September 8, 2018

Currently… busy summer edition

Thinking… it’s been way to long since I did a more personal post!

Feeling… the excitement of fall! Back to school is always a fun time, but times of transition are always rough on my kids. I feel like once fall hits, we have our schedules worked out, the kids grow used to life back in school, and I figure out my new normal at home. It’s kind of a natural reset in the year and I really enjoy that aspect of fall. Then there’s all of the other lovely things like apples and pumpkins to pick, costumes to plan for, parties, socials, perfect evenings on the deck, and more. Cliche or not, I love fall.

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July 18, 2018

Cornbread Waffles with Chili – 15 Minute Dinner

Fast and Easy Cornbread Waffles with Chili that only take 15 minutes to get on the table. The whole family will love adding their own toppings.

My mom and I have really bonded over the blog. In the last 18 months or so we have spent tons of time on the phone talking about recipes, craft ideas, working through problems or comments that may have stung a little. She’s definitely my number one blog fan and it means the world to me. She came across a few recipes in her local newspaper and was excited to share them with me. She was on the phone telling me about cornbread, cooked in a waffle iron, with chili on top. Huh?? I’d never even heard of such a thing. It sounded easy enough and for some reason I just had to make it. I went to the store and picked up what I needed and made it that very night.

Cornbread waffles with chili was shockingly delicious and probably the easiest thing in the world. You can’t beat a meal that takes 15 minutes to put together, and I didn’t have to turn on my oven in this summer heat either. Double win! I was shocked at how much my family loved it. If you have ever had Navajo Tacos, this eats a lot like those, which is a very good thing. The corn bread and chili were a great base for all of your favorite toppings. My kids love anything that they can customize and this was just perfect for them.

In the notes of the recipe, I mention how to use your favorite cornbread recipe and homemade chili instead of the store-bought stuff if that is more your style. I honestly had to go pick up the mix and the can because they aren’t things I keep on the shelf.

So trust me on this one and make it soon. It was tasty, fast, and needs no oven – always a good thing in my book.

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April 18, 2018

Rustic Italian Bread

Rustic Italian Bread made with only 4 simple ingredients and some time, which makes the most amazing loaf of bread. The outside is extra crusty and the center is wonderfully fluffy and light.

A-maz-ing. That is the only way to describe this rustic Italian bread. It is dense and wonderfully chewy on the outside while being super soft and fluffy on the inside. When I am asked to bring bread to dinner at a friend’s, I always make this because it is stunning. There’s something magical about simple ingredients like flour, water, salt, and yeast working together with time. This bread tastes just like any good loaf of crusty bread you’d find at a high end bakery but you can make it at home.

You might be wondering – what’s the secret to making rustic Italian bread?

The answer: a sponge.

A sponge is a magical little concoction of flour, yeast, and water that you make the day before and let sit for 24 hours before making the bread. You simply mix those three things together in a bowl and let it sit. The sitting is what leads to the magic. It is then added in with the rest of the ingredients when you make the loaf of bread. The sponge adds this amazing (and hard to describe) flavor and also does something magical to the gluten. The texture of the bread is so soft and chewy in the middle while the crust is still dense and delicious. The taste of this Italian bread is amazing and the texture cannot be matched.

This Italian bread recipe will scare you a bit at first, but once you make it the first time, you will make it again and again. I love making “slow foods” like this. There’s something very therapeutic about taking your time with simple ingredients, especially when the end result is so delicious.

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April 10, 2018

Perfect and Simple Grilled Fish Fillets

Ever wonder how to get perfectly flaky grilled fish fillets on the grill? This recipe is the simplest and best way to grill just about any firm white fish!

Welcome summer! When you combine a few pounds of beautiful fish fillets, amazing seasonal produce, and the grill, you are in for one simple yet perfect dinner. This recipe for simple grilled fish fillets is amazing. It takes about 5 minutes to prep, 7 minutes on the grill, and you are done. I can’t wait for you to try it. Add a side of watermelon, some corn on the cob, and fresh green beans and you’ll have dinner done in about 30 minutes with little to no effort! This is one of my ideal healthy simple meals and I could eat it once a week for the rest of my life and die a happy woman.

