"Go Nuts, It's Your Birthday!" | Silk Nutchello

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HelloNutchello #CollectiveBias

Oh, how birthday celebrations have changed. In my 20's, wild parties and all-nighters out on the town dotted the social calendar monthly, our young livers and pre-parenthood energy levels allowing us to bounce back without needing much more than a jumbo iced coffee and a couple of ibuprofen the next morning. These days? Not so much.

Now that most of my friends and I are in our 30's, recovering from crazy outings {ie. more than 2 glasses of wine} makes those kinds of celebrations way less desirable, if you know what I mean. {Read: A full weekend on the couch feeling like you got hit by a bus while your toddler repeatedly honks the horn on their all-too-realistic-sounding toy truck. No, thank you.}

Luckily, getting together with a group of friends and enjoying each other's "nutty" company can be just as fun {and way less ouch} than the celebrations of the past. 

In honor of one of my gal pals birthdays, I hosted a lunchtime party with the tongue-in-cheek theme, "Go Nuts, It's Your Birthday!" to celebrate her in a way that we could all enjoy without having to pay for it the next day.

Silk's newest product, Nutchello, {found in the milk/milk alternative aisle at Walmart stores} made for an on-theme centerpiece and signature drink for an afternoon celebration!

With varieties like Rich Dark Chocolate + Walnuts, Toasted Coconut + Cashew, and Caramel Almond + Cashew, there was no feeling like we were skimping on flavor or keeping things "light." Yet, with only 90 calories at most per serving, we could also indulge without doing too much damage!

The menu I came up with was punctuated with nutty additions to the lightened up party fare:

Menu:

Nutchello

Rich Dark Chocolate + Walnuts, Toasted Coconut + Cashew, and Caramel Almond + Cashew

Chicken Quinoa
with Walnut Pesto 

Apple Soda Bread
with Pecan-Honey Butter

Arugula and Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts

Crostini

Olive Tapenade & Zucchini, Blood Orange-Ricotta with Honey & Walnuts

Homemade Caramel Almond Granola 

with Silk Dairy Free Yogurt 

Party Favors: Vanilla-Cayenne Candied Walnuts

Fruits, veggies, healthy grains and nuts were the main ingredients in most of the dishes, and I had lots of dairy-free options for the honored guest who recently eliminated dairy from her diet since finding out that her little one was showing signs of dairy intolerance after nursing. Luckily, Nutchello is free of dairy, soy, lactose, gluten, casein and carrageenan, which means it can still be enjoyed by those who usually have to pass up creamy beverages.

As if getting nutty with the menu wasn't enough to solidify my theme, I also used nuts in the decor, adding cashews, almonds and walnuts to small vases as festive filler, then topping each with a pillar candle and adding some sparkly ribbon to bring it all together.

I chose a neutral color scheme of white and nut brown with gold accents and pops of mint green throughout and used lots of textures to make the tablescape visually interesting. A large piece of burlap worked as a simple table cloth, and instead of bothering with cloth napkins I used inexpensive paper ones in the same mint shade as the other details. I found a small wooden crate and rustic wooden chargers at the craft store and used them to accentuate the natural theme. A set of utensils was tucked into a small mint colored pail that also held gold and white straws and small drawstring polka dotted bags filled with my favorite sweet and spicy candied nuts that I gave away as favors.

I loved mixing formal plates with rustic elements to keep things looking pretty but casual, and I was even able to get away with using ornate plastic utensils {yay! Less to wash!} since they went great with the faux-fancy touches of the decor.

An afternoon celebration is a great reason to bust out the Nutchello and declare, "It's 3 o'clock somwhere!" At the end of the day, the best part of any celebration is gathering with your favorite people... you'd have to be "nuts" to disagree! ;) 

For more Silk recipe inspiration and to learn more about Silk products, head over to the Silk hub!

Meanwhile, check out my recipe for Walnut Pesto Chicken Quinoa -- a great addition to your Nutchello party menu!

Walnut Pesto Chicken Quinoa 

For Walnut Pesto

About 4 cups loosely packed basil leaves 

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1 garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil

1. In a food processor or small blender, pulse together all of the ingredients until almost smooth. {You may need to stop once to scrape down the sides.}

Set aside until ready to use. 

For Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions*
1 large cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into small pieced
2 Roma or plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

1. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add cooked, diced chicken and diced tomatoes. Toss to combine.

2. Pour Walnut Pesto over quinoa mixture and mix until pesto coats all ingredients.

3. Sprinkle toasted walnuts over top.

Serve warm, room temperature or cold as a salad.**

*1 cup of uncooked quinoa will fluff up to about 3 cups cooked.
** Refrigerating for a while before serving may dry out the pesto a bit. If this is the case, just drizzled with a bit of olive oil and toss before serving.

{Gluten Free} Chicken Nuggets with Pumpkin Seed Pesto | NatureRaised Farms®

I have a few requirements for the dishes that make it to our dinner table:

1. Must taste good.

2. Must be nutritious.

3. Must try to be as natural as possible -- no funky ingredients, excessive processing, hormones & antibiotics --  and ethically produced.

4. Must not take forever to prepare.

5. But really... must taste good.

Sounds pretty basic, right?

You'd be surprised how limiting these rules can be when you're looking for quick meal solutions. Some things taste great but have an alarming amount of questionable ingredients. Or maybe they follow the rules, but the taste leaves something to be desired. If you'll notice, that rule is a non-negotiable!

The good news is there are options that can facilitate making the right choices for your family if your checklist looks anything like mine. And that means that throwing in the towel and making a beeline for the drive-thru will be a distant memory!

