a healthy pinch

Hello  and welcome to my corner of the internet.  As a wife and new mommy, I strive to feed my family whole, nutritious food.  I really started to immerse myself in cooking about four years ago and once I started following food blogs and collecting...

[ahealthypinch]

If you’re like me, when time is limited and you’re hungry, the snacks you tend to reach for may not be the most nourishing.  Though I try to stay away from my 3 year old’s Goldfish crackers, sometimes they’re the easiest to grab and who doesn’t love Goldfish crackers??

However, five handfuls later, I’m still hungry and just ate waaaay more crackers than I should have.  So now I’m really trying to make healthy treats to snack on that will satiate those hunger pangs throughout the day.  Enter these cute, little energy bites.

I think of these as homemade Larabars because they both contain real ingredients and are a cinch to make.  Dates are the only sweetener and do their job of holding everything together.  Using dates and whatever nuts you have on hand as the base, you can completely customize the flavor of these little bites.  So here I had cherries and chocolate (cacao powder), which is always a winning combo.

Then you just blend everything in a food processor, roll the mixture into little balls, and refrigerate.  Boom.  Now you’ve got healthy snacks on the go!

chocolate-cherry energy bites

These snackable, poppable energy bites are are great to have on hand when hunger pangs strike.  I love these because they’re so customizable, though the cherry and chocolate combo are my favorite.  Just think of these as homemade Larabars!

  10 medjool dates, pitted

∼½ cup dried cherries

1 cup raw cashews (roasted is fine too, though I would stay away from salted nuts)

3 tbs cashew butter

1 tbs coconut oil

pinch of fine-grain sea salt

3 tbs cacao (or cocoa) powder

Soak the dates in hot water for 10 minutes if they are dry or hard.

Place dates in a food processor and blend until they are in small pieces.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until everything is combined and has a finely ground consistency.

Using a 2 tbs cookie scoop, scoop mixture into balls and refrigerate in an airtight container.

  (adapted from Urban Apron)

chocolate-cherry energy bites If you're like me, when time is limited and you're hungry, the snacks you tend to reach for may not be the most nourishing.  

[ahealthypinch]

cranberry curd because I still had an abundance of cranberries in the refrigerator. I swirl into yogurt, slather on toast or eat straight from the jar 🤭🤷🏼‍♀️ #noshame now #ontheblog | 🔗 in profile (at Roseville, California)

[ahealthypinch]

It’s officially December and the start of holiday baking/cooking!  I’m totally excited because my son and I have a few cookie exchanges and kids’ holiday events to attend so I have even more motivation to start baking this year.  My list of have-to-make cookies is growing by the day so let’s just cross our fingers that my stamina can keep up with my vision.

This is a recipe I made a few times almost a year ago but never got around to posting it. Thankfully, I’m  getting around to posting it this year because I really feel it’s that good!  I love, love, love making curd with Meyer lemons but since they’re not quite in season yet, I’m using  cranberries.  I didn’t make cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and to be honest, I totally forgot about it.  I mean, when you make two turkeys, a kale salad, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese and a couple appetizers, something is bound to fall by the wayside.  Hopefully this makes up for it!

Because cranberries are naturally tart like most citrus, I love this substitution!   You basically reduce the cranberries with some water and orange juice, strain the seeds and whisk in your butter and eggs.  Their tartness is subtly muted so the cranberry flavor shines through and everything melds together to form this luxurious, velvety spread!

Now that I have a few jars of cranberry curd in my refrigerator, I plan on making this tart from NYT Cooking and sandwiching it between my thin n’ chewy gingersnap cookies.  Or, you know, I could just swirl it into my morning yogurt or slather on toast.  Either way, you can’t go wrong!

  cranberry-vanilla bean curd

This is a twist on your everyday lemon curd.  Still as bright and tangy as the original, this cranberry-vanilla curd is sweetened with just enough with maple syrup and Fourth & Heart’s Madagascar Vanilla Bean ghee gives it such a depth of flavor.  It’s perfect swirled in yogurt, spread on toast or sandwiched between cookies- my favorite!

(yields approximately 2 cups)

1 14oz package fresh cranberries

½ cup water

2/3 cup orange juice

5 tbs Fourth & Heart Madagascar Vanilla Bean ghee

OR 5 tbs organic unsalted butter + 1 tsp vanilla

1 cup pure maple syrup

3 egg yolks + 1 egg

pinch fine grain sea-salt

Combine the cranberries, water and orange juice in a saucepan, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally,  until cranberries have broken down and burst- about 35 minutes.

Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, making sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve to get all the pulp.  This should yield about 1¾ cups.  Discard the solids.  Transfer the pulp back to the saucepan and  and cook with the vanilla ghee, maple syrup and salt over medium heat, stirring, until ghee is melted and everything is combined, about 7-8 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Whisk together egg yolks and egg in a medium bowl, then slowly whisk in cranberry mixture until eggs are fully incorporated.  Return mixture back to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon and remove from heat. This should take about 8 minutes.

Transfer mixture to glass jars (or an airtight container) and let cool before refrigerating.  Will keep, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.

cranberry-vanilla bean curd It's officially December and the start of holiday baking/cooking!  I'm totally excited because my son and I have a few cookie exchanges and kids' holiday events to attend so I have even more motivation to start baking this year.  

[ahealthypinch]

Happy (Almost) Thanksgiving!

Even though the holiday is less than a week away, I’m actually feeling pretty calm about the whole day.  This year we’re staying local and having some family friends over, so I’m grateful we won’t be alone and relieved that this will be a much needed, low-key event.  I keep telling myself that I don’t really have to cook a ton of food, that nobody will care how many appetizers and sides there are or that everything is homemade.  However, knowing myself, I’ll throw all this out the window and start making lists upon lists of dishes I want to serve and groceries I need to buy.  Hmm..we’ll see how all this goes.

In the meantime, I’ve been spending our rainy afternoons baking things I want to eat now…like these muffins!

With a lingering bag of cranberries hanging out in the freezer, I opted to kick off the holiday baking season with these spiced cranberry-apple muffins. They’re more on the dense side because I subbed some whole-wheat flour but there’s a subtle sweetness from the grated apple which is contrasted by the tart pop of cranberries.  Top them with a little coarse sugar (like turbinado or demerara) for a bit of added sweetness and extra crunch. Love.

I halved the recipe, which was perfect for our family and is the one you see below.  However, if you’re serving a crowd or want to save some for later, feel free to double it and freeze the remaining muffins and they’ll keep for up to three months.

Perfect for slow mornings while sipping coffee, they’re tastiest warmed with with a little salted butter slathered on top. Yum!

spiced cranberry-apple muffins

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins

These tart, yet sweet, spiced muffins are a perfect addition to your fall baking! Hearty and dense, they’re a great way to use up those cranberries lingering in your refrigerator.

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup natural cane sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp fine-grain sea salt

1 large egg, room temperature

¾ cup whole yogurt

4 tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½-¾ medium apple, grated

½ cup (heaping) fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped or quartered

2-3 tbs turbinado or Demerara sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or insert liners into muffin cups.

Into a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg to break up the yolk. Then whisk in the yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until the batter is barely combined. Add the apple and cranberries and stir gently until there’s no trace of flour left. Dough may be a little stiff but that’s ok.

Scoop batter into the muffin tin cups, filling them almost all the way to the top. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Top the muffins with the turbinado or Demerara sugar. Bake the muffins for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through the baking time. Muffins are done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove muffins from the oven and placed n a wire rack, allowing them to rest for a few minutes in the tin until they’re cool to the touch. They will last about 3 days refrigerated in a plastic bag, otherwise you can individually wrap and freeze them in a ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months.

**To reheat- wrap in foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes; if frozen, reheat for 15 minutes.

(Adapted from The Kitchn cookbook)

spiced cranberry-apple muffins Happy (Almost) Thanksgiving! Even though the holiday is less than a week away, I'm actually feeling pretty calm about the whole day.  

[ahealthypinch]

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Since we’re in the middle of autumn and all things spiced, I have another snack for you. But instead of pumpkin spice, chai spice is the star!  I love having roasted nuts around as a quick snack, so these fall flavors are perfect.  With honey as a natural sweetener, you can feel pretty good about indulging in a (more than a) a few handfuls of these nuts at a time!

honey chai-spiced roasted nuts

For a quick and easy treat, toss walnuts with warming chai spices, roast ’em up and get snacking! Walnuts are my favorite but almonds, pecans or cashews would work just as well. I also added in a mixture of sesame, flax and chia seeds that I had on hand and those could certainly be omitted if you don’t have them available.

3½-4 cups raw walnuts

¼ cup mixed chia, flax and sesame seeds, optional**

1 egg white

3 tbs honey

2-3 tbs chai spice (see below)

regular, coarse sea salt or vanilla salt if you’re feeling extra fancy (which is what I used)

Preheat oven to 325° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy.  Pour in the honey and whisk again until both are combined, then add in the chai spices and mix again.  Add walnuts and mixed chia, flax and sesame seeds (if using) to honey and egg white mixture.  Fold nuts into mixture with a spatula until completely covered.

