Ring in the New Year with Bean and Cheese Tacos

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Did we eat a little too much during the holidays? Are we ready to kick start our New Year's resolution to eat healthier yet? If you ask me, it's a great big YES to both flying out of my mouth. Not that I've been eating terrible food, but there is always room for improvement. You don't need to wait until the first of the year to make positive changes. We usually stuff ourselves with greasy pizza and sugary snacks on New Year's Eve, but this year is going to be different. My family loves tacos, but instead of the normal ground beef we fill them with, I am opting for a healthier, protein and fiber rich version instead. These Bean and Cheese Tacos from Golden Blossom Honey are easy, filling, and are so flavorful, you won't feel like you're missing out by making the swap.

These tacos would be perfect for your New Year's Eve party. Set up a taco bar and let everyone choose what toppings they'd like to add to their own plates. Salsa, avocado, black olives, and diced tomatoes are all healthy and delicious options. You could skip the fatty sour cream and add a dollop of Greek yogurt to keep things on the lighter side. I used soft shelled tortillas, but if you prefer hard shell, by all means, use those! You could even make the filling recipe as is, then sprinkle them over a tortilla chip lined baking sheet, toss the cheese on top, then bake in a 350 degree oven until cheese is melted for a bean and cheese nachos dish. Yum!

Ingredients

Tacos
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
8 - 12 taco shells
Toppings:
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup salsa
1 avocado, peeled and chopped


CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

How will you be ringing in the New Year?

 

Wrap Up Some Caramel Nut Squares This Holiday

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Have you wrapped up your holiday baking yet, or do you still have room for more sweet treats to whip up and pass out to loved ones? I love food gifts, both giving and receiving them, because who doesn't like to eat!? I don't have a lot of kitchen time this time of year (if you've been here awhile, you know that most of my family has birthdays the last two weeks of December, plus all those holiday obligations I have to deal with) so if a recipe hits my radar that looks delicious and easy, I am all over it. Like these Caramel Nut Squares I recently found on Golden Blossom Honey. 

These caramel nut squares are a perfect holiday treat. They offer a cookie bottom topped with caramel and nuts, it's like a cookie/candy combo. What's better than that!? Nothing as far as I'm concerned. Bake up a batch, then have them on hand for your holiday guests, or if you are gifting treats this year, they go great with coffee or tea. Pop them in an oversized mug, tie up with some cellophane wrap, then place a festive bow on top. Or just toss them into your cookie boxes. With only being 1 inch in size, they are a great space filler.

Just a quick tip. Do not allow the bars to completely cool in the pan. Remove them while the pan is still slightly warm by running a butter knife around the edges then turning over onto a cutting board. I had to toss my batch back into the oven to remelt the caramel since mine was completely stuck to the pan after cooling, making them almost impossible to get out. Yes, I did use cook spray, but caramel sticks good, y'all. Or, just line your pan with parchment paper before adding the ingredients for easy removal.

Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, slightly beaten
Topping:
3/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon heavy cream


CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Do you enjoy receiving food gifts?

 

St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland

When researching what I wanted to see in Cobh, Ireland, St. Colman's Cathedral kept popping up in my searches. It was no wonder, because the cathedral is simply stunning!

I am in love with old, Gothic architecture, so I knew I had to plan a stop to see the cathedral in person. It was one of the first stops I earmarked when planning out our travel itinerary.

St. Colman's is free to tour, but you do need to be mindful that it is a working cathedral, so be respectful if there is a worship service or funeral service being held once you arrive. Thankfully, neither were in place when we arrived, but the interior was going under extensive renovation during our visit. There was a lot of scaffolding and plastic sheets blocking some of the inside beauty, but it was still a sight to behold taking in all of the incredible details it still had to offer. I'll let the photos speak for themselves (which were taken on an iPhone, so the picture quality isn't the best, but you still get the, well, overall picture lol).

St. Colman's looks massive from the outside, but it only took us about 15 minutes to walk through, which included my many stops for photos. The details on the inside are impressive, but I especially love the exterior of the cathedral. Nestled next to the water, it's just a romantic sight to take in.

If you walk around the base of the cathedral, you'll find a wall with hollowed out parts that have framed tablets with religious pictures carved into them. You can have a seat on one of the many bright red benches along this wall. It's a great place for praying or reflecting.

