Holidays Archives - Nutritious Eats

Italian Style Halibut

April 1, 2013 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD16 Comments

Even though weare only an hour away from Seattle, we don't make it up there very often. Since my mom is visiting we wanted to take her to Pikes Place Market and our favorite Greek restaurant on Saturday. I've been to the market a few times now but this was my first time buying any of the fresh seafood. We splurged on fresh halibut, giants prawns and scallops. I wasn't even planning on taking pics, but couldn't resist and though the food didn't get styled properly, at least I still got a picture before the sun set. I had lots of fresh herbs on hand so I decided on an Italian style … [Read more...]

Filed under: Easter, Fish & Shellfish Tagged with basil, fish, halibut, herbs, Italian, parsley, pikes market

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

March 27, 2013 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD7 Comments

Who doesn't love that cheesy creamy hash brown casserole that usually makes an appearance around the holidays? If you are trying to avoid potatoes, this is a great substitute...Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin. It's lower in fat, calories and carbs. What more could you ask for? Oh and it tastes good too! I used plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream which adds about triple the amount of protein and subbed spaghetti squash for the hash browns. There is a recipe similar floating around Pinterest, but the one I saw used sour cream and hardly any cheese. If calories weren't a concern I'd … [Read more...]

Filed under: Brunch, Easter, Sides Tagged with cheese, christmas, dairy, easter, easy, gratin, greek yogurt, holiday side, spaghetti squash, thanksgiving

Goodbye Google Reader & A Few Easter Ideas

March 20, 2013 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD16 Comments

I've got a few random things that I want to talk about today. First of all, did you hear that Google Reader will be shutting down in July? That's right, it's going away. For those of you that read your blogs via Google Reader you will probably want to find a new service sooner than later. The good news is that there are a couple options that will transfer all the blogs you have on Google Reader to their platform. I had a good number of blogs on my Google Reader but to be honest I rarely used it. Now that I looked into these other options I am kind of glad they are shutting down. I actually … [Read more...]

Filed under: Easter, Uncategorized Tagged with blog reader, bloglovin, easter, feedly, google reader

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows & More Valentine’s Treats

February 11, 2013 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD11 Comments

I totally on board with a little dessert splurge around the Holidays. I tend to gravitate towards chocolate but that's just me. I wanted to make an easy Valentine's treat for the kids and when I saw these heart shaped marshmallows I knew I needed to make something with them. I didn't have to think very long because as soon as I got home and looked at the back of the package I saw this easy recipe for chocolate covered marshmallows. Better than buying the store bought ones! I used a few different options for toppings- sprinkles, shredded coconut and candy hearts. Use your imagination … [Read more...]

Filed under: Desserts, Meal Planning, Other, Valentine's Day Tagged with chocolate, easy, marshmallows, treats, Valentine's Day

Super Bowl Food and Hot Feta Artichoke Dip

January 30, 2013 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD22 Comments

Ok I will admit it, I get more excited about food than football. There, I said it. I honestly was just reminded that the Super Bowl was coming up from one of my friend's blogs. I just don't get into pro football, but don't hate me. I am still here to bring you some yummy food ideas for your Super Bowl party. I wanted to make a dip because who doesn't love dips during games? My big ol' Costco size tub of feta was looking at me and I immediately thought of this super simple hot feta artichoke dip that I've been making forever. I usually make it around the Holidays (Christmas Eve or Easter), … [Read more...]

Filed under: Appetizers, Game-Day Snacks, Parties Tagged with appetizers, dips, finger foods, football, game-day food, parties, snacks

Flourless Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies ( Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

December 19, 2012 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD15 Comments

Congratulations to Katie C. the winner of the Uncommon Goods Giveaway! I know you will enjoy the gifts as much as I did! Hi friends. It has been way too long. I am back from vacation in San Diego and totally behind schedule. I planned on blogging while I was there but I took my lap top which I don't usually blog from and it was so slow that I couldn't handle wasting precious vacation time trying to post. I didn't take many real photos but if you are on instagram you can see a few of the ones I did take while in San Diego (click on the IG button up top). We hit up Disneyland, California … [Read more...]

Filed under: Christmas, Cookies, Kid-Friendly Tagged with Christmas cookies, dairy-free, easy, flourless, gluten free, peanut butter

Uncommon Goods: Christmas Gift Ideas & a GIVEAWAY!

December 5, 2012 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD83 Comments

Who is in the midst of Christmas shopping? I am always on the hunt for unique gift items especially during the holidays and love sharing a few of my favorite things with you every year. Since I always have at least one of the three kids with me it makes shopping in person very difficult. Thankfully I have a nice cozy office to do my online shopping. When the folks at Uncommon Goods (a Brooklyn-based online retailer of unique gifts and creative designs) offered to send me a couple products from their kitchen/cooking section I immediately fell in love. It was my first time visiting their … [Read more...]

Filed under: Christmas, Giveaway Tagged with christmas, giveaway, holiday gift ideas, product review

Butternut Squash Stuffing

November 19, 2012 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD5 Comments

Yesterday I kicked my kids out of the house (with their Dad of course) so that I could watch Thanksgiving Live on the Food Network. I absolutely loved it last year and learned some great tips! It totally got me in the mood to cook and now I can't wait to eat Thanksgiving dinner! I'am making all the traditional dishes: a delicious brined turkey, stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, roasted brussels, a green bean dish and my favorite cranberry sauce (see below). I am also making a pumpkin cheesecake, my favorite bourbon pecan pie and probably a regular pumpkin pie. I CAN NOT WAIT! I know … [Read more...]

Filed under: Sides, Thanksgiving Tagged with butternut squash, stuffing, thanksgiving, vegetarian

Crostini with Whipped Feta and Tomatoes

November 11, 2012 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD9 Comments

This is hands down one of my favorite appetizers ever. I made it for the first time a while back when my mom was in town and we ate it several nights for dinner. Wine and crostini. What more do you need? By the way, have you ever wondered the difference between crostini and bruschetta? I had to look it up but it's really just a difference of the bread used. Bruschetta, form the Italian word "bruscare" is to roast over coals and is made from Italian or sourdough bread. Crostini are toasted from a finer-textured bread like a baguette. They are both topped with a variety of delicious toppings … [Read more...]

Filed under: Appetizers, Christmas, Holiday, Meal Planning, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian Tagged with appetizer, crostini, feta, Holidays, make-ahead, parties, tomatoes, vegetarian

Last Minute Treats! Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2012 by Melanie Flinn, MS, RD2 Comments

First off I wanted to say thank you to those of you who voted for my Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal in the Quaker recipe contest- my recipe won and will be featured in the Quaker newsletter! I appreciate those of you who took the time to vote and support Nutritious Eats! I did want to mention that if you happened to print the baked oatmeal recipe on the first day there was a little error (I accidentally omitted the vanilla extract). I quickly fixed the recipe but you might want to reprint because I am not sure what copy you might have. Even when I think I've double checked my work 100 times, it … [Read more...]

Filed under: Halloween, Holidays Tagged with halloween, treats