Top 5 Easy Meals For Kids To Make

Top 5 Easy Meals For Kids to Make | SobeSavvy.com & @outandaboutAva

Moms/Dads, raise your hand if being in quarantine and cooking all the meals has gotten old 🙋🏽‍♀️? So when our daughter, fondly referred to on the blog as @outandaboutAva showed an interest in creating dishes and sharing her meals online..we said go ‘head girl, get your cook on! She wanted to make Tik Tok videos showing off her kitchen skills and came up with a name for her cooking show: Ava Brings The Flava! She has so much fun doing these videos and we just love supporting her. One of our friends has even sent her some customized cooking utensils for her recent 9th birthday to keep encouraging this hobby of hers. Needless to say..Ava was so surprised and happy to receive this gift.

I am more than happy to sit back and let her make her own meals as long as she doesn’t burn down the house. So far, so good y’all! Ava has really grown in the kitchen and used these Covid-19 times to hone her skills while social distancing at home. These are the Top 5 Meals Easy Meals For Kids to Make presented by our 9 year old foodie/cook Ava!

Breakfast

Recipe: Ava-cado Toast

Lunch

Recipe: Pizza Piadina

Snack

Recipe: ChickPea Salad

Dinner

Recipe: Pesto Salmon

Dessert

Recipe: Mango Creamsicle

Which one of the recipes above have you made or would like to try? If you’d like to follow more of my girl’s cooking journey, follow along here:

TikTok: @leslieissobesavvy

IG: @outandaboutAva, @SobeSavvy

Hashtag: #AvaxFlava

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CE-1w54hThU/?igshid=1s1fef6hkytn0

Does your kid like to cook or do you have an easy recipe that my daughter should try next? Please share below and thanks for reading!

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#TastyThursday Review on @HoneySmokedFish #Superfood #HoneySmokedSalmon + Recipes !

Recently I went to the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Expo held at the Raleigh Convention Center and had the opportunity to sample “The World’s Finest” Honey Smoked Salmon. I was not only hooked on this healthy, delicious protein but inspired to share some recipes and prepare some dishes for friends to taste and experience this amazing superfood themselves! 

Before I share the menu, recipes and feedback from my #SobeSavvyEats Lunch, let me give you THE FACTS (courtesy of Skyler Mason, owner of Honey Smoked Fish Co.) on what makes the Honey Smoked Salmon different, why you should add “the Protein of the Future” to your dishes and why fully-cooked, ready-to-eat Honey Smoked Salmon is one of the most versatile, nutritious products on the market today:

  1. Honey Smoked Salmon is delicious on its own, but is best used as an ingredient to compliment any dish.
  2. Our proprietary firing system incorporates honey into the smoking process without ever touching the salmon directly, making it diabetic-friendly. When the honey hits the flame, it causes a combustion explosion that seals the salmon, locking in 3x the omega-3s than other comparable products.
  3.  The result is a highly concentrated SUPERFOOD Salmon. Our unique process also makes Honey Smoked Salmon more cost efficient than other proteins — allowing smaller portions to be used while still remaining filling, energizing, and packing a high concentration of nutrition.  
  4. Longer shelf life! Honey Smoked Salmon has a 90 day refrigerated shelf life before breaking the vacuum seal, and will remain fresh and tasty 10-12 days after opening. 


THE INVITE

THE MENU + Recipes

Honey Smoked Salmon is vacuum sealed for long-term freshness. Fresh out of the oven and never frozen. 

I served 3 of the 5 flavors: Original, Chipotle & Lime, and Cracked Peppers at ROOM TEMPERATURE so the salmon could soften, which brings out its natural juices and flavors from the rich moisture of the Omega-3’s! This is what stands them out from any other smoked salmon. It is also diabetic friendly, gluten free and certified kosher. Here is what the ‘Original’ flavor looks like out of its packaging:

Honey Smoked Salmon is fully cooked, lightly smoked, ready to eat & 99% boneless. No preservatives, coloring, artificial flavors ,nitrates or MSG added.

Serve this easy appetizer recipe at your next party! Because the salmon is highly concentrated in taste, a little goes a long way to flavor any dish.

In this recipe, I combined both the Original flavor of Honey Smoked Salmon and the Chipotle & Lime together to create a light, pasta dish with a hint of spice and citrus.

This is the dish that got me hooked in the first place at the expo! It is loaded with spinach, Honey Smoked Salmon, mandarin oranges, almonds, tomatoes..and more!

