Hot Cocoa Flavors and Toppings
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Simple, plain hot cocoa is a classic holiday drink, but you can make it even more tasty with different flavors and toppings! Check out some of my best hot chocolate tips below.
Flavored Syrups
Did you know you can buy any bottle of Starbucks flavored syrups at their locations? I love using these for hot cocoa, but they can also be used in your daily coffee. Flavors like Toffee Nut and Cinnamon Dolce can be hard to find elsewhere! Standard flavors like vanilla and caramel can be found in the coffee section of most grocery stores.
Homemade Whipped Cream
You’re going to be using this recipe over and over again. It can be used to top so many different kinds of desserts, but it is absolute heaven on top of hot chocolate. Throw away that spray can, you’re going to love the real thing.
Toppings
Once you add the whipped cream, you can add caramel, pretzels, sea salt, chocolate shavings, crushed Oreos, Andy’s mints, or peppermint on top of your drink to give it a little extra pizzazz.
Spices
Spices are a great way to give your hot chocolate an upgrade. Check out this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate with either white or milk chocolate, and this recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate.
Not a chocolate fan? Try this recipe for Spiced Apple Cider.
Find more delicious dessert recipes on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database!
New Thanksgiving Recipes To Try
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
My extended family loves gathering together for Thanksgiving. We each bring a dish or two to contribute to Thanksgiving. We all look forward to the classics that can’t be replaced: turkey, cheesy potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, sweet potatoes, and more.
But if you’re looking to spice up your cooking and try something different this year, check out these Thanksgiving recipes below. These tasty dishes are sure to become a new family favorite!
Sides/Appetizers
12 Best Cranberry Sauce Recipes To Make This Thanksgiving
54 Killer Sweet Potato Recipes To Make This Fall
Butternut Hummus with Feta & Pomegranates
Stuffing for People Who Don’t Like Stuffing
Homemade Turkey Dressing – Zuni Cafe Style
Easy, Cheesy Savory Bread Pudding
Wild Rice Stuffing with Hazelnuts and Dried Cranberries
Desserts
Cinnamon Honey Butter Recipe (to top your cornbread cake with)
Cornbread Cupcakes With Honey Buttercream Frosting
23 Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Pies to Try This Year
20 Easy Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes You’ll Be Thankful Are Not Pies (Some of my favorites from this listed below)
Incredible Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Whipping Cream Frosting
Apple Dumplings with Sparkling Cider Sauce
Addicting Caramel Apple Crisp Bars
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce
The Best Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Find more delicious recipes on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database!
The Best Foods for Baby and Bridal Showers
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Stumped on what to make for your friend or family member’s baby or bridal shower? Don’t stress, we’ve got you covered! Check out the best dishes for showers below.
Main Course
Sandwiches
These are the easiest dish to make, serve, and eat. I only have good things to say about sandwiches served at showers.
Cucumber Avacado and Dill Havarti Sandwiches
Chicken Salad with Grapes (this salad on croissants is always a hit)
Lettuce Wraps
Big Party Chicken Salad with Medjool Dates
Soup in Bread Bowls
You can buy bread bowls at WinCo, making meal prep super easy. Make a soup on the stove and put it in a crockpot to keep it warm while serving.
Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe-5 ingredients
Salads
Side Dishes
Parfaits
Fruit Salad
Dips for Chips, Pita Bread, or Veggie Cups
The classic dip made of ranch seasoning and sour cream is addicting and always a crowd pleaser. Here’s some other dips from our recipe database that are sure to please.
Easy Hummus (Better Than Store-Bought)
Drinks
Non Alcoholic Apple Cider Mimosa
(This is also good with grapefruit juice instead of orange juice)
Watermelon Margarita Mocktails
Desserts
Easy Key Lime Cheesecake Sugar Cookie Cups
With Alcohol:
Strawberries & Champagne Cake Balls
Tips
- Don’t provide those tiny little plates. If you have a lot of options for food, it’s best to just provide normal sized paper or plastic plates. Your guests will be glad you did! This is also very smart to do if you don’t want to have a lot of leftovers after the shower.
- Make sure you have plenty of seating. You don’t want anyone to have to be standing up because their isn’t room.
- Provide tables if you can. Most people don’t love eating with their plate in their hand or on their lap.
