Larabars and Baked Ziti (not together though)

Part of eating a healthy diet for me is controlling my hunger, never getting to the point where I am ravenously hungry. As part of the I Diet I added two snacks a day into my meal planning; for this most part this has meant some nuts and a piece of fruit in the morning and some veggies or string cheese in the afternoon, and sometimes yogurt. I'm not quite so regimented with them anymore, but they really do help carry me through the day and stop me from aimlessly munching on junk so I have at least one snack, and sometimes two, each day. Now that it's really embedded in my habits I wanted to find some new ideas.

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a blog called Sometimes I "Veg", a "self-identified flexitarian" food blogger from Southern New Hampshire who writes mostly about Vegan cooking. I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but she has some really great posts and recipes.

Including a couple of recipes for homemade Larabars, which I made over the weekend. Mine didn't come out nearly as pretty as hers but they are quite tasty and super easy to make. I brought the bars into work, and have enjoyed them as my morning snack this week. I've got more cashews, dates, and dried blueberries at home so I can whip up some more.

 

Homemade Blueberry Larabars

After I finished with the Larabars, I made some baked ziti (seemed like a good comfort choice during a Hurricane turned Tropical Storm). Putting together a quick marinara with plain tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and a healthy amount of garlic, basil, rosemary, and a dash of hot sauce for some zip.I'm not a huge ricotta fan so I used fresh grated Parmesan and Romano and a pound of fresh mozzarella.
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Pretty Things Beer's Jack D'Or
helped make dinner

Look at all that mozzarella. Yum.