Kara Lydon | The Foodie Dietitian Blog

Peanut Butter Banana “Ice Cream” With Dark Chocolate

August 21st, 2011 | Posted in Dessert, healthy eating, Recipe ReDux, Recipes | 7 comments

The theme for the August Recipe Redux is Frozen Dessert. A healthy but delicious frozen dessert is a great way to end those late, warm summer nights. What better a way to enjoy these summer nights while they last than to have a refreshing tasty treat.

This month I experimented with the ever so popular banana “ice cream” craze. Yonana is on the radar all over and everyone and their Mom is talking about how to make ice cream out of bananas. If you haven’t heard of this theory of bananas making ice cream, don’t think I’m crazy just yet.

When frozen bananas are blended and pureed, it turns into a creamy, gooey consistency.

For my recipe redux, I decided to make peanut butter banana “ice cream” with dark chocolate drizzled on top. How could you go wrong with the combo of peanut butter, banana, and dark chocolate?

Since…

Equal Exchange Tour

August 15th, 2011 | Posted in Travels | 2 comments

Remember when Equal Exchange (EE) was kind enough to send me some tea and coffee to sample? Remember when they offered to send a gift basket to one of my lucky readers? Well, they also offered me to take a tour of their roaster in West Bridgewater, MA. How could I pass up a unique experience like that?

I drove up on a Friday to their roaster and met with LJ, the man behind the twitter handle @EqExintheCup. When I first arrived, he brewed me a cup of Organic Rooibos tea. As I sipped my cup of tea, we sat and talked about the history of EE. Founded in 1986, EE is a worker owned co-op meaning that employees have an equal share and vote in decision making. EE is best known for its fair trade with small farmer co-ops. By farmers being paid fair trade prices for their…

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad and Winner of Adora Giveaway

August 11th, 2011 | Posted in healthy eating | 2 comments

Before I announce the winner of the Adora Chocolate Calcium giveaway, I want to share with you a beautiful summer appetizer that I could indulge in every night if I wanted to. And I do, want to.

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Tomatoes are abundant and fresh in the summertime and pack a lot of nutrition. They are a great source of the antioxidant lycopene as well as vitamins A, C, and potassium.

I snagged some tomatoes and basil from Russo’s and mozzarella made from a farm in VT. Russo’s truly is a foodie’s heaven.

I sliced a couple tomatoes and placed slices of mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. I topped off each tomato and mozzarella tower with a basil leaf. I drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled a little S&P on top. Delicious!

And now the announcement you have been waiting for. The winner of the…

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Adora Chocolate Calcium Giveaway

August 8th, 2011 | Posted in giveaways | 6 comments

When I was at the Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference back in June, Adora was nice enough to give us tons of free samples of their chocolate calcium supplements. Although it made packing and going through security at the airport a little more interesting, it was totally worth it. They also offered to host a free giveaway for Peace, Love, and Food readers! For more details on the giveaway, keep on reading!

I have used Adora calcium supplements in the past because I have a history of not being the most compliant vitamin taker. I spend tons of money on vitamins and then forget to take them! To increase my compliance, I tried Adora supplements because who forgets to take their daily dose of chocolate?!

Adora calcium supplements are available in milk and dark chocolate. Each chocolate disk contains 500mg Calcium Carbonate (~50% of daily value) with 250 IU…

An Orchard Wedding

August 5th, 2011 | Posted in healthy eating, Travels | 3 comments

Two weekends ago, my cousin Jenna married Mr. Chris Goodman. It was a gorgeous wedding out in the Apple Orchards of Hurd Orchards in Upstate NY. Here is the happy married couple with their beautiful daughter Nico!

The ceremony was held outside (in 96 degree weather!) but we made the best of it using paper fans and staying well hydrated!

After the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour with drinks and yummy farm fresh appetizers. I think fruit should always be an appetizer. Especially when it is presented like this.

Or this…

The reception and dinner took place in this rustic barn.

If the appetizers were any indication of how dinner would be, I was super excited to see what other farm fresh food was in store for dinner.

A green salad with fresh blueberries and cucumber to start….

Blueberry Basil Lemonade Fizz

July 21st, 2011 | Posted in Beverage, healthy eating, Recipe ReDux, Recipes | 14 comments

I am excited to share my first Recipe ReDux post with you all. Recipe ReDux is the first and only recipe challenge group founded by registered dietitians. Each month I will be creating a recipe based on the month’s theme. I was so excited to start off the first Recipe ReDux by making a summer beverage.

It all started with fresh picked blueberries from Tangerini’s Spring Street Farm.

That gave me the inspiration to make this summer beverage:

While drinking, it is appropriate to let out a satisfying ahhhh.

This drink is perfectly refreshing for the summer. The blueberries and basil pair well together and are in season this time of year. Making this beverage was my first time using an immersion blender and it was definitely worth the investment. It blended everything very well.

The blueberry basil lemonade fizz quenched my thirst and desire to taste those fresh local…

Kale and Quinoa Salad

July 18th, 2011 | Posted in Entree, healthy eating, Recipes | 2 comments

I can’t get enough of kale. A nutritional powerhouse, kale is packed with vitamin A, C, K, lutein, and beta-carotene. Not only does kale contain super antioxidants, it also contains fiber, which fills you up and leaves you satisfied after a meal.

Kale, a form of wild cabbage, is no new kid to the block. It has been around since before the Middle Ages and originated in Europe. This dark, leafy green is one tough vegetable. Its leaves are resistant to damage from frost, making it a popular winter vegetable. Its taste is slightly bitter, comparable to a mild cabbage. It can be paired with various flavors but also tastes great with simply olive oil, salt, and pepper. A great way to ease your way into kale is by making kale chips! Wash a bunch of kale, remove the stems, and tear into small pieces. Add olive oil…