Alyssa and Carla

Looking for a healthy meal that’s light, simple, and comes together in no time at all? This salad is full of crunch and flavor thanks to mandarin oranges and a Garlic Lime Dressing.

Self-care is the name of my game these days.  I’m remembering to cut myself some slack and find small ways to take better care of my body (and my family and the less fortunate and the Earth, etc.  RINSE.  REPEAT.  You should see how long I stand at the Trash/Recycle/Compost bins- someone has to do it.)  I figured you might be practicing in the same way, so I partnered with Izze to share a delicious, simple, bright salad inspired by their tasty Mandarin Lime Organic Sparkling Water.

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This post was created in partnership with Ninja Coffee Bar^® System. I received complimentary product to facilitate my review, but all opinions within are my own.

When Alyssa and I were in Buenos Aires earlier this year, I could not get enough of their version of hot chocolate.  Instead of a pre-mixed version, each order came with a cup of steamy hot milk and pieces of creamy chocolate.  The idea was that you broke off pieces of the chocolate into your hot milk to let it melt, stirring and dropping in pieces until you had made the perfect cup to your own taste.  I CANNOT GET OVER THE BRILLIANCE OF THIS PLAN.  Not only was the hot chocolate delicious, but it made for a great cafe ritual!

When Ninja wanted to team up to promote their Ninja Coffee Bar® System, I knew I wanted to incorporate this delicious tradition.  What I WASN’T prepared for were all the incredible perks that this system would provide in creating a delicious cafe worthy drink right at home. 

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One of the highlights of my very first grad school semester was my friend Will’s homemade Krupnik.  We finished an accounting exam that no one was looking forward to at all and he pulled out a bottle of sweet, homemade liqueur.  We passed it around… and around… and around and, look, I’m sure other things happened, but mostly I remember it being really fun.

Krupnik is a honey-spiced Polish liqueur that’s especially popular in the winter months.  I’ve planned to make it every year since Will first introduced it to me, but inevitably it falls off the list in favor of a bit more gift shopping or another Christmas get-together.  This time, I’ve planned a Spiced Honey and Citrus cocktail to fill the krupnik shaped hole in my heart in partnership with Tropicana’s #MixedWithTrop campaign.  Its sweet and spicy and full of warmth, with a citrus-y bright note that will make you look like one heck of a home bartender!

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Over the past few months, we’ve been partnering with Foster Farms on their big New Comfort Food campaign- you’ve probably already seen Alyssa’s yakitori and my Braised Chicken with Green Olives.  As I was brainstorming ways to update more of my favorite comfort food recipes, I kept coming back to one dish: TWA.

I know what you’re thinking.  TWA is an AIRLINE, not a food.  Sadly, I can’t tell you WHY we called the dish TWA (except that it was listed as such on the recipe), but I can tell you what it was: chicken and broccoli casserole, creamy and topped with lots of cheddar cheese.  I love it so much it’s the dish I most often ask my mom to make for my birthday, but it takes FOREVER for a household of two.  Hours of boiling and cutting and chopping and stirring and grating.  Whew, I’m actually a little bit tired just writing about it. 

So, in its honor, I’ve created this one sheet pan balsamic chicken served with crispy roasted broccoli that’s EASY and fast and YUMMY.  Quick meals completely win dinner these days, wouldn’t you say?

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Thank you to Dunkin’ At Home for sponsoring this post!

If you’ve been reading here a while, you’ve definitely heard me mention that I went to school in New England.  It’s the kind of thing I like to insert into conversations to prove that yes, I’ve seen snow and no, I haven’t always lived in California and yes, I have worn shoes that were not flip flops before.  I loved my time there and to this day landing at Logan Airport makes me feel a little bit like I’ve come home- especially when I see my first Dunkin’ Donuts® stall near the gate.

Any college student can tell you that coffee should practically be listed on your diploma- “Best Beverage in a Supporting Role: Coffee.”  For me, that coffee was Dunkin’ Donuts, ordered hot at 6:40ish every morning on my way to the parking lot.  It sounds a little weird, perhaps, that I needed coffee to navigate a parking lot but I DID.  The lot I was required to park in was literally three-quarters of a mile away from the business school.  I’m not exaggerating this time, seriously.  I GOOGLED IT.

Now imagine that you have a 3/4 mile walk at 7am in snow or rain or just freezing temps and you can understand why I held onto that cup so religiously every morning.  

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