- If you have a trash can hidden behind a cabinet, pull it out and put it in an obvious place so your guests don’t have to guess where it is.
Find more delicious recipes on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database!
Fill Your Plate’s Collection of Cook Out Articles
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Not sure what to cook or what activities to plan for your Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or Labor Day celebrations? No worries, we’ve got you covered here at Fill Your Plate! Browse our cook out and outside activities articles below; you’re sure to find a winner.
Arizona Centered Grilling
Arizona Grown Produce and Meats Make Summer Grilling Even More Delicious! Find Some Here!!
Eat Arizona Beef and You’ll Get ZIP
Arizona Beef is Ready for Your Grill This Weekend
Put a Few Pork Chops on the Grill!
Put Some Steaks on the Grill this Weekend!
Grilling Recipes and Tips
How to Grill the Perfect Steak
LAST GRILL STANDING: TIPS FOR YOUR LABOR DAY COOKOUT
Summer is here! How to Make your Grill Outs a Little Healthier
Focus on Agriculture: In Praise of All-American Food
7 Tips for Hosting Great Summer BBQs on a Budget
Interesting Facts about the Hot Dog!!
Quick Summer Meals for Busy Families
Grilling Safety
15 Tips For Grilling Safely This Summer
Tis the Season to Grill Safely
Fire it up! Grilling Safety Tips
Cook Out Sides
Perfect Food for Poolside Parties
Fill Your Plate with Watermelon
Summertime Means Sweet Corn Time
Summer Desserts
Frozen Treats You Can Make This Summer
100 Things to do with Strawberries
Celebrate Macadamia Nuts With This Delicious Pie Recipe
Ice Cream was Made for Arizona: A List of Some of Our Favorite Places to Buy It!
Homemade Strawberry Julius Recipe
Outdoor Activities
Fun Activities To Do With Your Family For Easter
10 Ideas to Celebrate Labor Day
Celebrate Memorial Day AZ Style
8 Tips for a Perfect July 4th Picnic
Independence Day Events Around AZ (check their websites to see how they may be affected by COVID restrictions)
8 Best Places to Hike and Swim in Arizona
Find more summer articles on Fill Your Plate’s blog!
Fill Your Plate’s Collection of Meal Fact Articles
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Meals have been around since… forever actually! Humans have always had the need to eat, our meals have just become more sophisticated or creative over time. Some dishes that we eat today have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Learn more about the meals you eat by reading the articles below!
Dishes:
Little Known Facts about Vegetable Soup
6 Fun Facts about the Sandwich
Fun Facts about the Main Dish on Thanksgiving
National Grilled Cheese Month, Fun Facts About Grilled Cheese
20 Fun Facts about Hot & Spicy Food
Hot Dogs! Get Your Hot Dogs! Fun Hot Dog Trivia for National Hot Dog Month
Candy and Desserts:
Twenty Fun Facts about Jelly Beans
Gingerbread: Little Known Facts
10 Fun Facts about Candy Apples
A Passion for Popsicles: 13 Fun Facts
Snacks. Drinks, and Condiments:
Pickles, They’re kind of a big DILL
Find more fun facts on Fill Your Plate’s blog!
Fill Your Plate’s Collection of Dessert Articles
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Dessert is one of my favorite ways to bring others together. I have many fond memories of making or eating dessert with my friends and family. Lucky for you, Fill Your Plate has a great collection of dessert articles, just waiting for you to try! See below for dessert recipes, from cookies to cake and beyond.
Cookies:
Gluten free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Delicious Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Out of this World Christmas Cookies
Halloween Candy Cookie Recipes
Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
How to Host a Holiday Cookie Swap
What’s Trending Now: Edible Cookie Dough
Cake:
Pumpkin Pie Cake-Too Good for Words!!
Scones:
Holidays:
5 Quick and Easy Holiday Desserts
Take These Divine Holiday Desserts for a Test Drive
How to Make an Easy, Fancy, and Delicious Hot Chocolate Bar
Find more delicious dessert recipes on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database!
Let’s Talk About Heathier, Natural Sweeteners
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Let’s face it, you just can’t make a dessert taste good without a little sugar, no matter how healthy the ingredients are. But you CAN use sweeteners that are natural and a lot more healthy for your body than processed white sugar.
