When I have spoken about my journey with Food $ense, I don’t think the thought ever entered my head that it would one day be over.  I have come to realize the living a healthy lifestyle and making positive changes is a process and there is no finish line. I didn’t ever think I would one day say goodbye to Snappily Ever After and not have it be my life. But today, that’s what I am doing. Saying goodbye to you, my friends and community. You have blessed my life more than you will ever know, more than I could imagine when I placed my first wobbly footsteps on this path.

Although I am moving on, Food $ense is here to stay and they have other blogs, websites, classes and resources that are still free, in your communities and they offer all kinds of exciting classes and experiences. You can go with your whole family and prepare a meal and eat together (Create Family Meals), you can attend classes with your small children (Mommy and Me) or you can take your kids to have a story, play games and make a snack (Food Fun and Reading). This is all in addition to the traditional classes that they have always offered both in person and online.

Visit Eat Well Utah the official blog and sign up for the newsletter – that will include classes that are offered in Your very own county! Kids Create is the Food $ense blog for kids, it is written for kids and has so much information, recipes and activities – all geared towards kids wanting to make better health choices for themselves.

Find them on Instagram – along with the official Food $ense account, on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Snappily Ever After has followed me through some of the hardest, most challenging and growing years of my life, I am sad to leave you all, but I know without a doubt that I am leaving you in the best hands possible!

I’ll see you at the Farmer’s Market!

Kerry

Simplest Cherry Pie

Cherry pie is my favorite dessert in the whole wide world. When I was younger (in like my 20's) I knew I would have it made as an adult when I could knit socks and make a really fantastic pie crust. 

so Far,  I am still working on the pie crust.  

You can use this recipe with any fruit that you desire , peaches, apples, plums, strawberries, or a mix.... Doesn't Peach Raspberry sounds just Heavenly? 

I used a prepared crust, but if you want to make your own, there is a recipe for a 

Whole Grain Pie Crust. Here. 

You can even use the fancy French name for the Galette, I couldn't even pronounce it, let alone hope people to know what I was meaning when I talked about it. 

so thaw out a pie crust, or better yet, whip one up really quickly and use some of the delicious summer fruit that you picked up at your farmer's market and impress your family, friends and strangers on the internet with your French dessert making skills. 

Easy Veggie Breakfasts

Almost all the time breakfast is a meal of sweetness, from oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins to pancakes with syrup and yogurt parfaits with fruit. None of those are bad breakfasts, but breakfast is also a really great (and over-looked) time to start getting those veggies into your day!

You don't have to just toss some veggies into an omelet - although that is Amazing!!

• The Best Breakfast Sandwich  was posted over at Eat Well Utah. You can add lots of delicious veggies to an egg breakfast sandwich

• Mashed Avocado Toast with Veggies -  This new food craze isn't going anywhere anytime soon. With a healthy whole grain bread and some imagination, the sky is the limit (or perhaps the garden is the limit - Hahaha!). Huffington Post wrote a whole article on 16 ways to get all crazy with this basic idea. Get breakfast crazy, People!

• Veggie Breakfast Tacos - There isn't anything that you can't put in a tortilla and not find delicious. Be sure you are adding a whole bunch of veggies with those eggs and lean meats. Yummly has a whole slew of vegetarian breakfast tacos if you are wanting to be inspired.

• Healthy Breakfast Burritos - Anything  you can put in a taco, you can put in a burrito - to make it wildly healthy, instead of a tortilla use a leaf or lettuce or kale. 

• Breakfast Pita Pizza - A whole wheat pizza is a great start to assembling any meal. Add a little cheese and all the veggies of your choice - melt away (in a pan or the microwave) and you're done! For my pita pizzas I prefer to dip in the sauce than to put in inside the pita. You could have BBQ Chicken, Egg with Siracha, Veggies and yogurt sauce. You are only limited by your imagination - and the time you have left in the morning. Here is a recipe for an amazing one from Veggie Girl.

• Sauteed Vegetables Bagel Breakfast Sandwich - The recipe can be found over at Mountain Mama Cooks . Sure, this recipe may call for butter and oil, but research shows that adding fat in moderation to your veggies can help absorb their nutrients better. Plus, it makes them taste even more amazing! Reap all the vitamin C and lycopene of the summer squash and tomatoes with this bagel breakfast—and if bagels are just too heavy for your taste, we’re guessing these veggies would taste good on just about anything else.

