Throw in a Blender( I don't have a food possessor so I used a regular Blender to prove you don't need a lot of fancy things.), and Chop more (I like mine chunky so I only Chopped for a few seconds.)  

Put into a bowl.

Dice up the Large tomatoes.  Throw in a Blender, and Chop more. Use a strainer, and put the bigger chunks into the bowl with the Bell Peppers.

Dice up the Cherry Tomatoes, (Leave a few of the Cherry Tomatoes whole, and just cut into half and throw in the Bowl with the other ingredients if you like Chunky.)

Dice up the Red Onions, and Poblanos or whatever other peppers you like.  I chose not to make this one spicy because I wanted all the kids to enjoy it Throw into the Blender to Chop more.  

Throw in the bowl with the rest.

By now the bowl should have the Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Onions, and Poblanos.

Throw the whole Almonds in the blender, and Finely chop them.  

Add them to the bowl with the other ingredients.

Now add the Sugar, Vinegar, Salt,  Mix, and Serve! The Blue Diamond Rosemary & Black Pepper Almonds have a great tasting seasoning added on to the Almonds already that I didn't have to add a lot of seasoning to the Salsa itself.

I do love me some home made recipes, but opted to do a very simple, and easy Berry Almond Shortcake In A Cup Desert Recipe. 

Ingredients,

Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds

Strawberries

Blueberries

Whip

GF Shortcake Cups

Directions,

Chop Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds up in the Blender, and layer it between Shortcake, Strawberries, Blueberries, and Whip cream.  

The cute County Fair Jar Cups I found at Dollar Tree and fell in love with them.  

Gluten Free Fruit Recipes! Win A Nesco Electric Dehydrator & Jerky Maker.

The Nesco/All American Dehydrator is probably one of the easiest appliances I have ever used. If you are a health food guru, or just a beginner, it's all the same. Any one can use this machine.

All I did was open the box, removed the dehydrator, and cleaned the four separate trays off. Next came the fun part, I started to prepare my fruits.

If you have younger kids, or even school aged kids, this dehydrator would make the perfect back to school snacks. Even on the run, and out the door for breakfast. Jerky for protein, and Fruits like apples that's full of fiber would be healthy & filling. Along with blueberries, and strawberries that are full of vitamins they can easily eat with no mess would be ideal too. Any fruit you like, you can dry!

It is also a Jerky Maker, and came with packs of seasoning for that as well. I plan on making chicken, and turkey beef sticks. Maybe even some turkey ones after Thanksgiving with leftovers. Be prepared to see more posts of me creating awesome things with this machine.

I'm using it to make dried snacks for my 19 month old, He refuses to eat "wet" foods, so I get his vitamins in by dried fruits. When dried properly fruits can have a great source of Vitamin A & C, along with the daily fiber for a healthy body.

This is my first time using a dehydrator, so I am just a beginner. I prepared Strawberries, Blueberries, & Fiji Apples. After washing them off. The Strawberries, and Apples(I soaked in water with Cinnamon) were sliced thin. They are not to overlap while on the dehydrator trays. The blueberries I just placed on whole, where ever, I did try to make it look pretty.

I also puree'd blueberries in the blender to make my own blueberry fruit leather. I buy fruit leather all the time, and have never made my own. This is more so for me, than the kids! You don't even have to use sugar in it, the fruit has it's own natural sugar. If the fruits you use are tart, consider using Honey. I love BeeFree Honey (apple honey.) This kit came with a make your own fruit roll up plastic tray with a special no spill over lip.

Over all it takes about 10-12 hours for the fruits I chose.

What is also great about this machine is that the top tells you what temperature to use to dry certain things. There is also a recipe book with easy to follow ideas, like, Orange Julius, Strawberry Cream Cheese, and Pina Colada Fruit Roll Ups.

This was a fun review, If you know how to slice fruit, YOU CAN make your own dried fruit. If you know how to push "puree" on your blender. YOU CAN make your own fruit leather. Don't be afraid to try something new.

My Blueberry Fruit Leather!!!! Turned out great!!!! I used just blueberry puree I made, added a drop of BeeFree Honey (Apple Honey) for extra sweetness. It would've been good without the honey too, but I love things sweet.

My Strawberry Chips!!!!! They dried faster than the rest, but I love them crunchy, so I left them in longer.

My Cinnamon Apple Chips!!!!! The aroma that came off of these while they dehydrated was just beautiful. I like my Apple Chips with the skin on. These are so delicious.

These are the Goodies I dehydrated over night, and woke up too.