Honey Smoked Salmon | Five Superfood Salad Recipe

Not only is it tasty but has so many health benefits, and is easy to make. Check out the video >>here<< showing how simple it is to make this energizing superfood salad! I used the Cracked Peppers flavor for this and had it flaked for guests to top their salads themselves.

Honey Smoked Salmon ‘Cracked Peppers’ flavor

THE FEEDBACK

Guests enjoy wine before lunch time for #SobeSavvyEats Honey Smoked Salmon Tasting

The Honey Smoked Fish Company’s All Natural Honey Smoked Salmon was Voted Best Smoked Salmon and my guests loved the fish and the recipes they tried. Here is some of what they had to say: 

  • The cracked pepper flavor was my favorite! I loved how it was spicy with a hint of sweet. ~   Nicki McNeil, Blogger at SingleBubblePop
  • I was so impressed with the Original Honey Smoked Salmon but fell in love with the cracked pepper. This salmon is delicious and I enjoyed trying the different recipes. ~ Jovanhanna , The Spiritual Love Coach
  • The cracked pepper on the salad was a great combination of flaky, peppery and creamy. I’d definitely make this salad at home. ~ Erica Santos , #ericasantosphotography
  • All 3 were delicious in it’s own served dish deviled egg, pasta salad and tossed salad. My fave: cracked pepper salmon/tossed salad with rasberry vinegrette/ranch dressing. Great spicy and sweet combo! ~ Mom
  • Loved the Chipotle Lime Salmon! The versitility of the smoked salmon was the most impressive. Great idea to show us the video of their process and to provide all of the possible recipes by scanning the QR code provided. ~T.Hedley

    See more Video Recipes on You Tube from Honey Smoked Salmon

  • I loved how Leslie incorporated the salmon into every dish we tried. My favorite was the deviled eggs topped with salmon. Definitely some good, quality salmon. ~Kiara , @kiararuth

I am so happy everyone enjoyed themselves and loved the Honey Smoked Salmon. No one left hungry or unsatisfied. The number one thing everyone wanted to know was where can we buy this locally?! It can be found at Sam’s Club and if you don’t see it there, Demand It! It can also be ordered online. For more information and recipes, please visit their website http://www.honeysmokedfish.com.

Prepping for Game Day? Here are some #Recipes for your #SuperbowlParty snack spread !

Next week is Superbowl Sunday and althought my team (GO Baltimore Ravens) is not playing,  I still look forward to Game Day fun with family & friends and let’s not forget the snacks! 

I got the opportunity to sample Jarlsberg® Cheese®Moore’s Marinades and Sauces and Farm Rich easy -to-make snacks (#gotitfree, thanks to BzzAgent). As you know from prior posts, I love entertaining and hosting Happy Hour at home. So I put these products to the test last night to see if it would be game day worthy to serve to family and friends. Here are the tasty appetizers I served:

Cheese Nachos with Jarlsberg Cheese

Jarlsberg® Cheese®, the nationally recognized premium brand of cheese famous for its characteristic mild, sweet and nutty taste and its large round holes,  wants you to celebrate the Big Game with their array of cheeses that are perfect for any palate, and what better way to enjoy it than with winning recipes for your party like some delicious, mouthwatering cheese Nachos! I made some with Jarlsberg® Cheese , paprika, cilantro, black beans, sour cream and salsa. We enjoyed the unique, nutty mild flavor of the cheese and thought this cheese would go great in any nacho recipe. Enjoy this special Jarlsberg® Cheese Nacho recipe for your Big Game party, and let the games begin!

Jarlsberg® Cheese Nachos
Ingredients:

2 cups shredded Jarlsberg® Cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

1 Broccoli head, grated

2 green chilies, diced small

2 garlic cloves, diced small

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 limes – juiced

Fresh pepper to taste

Dash of coriander

How to Bake:

Spread tortilla chips on flat pan (use parchment paper to avoid clean up). Top with cheese, and baked for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. While chips are cooking, toss all other ingredients in bowl.  Remove from oven and top with all tossed ingredients.  

#MooreFlavor Wings

February 5th brings football, the best commercials and of course, WINGS! This year,  Moore’s Marinades and Sauces wants you to go easy on yourself and do the work for you. They have a ton of delicious flavors (and recipes!) to get those wings going. If you want seriously delicious wings on game day, Moore’s Sauces and Marinades offers the best tasting sauces to kick off Super Bowl Sunday like a champion. 