Pour nut mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly, making sure they’re in one layer.  Sprinkle liberally with vanilla salt.  Put mixture into oven and roast for approximately 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.  Keep in a

Sprinkle on the vanilla salt.

Return the nuts to oven for another 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately place into glass jars for storage as they’ll harden while they cool.  Will keep in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.

DIY chai spice

4tsp cinnamon

4tsp ginger

2tsp cardamom

2tsp cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp all spice

Mix all spices together in a small bowl and store in a glass jar.

(adapted from Edible Perspective)

honey chai-spiced roasted nuts Since we're in the middle of autumn and all things spiced, I have another snack for you.

[ahealthypinch]

Fall is here and it’s actually starting to feel like it in Northern California.  After experiencing 100º+ temps just the other week, we’re finally waking up to cooler temperatures and cloudy skies and I honestly couldn’t be happier! Bring on all the fall essentials: PSLs and plaid, pumpkin patches and apple orchards, warming spices and cozy nights.

I love that NorCal has so much to offer in the way of fall activities and even though the leaves take a little longer to change over here, we are definitely embracing the season.  With dozens of orchards to visit, you better believe we’ll be indulging in the tastiest apple cider donuts and coming home with the best fall produce and apple cider the area has to offer. And fall isn’t complete without a few trips to the pumpkin patch, which is always more fun with friends!  Here are a few pics from our most recent outings!

the only way to eat a sprinkle apple donut

Boa Vista Orchards in Apple Hill

as good as this picture is going to get!

I’m actually doing more baking these days because who doesn’t love a house that smells like all the fall things? This pumpkin bread is really just a tweak on my go-to banana bread, substituting pumpkin for the banana, adding DIY pumpkin pie spice and a bit more flour to keep the bread nice and sturdy.  I also swirled some maple-y cream cheese on top, which is totally optional.  Personally, I looove a piece of warm pumpkin bread with a big schmear of cream cheese fresh out of the oven.  Either way, you can’t go wrong!

cream cheese-swirled pumpkin spice bread

The scent of pumpkin pie is ubiquitous with the change of seasons, so I change up my banana bread/muffin for this pumpkin spice bread once September rolls around.  Though still moist and flavorful, this pumpkin spice bread will still hold up to a generous schmear of cream cheese fresh out of the oven.  So good!

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine-grain sea salt

2-2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice**

DIY instructions below!

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup packed muscavado sugar (or dark brown sugar)

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1½ tsp vanilla

2 eggs, whisked

1 cup organic pumpkin purée

 ½ cup Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or coconut oil and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, sea salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil and muscavado sugar, making sure to break up any lumps. Then add the maple syrup and vanilla and stir to combine again. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring each one until completely combined. Finally, add the pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt and stir everything together with a wooden spoon.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until everything is just combined and there aren’t any more pockets of flour left. Just try not to over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. At this point you can just bake as is or make the cream cheese swirl and add in here. If you’re swirling in cream cheese, just drop about 10 one tablespoon dollops onto bread batter and gently swirl with a knife or toothpick.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Slice and serve! The pumpkin bread should keep about 3-4 days, covered, on the counter.

Cream cheese swirl (completely optional)

4 oz softened cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese

2 tbs pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, vigorously stir or whisk all ingredients together until completely combined. If you have trouble, heat the cream cheese in the microwave at 15 second intervals to soften it up even more.

make-your-own pumpkin pie spice

1 tbs cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp ground nutmeg

pinch of cardamom

Mix all spices together and store in a small glass jar.

Adapted from Joy the Baker

cream cheese-swirled pumpkin bread Fall is here and it's actually starting to feel like it in Northern California.  After experiencing 100º+ temps just the other week, we're finally waking up to cooler temperatures and cloudy skies and I honestly couldn't be happier!