What I love too, is that you can literally pair it with just about anything that you have on hand and want to use. I like recipes like this because then I can hit up the farmer’s market or my garden, pick gorgeous fruits and vegetables and use them for the sides to this really simple but delicious main dish grilled fish recipe. It’s simple, it’s classic, and it’s always a hit in this house.

Tips and Tricks for Making Grilled Fish Fillets:

You have a lot of options when it comes to what kind of fish to grill. I tend to stick with less expensive fish like tilapia, catfish, cod, and pollock. All of these firm white fish are mild tasting and really easy to throw on the grill.
Don’t under salt this recipe and don’t forget the lemon. Because it is so simple, they really bring the needed acid and salt to a simple fish recipe.
When buying fish I like to find wild caught fish and I prefer when they are individually sealed if frozen. That way I can take just the few I need out of the freezer while the rest stay frozen. I have great luck buying high quality fish at Costco.
Don’t skimp on the oil. It help the fish to not stick the grill.
No outdoor grill? I’ve had great luck making this recipe on a grill pan inside.
I love this fish recipe with really simple sides like corn, green beans, and watermelon. It’s also great with a side of crusty bread, with some simple Santa Fe Rice, any of these 8 pasta salad recipe, or served with roasted vegetables. You can’t go wrong with any of those!

Craving more? Subscribe to Bless this Mess to get new recipes, meal plans, and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #blessthismesseats on Instagram. I love to see your kitchen skills in action!

Perfect and Simple Grilled Fish Fillets

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Ever wonder how to get perfectly flaky grilled fish on the grill? This recipe is the simplest and best way to grill just about any firm white fish!

Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 4-6
Category: Seafood
Method: Grill
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

1 firm white fish, I used Louisiana Drum (about 4 large fillets)
1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Good quality olive oil, about ½ cup
Additional coarse sea salt
1 or 2 lemons cut into wedges
½ cup chopped parsley, optional

Instructions

Rinse the fish and lay it onto paper towels. Use the paper towels to pat the fish dry and place the fillets on a wire rack (a baking or cooling rack placed inside of a baking sheet works great to catch any drips and spills).
Sprinkle half the salt and half the pepper over the fish. Carefully drizzle half of the olive oil over the seasoned fish. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, evenly distribute the oil all over that side of the fish. Flip the fish over on the rack and repeat with remaining salt, pepper, and oil. Let the fish rest and marinade while you fire up the grill.
Turn your grill on to high and allow it to heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the grill is very hot. Carry the fish out and open the lid to the grill, it should be very hot. Use a brush to scrap the grill grate clean and then lower the temperature to low. Place the fish on the grill, close the lid, and leave the fish to cook with the lid closed, without turning for 7 to 10 minutes (chances are really good your fish will be done right at 7 minutes unless it is very thick, check it 7 minutes!).
The fish should be white and flakey when you test it with the end of a paring knife. Using a metal spatula remove from the grill.
Sprinkle with additional sea salt and lemon juice before serving and then serve with additional lemon slices and chopped parsley to suit individual tastes (the first squeeze of lemon isn’t optional, it makes it amazing, but additional lemon and parsley are up to you or your guests. I didn’t feel like this tasty dish needed anything extra because it was excellent as it was).

Notes

You can use this cooking method for just about any firm white fish such as catfish, tilapia, pollock, and cod.

Keywords: fish fillets recipe, easy grilled fish recipe, easy fish recipe, white fish recipe

I can’t wait to hear how this simple grilling method turns out for you. I have done all kinds of things to fish from frying it (always tasty but a little labor intensive) to baking and cooking it in foil. These grilled fish fillets were by far the simplest and best tasting fish I have made. I can’t wait to make it again and plan on putting this into my meal rotation ASAP. Long live the simple and fool-proof yet crazy delicious recipes!

January 1, 2018

Happy Heart Challenge: 50 Days to a Happier You

Join me in The Happy Heart Challenge – 50 Days to a Happier, Healthier You! Printable PDF to help you track your goals and progress are included.

Welcome to a fun Happy Heart Challenge to get you started on a journey to a happier you! The number challenge focuses not on pounds lost or calories counted – it’s an approachable, real-life strategy for being a little more intentional about your time.