Based in Alabama, Moore’s is a family owned business that pours their heart into their marinades and sauces to give football fans a taste of true southern flavor. Whether you crave a sweet, sticky taste or a hot, tangy flavor, Moore’s has a stellar lineup of products for you to indulge in the best half-time wings you’ve ever had.

As seen on Instagram, I made some #MooreFlavor Wings by simply marinating the wings in their Creamy Ranch Buffalo sauce and baking it in my oven. It definitely is a winning game-day snack that is super easy to make and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Once your finger lickin’ wings are beautifully glazed don’t forget to garnish your plate with celery, carrots, and EXTRA dipping sauce.

Be sure to follow Moore’s Marinades on:
Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Pinterest

The company is continually expanding its line and has recently added Spicy Habanero Wing & Hot Sauce, and Zesty Garden Herb Marinade to their collection. Check out their website at www.mooresmarinade.com for tons of yummy recipes that only require 30 minutes or less !

Barbeque Chicken Bites/Loaded Potato Skins by Farm Rich

Need a simple football party snack or something quick to eat anytime? Then try Farm Rich’s line of easy to make appetizers. I first heard of this brand by participating in a campaign with BzzAgent and was impressed by their snack products. 

Yesterday,  I chose to combine two of my favorites from that line: Barbeque Chicken Bites and Loaded Potatoe Skins …and served as one amazing appetizer !

I recommend visiting their website to see other recipe hacks like putting a fried egg on top of the potato skin or serving the barbeque chicken bites on a toothpick with mini cornbread squares! 

I hope you are inspired to include  any or all of these quick, easy and tasty items on your Super Bowl Sunday snack spread or anytime you host your next gathering. Let me know what you have planned to eat/serve on Game Day ?! 

My July 4th ‘Red Bottom’ #Cupcakes Recipe @DixieCrystals #BLU16 #SweetandSouthern #TastyThursday

This weekend we celebrate America’s Birthday and I wanted to share my favorite Sweet and Southern Dessert Recipe which would be a hit at any BBQ you may plan to throw or attend!
Red Bottom Cupcakes‘-Inspired by the name of those infamous shoes, is a semi homemade recipe that combines 2 favorites of mine: Red Velvet Cupcakes with a Black Bottom Cream Cheese Filling.

Nothing says southern desserts like Red Velvet but this non traditional cupcake offers a bit of a surprise in the middle under my almond cream cheese frosting!  That ooey goey center of cream cheese and chocolate chips will elevate your red velvet cupcake for a truly unique dessert!

Here’s my recipe:

Cupcakes -1 box of Red Velvet Cake mix (I use Duncan Hines) Follow directions to make 12 cupcakes- fill baking cups half way with mix. Then add a dollap of black bottom filling before baking in the oven.

Black Bottom filling-Mix together  1 pkg,8oz of cream cheese- 1 egg- pinch of salt- 1/2 cup of sugar (I use Dixie Crystals)-Fold in 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips into the cream ceese mixture. Then using a spoon,place a dollap of this in center of red velvet cupcakes mix, now it’s ready to bake.

Bake for 20 mins. Once cupcakes are completely cooled its time for the frosting. Here’s what it looks like before:

Almond cream cheese frosting– add  1  1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to any store bought cream cheese frosting found in the cake aisle. It gives it a unique taste!

What sweet and southern dessert do you look forward to having this July 4th weekend. Please share below!

*Also wish me luck as I plan to enter this recipe in the Sweet and Southern Desserts Recipe Contest for Blog Life University Conference in Atlanta!
Dixie Crystals is Giving Away the ULTIMATE Conference Package Giveaway!  PLUS, winning recipe will be recreated by Chef Eddy Van Damme, professionally photographed, and featured on the Dixie Crystals website….with attribution to the winner! 

Happy 4th of July everyone! Make it Sweet!

#FoodieFriday spotlight on @LocalsSeafood! From Boat to Table #NCseafood @ChadwickCreek oysters and more!

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This Past Sunday, my family and I headed down to the famous Raleigh Farmers Market. This is where fresh food in any category can be found. We were there specifically for fresh seafood.

North Carolina is blessed in many way. One way in particular is geography. We have mountains and we have beaches. The Atlantic is literally at our doorstep in the Eastern part of the State. In these waters, some of the freshest seafood in the world thrives here. Lucky for us, Locals Seafood Company http://localsseafood.com/ just happens to provide this bounty to the public.