There are surprisingly a good amount of options when it comes to these natural sweeteners. There’s honey, stevia, monk fruit (What is that? You may ask. Right? I had no idea what it was at first either), dark chocolate chips with low sugar content, agave, cinnamon or nutmeg, date syrup, and more.
Today we’re going over why some of these sweeteners are better for you than refined sugar and giving you some yummy dessert recipes to make. This way you can still have your cake and eat it too, with zero guilt!
Monk Fruit
Monk fruit, in my opinion, is the crown jewel of natural sweeteners. If you’re buying the Monk Fruit In The Raw brand (find it here on Amazon for the best deal), one serving size is equal to one teaspoon. In that one teaspoon, there is ZERO sugar, fat, or sodium. It has 4 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of erythritol. Erythritol is a natural sweetener from corn that is a substitute for sugar. It is 200 times more sweet than sugar, so the recommended ratio to substitute it for sugar and use it in baking is about 1/3 cup of monk fruit for every cup of sugar.
Recipes: Keto Chocolate Cake , Keto Pumpkin Pancakes
Articles by nutritionists: The Plus Factor: and Why There’s Monk Fruit in Our Logo
When It Comes to Alt-Sweeteners, Monk Fruit Is Officially the New Stevia
Honey
Honey does have some vitamins that granulated sugar can’t give you, but it definitely still has a lot of sugar in it. If you think substituting this for sugar in exact measurements is better, you’re wrong. I was surprised when I found this out too! The article below about using honey in coffee explains the pros and cons of using honey as a sweetener.
Recipes: Brent’s Honey Bacon Green Bean Bundles , Citrus Honey Green Tea
Articles by nutritionists: 6 Manuka Honey Benefits That Prove It’s Worth the Buzz
True or False: Using Honey in Coffee Instead of Sugar Is an Easy Healthy Hack
Low Sugar Dark Chocolate Chips
There are a few brands that make these, my favorites are Lily’s, Choc Zero, and Enjoy Life. Lily’s and Choc Zero are very similar, so here’s the breakdown: Lily’s serving size is 60 chips, with less than one gram of sugar and three grams of erythritol. They use stevia extract as their sweetener. It has zero sodium, and eight grams of carbohydrates. Choc Zero uses monk fruit as its sweetener. It’s serving size is also 60 chips with one gram of sugar. These are 70 calories per serving, 10 more than Lily’s. It has 6 grams of carbohydrates (two less than Lily’s) and 15 grams of sodium.
Deciding on which chips are for you just depends on your dietary needs. I have low blood pressure so I need more sodium in my diet than others, so I would opt for the Choc Zero (and I personally think Choc Zero tastes better too 😉). Enjoy Life chocolate chips does have the same amount of sugar as regular chocolate chips, but the benefit of this brand is that it is dairy free, soy free, gluten free, and Kosher. One of my friends who has dairy and gluten sensitivities introduced me to these, so these are the perfect alternative to normal chocolate chips if you have these dietary issues.
Recipes: Keto Chocolate Hazelnut Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie , Keto Friendly Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
One of the best places to find recipes is the In The Raw brand’s recipe database, when you can filter recipes based on what kind of natural sweetener you want to use! Find it here.
Other Low Sugar Dessert Recipes: 7 Low-Sugar Mexican Desserts Bakers of Any Level Can Master
11 Gluten-Free Breakfast Ideas That Keep Baked Goods on the Menu (But Won’t Spike Your Blood Sugar)
As always, find more healthy and delicious recipes on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database! Look out for part two of this article, coming out soon!
Frozen Treats You Can Make This Summer
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
As we all know, it can get pretty hot in Arizona in the summer. Cool down with these frozen treats! This Food Network article as well as these Fill Your Plate articles have tons of great ideas for homemade treats that will satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you cool.
Fill Your Plate:
How to Make Your Own Popsicles
A Passion for Popsicles: 13 Fun Facts
Ice Cream was Made for Arizona: A List of Some of Our Favorite Places to Buy It!
Sweet Treats to Beat the Heat!
7 Little Known Facts about Ice Cream
Food Network:
Watermelon, Chili and Basil Ice Pops
No-Churn Mango-Coconut-Lime Ice Cream
No-Churn Coffee-Caramel Crunch Ice Cream
Oreo-Stuffed Ice Cream Sandwiches
Blueberry, Thyme and Sweet Cream Ice Pops
There are over 80 recipes in this Food Network article so be sure to click the link in the introductory paragraph to find them all! And as always, we have tons of delicious recipes waiting for you to try them out on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database!
