Note: This recipe is part of a sponsored series created for Fiber One.

With strawberry season arriving in the northeast, I am thinking of all the ways I will use strawberries this season. Typically, I make jam, freeze some, make lemonade, eat a lot and slice some into salads. Strawberries have always been my favorite fruit, so I eat as many as I can when they are in season (and sometimes when they aren’t too).

In salads, strawberries pair wonderfully with smooth greens like baby spinach or Boston bibb lettuce — though sometimes it’s nice with romaine lettuce as well. But a salad is more than lettuce and berries … it needs more flavors and more textures to be something truly craveworthy.

This Crunchy Strawberry Salad totally is.

It has it all — sweet strawberries, vibrant greens, sharp blue cheese, crisp sugar snap peas and lightly sweet cereal. I love the way the bite of the cheese mingles with the sweetness of the berries. And also the way the crisp sugar snap peas contrast with the crunchy cereal. It’s a symphony of flavors and textures. And it’s so fast to make — so it’s perfect for any day’s lunch.

When Fiber One approached me about creating some mix-in recipes with their cereals, I was psyched. I love adding crunch to recipes and immediately started dreaming up ways to do that — including a recipe that’s a little more savory because I really love contrasting flavors and textures. Don’t you?

Be sure to also check out the other recipes in this series:

Chocolate Crunch Fruit Salad

Quickie Chocolate Banana Trail Mix

Disclosure: I was compensated by Fiber One for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.

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When the weather warms up, I start thinking about lighter foods. The soups and roasts that hit the spot on frigid New England winter days are forgotten in favor of lighter summer fare like fruit, everything grilled and salads. Dinner becomes an art of combining no-cook dishes (can’t heat up the kitchen!) combined with whatever is coming off the grill.

Honestly, I love our foods of summer — the creative salads, smoky grilled meats and tasty seafood. I think it might be my favorite eating season (you can have a favorite eating season, right?).

What I also love is the contrasts of foods in summertime — the sweet fruits served alongside savory dishes. The cool veggies with warm grilled whatever. You get it.

And this Warm Salad with Grilled New Potatoes is all about the contrasts. There’s the crisp veggies and lettuce with the creamy grilled potatoes. There’s the hot potatoes and cool dressing and salad. And of course, the sweet tomatoes and sharp blue cheese. It’s divine.

Making the potatoes is so simple. This is ideally made with new potatoes — little red potatoes that are about one-inch in diameter. But larger red potatoes can be used too (just cut them into a 1-inch dice). You simply combine the potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a foil packet. And then you grill them until they are all soft and tender.

Once that’s done, you assemble your salad on plates. Because of the potatoes, this is a pretty filling salad. But if your family has a big appetite, you could also serve it with grilled chicken.

Drizzle it with your favorite vinaigrette … and it’s ready to be enjoyed.

 Have you had potatoes on a salad like this?

PS – Did you know that Betty Crocker (who sponsored this post) now sells fresh potatoes in the produce section? Betty Crocker Fresh Potatoes come in red, yellow, white and russet varieties. The red potatoes would be perfect in this dish.

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Betty Crocker for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.

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When I saw these portabella mushrooms at a local grocery store, I swooned and my head filled with images of meaty roasted portabellas on a salad. Everything else I had imagined cooking vanished (I had really planned to stuff mushrooms with St. Patrick’s Day leftovers). I just wanted my warm portabellas and cool salad.

We’re mushroom fans here. Through and through.

On a recent evening, I browned cremini mushrooms in a skillet with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and then swirled in a little red wine to finish them off. They were meaty, rich and tender. Then I spooned them over medium-rare sirloin steak served alongside some cheesy tortellini. Guess what the kids dug into first?

We eat mushrooms fairly often since the kids and I really love them. They are perfect for roasting alongside bell peppers, Brussels sprouts and other vegetable favorites to be spooned over rice or mixed into pasta with cheese and a little olive oil. They are sliced on salads and stuffed for appetizers. Sometimes, I will saute them and just eat them like that. And no matter how I cook them, they are always greeted with “Oooh! Mushrooms!” by my kids.

Selfishly, I wish they didn’t love them this much — there would be more for me!

I was recently asked to partake in the National Nutrition Month blog tour sponsored by The Mushroom Channel (aka the Mushroom Council, an organization of fresh-market mushroom producers and importers whose mission is to encourage the eating of mushrooms in a variety of meals), sharing how my family add mushrooms to our menu in a way that suits our family’s tastes and health goals. March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day.” For us — well, the kids and I, at least — mushrooms aren’t just a great meat alternative, but they are also a versatile addition to a variety of dinners … and lunches too. And from a health standpoint, mushrooms also have a lot to offer — they are rich in antioxidants and have a healthy dose of vitamins B and D.