[ahealthypinch]

shawarma roasted chickpeas 

When I have the time and motivation, roasted chickpeas are a snack staple in our house. If you didn’t think you could eat two whole cans of chickpeas by yourself, this snack may prove you wrong.  Lucky for me, I have a toddler who loves them just as much as I do so they’re the perfect thing to share. The flavor combo is adapted from NYT’s chicken shawarma recipe (which, by the way, is SO good)…

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roasted sweet pepper + summer squash pizza

roasted sweet pepper + summer squash pizza

So we’ll keep this short and sweet.  Certainly pizza is one of the most customizable dishes you can create but I am loving this combo and have made this exact pizza probably three  or four times in the past few weeks.  And the fact that I only have one picture to accompany this post means that we promptly devoured this pizza pretty much as soon as it came out of the oven! I made Heidi Swanson’s…

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double coffee chocolate chip blondies

double coffee chocolate chip blondies

These blondies. I can’t get over them.  They’re currently sitting on my counter and it’s taking all my willpower not to grab one every time I walk by them.  Which is a lot.  As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I *had* to make it…but with a few additions of my own, of course. (more…)

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spring veggie pasta salad with avocado-parsley sauce

spring veggie pasta salad with avocado-parsley sauce

Bring on the veggies!  That’s what spring is all about, right? I love love love perusing the farmers markets this time of year because we still have remnants of winter citrus while spring produce is in full swing- the best of both worlds!  My husband knows me too well and never fails to stop at the quaint little markets on his way home from work, usually bringing me green beans, asparagus,…

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[ahealthypinch]

Deconstructed Bahn Mí Bowl

Deconstructed Bahn Mí Bowl

Hello!  It’s been a few months but I needed to come back to this space.  My last post was in December and from there, life just got busy with the holidays and my creativity and confidence waned.  I’ve been cooking and baking a lot but haven’t documented much, so here’s to jumping back into the blog world and keeping it consistent.  This brings me to the recipe, or conglomeration of recipes, in…

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[ahealthypinch]

channeling my inner Kendrick Lamar with an afternoon #smoothie 🌱🥑🍌 @krdz78 knows me too well! • { 1 whole avocado + 2 frozen bananas + 2 cups @earthboundfarm power greens + 2 tbs almond butter + 2 tbs hemp seeds + 2 tbs @traderjoeslist vanilla protein powder } (at Roseville, California)

[ahealthypinch]

yesterday was the hubby's noodle choice. I get to choose tonight 🍜😋 • { #sobanoodles & shredded carrots + crispy AF Brussels & tofu with @mollyyeh 's magic tahini sauce & #furikake . all sorts of yes } (at Roseville, California)

[ahealthypinch]

The holidays definitely snuck up on me this year.  As they do every year, but still.  I perpetually procrastinate decorating the house, buying presents and really getting into the Christmas spirit until about halfway though the month and then scramble at the last minute to get everything done.  Every year I keep telling myself to start earlier, make more lists and manage my time better but old habits die hard.

We are flying back to Illinois for Christmas so we decided to forgo some of our usual traditions, which has eased the holiday stress just a bit.  Instead of chopping down our own tree in the wilderness of Tahoe, we put up a light-up twig tree from Target.  There are no stockings, no ornaments, and no lights on the house which, at times, I feel slight pangs of guilt about.  However, it’s actually a win-win because I’m not playing hide-and-seek with ornaments that my 2 year old would definitely hide and he still LOVES the lights on his twig tree.  So as long as he’s happy, he won’t know the difference.  This year.

However, there is one tradition I am keeping alive and it’s baking cookies for family to celebrate the holidays.  It’s my way of sending some homemade love across the country.  Usually I make white chocolate peppermint cookies with vanilla salt and they’re such a hit. Their flavor screams Christmas and though they’re delicious sometimes the chocolate/peppermint combination can be a little overwhelming.

So I’ve also decided to throw in these thin and chewy gingersnaps to change things up a bit. I’ve made one batch and about four more to go.  The cookie tins have been purchased so I really am trying to take steps to get over this procrastination hump.  Now it’s just a matter of sending them out before I actually leave for Illinois!

My little helper was trying to grab a cookie and run but when he realized I was actually taking pictures, he gave me his best hand model pose.

Though these cookies are thin, they are rich with the flavor of molasses and cinnamon and ginger, just as they should be.  Coated in a thin layer of turbinado sugar, the crunch of the first bite gives way to a chewy center.  Since chocolate and peppermint saturate the season, I love these gingersnaps as a deviation from the norm.

thin ‘n chewy gingersnaps

These gingersnaps are a perfect holiday cookie addition.  Though they are best warm from the oven, they also make great cookie sandwiches.  I used a cranberry-vanilla curd that I’ll be posting soon, but your favorite jam would work beautifully as well!

(makes about 18 cookies)

12 tbs (1½ sticks) organic unsalted butter, softened

1 cup natural cane sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

¼ cup molasses

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp fine-grain sea salt

¼ cup turbinado sugar

cranberry-vanilla curd, optional

Preheat oven to 350° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat butter and natural cane sugar in a large mixing bowl on medium speed util well combined, about a minute.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  With mixer still running, slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until smooth.