Recipes With Green Foods to Make for Saint Patrick’s Day
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite ways to celebrate holidays is with food. What better way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day than with some green food! Some dishes use foods that are naturally green, and other dishes use food coloring. Either way, these dishes are sure to please your friends and family this March!
Recipes with Green Foods:
Snacks, Dips, Sides, and Sauces:
Avocado Pesto (good with pasta)
Brent’s Honey Bacon Green Bean Bundles
Meals:
Instant Pot (or Crock Pot) Salsa Verde Chicken
Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Desserts:
Naturally Green Shamrock Shake
Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwiches with Thin Mint Cookies
Pistachio Cream Cheese Cookies
Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dessert Dip
More ideas can be found on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database and blog, as well as this article where most of these recipes were found: 40 Green Foods to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
So You Got a New Appliance for Christmas… Now What?
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
You just a new appliance for Christmas! Well, what are you going to do with it? Don’t let it gather dust in your pantry; use it! Here are some delicious recipes you can make with your new kitchen tool.
Instant Pot recipes
Instant Pot Winter Chicken and Rice Soup
43 Easy Instant Pot Recipes To Make When You Need Dinner FAST
1000+ Official Recipes For Instant Pot and Instant Family Appliances
Air Fryer recipes
35 Air Fryer Recipes That Will Make Eating Healthy Way More Delicious
17 of Our Favorite Air Fryer Recipes to Make Immediately
45 Best Air Fryer Recipes for a Twist on Your Weeknight Meals
Food Processor recipes
40 Recipes to Make Using a Food Processor
26 Food Processor Recipes for Smooth Purées, Dips, Dough, and More
Kitchen Aid Mixer recipes
16 Things You Never Thought to Make with a KitchenAid
61 KitchenAid Recipes That Stand, Mix, and Deliver
100 Recipes We Wouldn’t Attempt Without a Stand Mixer
Blender recipes
Don’t have time to make breakfast? Smoothies are the answer!
Favorite Recipes from Fill Your Plate Moms: Green Mango-Banana Smoothie
Homemade Strawberry Julius Recipe
Bosch recipes
Recipes from the official Bosch website
How To Make Bread With The Bosch Mixer
Crockpot recipes
White Chicken Chili and Other Crockpot Recipes
73 Slow-Cooker Recipes That Will Make You A Food Prep Believer
Check out Fill Your Plate’s recipe database for more recipes!
Getting Through the Holidays with Eating Disorders
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Eating disorders are far more common than you think. You or a loved one may be dealing with the symptoms of this during the holidays. It is important to be mindful of others and/or your own struggles during this time.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are both holidays that revolve around big meals on the actual holiday, and tons of snacks and desserts during the month of the holiday. This can be very challenging for people who want to spend time with their family, but don’t want to be where everyone is eating and be tempted by the food.
“It’s estimated that 30 million Americans have struggled with an eating disorder at some point over their lifetime, says Claire Mysko, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association. That breaks down to 20 million women and 10 million men,” according to the US News Health division.
This excerpt from an article by Well+Good gives great insight on what others go through during this time.
“During this particular time of the year, we’re expected to eat, enjoy, connect, and take pleasure over food, but these are all things that the overarching context of diet culture has made us feel bad about,” adds Christy Harrison, RD, an intuitive eating coach and anti-diet dietician.
Diet culture, as Harrison has defined for Well+Good in the past, is a system of beliefs prevalent in American society that equates thinness to health and moral virtue; promotes weight loss as a means of attaining higher health status, moral status, or social status; and arbitrarily labels some foods as “good” and others as “bad.”
She says that for many people, the holidays are a “perfect storm of expectations of celebration and ‘indulgence’ meeting up with the demonization of certain foods and the fear of weight gain.
In the past, at my own Thanksgiving dinners, innocently-intentioned comments like “you go girl!” or “someone’s hungry!” as I scooped a second helping of stuffing onto my plate ended with me crying over the toilet throwing up the meal I spent most of the day cooking.