• Mexican Breakfast Pasta - This recipe is from Living Well Kitchen, If pizza for breakfast is a thing, why can’t pasta be too? Switch up your morning carbs with a serving of spaghetti (make it whole-wheat for extra fiber) and black beans sautéed in a skillet with a generous few servings of diced veggies. The eggs cracked over the top give the whole thing a protein upgrade along with that breakfast-y vibe.

• Put Those Veggies in a Hash -  When you are mixing up your breakfast hash toss a few veggies in and then toss in a few more. 
• Here is an amazing recipe for a Sweet Potato Hash from Blissful Basil. 
• And one from Inspired Recipes for Hash with Spinach and Carrots. 
• A Roasted Vegetable Skillet that is so good, you'll want to make it for dinner too. 
• Ham & Veggie Breakfast Hash 

Breakfast doesn't always have to be sweet and it doesn't always have to be expected. If you love it, you can eat it for breakfast - what a great way to start the morning... with a whole lot of Good for You and a little rebellion. 

Peanut Butter Banana Bites

You can make this snack early in the day and freeze it, or you can make them and server them right away.  

I also have had the kids help me and make them - and I have made them for the kids. 

We have topped them with nuts, dried fruit, cereal and trail mix! - This recipe is too easy and too delicious not to share with you. 

You can use almond butter or sunflower nut butter, but I feel like those butters are thinner and if you want to use one of them, I like the method of rolling the banana in the nuts with the butters spread on the outside. 

Healthy No Cook Recipes

Preparing a meal does not have to be complicated. It does not have to require the stove, oven, or grill
and it does not have to be difficult to prepare. Here are some ideas to prepare a simple, quick, and easy meal!

Sandwiches

• Fillings: tuna, egg salad, cheese, chicken, cold cuts, left over meats, peanut butter and banana,
• Veggies: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and/or other veggies.

Soups

• Canned soup (low sodium - preferred)
• Veggies: frozen (peas, corn, carrots, green beans, broccoli); fresh (mushrooms, cabbage)

Pasta

• Veggies: Frozen (broccoli or cauliflower); fresh (bean sprouts, chop suey mix, cabbage, spinach, etc.); canned (mushrooms, bamboo, or water chestnuts)
• Protein: tofu, canned tuna, cold cuts, or egg

Quick Salads

• Creamy fruit/vegetable salad: fruit and/or veggies and yogurt
• Corn salad: mix canned corn with beans, salsa, and cheese 

Try these quick, easy recipes for balanced, healthy meals. No cooking required!

Bean and Veggie Sandwich

Rinse and mash canned white beans. Mix with low-fat plain yogurt. Add spices as desired (mustard, dill, parsley, garlic, onion, or pepper). Spread on whole-wheat bread or toast and top with romaine lettuce or spinach, as well as cucumber and tomato slices.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Cut up one or more kinds of fresh or canned fruit such as pineapple, peaches, melon, berries, or bananas. Mix the fruit with low-fat vanilla yogurt, and top with chopped walnuts, pecans, or granola. Serve with a whole-grain English muffin or bread.

Tortilla Wraps

Layer a tortilla (whole wheat is best) with sliced deli meat, low-fat cheese, onions, tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, and chunky salsa (optional). Fold one end of the tortilla over the filling, turn in the sides, roll up, and enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Mix leftover cooked (or canned) shredded chicken with low-fat mayonnaise or low-fat plain yogurt. Add chopped celery, chopped bell pepper (green or red), and curry powder to taste. Serve on whole-grain bread with tomato slices and spinach leaves or romaine lettuce.

Pumpkin Breakfast Pudding

Combine vanilla-flavored instant pudding mix, one cup low-fat milk, one cup pure pumpkin (canned or fresh), one teaspoon cinnamon, and one teaspoon vanilla. Pour over one cup granola and refrigerate overnight. For extra crunch, sprinkle granola on top just before eating.

Southwestern Bean Salad

Drain and combine one cup each of canned black beans and corn kernels. Mix with 1/2 cup salsa (may use diced tomatoes instead). Spoon onto salad greens and top with 1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese. Garnish with a dollop of low-fat sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt, if desired. Serve with whole-grain crackers.