This challenge runs the course of 50 days. You can start today, you can start Friday, you can start next month. The beauty of this challenge is that it can be started at anytime that works well for you.

Over the next 50 days, I challenge you to:

Log 100 miles
Eat 50 meatless meals
Enjoy 50 days without stepping on a scale
Meal plan for 30 days
Write 20 “abundance” journal entries
Go 14 consecutive days with no sugar
Go on 4 dates with yourself
Write 3 letters of appreciation
Read 1 book just for fun

Spend less time mindlessly scrolling and more time taking care of the most important person in your life: you. Because here’s a little secret: if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will.

This Happy Heart Challenge comes with a free printable PDF page to help you reach your goals. Isn’t it pretty? My friend DeDe from Designz by Dede made it!

Just click here to print out your own Happy Heart Challenge tracker sheet!
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August 28, 2017

My Farmhouse Inspiration – Kitchen, Dining Room, and Living Room

We’re getting to the fun part of building a house – planning all the details! Farmhouse decor is the icing on the house building cake. Here’s some of my farmhouse inspiration!

I’m writing this post for a few reasons. One – I love sharing this crazy DIY house building project with you. You all keep us encouraged and with a project this size, we need all the encouragement we can get. Two – I love looking at all kinds of farmhouse inspiration when it comes to beautiful interiors and decor. I assume I’m not alone in this fact, so here’s some eye candy for you today that isn’t food. And third – I need some help. I like pretty things and can collect the images, but turning this project into a beautiful custom home is going to be all about the details. I’d love your help/ideas/opinions!

We are currently working on the wrap-around porch outside and finishing drywall inside (it’s all hung, but we’re still working on mud, tape, and sanding). The next step will be paint, flooring, and cabinets. I’ve bought some things but I have a little bit of flexibility over the next few weeks if I want to change some things. That’s why were are here, to get some details figured out!

Let’s jump right in and start our farmhouse inspiration with the heart of the home. My dream farmhouse kitchen in all of it’s white cabinet glory!

I’m planning on a gray island and white outer kitchen cabinets. The island is going to be about 10’x5′ and have a bookcase on the end facing the living room! I’m so excited about that bookcase (hello, cookbook collection). The island color shown is called Rock Port Gray by Benjamin Moore. I love it. It’s a nice warm gray that isn’t too cold or too brown.
I’m not having any upper cabinets! If there is counter space along the wall, there are no cabinets hanging above them. I’m super excited for this space to feel really open. Plus I have been collecting pretties for years to put on open shelving. I have white pig platters and a matching cookie jar, a hen cookie jar that is black and white, vintage scales, a vintage rolling pin + cookie cutter collection, and 100 year old wood cutting boards.
The cabinet color (as well as all or our trim) is going to be Simple White by Benjamin Moore. I got samples of a handful of different whites and it was amazing how different they were. Simply White is a pretty warm, true to white, white. Am I crazy for wanting white cabinets with 5 kids in tow??? My cabinet guy sure thinks so.
Isn’t that sign perfect? I’m going for farmhouse inspiration because that’s what I have loved long before Joanna Gaines made it trendy. Bring on the farm animals, vintage mason jars, and all things honeybee.
I’m going with traditional Shaker-style cabinet fronts that are inset (European style). No clue what I’m doing for hardware though – any ideas?
Flooring is going to be Engineered Vinyl Planks from Lumber Liquidators and the color is called Farmland Hickory. I searched long and hard (and got one million samples from one million places), and I’m so excited for these floors. They have just the right amount of texture, and variation, and are going to withstand years of traffic. We just ordered online and they are sitting in the garage waiting for us to install them.
I got these seeded glass pendants with little flecks of copper in them from Bellacor and they are stunning. I had to pick out lighting before we wired so they have been in the barn for months. Three of them will hang over the bar. I can’t wait for you to see them in the house; they are so so pretty. I just saw they are 20% off too if you are in the market!
I don’t know when I decided that I needed a giant copper hood in my life, but this beauty has been in the works for the better part of this year. I’m getting this custom-made in St. George from Coppertop Metals. They produce gorgeous metal products for homes (hoods, chimney caps, lighting, art). Highly recommend working with them on any project (and he ships a lot too!).
Giant vintage reproduction sink? Yes please! I looked for a double drainboard vintage sink for ages but never found one. I did, however, find this double sink with a 9-inch backsplash. Not a traditional apron front farmhouse sink, but I love the vintage look.

