I hope you are having a wonderful new year so far! Are you the type that likes to start the new year off with resolutions or do you like to ease back into the day-to-day after the holidays? Personally, I do not make resolutions, but rather seek balance and set goals that I would like to accomplish. One of my goals as a blogger this year (among other things) is to bring useful content to my readers that they are seeking answers to. I love connecting with my followers and hearing what recipes, entertaining ideas or home decor needs they have. With that said, I have received a lot of recent requests for healthy and easy snack ideas. I came up with a recipe that hopefully suffices all those hunger pains in between meals.

When I started thinking about this recipe, I knew I wanted it to be something that you could easily make on a Sunday to prep for the week and I wanted to keep the ingredients to a minimum without compromising on flavor. What I came up with is a 5 ingredient snack that takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. And the flavor is amazing!

You start by combining olive oil with fresh rosemary and thyme, maldon salt and pepper. There really is nothing like the smell of fresh herbs when you're cooking. So good!

I chose to use all cashews because I happen to love them, and because I honestly burnt the first test batch I made that was a mix of almonds and cashews (oops!). But you can certainly use any type of nut that you prefer. Once all of the nuts have been coated in the dressing, lay them in an even layer on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

Although the nuts only cook in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, they make the house smell amazing in that short amount of time. And, you will most definitely be ready to snack on them by the time they come out!

I think you will be amazed at how these simple ingredients take plain roasted nuts and make them into a delicious yet healthy snack!

The ingredients and recipe make this snack so versatile. You can fancy them up by putting them out for guests in your favorite bowl. Or, simply keep them to yourself and put them in individual serving size plastic bags or containers to take to work or pack in your kids school lunch.

I have been enjoying this snack both ways! I have a big bowl of them for our Golden Globe viewing party (I love awards season) and I also put them in individual bags with an extra sprig of rosemary to grab on the go during the week. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy this snack as much as I do. I would love to hear what other recipe requests you have, so be sure to leave them in the comments below or on my Instagram account.

Herb Roasted Nuts Recipe

Ingredients:

5 cups of nuts (I used cashews)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 Tbs. Maldon or sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a bowl, mix the olive oil, chopped herbs, salt and pepper until combined. With the nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, pour the dressing on top and coat the nuts until evenly coated. You could also do this step in a bowl and pour the combined mixture on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the nuts for 5-10 minutes, checking regularly so they do not burn. Once roasted to a golden brown color, remove them from the oven and sprinkle with Maldon salt. Serve warm or once they have cooled. Enjoy!

We have reached the time in the year where the temperatures are starting to rise and the Summer season is creeping in. I usually reach for two things when it warms up- ice water and ice cream. Since I am also trying to fit into a bikini, I have been sipping on different combinations of infused water. I'm not talking about the flavored sparkling water you buy at the grocery store. I am talking about adding natural infusions to your water.

A few months ago when I started this blog, one of my childhood friends reached out to me and shared that she had become obsessed with making infused water. Without much thought, I started making my own combinations and love it! I'm sharing a few of my favorites with you: blackberry with sage, strawberry with mint and lime, and cucumber with melon.

Blackberry & Sage

Single Serving: Add 6 blackberries and 2 sage leaves to iced water. Mix and enjoy!

Strawberry, Lime & Mint

Single Serving: Add 2-3 thinly sliced strawberries, half a sliced lime and 2 mint leaves to iced water. Mix and enjoy!

Cucumber & Melon

Single Serving: Add a handful of melon sliced into small chunks and 3 pieces thinly sliced cucumber to ice water. Mix and enjoy!

You can either make a pitcher of infused water and pull it out of the fridge at your convenience, or you can make single servings (shown). Either way, start by filling your pitcher or cup with ice, add the water and then your infusions. Another variation is to add it to a water bottle to take with you on the go. Below is an amazing water bottle one of my girl friends recommended that I absolutely love!

I hope these infused water combinations help keep you hydrated and cool this Summer! I would love to know what some of your favorite combinations are, so be sure to comment below :)