Place turbinado sugar in a small bowl.  Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, roll dough balls between palms until uniform in size.  Then lightly roll the dough balls in the turbinado sugar.  Arrange 12 dough balls on prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart; then flatten each cookie ball to ¼ inch thick.  They will spread as they bake so you want to make sure they aren’t too close together.

Bake 8-12 minutes, until fragrant and cracks appear on the top.  Remove baking sheet from oven and allow the cookies to cool, undisturbed, for at least 10 minutes.  They will harden as they cool.

If making cookie sandwiches with the cranberry-vanilla curd (or your favorite jam), assemble only as many as you will eat in a few hours since they will get soggy otherwise.  Dry cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a month- if they last that long!

  thin ‘n chewy gingersnaps The holidays definitely snuck up on me this year. As they do every year, but still. I perpetually procrastinate decorating the house, buying presents and really getting into the Christmas spirit until about halfway though the month and then scramble at the last minute to get everything done.

[ahealthypinch]

At the end of every day, I feel like I deserve a treat.  I mean, I know I am home with my toddler all day so how hard could daily life really be?  But I am at home with my toddler alllll day.  Though I love my little man to the moon and back, he is like the Energizer bunny- always going, and going and going…

So after dinner has been served, dishes have been done and kitchen has been wiped down, I turn the oven back on because the day is never really over until I’ve had my cookie for dessert.  I’ve gotten in the habit of freezing a freshly-made batch of cookie dough so that I won’t eat half the cookies throughout the day.  It’s the perfect solution curb my mindless snacking and allows me to really savor the one cookie I’ve baked for myself after dinner.  Because it really is a treat.

This cookie dough is special.  It’s not gluten-free.  Nor is it vegan.  And I definitely wouldn’t consider them a health food.  But sometimes a special chocolate chip cookie is just what we need to put a period on the end of the day.  I’ve made this recipe numerous times and have fallen in love with the addition of tahini in the batter because it creates a subtle depth of flavor even though the tahini itself isn’t really that pronounced.  This time there was a higher chocolate-to-dough ratio so they were super gooey, almost falling apart when taking a bite.  Feel free to use less chocolate if desired.  Just because, I also threw in some espresso powder since coffee is never a bad addition with chocolate.  Finally, I whipped up sesame smoked sea salt to top the cookies, as one does. (say that three times fast).

All I gotta say is…make these cookies.

tahini-espresso chocolate chip cookies {with sesame smoked sea-salt}

A tahini chocolate chip cookie spiked with espresso powder and topped with sesame smoked sea salt.  The very best treat to end your day!

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup tahini

1 cup natural cane sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 cup + 2 tbs whole wheat pastry flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbs espresso powder

1 ¾ cup chopped dark chocolate

  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, tahini and cane sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.  Add in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and continuing mixing on medium for another five minutes.

In another large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and espresso powder together to combine.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined.  Toss in the chopped chocolate and stir them into the mixture by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough balls and place them on the sheet.  Wrap the baking sheet in plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 12 hours.  This step is important because it allows the gluten in the flour to relax, giving way to a more tender and chewy cookie.

At this point, you can bake 1 or bake them all.  I love storing cookie dough in the freezer to have on hand when the craving strikes.  Plus, not having a jar of chocolate chip cookies on the counter to snack on which to snack freely helps with self control.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  space cookies at least 3” apart to allow for them to spread.  Bake for 13-16 minutes, until just golden around the edges.  Even though they may look underbaked, this is actually perfect.  Sprinkle with the smoked sea salt/sesame mixture and allow to cool for at least 10-20 minutes before eating.

sesame smoked sea salt

1 tbs smoked sea salt

2 tbs sesame seeds

In a spice grinder, add smoked sea salt and sesame seeds and pulse until combined.  You don’t want to pulverize the mixture, just coarsely chopped enough so that it’s fully mixed together.

      tahini-espresso chocolate chip cookies {with sesame smoked sea-salt} At the end of every day, I feel like I deserve a treat.  I mean, I know I am home with my toddler all day so how hard could daily life really be?  

[ahealthypinch]

ummm, so my #bahnmi bowl was chosen as a finalist in @thefeedfeed & @applegate 's lunch contest! 🙌🏼 along with being honored and excited, I'm asking for your vote! head on over to: https://thefeedfeed.com/contest/applegate-farm-contest-voting to cast your ballot (for me 😉)! • #feedfeed #applegate #food52 #f52grams #notsaddesklunch