Even if you are not religious, St. Colman's Cathedral really can't be missed if you're going to be in the area. It's really a work of art in itself! Once you've finished with your tour (which is self guided, btw), be sure to check out the rest of Cobh. The sleepy fishing village has many lovely shops and streets to explore, you'll surely get lost in its charm like I did. 

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow me on Instagram for more travel related posts! 

Old Gothic churches... yay or nay?

 

Spending a Few Hours in Charming Cobh, Ireland

I'm finally getting my mojo back, and part of my newfound energy is to wrap up way overdue travel posts. So, today I am bringing you to charming Cobh, Ireland.

Cobh, which is pronounced Cove, is a quaint little fishing village on an island in Cork's city harbor. It also happens to be Titanic's last port call in 1912. I wanted to take my husband and girls to Cobh because it also served as an embarkation point during Ireland's mass emigrations. If you claim Irish heritage, there's a pretty good chance that your ancestors left Ireland through Cobh, so I wanted them to get a good look at where their ancestors left the Emerald Isle for America.

If you search for photos of Cobh, the most photographed part of the town would be their gorgeous St. Colman's Cathedral. You'll usually find it pictured high on a hill behind a row of brightly painted homes, which would be their version of San Francisco's Painted Ladies. Since I didn't have more than a few hours in Cobh, I decided to take a few up close snaps of its beauty instead of trekking halfway across town for a wide landscape shot.

The cathedral is a real stunner in person, so I decided that I'll do a new post tomorrow to show you around the inside to keep things short here today. To get to the cathedral and harbor, you'll park in town then end up walking down a steep (and when I say steep, I mean it's ankle sore STEEP!) hill. Going down isn't too bad, but the trek back up is brutal! However, to get to explore this charming little village is totally worth it.

There are a lot of little cafes and shops to explore around town, but my favorite part was hanging out on the pier and staring out across the water. It's so peaceful there!

While we didn't have the time to go, I hear the Titanic museum and discovery center is well worth a visit.

At the Titanic Experience, you'll get a 30 minute guided tour explaining the last port of call that Titanic would make and more information on the passengers who boarded and disembarked. I believe the entrance fee is quite inexpensive, at under $15 per person, it is definitely worth the cost.

We did take some time to walk the streets in town, which are stunning in the spring and summer as they are lined with huge pots of bright and colorful flowers.

While we didn't buy any souvenirs, we did stop for ice cream at Scoops. Mariah couldn't wait to try the Maltesers flavor since we don't have that flavor of ice cream in the US. It was definitely all she hoped it would be!

If you're headed to Cork, I insist you carve out some time to explore Cobh. I've always wanted to retire on the beach somewhere, but this sleepy fishing village stole my heart and I've started rethinking my retirement plans since our visit.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for an inside look at St. Colman's Cathedral.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow me on Instagram for more travel related posts! 

Big city or small fishing village. Which do you prefer?

Struffoli - Italian Honey Balls

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


I was looking for a good Christmas breakfast recipe and came across Struffoli. Technically, Struffoli is an Italian dessert, coated in a honey sauce and topped with colorful non perils. But, to me, they are like little doughnut balls that are perfect for the holiday breakfast table. If something looks like a breakfast item and tastes like a breakfast item, it can be considered breakfast, right!? While we will still have a breakfast casserole in the oven on Christmas morning, I thought it would be a nice addition to have Struffoli to snack on while the girls are opening their gifts. I found a super simple recipe on Golden Blossom Honey that I'll be making for this year's early morning holiday munching.

Normally, Struffoli would be topped with non perils, maybe in red and green for Christmas, or white if you want a snowy look. But this recipe called for chopped nuts instead. You can use slivered almonds, but I went with pistachios to give it a little extra color. Whatever you have on hand though, works. I know we are all super busy on Christmas and probably don't want to be spending time in the kitchen frying dough, but what's nice about this recipe is it can be made up to a few days ahead of time, so you can make it at your convenience, then enjoy it with the rest of the family on Christmas day. That's a gift in itself right there!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM RAW HONEY
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
2 cups shortening for frying

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

What do you usually serve for Christmas breakfast?

