Upgrade the Ordinary

Here are 2 ideas for making everyday ingredients a bit more interesting and dare I say it, healthy.

First up is breakfast. I love bagels and a cup of coffee for breakfast, but take regular cream cheese and add in some veggies and you have a real treat!

Ingredients:
1 package cream cheese (I love Philadelphia cream cheese)
shredded carrots
1 radish, chopped green onion, chopped
parsley

Let the cream cheese get to room temperature, then mix in all the ingredients. Toast up a bagel and spread it on - that's it! The nice thing about this is that you can really add anything you like.

Second is dessert (this could also be a breakfast or a snack). In the summer, I try to make desserts that are not too heavy, are not ice cream, and are still yummy - so try a yogurt parfait.
Ingredients:
2 containers of vanilla yogurt (or your favorite flavor)
fresh fruit - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
1 cup granola cereal

Wash the berries and cut the strawberries into bite sized pieces. Mix the berries in to the yogurt. Put equal portions of the yogurt/berries into 4 cups and top with 1/4 cup of granola.

Both of these recipes are easy and can be doctored up in many ways - so have fun and enjoy!