“I’m constantly wondering if I’m being judged taking too much food or going back for seconds, overthinking every single thing that goes onto my plate, and those feelings can be super isolating,” adds Gold. “When I’m on my own I feel totally fine, but when I’m with my family for the holidays, it all resurfaces in a really terrible way.”
Cut to an onslaught of restrictive behaviors before the big meal (like not eating the entire day of Thanksgiving to “save up” for dinner), or exercise-based purging in the days that follow.”
To continue reading the article, click here.
To find more facts on eating disorders, call a counselor, or take a diagnostic quiz for eating disorders, click here.
Call the National Eating Disorder Association at 800-931-2237 if you are in crisis or need someone to talk to. You can also chat with them online or text them during limited hours; see details here.
The Best Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Photo: Blackberry Babe Blog
The day after Thanksgiving is almost as good as the day of in my opinion. You have loads of extra turkey and sides. Instead of eating the exact same meal over again, mix it up with these leftover recipes from Pinterest.
- Turkey Cranberry Sliders
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Turkey Sheppard’s Pie
- Mini Pumpkin Pie Crescent Rolls
- Turkey Pot Pie Soup
- Pumpkin Cobbler
- Leftover Stuffing Waffles with Maple Gravy
- Leftover Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
- Cheesy Breakfast Stuffing Cakes
- Eggnog Pumpkin Pie
- Turkey Cranberry Brie Grilled Cheese
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles
- Cranberry Pecan Turkey Salad
- Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey and Stuffing Muffins
- Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes: Sweet Potato Biscuits Recipe
- Bacon Wrapped Stuffing Bites
- Turkey Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites
- Leftover Mashed Potato Rolls
- Thanksgiving Pizza
- Thanksgiving Ring
- Turkey Tetrazzini
Check out Fill Your Plate’s recipe database for more holiday recipes!
Over The Years: Fill Your Plate’s Collection of Thanksgiving Articles
By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern
Photo: Pixabay
The holidays can be filled with stress, worry, lots of work, and lots of sugar. Don’t let those things take you over! Here is all of Fill Your Plate’s best articles on how to not gain weight during the holidays, simple thanksgiving and dessert recipes, and plenty of ideas and checklists to help you easily plan your holiday, stress-free!
Thanksgiving and Recipes articles:
Fun Facts about the Main Dish on Thanksgiving
Fill Your Plate with these Thanksgiving Blogs
12 Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Recipes
Prime Rib Serves up Well on Thanksgiving Too!
Thanksgiving Recipes to Thrill Your Guests
Great Grandma Griffith’s Thanksgiving Stuffing
Arizona Agriculture Can Grow Your Thanksgiving Meal!
Market basket: Classic Arizona Thanksgiving Dinner Cost increases Slightly in 2013
Classic Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Decreases 5% in 2012
4 Creative Uses for Thanksgiving Leftovers
Plan the Perfect Thanksgiving Day Dinner With These Easy Steps
Your Favorite Recipes: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Dinner-Arizona Style
Classic Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Increases 9% in 2010
Turkey articles:
Now You’re Talking Turkey! Tips for Taking your Turkey to the Next Level.
Creative Ways to Cook Your Turkey
3 Easy Ways to Pick the Perfect Turkey for Your Table
Get Your Thanksgiving Turkey Smoked for a Great Cause
A Solution for Leftover Turkey
Holiday articles:
Slow Down on the Sugar During the Holidays
Choose Arizona Beef for your Main Course this Holiday!
After Holidays, Get Off Sugar, Save Your Teeth
Farming Family Holiday Traditions
Celebrate the Holidays with Arizona Wine!
12 Holiday Dishes you Should Add to your Table
A Foodie’s Guide to the Winter Holidays
Arizona Pumpkins are Perfect for the Holidays!
Four Ways to Celebrate the Holidays Affordably
How to Get Through the Holidays Without Gaining Weight
Holiday Gift Ideas for the Health Conscious
How to Celebrate the Holidays- Arizona Style
Simple, Thoughtful Recipes Work Best for Holiday Feasts
6 Tips for Beating the Holiday Bulge
Give Gifts that Give Back This Holiday Season
How Holiday Checklists Can Save Your Sanity
5 Quick and Easy Holiday Desserts
Cranberry articles:
Fall Articles:
The Ultimate Fall To-Do List: 50 Activities for Friends and Family
Find more inspiration on Fill Your Plate by searching with specific keywords!