 

Creamy Dill Yogurt Dip for Holiday Entertaining #GreekGodsHoliday

This post is sponsored by Greek Gods but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.


Cookies. Cakes. Candy. Pie ... Are we on a sweets overload this holiday season yet? It's super easy to go overboard on the foods that may not be so good for you this time of the the year. All of those tempting treats are really hard to resist! We go to a lot of functions in December, and most of them are centered around food. As much as I'd love to throw caution to the wind and gorge myself on all of those sweet treats, I know that's not good for my waist line and certainly not for my health. That's not to say that I don't snack while out though. I just make sure I am reaching for the right foods that will keep my tummy in check and won't leave me with food regrets by the end of the night. So, I make sure that I always either have a veggie tray on hand if I am hosting, or I bring one to the party if I am a guest. That way I know there are some healthy options on the table that I can fill up on instead of stuffing my face with heavy or sugar based snacks. 

Plain veggies are a bit boring, if I'm being honest. But there's a really easy fix for that. When I have a veggie tray on the table, it is always accompanied by a dip. Store bought dips are fine if you're in a pinch, but I subscribe to the "homemade is better" theory when it comes to food. Most store bought dips are sour cream based and loaded with lots of extra fat and calories that you really don't want to be consuming, especially this time of year. But there's a super simple fix for that. If you have 5 minutes of prep and 1 hour of chilling time, you can whip up my favorite Creamy Dill Yogurt Dip, made with my favorite Greek Gods Greek Yogurt, to serve with your crisp veggies. 

The rich and creamy consistency of Greek Gods Greek Yogurt make it the perfect ingredient for my dill yogurt dip. The Greek-style yogurt begins with a foundation of milk and cream sourced from cows that have not been treated with growth hormones, is an excellent source of calcium, has seven different live and active cultures, and each serving of Greek Gods yogurt has 9g of protein. Not only that, they are organic, Non GMO, and gluten-free. For those who are a little more health conscious when it comes to their snacking this holiday season, it's easy to see why Greek Gods is the perfect solution for your holiday recipes. 

 

Author: Theresa M

Creamy Dill Yogurt Dip

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Greek Gods Plain Nonfat Yogurt 
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 3 tsp fresh dill weed, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Cover bowl and chill for 1 hour. Serve with fresh vegetables.

This dip is my secret to helping me steer clear of the sugary snacks that line the buffet tables during the holidays. It's rich and creamy, so I don't feel like I'm depriving myself of snacks while entertaining.

Want to try Greek yogurt in your holiday recipes this season? You can find Greek Gods Greek Yogurt at your local Walmart store in the dairy case. It is located on the bottom shelve of the yogurt display.

Be sure to look for Greek Gods Greek Yogurt while you are gathering your ingredients for your holiday recipes. It's also great in your smoothies, parfaits, cheesecakes, or even on its own! Show us how you are using it this holiday season by uploading your food snaps to social media and use the tag #GreekGodsHoliday in your posts!

How do you avoid overindulging on sweets during the holidays?

Merry Christmas Giveaway

It's the season for giving, so today I am giving back to my readers and offering up a giveaway where one lucky reader is going to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card to help with your holiday shopping!

Up for grabs is a $20 Amazon gift card. The giveaway is open to all, and will run through 12/23/19. I will send an Amazon.com gift card through email, and while this giveaway is open to all, it is the entrant's responsibility to make sure Amazon is available where they reside as no prize substitutions will be made. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email before a new one is chosen. As some participants aren't on all social media platforms, I offer multiple ways to enter, but remember, each one is optional. Enter only the ones you'd like an entry for. Good luck!

Entry-Form

*images used from cleanpng

Easy Chocolate Honey Treats for the Holidays

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Tis' the season for baking. Sadly, I've been battling a super nasty cold since last week and have a whopping 0 recipes baked so far. Not even for Thanksgiving where I opted to leave the oven off and just make a quick peanut butter pie. In all honesty, the thought of baking anything any time soon makes my head hurt as much as my throat does right now, so quick, easy, no-bake treats is going to be the name of the game for the time being. I was going to make Rice Krispies Treats for Allison's swim meet, but realized I had no marshmallows on hand. Thankfully, I found an awesome recipe on Golden Blossom Honey for a chocolatey version of the famous treats that requires only 4 ingredients and none of them are marshmallows. These Chocolate Honey Treats are every bit (if not more) tasty than the classic version without the sticky mess.

