It is so nice to leave the Northeast in the winter time, to travel beyond the frozen ground, chilling winds and wool socks, south to where the palm trees sway and the air is balmy. I am lucky in the fact that my sister lives in Florida, it has become a tradition of sorts to start the new year warming up from the cold winter on the beach!

At this time of year the Northeast has gone into a hibernation of sorts, the early evening and chill drives people into their homes. The veggie scene moves towards heavy greens and root vegetables so it is a wonderful change for my taste buds to come down here and eat light delicious meals filled with 'summer' fruits and vegetables. My sister also loves the fact that I feed her!

This is my third day and we have had smoothie bowls, fresh salads, and more, all equally delicious and nutritious! I always find that it is a great recharge from the heaviness of winter and that it puts me in the right mindset for the new year.

This morning, I wanted to try something new. The grocery store had these amazing looking papayas so I whipped up some stovetop granola, threw in some fruit and yogurt and created an amazing breakfast that was simple and would leave us happy and recharged for the rest of the day. It is New Years Eve and we have to keep our energy up in order to witness the passing of one year into another by way of crystal balls dropping from the sky.

I hope that you enjoy this great recipe....

Papaya filled with Coconut Granola, Fresh Fruit, and Yogurt

Stovetop Granola

3 tbs Coconut Oil

1 1/2 cups Oats

1/4 cup Coconut Sugar

1/4 cup Pecans, Chopped

1/4 cup Shredded Coconut

1/4 cup Raisins

1/4 cup Sliced Almonds

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

In a saute pan heat 2 tbs coconut oil over medium heat. Add the oats, tossing to coat and stirring often until browned. be careful as coconut oil has a lower heating point and can thus burn easily. Stir in the remaining tbs coconut oil, cinnamon, and the coconut sugar, coating and browning further until crunchy. Add the nuts, raisins, and shredded coconut, fully incorporating. Cook for another minute then remove from heat and let cool. The excess granola can be stored in an airtight container for later use.

1 Papaya, halved

1/4 cup Blueberries

1/4 cup Raspberries

1/2 Avocado, diced

1 tbs Chopped Pecans

1 tbs Chopped Almonds

Stovetop Granola

Yogurt of your choice

Honey

Take the papaya and slice length ways. Remove the seeds, saving for another use. Fill each side of the papaya with granola, fruit, nuts, and 1/4 of the avocado. Top with a dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of honey. Enjoy and Healthy Eating!

I'm heading to warmer climates tomorrow for a little r&r. I love traveling but when going away, even for a few days I always feel that I need to clean out the fridge, take out the garbage and leave my house in order. I am not one of those leave it for when I return type of gals. Therefore, today was filled with culinary delights meant to use up any leftover produce that was lingering in the confines of my fridge .

For breakfast I had coconut chia pudding with mangos. Who knew that chia pudding was so easy to make? A little coconut, some coconut milk, vanilla, and chia seeds and you are good to go!

Lunch consisted of a smoothie bowl loaded with kale, spinach, cucumber, avocado and coconut milk, blending until smooth and creamy then topped with sliced banana, mango, flax seeds, and cacao nibs with a drizzle of honey. I'm telling you, today was a great day for eating.

Finally, I had a few more items to use up, a half of a watermelon and some leftover celeriac from my Christmas Lasagna. I sliced the celeriac into sticks, squared the watermelon, threw in some feta cheese and make a delicious avocado dijonnaise that just made it all come together. I hope that you enjoy!

Celeriac, Watermelon, and Feta Salad with Avocado Dijonnaise

2 cups of sliced Celeriac (matchstick style)

1/2 Watermelon, cubed

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dijonnaise

1/2 Avocado

1 handful fresh herbs (i had parsley but cilantro would have been lovely)

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 tbs Dijon Mustard

Juice from 1/2 of a Lemon or 2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

1/4 cup Water + up to 2 tbs more depending on your preferred thickness

In a blender or food processor, add the avocado, garlic, olive oil, salt, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, mustard and water. Blend until smooth, adding more water if needed.

Slice the celeriac into matchsticks, cube the watermelon and toss together, adding the feta cheese. Top with the avocado dijonnaise, let sit for 10 minutes to develop the flavors. Enjoy and healthy eating!