I'm going to be honest, I typically don't think to buy my chicken in the frozen section of the grocery store because most of the products in those freezers don't make the cut for me. But when I learned about NatureRaised Farms® working with farmers who care about how their animals are raised and treated so that they can provide a product that meet the list of "musts", I wanted to give them a hug. They get me! 

Because I set high standards in my own home, I appreciate it all the more when companies do the same. Give me something with recognizable ingredients, responsible practices, that taste good, and I'll be your BFFL. {Doesn't take much.}

Since NatureRaised Farms® covered a lot of the bases on my checklist as far as quality, safety and convenience, I was happy to spend my time focusing on my favorite part: Flavor!

Did you know that you don't have to limit your nugget-dipping to barbecue sauce and honey mustard?! I know: mind. blown. You can actually add flavor AND a little extra nutritious boost to your meal by making a dipper like this fabulous Pumpkin Seed Pesto! Served alongside some of my cinnamon-spiced sweet potato mash, this makes a meal that would pass inspection around here.

In my house, you would be more likely to find grilled chicken breast like this as the protein in this dish -- we're not in the "chicken nugget" phase of life just yet with our kiddo. But since I know a lot of you out there are, I just wanted to show that you can still add a little color and freshness to quick family favorites, which is good news for all!{Plus, I couldn't find the grilled chicken breasts in my local Target. Rats!}

I used NatureRaised Farms® Gluten Free Breast Nuggets, which I was able to toss into my cart on a Target run {woot!}. They're fully cooked chicken breast nuggets that bake in under 15 minutes and are breaded in a crunchy gluten free rice flour crust. The best part about this meal is that you can get the Pumpkin Seed Pesto and sweet potato mash made in the time it takes for the nuggets to bake, which means less time from kitchen to table. {See rule #4!}

So, go ahead and have your rules... and eat them, too!

Check out more easy weeknight recipes using NatureRaised Farms® products over on their Pinterest page!

Bonus: You can save 15% on any NatureRaised Farms Purchase from October 25 to November 7 with this Cartwheel app offer! As if you needed any other excuses to visit Target...

Chicken Nuggets with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
and Cinnamon-Spiced Sweet Potato Mash

4 NatureRaised Farms® Gluten Free Breast Nuggets, prepared as directed
1/2 cup roasted, lightly salted hulled pumpkin seeds
Handful of fresh basil -- about 1 cup loose leaves
1 small garlic clove, grated or minced
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil

For Chicken: Bake as directed.

For Pesto:

1. Place pumpkin seeds, basil, garlic, pumpkin puree in a food processor or blender jar. Pulse a few times to combine, then stream in olive oil while pulsing to reach desired consistency. {If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin it out.}

2. Taste and season with salt if necessary -- just be careful not to over-season if you used salted pumpkin seeds.

Serve alongside nuggets.

Social post & recipe is sponsored by NatureRaised Farms® Chicken but all comments and opinions are organically my own.

For Sweet Potato Mash:

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add in chopped sweet potato and boil until fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes. {While these boil, make your pesto!}

2. Drain and return to pat. Mash {or use a hand mixer} to achieve desired consistency.

3. Add butter and cinnamon, and mix to distribute evenly.

Serve hot.

Castello Aged Havarti & Dill Crackers | Sponsored Post

I love easy recipes for entertaining. I've done the whole fussy hors d'oeuvres thing -- the kind that practically take tweezers and a magnifying glass to perfectly place the garnish atop the tiny, mutiple-step bite. As beautiful as those types of appetizers are, let's be real: Who has the time?! 

For that very reason, I love a good cheese board. So much so, in fact, that I wrote a whole post last year about how to create the perfect one for holiday entertaining. I mean, who doesn't love cheese? It's one of the few things you can get away with plopping on a plate as is and still manage to receive compliments about.

It's the easiest option whether you're throwing your own shindig or attending someone else's, and I highly recommend it especially if you're running a little short on time. 

But if you really want to impress, you can step it up a notch with the cheese love and make your own cheese crackers.

You heard me! It's really not as hard as it seems. 

These Aged Havarti & Dill Crackers are the savory equivalent to Christmas cookies. They sort of come together like pie dough with just a handful of ingredients, and yet, the final result is an irresistible, buttery cracker bursting with flavor.

The Castello Aged Havarti cheese I used for these crackers is delicious on its own, too, so don't be afraid to make it the center of a cheese board and surround it with tasty accoutrements for your holiday festivities. Aged for a year, this cheese gets a rich flavor and unique crystallization {think: amazing little crunchy bits, sort of like a good Parm} that make it a delight to munch on. The buttery taste shines through and is enhanced by fresh dill... you won't be able to stop at one.

Since chances are that you're already busting out the rolling pin for holiday baking, why not give these savory crackers a try? The holidays are never a bad time to be over-the-top cheesy. :)

Disclosure: Compensation for this post was provided by Castello Cheese via Honest Cooking. As always, the opinions here are all my own!

Aged Havarti & Dill Crackers
Makes about 28 two-inch round crackers

4 tablespoons cold butter, diced
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup Castello Aged Havarti Cheese, finely grated
1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely hopped {or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill}
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream or half & half, cold

1. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, pulse together butter, flour, salt, onion powder and dill.

2. Add cream or half & half and pulse a few more times until the mixture begins to form a ball or looks like clumpy, wet sand.

3. Turn mixture out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. {I like to roll my dough out at this point by covering the dough with a second sheet of plastic wrap and rolling to desired thickness. I find it easier when the dough is soft.} Wrap well and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

5. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness {or thinner if desired} if you haven't rolled it out already. Using a cookie cutter or a pizza cutter, cut out or slice into desired shapes. Place on prepared baking pan. Prick the tops of each cracker a few times with the tines of a fork.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops begin to turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.