Now, let’s talk about this bodacious meal.

I don’t think I have ever used the word ‘bodacious’ before, but I think it’s fitting here. Because it totally is. Bodacious, I mean. Anyway …

This salad is perfect for a light lunch. Meaty portabella mushrooms are roasted until tender and then topped with breadcrumbs and cheese and roasted a little more. Then, they are served on a cool, creamy Caesar salad. It takes a good 40 minutes to make — but most of it is hands off as the portabellas roast. It’s a little longer than I like to spend making lunch on a weekday, but it’s so worth it.

Just don’t tell the kids that I’ve been indulging in this without them.

One More Thing …

If you love talking mushrooms, be sure to tweet away with the Mushroom Council at their Twitter Party on Wednesday, March 20^th 8-9 PM EST.  The hashtag for the party will be #MushroomDish. The party will serve as a discussion for everything mushrooms, from their versatile nature to their flavorful umami qualities.

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the Mushroom Channel/Mushroom Council. Connect with them on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. All opinions and recipes within this post are my own.

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Dear March, enough with the cold weather. I am so over it. Bring on the warmer temperatures, skin-kissing sun rays and afternoons in the backyard. Seriously, it’s time to let go of the near-freezing temperatures and tuck the bulky coats away once and for all. Please?

Whether or not March complies with my request (and looking at the weather forecast, it’s definitely learning toward not), we’re at that part in the season when the bulky comfort foods of winter give way to lighter (but still warm and cozy) foods of spring. This is when the sun gets a little brighter (or it seems to), reminding us that we’ll soon be digging our toes into warm sand and frolicking in the salty surf.

I can’t wait for those days to come.

In our house, that means stepping away from the homemade macaroni and cheese, and focusing in on veggie-packed dishes like this one. This glorious bowl of flavors and textures.

Veggie and Bean Rice Bowls with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette is a tangy, sweet, crisp, creamy delight. The Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette is a tart dressing infused with cilantro — with this,  you don’t need cheese or anything else to make it truly sing. And sing it does — like a bowl of fabulous, Southwest-inspired goodness.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go make this!

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Old El Paso/General Mills for the creation of this recipe. All opinions are, as always, my own.

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There’s something about a warm, toasty, stuffed quesadilla that just says comfort. With all the melty cheese, the crisp outside and … well, whatever you stuff in it. It’s a definite favorite of mine. And I especially appreciate how simple, fast and easy quesadillas are — even when you get a little fancy with the fillings.

And sometimes, biting into comfort food is a little like taking a deep breath. It’s refreshing and calming all at once — both good things that we all need a little more of.

These Veggie Overload Quesadillas are literally stuffed with sautéed veggies — lots of them. It’s a good thing.

To make these, you start by sautéing a bunch of veggies together until they are crisp-tender. Then you slather butter all over the tortilla and stuff it with cheddar and those delicious veggies — and avocado too. Then you cook it until it’s all golden on the outside with warm melty goodness on the inside. That avocado? It adds such an amazing note of creaminess too.

Then you devour it. With salsa, hopefully.

One more little note. I used Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil for this and discovered how amazing it can be for dishes like this. It’s made with three simple ingredients (sweet cream, canola oil and salt) and comes out of the fridge ready to spread — which means that there’s no waiting to spread it all over the tortillas or any threat of ripping them up when you spread the butter on. That kind of rocks. Really. I think I might be a little in love with the ease of this spread — especially since it still tastes like butter.

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Disclosure: This recipe was sponsored by Land O’Lakes via Platefull. All opinions are (as always) my own.

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This Thai Red Curry Roasted Vegetables over Quinoa is one of my favorite dishes. Like ever. Actually, anything with Thai Red Curry Sauce falls into that designation.

But making this? Well, it’s not for Shawn and I sort of had to hold my breath seeing if the kids would like it too.

See, onions are a huge point of contention in my house. While I love them, Shawn despises them (unless they are chopped so finely that the texture disappears, then he enjoys the flavor — but shhh! don’t tell him that). Paige is lukewarm about them raw but loves them cooked. And Will? He’s lost his taste for raw ones recently calling them “spicy,” which I can kind of see.

Still when he saw me whipping up this dish yesterday, the first thing he said was “Oh, but it has those onions I hate,” I cringed a little. The kids are generally open minded about food but sometimes … geesh.

So, I might have rolled my eyes a bit. If there’s one thing I know about my son, it’s that he likes pretty much everything — including sweet cooked onions. “No pickiness in this house,” I reminded him. “The flavor of onions completely changes when they are cooked — and you do like it. And besides, think how much you’d be missing if you were picky about food.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I would be missing a lot,” he said very seriously.

