Marin Mama Faves

Vegan kale salad with citrus dressing in a bowl and fork

Vegan Kale Salad with Citrus Dressing

This is such a simple and fresh salad, and it’s so different from my other kale salads, as it doesn’t have any cheese in it. We all know how much I love cheese, but I don’t miss it in this salad at all because the nuts, fennel and oranges really give this salad some flavor.

Rosemary skillet chicken

Rosemary Skillet Chicken

This is the perfect weeknight chicken recipe folks. The marinade comes together in a flash and can be made ahead in the morning, so when you get home from work or just from a long busy day, all you have to do is roast up the chicken. Yippee! The chicken takes under 30 minutes to roast up to perfection, but tastes like a chicken that has been cooking for hours.

Quinoa snack bars

Quinoa Snack Bars

These are not the prettiest bars I’ve ever photographed, but they sure are tasty and pretty healthy to boot. They’re filled with the goodness of quinoa, quinoa flour, chia seeds, goji berries, local raw honey and so much more. You can even make these gulten-free by using gluten-free oats.

Quinoa wrap with black beans, feta, and avocado displayed on a table.

Quinoa Wrap with Black Beans, Feta and Avocado

What makes this wrap so good? Well, you take our favorite avocado-tahini dip, mix it in with some quinoa, black beans, a bit of melted Monterey jack and feta, throw in some sliced avocado, some spinach leaves, and wrap it all in a whole-grain tortilla, and oh my goodness, you have yourself one amazing wrap that’s not only healthy, but full of flavor.

Sweet potato and farro salad in a bowl on the table.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Salad

This is to me a perfect winter salad because it’s savory, sweet and nutty all at once. Roasted sweet potatoes paired with the chewy nutty texture of farro and topped with fresh dill and arugula greens, it’s almost too pretty to eat.

Bolognese simmering in a pot on the stove

Weeknight Bolognese -Dairy-Free

This is hands down my GO-TO bolognese! It’s seriously the perfect and tastiest bolognese for those busy weeknights, as it takes under 45 minutes start to finish, but the sauce tastes like a sauce that’s been cooking on your stove top all day, not for just 30 minutes.

Kale salad with toasted almonts

Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Toasted Almonds

So, yes, this is another kale salad recipe, (sorry for all of the kale recipes lately folks) but it has Brussels sprouts in it, so you’re getting 2 amazing veggies in one salad! Bonus! My foodie friend Carolyn passed this recipe onto me and told me I had to try it. I totally trust Carolyn, and when she tells me that I need to try something, I do, no questions asked. I was nervous to have the kids try this because Eli despises Brussels sprouts, like totally gags on them. So the first time I made this up, I didn’t tell him that there were Brussels sprouts in it (I know, I’m a mean and sneaky mama). He ate the salad and really liked it. I then told him after he finished that he just ate some Brussels sprouts, and you know what, he said he liked them raw mixed in with the kale! Sometimes you just have to be a bit sneaky moms!

Homemade almond joy and mounds bars

Homemade Almond Joy and Mounds Bars

There’s no better way to steer your kids away from all of the store-bought Halloween candy than to make up a healthy homemade alternative. For years, my family has been making healthier versions of classic candy favorites like homemade peanut butter cups, homemade dark chocolate bark and these no-bake, vegan Almond Joy bars. These bars are an easy and fun recipe to make with the kids. For parents concerned about nut allergies, you can make the classic Mounds bar, because as they say, “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t” These bars are vegan, no-bake and take about 30 minutes to make. So come on, let’s make up some bars!

Citrus marinaded chicken- three pieces on the table.

Citrus-Marinated Chicken

Ok, I have to say that this is one of my favorite chicken recipes ever, and Zoe and Eli both agree with me. We tried this the other night, gave each other the thumbs up, and said that this chicken was totally blog worthy and need to be posted sooner than later. The chicken is SO moist and full of flavor from the citrus marinade, and the skin gets all crispy and yummy from cooking under the broiler. This is seriously going to be one of my new go-to recipes for chicken, and the best part is that it can be made year round because it’s cooked under the broiler. Yippee! You could also grill it up, or even sear it in your cast iron skillet and then bake it off in the oven.  Hey, it’s a flexible chicken recipe!  I can see paring this chicken with some 5-minute roasted cauliflower or 5-minute roasted Brussels sprouts in the fall and kale mashed potatoes in the winter. This chicken is total comfort cooking anytime of year.

grilled bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes

Grilled Bruschetta with Heirloom Tomatoes

I’m sure you’ve all seen the cover for the July/August edition of Martha Stewart Living in either a book store or your grocery store. If you’ve seen it, then you know why I just had to run out and make up this bread. I opened up my mailbox last week and saw the cover showcasing this beautiful assortment of heirloom tomatoes on top of this toasted bread. I immediately went to the grocery store, bought me some heirlooms and made this up for lunch. I have to say that I was in food heaven. This bread is crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside from the juicy heirlooms and olive oil. The crunchy sea salt and fresh basil just give it another punch of flavor and texture. John and I split half a loaf up for lunch one day and paired it with my lacinato kale salad and drumsticks another night for dinner. I also brought this to a friend’s house and served it up as an appetizer. Let’s just say it was a hit with everyone. It’s truly the perfect summer bruschetta!

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