4th of JULY + FRESH FOODS

Greta Livingood
Jun 30, 2017
3 min read

Another year, another reason to celebrate a fantastic American holiday.

My family loves to get together at the lake cabin, where we can all be together to celebrate. We fill the the cabin with red white and blue decor, set the table with American Flag plates and cups, bust out the Patriotic gear, hang the American Flag high in the sky and of course sample all the gorgeous red white and blue themed food! This year, I am in charge of appetizers, desserts and drinks and I CANNOT wait to share all my recipes that I will be whipping up for my family!

YOU CAN STILL EAT AMAZING FOOD WITHOUT BREAKING YOUR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE! ITS SIMPLE. FOLLOW ALONG!

Snack. Sides. Appetizers

feta, watermelon, mint kabobs

All you need here is pieces of watermelon, feta chunks and slice of mint. Load 1 of each on a skewer and enjoy throughout the day! They are so refreshing and are a family favorite. This is a great healthy alternative to something fried!

cashew hummus with veggies

I make cashew milk for lattes and smoothies so i saved the leftover pulp for hummus. Just put the pulp back in the food processor, add spices like turmeric, garlic, ginger, black pepper and red pepper flakes. You wont even know the difference in this healthy alternative to chips and dip! You can also sub the chips for flax crackers. make your own here!

beet deviled eggs

I made these for easter and they turned out great. Prepare your eggs just like normal. After they are done, place them in a bag or container with beet juice. Let them sit overnight before slicing and making up the mixture. Instead of mayo, i use leftover cashew hummus or dijon mustard to make them dairy free.

Dessert

Collagen Brownies with vanilla cashew frosting

Adding avocado and collagen make these brownies super clean. Subbing regular flour for coconut flour also makes the Paleo, Whole30, Bulletproof, Vegan, ect.. To make the frosting, I combined Bulletproof vanilla powder and full fat coconut cream in a food processor until i got frosting! They turned out GREAT. Click here for the recipe.

Bulletproof Avocado NICE cream

This dish is super simple. All you need is 4 avocados, 2 cans of full fat coconut milk (or you can make your own by combining 2 cups of hot water with 4 cups of unsweetened coconut milk in a blender for 3 minutes), 1 T. raw honey or maple syrup, 1 T MCT oil, a handful of fresh mint leaves and 1 cup of cacao nibs. Start by halving each avocado and placing them into the blender. Add your coconut milk and blend until creamy. Next, add honey or maple syrup, mint and cacao nibs and blend again. pour into muffin tin and place in the freezer for an hour. Homemade mint chocolate chip NICE cream!

To drink or not to drink. Well, thats entirely up to you but i make a mean Kombucha Sangria that you wont want to skip. Below are some drink options that everyone can indulge in. The non-alcoholic drinks are for kids and adults and are a hit at my family gatherings. I already indulge in the food aspect so sticking to water or kombucha really helps me stay on track and not feel bloated at the end of the day!! The alcoholic beverages are still clean, just with a little added buzz.

Non Alcoholic Beverages

Kombucha sangria

Simply add either the gingerade or lemonade kombucha to a pitcher with water. I like to mix i bottle of booch with (2) bottles of water. Add cut up peaches and a mint leaf for garnish and you have yourself a thirst quenching clean sipper!

"Frizz" & tonic {Sparkling water + fresh herbs}

Another simple clean beverage you can try is adding any fruit to sparkling water. Slice up some cucumbers and garnish with rosemary and there you have it. A "frizz & tonic"!

Alcoholic Beverages

Pineapple Habanerno Margarita

I picked this local Pineapple Habenaro mix up at the farmers market and thought it would go great in a margarita. Instead of adding simple syrup and other additives to your drink, simply mix 1 part mix to 1 part tequila. Squeeze fresh lime and lemon and add some sparkling water for a little extra fizz!

White Wine Sangria

Add one bottle of white wine(i used a white wine from a bio-dynamic farm), 1 cup sparkling water, 5 drops of orange flavor essential oils(edible) and 2 cups fruit (can be strawberries, melon, honeydew, peaches, etc.) let sit for a couple hours before serving. I pour half sangria and then add sparkling water to top it off!

Hope you all incorporate some of my HEALTHY foods into you weekend festivities!

Enjoy and have a great and SAFE 4th of July Weekend!