As the vegetables turned a rich golden hue, the aroma filled the house and the kids checked on the meal’s progress a few times. But even though they’d been watching the whole thing unfold, their reaction when I placed their plates on the table was priceless. Will took a long look, and then said, “Wow, this looks so good.” And Paige dug right in, raising a thumb to share her approval. They both loved it.

That excited me beyond belief since I’d tossed those sweet roasted vegetables with one of my very favorite sauces — Thai Red Curry Sauce. It’s a delicate mixture of coconut milk, red curry paste and other flavors that’s sweet and ever-so-spicy. You can make your own (it’s pretty easy), but Trader Joe’s also sells a really tasty premade one (they have no idea who I am, and didn’t pay me to say that. I seriously buy this stuff often). It was a fragrant, creamy dish served over a simple bed of quinoa (rainbow in this case, but more on that another day).

They  loved it. I love it. Such goodness.

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Paige’s gleeful giggles have a pure melodic quality to them. When they fill the kitchen, it echos across the house — a sweet sound that never fails to make me smile. Hers are quickly joined by Will’s uncontrollable laughter. His laughter is loud and unwieldy and so, so happy. It’s joy, unleashed.

We are so lucky. So incredibly lucky. But it’s more than that. We are blessed — and it’s something I remember every single day. I try never to let myself head down the rabbit hole of what-if, but it’s practically unavoidable. So instead, I have taken to reminding myself to be thankful every time the thought crosses my mind of what could have been.

Even when it gets really noisy in here.

This afternoon, as the kids played a loud and raucous made up game, their giggles and laughter spread through the four walls of our home. They share an incredible bond, and come up with so many imaginative pursuits.

They’d already dug into this homemade pizza, enjoying the mix of garlic, cheese, tomatoes and sauce.

Making Cheese and Tomato Pizza with Garlic Bread Crust

I love me some good stringy, melted cheese. Don’t you?

This pizza starts with an easy and flavorful garlic bread crust. Roasted garlic, melted butter and salt are brushed all over the dough and then baked in. Then, the crust is spread with tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh tomatoes and baked to perfection. The resulting cheese pizza is a turned-up classic that’s perfect for movie night or a fab game day snack (like the Super Bowl on Sunday!). And since it can be whipped up in just 20 minutes, it’s a fabulous last minute homemade pizza too.

For the roasted garlic in this, I buy already roasted garlic at Whole Foods or a local purveyor, Stew Leonard’s. It makes infusing dishes like this with the caramelized goodness of roasted garlic a cinch.

What Super Bowl recipes will you be serving up this weekend? Any special game day plans?

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Paige’s blondish-brownish hair swung below her knitted cap as she climbed the stairs to her school bus today, heading off to kindergarten. She sunk onto the first seat, sliding to the window and looking out at me with her big brown eyes. Immediately, her little hand rose  and started waving. I did the same, wearing a big smile.

As the school bus doors closed, I read her lips. “Bye, Mommy. I love you,” she said, and I wondered if she’d said it out loud — though I couldn’t hear it outside.

“I love you,” I responded, tears welling in my eyes despite my smile. As the bus drove out of sight, we continued waving until we could no longer see each other.

Then the tears fell. I wish they wouldn’t, but I’ve found it hard to control these emotions lately. It’s all so much. As I climbed into my SUV, my heart whispered the same silent prayer I’ve held every day since my kids returned to school last week — just let them be safe.

Everything has changed for us.

Our lives now have a big divider between the time before December 14, and the time after. This is more than just a change of schedules and school locations, though both have have big impacts on us. It’s a change of perception, security and how we behave. Before December 14, when the kids would head off to school, they would never glance back. And when I would wave to the bus, it would be to the bus driver because the kids would never look for me. Now, they both do every day. While I am grateful for these precious moments, I wish they didn’t have to come at such a steep and awful price.

Each day brings a new opportunity to move ahead and find our new normal. And each day we try our best to be successful at it. Some days, like today, are just harder than the others. But, we’ll be okay. I am sure of that.

On Health

In the days following that horrible, awful day, many in my town faced the same sleepless nights and disinterest in food. Then, slowly, we got a little better. Perhaps one night we’d sleep all the way through. And then the next day we’d feel hunger again. It all came slowly back, restoring our selves in the process.

As 2012 became 2013, many made resolutions or declared goals. It’s part of the forward motion, after all — and a New Year’s tradition. But for me at least, making progress on those resolutions and goals has been challenging.

We’re just over a week in and I have yet to make good on any of my health goals. I haven’t been to the gym. I haven’t found a food tracking program that works. And honestly, I couldn’t tell you if I weigh less now than last week because I haven’t checked. The last week has been a whole lot of nothing in terms of healthy improvements. But I committed to Eat. Live. Be. because I want to do these things — and I believe I can, even if I might be off to a slower start.