The whole blueberries take a little longer, so I've puree'd some strawberries to make strawberry fruit leather with since I have extra trays available again.

I really love the fruit leather. I'm going to make my own Pumpkin Pie leather, Apple pie leather.. Peach cobbler leather.. I seriously, am addicted to the fruit leather.


Interesting Stats about the machine;

The machine itself is 500 watts, top mounted 2,100-rpm fan. That means it dries faster with more power, and you get results in hours, not days.

The patented Converga-Flow action provides even heat distribution, no need to rotate trays. No worries about flavors mixing.

Adjustable thermostat (95F-155F) used for Precision drying for the best quality for perfect fruit, vegetables, herbs, and jerky.
Opaque Vita-Save exterior for exclusive light-blocking in preserving vitamins, and minerals.

Expandable, even tho it comes with 4 trays, This model can operate with 12 trays, and automatically adjusts the pressure itself.


Here's your chance to Win A Dehydrator!!
Giveaway Begins 12:01 AM 7/30/2012 &  Ends 12:01AM  8/30/12,
WINNER IS CHOSEN BY RANDOM ON RAFFLECOPTER, WILL EMAIL WINNER WITHIN 24HOURS, WINNER HAS 7DAYS TO REPLY, OR NEW WINNER IS CHOSEN.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I want to thank Nesco/All American Harvest for such a wonderful, easy to use machine. And, also a bigger thanks for Sponsoring this Review, & Giveaway. Thank you Nesco!!!! I am in love with my dehydrator.

**Receiving the Dehydrator for free from Nesco did not sway my opinion on dried fruit. I have always loved dried fruit, and been curious on how to make my own. Honestly, If It wasn't good, I would have said so. I've had nothing but a positive experience using this machine. Links posted are up to the reader to click in reference to more information on the machine.**..More About My Blog Disclosure.

Just Almonds Review, Ginger Snap Almond Cookies.

Fun fact about almonds; An almond is not really a nut, it is a drupe. which is technically a fruit. Did you know that? I didn't! If you want to learn more about Almonds visit Just Almonds.

Just Almonds gave me a chance to do a review in exchange for product, I received Almonds & Just Almond Flour. I combined both, and made COOKIES! If you've been following my blogs, you will notice that I love to cook. I have ate Almond products before from Andersons, and Wholefoods, but I had never tried to make cookies myself. Making them yourself is by far less expensive. I baked some cookies for my moms group, I'm always trying to find better, healthier snack alternatives. The cookies were pretty simple, and easy to make. I loved the texture of the Almond Flour. Also it's nice to know that they are grown, and packaged here in the U.S.A. If you are a gluten free, natural family, I advice you to check Almond Flour out.

I felt as if I accomplished something by baking almond cookies. In my honest, opinion, I believe almonds are a rich source of vitamin E, calcium, phosphorous, iron and magnesium. It also contains zinc, selenium, copper and niacin. Almonds are good for your brain, heart, & skin. You can use almonds to regulate blood pressure, and cholesterol. You can help prevent certain cancers like colon, almonds help to improve the movement through the colon. Diabetics can eat almonds to help control the rise in sugar and insulin levels after meals. Unsweetened almond milk can help reduce weight by mono-saturated fat that is in almonds by satisfying appetite, and prevents over-eating. Also, because almonds are rich in fiber, and full of folic acids, they are ideal to eat during pregnancy to help with constipation. And, a boost of energy.

The Cookies turned out wonderful. The aroma of the spices from the oven made me want to mix up more batches. What else I loved about this recipe with the almond flour was, you didn't have to use your mixer. Just mixing by hand, and rolling the almond flour into balls was fairly simple after the wet ingredients were added. Using the beefree honey made it less sticky, and didn't stick to my hands much.

I thought it looked pretty, all the different colored spices over top the almond flour.

Below is the recipe if you'd like to try to make some yourself. Just Almond sells Almond Flour, Almond Meal, & Almonds by bulk as well.

How To Make The Cookies!

Preheat oven to 275 degrees

Blend all the dry ingredients together

Add the honey and butter to the dry ingredients, and blend well

Create small balls of dough, place about an inch apart

Flatten each cookie with a fork, flatten it one way with the fork, then the other way so it makes a cross over pattern

Sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar over each cookie

Add a whole almond to the middle of the cookie

Bake for 15 minutes

Lower the oven to 175, flip the cookies over, and bake for another 15 mins

You know me, I hope I have made you all hungry! Drooling, Vying for the taste of a ginger snap almond cookie on your tongue, & wanting to experiment using Almond Products. This was a delicious review, and yes I ate my cookies warm.

