For me, asparagus is synonymous with spring, and more specifically, Easter. It’s one of those vegetables I really didn’t discover until I was in my twenties, and then wondered where I had been the last two decades. I love it, and even more so when it’s roasted.

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Back in mid October, I bought a huge box of these gorgeous Empire apples:

The folks at Allred Orchards assured me they would be best if I ate them quickly, or at least refrigerated them. Of course I didn’t, since that would have meant cleaning out my fridge, which I don’t ever do if I can possibly help it. Anyway, they ended up looking sad and wrinkly.

Well, maybe not sad. They’re still a pretty color. But they are definitely wrinkly.

So I turned them into applesauce.

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Okay, so I’m not quite sure why this is called a tortilla soup, when clearly there are no tortillas anywhere to be seen, but I’m just gonna go with it. It’s what my Blentec cookbook is calling it.

Have I mentioned how much I love my Blendtec? Well, it’s worth repeating if I already have. I love my Blendtec.

I love it.

And this soup is my #1 reason why I do.

It’s simple. It’s raw. It’s vegan. And it tastes like heaven.

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These might just be the best snacks since Ants on a Log (I hate the name “Ants on a Log,” though. Just thought I should tell you.)

I came up with this little concoction when I wanted chocolate but was trying to cut out sugar. Normally, on a day when I want candy but there isn’t any to be had, I scoop a little bit of peanut butter out of the jar with a teaspoon and roll it in chocolate chips. That doesn’t work so well when I’m avoiding sugar, though. I tried the same idea with natural peanut butter rolled in cacao nibs, which sort of worked, but tasted closer to dirt than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup substitute. When I added the banana, the problem was solved. It sweetens the entire snack, and makes it more filling, so I’m not still scouting around the kitchen for something else to eat.

Try these. I know you’ll love them.

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Have you seen the latest November issue of Martha Stewart Living yet? I’m quoted in the Kashi ad for their Original 7 Grain Sea Salt Pita Crisps. Here is what I said about them, along with a little recipe for that mediterranean salsa:

Eating healthy always tends to present a challenge for me, especially as a food blogger. When I write a post on something naughty . . . let’s say, for example, those maple bacon pecan bars, I have a tendency to opt for the naughty food over regular meals. There’s a crazy part of my brain that thinks that since I made the maple bacon pecan bars, then I am somehow entitled to every . . . last . . . one. And furthermore, why would I make a salad or throw together a quinoa dish when something is already in the fridge—right there, ready to be eaten? It’s all very dangerous.

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I had a little crush on the Blendtec guy at Costco on Monday. Blendtec recently sent me one of their blenders, so I didn’t need to listen to man’s sales pitch or even take a sample of the green juice he handed out, but I did anyway so I could stand there and watch him. A single girl’s gotta take the eye candy where she can get it, you know?

As you can probably tell from my green slime smoothie post, I am loving the Blendtec. Not only does it blend or juice just about everything, it cleans up like a dream, which, when you’re making something in it three or four times a day, is really invaluable.

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I figured it was time for a Halloween recipe. I wasn’t intending to make one today; I was actually just trying to make something healthy after my workout. Now that I live in Utah Valley again, I can go to Sweaty Chix, the fitness club my friend Wendy runs. Wendy is a fantastic instructor. She is caring and full of energy and accepting. Today she kicked my butt in an hour-and-a-half class, starting with Sculpt & Burn, and ending with Zumba. I had been putting off doing a Zumba class since she told me to come over two years ago—not because it didn’t look fun, but mostly because I didn’t want to look like an idiot. If there’s ever a chance I might look uncoordinated, ridiculous, unintelligent, or like a goofball, I generally opt for staying on the sidelines.

But I did it anyway, and I did okay.

And I had fun.

So, if you live near where I live, be sure to check out Sweaty Chix. You won’t be sorry. I’m only sorry I put off going for so long.

Wait . . . now, what were we talking about? Oh yeah. Halloween.

When I made my smoothie, I just tried to use up some of what I had, and that resulted in something green and really thick. When I poured it into a glass, it was clearly something from “You Can’t Do that on Television” or “Double Dare,” so I called it a Green Slime Smoothie. Lucky for us it happens to be October, and we can say it’s for Halloween. And it’s healthy to boot.

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I am happy to report, that this dish was a big hit with every person in my family. And that is saying something, especially seeing that it is raw, vegan, and has only three tablespoons of sweetener in the entire recipe.

Awhile back, I wrote a post, raving about chia seeds, highlighting their health benefits, and the way we eat them. Since then, I’ve seen quite a handful of recipes for chia seed pudding around the web and in Martha Stewart Living. If anyone can create a decent dessert using only healthy ingredients, I’m sold. I had been wanting to try out a recipe on my own for ages, and last week, I finally did. It was a huge, huge hit.

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Alright, alright. I’ve been talking about being healthy for awhile now, so I think it’s time I posted a healthy recipe, don’t you?

I’ve been seeing these Chia Seed Pudding recipes pop up all over the web. Carrie Vitt of Deliciously Organic has one, and I just found another in the January issue of Martha Stewart Living earlier this year. Most are made with some sort of vegan milk alternative, and since I had had success with making almond milk last year, I thought I’d make the pudding with almond milk.

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I asked my friend what I should include in bake sale week, and he suggested I do something healthy, with cranberries.

Now, the term healthy has come to have as many meanings as there are Birkenstocks in a natural foods store. For some people, whole wheat isn’t particularly healthy, while for others, anything without hydrogenated oil is hailed as a model of virtuous cuisine. The other day, I saw a bag of gummy bears with a sticker on it that said “Healthy!” Apparently, they didn’t didn’t have any high fructose corn syrup in them, which I guess . . . makes them healthy?

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