Be patient with me. It’s going to be a slow and long road ahead, but I will make progress — even if it’s just a little at a time. So this week, I will find the right food tracker for me and start using it. That I can commit to. And the rest? It will come. I am sure of that too.

On a Simple, Delicious Romaine Hearts Salad

One of our Eat. Live. Be. commitments is to share a recipe each week. This week, I’ve had salad on the brain, so this simple and delicious romaine hearts salad seemed a natural fit to share.

This Garlicky Romaine Hearts Salad with Bacon, Walnuts and Blue Cheese sounds fancy but is really pretty simple. Romaine hearts. Bacon. Lightly browned walnuts and edamame. Diced red pepper. Blue cheese. And it’s dressed with the simplest of mixes — a little garlic-infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar, along with salt and pepper.  But together, it becomes a heavenly creation that is both tasty and filling.

For it, I used Colavita Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which was sent to me a little over a month ago. This very flavorful oil is a great addition to salads but is also delicious drizzled on pasta or mixed into mashed potatoes. Just be warned — a little goes a long way. And if it’s too strong, cutting it with your favorite extra virgin olive oil can help (though I like it just the way it is).

Salads like this romaine hearts salad are comforting to me — they remind me of summer days, happiness and brightness. All good things. And couldn’t we all use some more good things in our lives?

For more Eat. Live. Be., be sure to check in with Patsy, Cate and Joanne too.

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Disclosure: Just so you know, I was provided with a sample of Colavita Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil to try. I wasn’t required to post about these or compensate for this post. All opinions are my own.

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On New Year’s Day, I wanted to fill our table with as many lucky foods as possible — including the Banana Cornbread and this rich, delicious lentil dish. We could definitely use a little luck as we head into 2013 — it has to be a better year.

And so far, it’s been mostly good. The kids returned to school this week. They came home on Thursday and Friday, happy to be back in class and excited to return to our routines — however changed they are. Therapy dogs made school time special, and Paige loved being able to visit the school library again. For me, work has been off to an amazing start this year — which makes me so happy and excited for things to come.

So far, 2013 is pretty good — thank goodness.

But life is never all good (or all bad), is it? So, there is one thing that’s not all smiles and excitement right now. One of our beagles, Scrappy, isn’t well — he’s recovering from a neck injury and had a set back last night. But I am hoping our new course of treatment will help him heal. He just has to — he’s an important part of our little family.

As for these lucky Sauteed Leeks with Bacon and Lentils? This is one recipe you want to bookmark and make. Trust me.

The sweet sauteed leeks, salty bacon and meaty lentils combine to make it a lovely rich and delicious dish that’s perfect for ringing in a lucky New Year (we had it on New Year’s this year!) or anytime you want to warm up on a cold night. This recipe originally appeared on Sarah’s Cucina Bella in 2009. At the time, I talked about how while it’s not the prettiest dish, it is amazingly delicious.

It’s a lovely side dish — but it can also be the star of a meal when served over rice with a big salad. For bigger appetites though, you may want to double the recipe.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend.

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One summer weekend a few years ago, I lured a few good friends from New York with the promise of a home cooked dinner and some girl time (as well as seeing my two little ones, who they love). During the course of cooking, I asked them to go pluck some herbs from the herb garden just outside the back door. As they exited the house, scissors in hand, I could hear them talking and giggling as they tried to decipher which of the herbs I wanted from the varieties planted together in the box.

In that moment I felt so … crunchy. There were herbs outside my back door. And a vegetable garden thriving about 100 feet back. But crunchy or not, the results were worth it.

Later, as we ate, they remarked on how the herbs really made one of the dishes — a risotto. And indeed it did, fresh herbs are bright and lively. They bring so much life to dishes. Same goes for zests and freshly squeezed juices and vegetables plucked from the garden.

When I started working on this dish — a reimagining of my favorite Salmon Cakes recipe — I wanted it to be easy to make but also bright, flavorful and exciting. I wanted it to be something that you take a bite of and clamor for more. The combination of fresh thyme, fresh lemon juice on top and lemon zest and green peppers tucked inside the filling make this dish unmistakably good.

Yes, it sounds all fancy — Salmon Cakes En Croute — but really it’s just simple, delicious goodness. Stir together the filling. Divide it equally between four rectangles of flaky Pillsbury Crescents dough, and fold it up. Bake, and then finally dress with the lemon and thyme.

As for the herbs on the back porch? It’s been a few years since I last did that — but I think this coming spring I might have to revive my back porch herb garden. There’s something wonderful about being able to step out back and cut the herbs you need and have them on a plate just minutes later.

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Disclosure: I was compensated for the creation of this recipe by Pillsbury but all opinions, ideas and flavors are my own.

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