You can find Just Almonds on Facebook, or by JustAlmonds.com. Hope you enjoyed my review, and the fun, healthy facts about Almonds.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

US Only.  Giveaway Begins 12:01 AM 7/19/2012 &  Ends 12:01AM  8/10/12,
WINNER IS CHOSEN BY RANDOM ON RAFFLECOPTER, WILL EMAIL WINNER WITHIN 24HOURS, WINNER HAS 7DAYS TO REPLY, OR NEW WINNER IS CHOSEN.

Daiya Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Cholesterol Free, Casein Free, Soy Free, Preservatives Free Cheese Review!

Super easy pizza! Using Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds, and Gluten Free Pizza Crust.  

The cheese is Dairy, Lactose, Casein, Gluten, Soy, and Cholesterol Free.  It doe's melt, and stretch like regular cheese.  It tastes like fresh grated, mozz cheese that was just melted.  I also like the fact that Daiya is 100% preservative free.  

My favorite pizza toppings are: Turkey Bacon, Black Olives, and Red Onions.   

Verdict on Daiya Cheese:  Total Success, equals a happy family.  Everyone enjoyed their slices of Pizza, and I still have enough in the bag to make this meal again.

I had the chance to ask Ashleen from Daiya Foods what her favorites were; She is a fan of the Cream Cheese, and Jalapeno Garlic Harvarti Style Wedge.

The No Bake Cheesecake, using Daiya Cream Cheese, What I like about this recipe is, most of the ingrediants are things we already have in our kitchen.  You can find the receipe for Dairy Free Cheesecake by going to Daiya Foods online.

Another Favorite of her's was the jalapeno garlic Havarti style wedge.  We absolutely love spicy foods, and I am looking forward to trying the Wedges.  I have some tips! Straight from insiders source about the Cheese "is that less is more. You don’t really need as much as you would use dairy cheese so start out with small amounts if using Daiya on a pizza or quesadilla."  

unfortunately my Local Grocer did not have a vast line up of products so I had to request them at Customer Service. Keep in mind, if your store doesn't carry something.. always Request the Product!  Most major chains will want the product, because they want your buisness.

Check out other Daiya Food Products by going to www.daiyafoods.com, and Finding Daiya on Facebook, Daiya on Twitter.

Disclaimer: I received coupons to facilitate a review.  

November - December 2014 GreenVics Page Stats #PR FRIENDLY #GiftGuide #Reviews #Giveaways

Contact Me, angel@greenvics.com

My Social Media Networks,

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My Websites Are, 171,000 Page Views last month.

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Build-A-Bear Workshop #Review @BuildABear #HolidayGiftGuide #SantasWorkShop #Spon

Disclaimer: I received product to facilitate a review, all opinions are my own.

Build-A-Bear Workshop has my son's favorite Stuffed Animals.  Even as a newborn we had Pawlette.  It was Pawlette that created his love of Stuffed Animals. 

Our favorites tho are all the Limited Edition Friends. Right now there are Even Santa, and his Reindeer! Along with Frosty the Snow man. My little Ponies, Disneys Frozen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other kids favorites to dress, and befriend.

During the Summer we received Toothy Shark (He was also a PUPPET) to review.  My 3 year old Loves him to pieces.  

As you can see, Toothy is pretty unique, and fun.  I love Toys that are playful, along with details.  My son examined, and started to pretend to Chomp Toothy back.

Another fun idea is to Buy Build-A-Bear Bucks, and use them in store, Click here to find a location near you. Build-A-Bear Bucks would make ideal stocking stuffers!

http://www.buildabear.com/workshop/

https://www.facebook.com/Buildabear

https://twitter.com/buildabear

@NestFreshEggs are a good Source of #Protein #AminoAcids #Organic #Fresh #Spon

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored Post.

January is soon! Which means it's National Egg Month! Eggs are a great source of complete protein. Which means they are a healthy source of Amino Acids, Low Calorie, and Zero Carbs. My family loves to eat eggs in the morning.  Ideally we go for a certain amount of protein a meal, and eggs really help reach that goal.

Read more easy meals using Organic, Free Range Eggs at Nest Fresh by clicking here.

NestFresh, based in Colorado, offers consumers certified organic eggs from 100% cage free hens for the best tasting, highest quality farm fresh eggs. The brand touts humane, sustainably-farmed eggs from hens that are fed a 100% vegetarian diet without growth hormones, antibiotics or animal byproducts.