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Locals Seafood has a presence at the Triangle’s biggest weekend Farmers Markets. They can be found at farmers markets in Chapel Hill, Western Wake and of course in Raleigh. When we arrived there were a few enthusiastic customers ahead of us. Some of whom advised me that Locals Seafood is the ONLY place they buy their fresh seafood.

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Locals’ menu constantly fluctuates with what is in season and available. This guarantees only the freshest regional seafood is available for their loyal customers.

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Scallops, Sea Bass, oysters ,flounder and soft shell crabs were just a few items for sale at the market on Sunday.

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We decided to get some soft Shell Crabs and make a soft shell crab Po Boy. Lightly fried in a mix of olive and vegetable oil…Semi Soft bread from our local baker worked well. We built it with dry cole slaw and Remoulade Dressing. Yum !

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On Sunday, Locals had two types of fresh raw oysters available: Wild Oysters and Chadwick Creek oysters, which is located on the NC Inner Banks. We got a 1/2 dozen each and made them two ways.

First up were Raw Oysters w/lemon and a classic mignonette. As the pictures can attest, these were highly anticipated !

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The second recipe we decided on was Oysters Rockefeller. Oven Baked w/Spinach, bacon and grated parmigiano- reggiano cheese until golden brown.

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Last but definitely not least were what to do with our fresh flounder filet. How about Flounder Almondine?

Light egg batter and salt/pepper dusted flour dip and pan fried in Olive oil . We finished it with parsley flakes w/a side of asparagus tips. GREAT seafood sampler dinner from Locals Seafood. It just doesn’t get any fresher or any more local than this. Stop by one of the markets in Raleigh, Chapel Hill or West Wake this weekend and get buy your own fresh catch !

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#SobeSavvy Celebrates #SB49 with @YardHouse and @VidaTequila!

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On February 1, 2015, we invited a few friends over for a SuperBowl Watch Party featuring Yard House menu items and Vida Tequila Cocktails! Being parents of a toddler means you have to be creative with date nights and parties at home, so since we can’t be on the 50 yard line to watch the game, why not have the best premium tequila and restaurant quality food at home for the biggest game night of the year! 

After looking at YardHouse ‘s takeout menu, we decided the best item to represent the NEW ENGLAND Patriots was the : “lobster, crab & artichoke dip ” and for SEATTLE Seahawks : “seared ahi tuna , since Seattle is known for its seafood/asian. 

Superbowl would not be complete without sliders! YardHouse offers four kinds but we chose classic and turkey. They came with plenty of crispy , shoestring fries for our guests. 

Chips, Salsa, Seafood nachos and Super Bowl Cupcakes from Publix rounded out our food menu and paired well with our drink menu created around Vida Tequila Reposado! 

We prepared two Halftime Speciality Super Bowl Cocktails to represent both teams as follows: 

“New England Patriots Paloma ” Paloma Cocktail

The paloma is a tequila-based cocktail, most commonly prepared by mixing tequila with a grapefruit-flavored soda such as Fresca, Squirt, or Jarritos and served on the rocks with a lime wedge. Optionally, the glass may also be rimmed with salt. 

Main alcohol: Vida Tequila Reposado

Ingredients: Three parts grapefruit soda, One part tequila

Preparation: Stir together and serve over ice.

Served: On the rocks; poured over ice

Standard garnish: Lime wedge

Drinkware: Highball glass

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“Seattle Seahawks Sunrise” Tequila Sunrise Cocktail

The Tequila Sunrise is a cocktail made of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine and served unmixed in a tall glass . The modern drink originates from California in the early 1970s, after an earlier one created in the 1930s in Arizona. 

Main alcohol:  Vida Tequila Reposado

Ingredients: 3 oz (6 parts) Orange juice, 1 1/2 oz (3 parts) Tequila, 1/2 oz (1 part) Grenadine syrup

Preparation: Pour the tequila and orange juice into glass over ice. Add the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom. Do not stir. Garnish and serve.

Served: On the rocks; poured over ice

Standard garnish: Orange slice, Cherry

Drinkware: Highball glass

These drinks really elevated our Super Bowl watch party! Although it was a small house gathering , we did it in a big, creative way thanks to YardHouse and Vida Tequila!

Enjoy my photo slideshow recap !
http://instagram.com/p/ylY-u4CXPd/