These Chocolate Honey Treats are perfect for those who want to gift treats this holiday season or have to bring a dessert to one of the many functions that seem to go on this time of the year, but don't have a lot of time or energy to dedicate to hours spent in the kitchen baking. It only took about 5 minutes of my time to get this recipe to come together, so I made a double batch to have extra treats to pass out at this weekend's swim meet and the dinners we have to attend. Yummy treats + minimal effort = winning! Tuck some in your cookie exchange boxes this holiday season. They will be a surefire hit with the recipients!

Ingredients

1/2 of a 12 ounce package of Nestle milk chocolate morsels
1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 Tablespoon water
3 cups Rice Crispies Cereal

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Do you participate in cookie exchanges during the holidays?

 

Nixplay Helps You Stay Close This Holiday Season #StayClose

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Spending time with loved ones is the best thing about the holidays. Baking cookies, decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, singing carols together... that's where the best memories are made. I like to preserve those memories by taking lots of photos throughout the season to reflect back upon throughout the year. In today's digital age, it's so easy to snap a quick pic only to have it remained buried in your phone unseen and practically forgotten about. That's why this year I quickly fell in love with Nixplay Smart Photo Frames. I received my first Nixplay Seed over the summer and it became my absolute favorite product of 2019. It allowed me to upload the photos off of my phone and computer so I could actually enjoy seeing my snaps every single day. If you would like to read my review for the Nixplay Seed and see how simple it is to set up and use, you can find that review HERE. 

Now that the holidays are in full swing, I find myself taking many photos once again. With a new year almost upon us, it was time to add a new smart frame to my collection to hold more of my pictures. I recently added a Nixplay Smart Photo Frame 10.1 to my digital frame collection.

The Nixplay Smart Photo Frame 10.1 is a sleek, sharp, and modern frame that flows perfectly with any home decor, and it is super simple to use. You can quickly pair it with your phone to seamlessly upload photos directly to the frame. It only takes seconds to have your cherished memories on display to admire throughout the day. You can set the frame to portrait or landscape, however you choose to view your photos, but one of my favorite features is with this frame, you have the option to wall mount or leave it freestanding. While I leave mine on the coffee table, I do like having the option to mount it to the wall since it will give me more freedom to display the frame anywhere I please around my home.

 
The picture quality is absolutely amazing. My photos always look perfect on my computer and phone, but when I upload them to social media, I notice that the quality diminishes and looks pixelated and grainy sometimes. When I first started using Nixplay Smart Frames, I was worried that would be the case as well once I got everything uploaded, but that's simply not true. Because of its 1280 x 800 HD screen resolution, my photos are flawlessly displayed.

The Integrated Hu-Motion Sensor detects movement, turning your frame on and off automatically. Or, you can choose to use the remote to power it on and off. Another feature that I love is that with the Nixplay Smart Photo Frame 10.1, the remote is magnetic! Simply stick it to the frame when not in use and you never have to worry about misplacing it. (I stuck mine to the front in this pic, but it would probably be smarter to attache it to the back of the frame. That was a "duh" moment on my part!)

I know that many of us have family members all over the country, and as much as we'd love to be with them during the holidays, that's just not possible. My own daughter will be moving across the country next year once she graduates from college, so I'm preparing myself for the inevitable upcoming holidays that we won't be together. That's where Nixplay comes in handy, by keeping us close and connected through their Smart Frames. You can invite friends and family members to upload photos to the frame, so you are connected even when you can't be together. That's why I think that Nixplay should be at the top of your gift giving list this year, since it gives you the ability to stay close to your loved ones all year long.

Right now, from December 2 to December 8, Nixplay is offering pretty sweet Cyber Monday Deals on their Smart Frames where you could save up to 30% off of your favorite digital frames. If you're looking for the perfect gift for your loved ones, I highly encourage you to check out all of the Nixplay Smart Frames and deals going on now. You cannot go wrong with a digital frame since it's the gift that keeps on giving all year long.

Where would you display your Nixplay Smart Frame?