Things that I have questions on: I don’t have tile for the backsplash picked out. I’m thinking 4 inch hexagon tile in white. It reminds me of honeycomb. Do you think hex tile will look too modern? Any other tile I should know about? Am I crazy for wanting white cabinets? I haven’t picked out countertops yet. I’m planning on quartz. Do I do white, light, marbled, dark? Do tell, what makes sense here if I do with with gray + white cabinets? I’m thinking white. Overkill?

I’m loving the color Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. It’s a light green and it may or may not end up in all the rooms. 🙂 The living room walls are going to be shiplap, and the wall color is still being figured out.
There’s a small wall (maybe 6-feet long) in one corner of the room that I don’t know what to do with. I thought about shelving and doing a rainbow colored cookbook display or maybe displaying some of my bottled jars of food?
This is another option for that wall, shelving with pretty bulk storage. It might not make sense to do it there though, because you can’t see this wall from the kitchen. What do you think? What would you do with a little space in your dining room that is just around the corner from your kitchen? My hutch goes on the one other wall, so that’s something to consider.
I’m not sure where I saw these, but somewhere called them salt chairs. I think they are pretty. Colored though?
Eventually Thomas is going to make me a huge farmhouse table that is 9’x4.5′ (I wanted it wide so that you can have all the food down the middle and still have room for your people!). He’s going to build it with wood from our first love, The Shanty. I think that I want benches on at least one side of it, and chairs on the other. What do you think? We have a lot of options here. Two shorter benches for ease of use?
This is the dining room from a blog I love, The Happy Housie. I keep coming back to it when I need inspiration. I love her style.
I wanted to bring some of the copper from the kitchen into the dining room, so I chose these gorgeous copper pendant lights. Again they are from Bellacor and are happily waiting in the barn for their install. What you can’t tell is how big they are. They are over 16 inches wide. I have three to hang over my large farmhouse table. I can’t wait to see these in! I think the Sea Salt on the walls might really accent the patina of these copper pendants!
Flooring is going to be Engineered Vinyl Planks from Lumber Liquidators and the color is called Farmland Hickory. These beautiful floors are actually going in the majority of downstairs including the stairs, hall, living room, mud room, and laundry room. I wanted to go with one main flooring so that it felt cohesive.

Things that I have questions on: I have two huge windows in this room. One that faces the barn, but you can see a lot of my neighbor’s junk/yard, and one that faces my own front yard. We aren’t doing a lot of window coverings on the side of the house that faces the field, but do I want some here? What would you do on a little wall? Storage? Books? Pretties?

I wanted a neutral that ran throughout the house. I liked Rock Port Gray so much that a friend suggested I get it mixed at 50% the color and use it. It’s awesome. Everywhere I don’t have a color is going to be this 50% Rock Port.
That’s the view from our living room! We are planning around that view for sure.
This is a picture of a fireplace that both Thomas and I liked, though we still have a lot of freedom in what we do. We haven’t had a TV in years but the kids really want one. I think we are going to put one above the fireplace behind some doors. Part of me doesn’t want it and part of me says that if I want my kids to play at my house, we need a TV in a public place. Movie nights with friends happening in the living room instead of a basement sound healthier. Maybe we’ll end up with both? Time will tell. It’s a corner fireplace with a wood burning insert that opens and closes with a window to see the fire.
Flooring is going to be Engineered Vinyl Planks from Lumber Liquidators and the color is called Farmland Hickory. Isn’t that name perfect?
LOVE this one! I think a rustic leather couch would be so pretty! I feel like I need to pick furnishings – help a sister out!
What do you think? I have no idea but I like this one. I want a natural fiber and I assume it will be 100% wool.

Things that I have questions on: pick out cute stuff for my living room so that it looks good, mmmmkay? Any thoughts on a beautiful corner fireplace?

I know that it’s crazy, but I’ve had it in my mind and heart that this house will be in Better Homes and Gardens or Country Living Magazine one day. I feel like the difference between a lot of houses and a print magazine-ready house are the little neat details. What would make this really fun/custom/gorgeous?! There have to be a few perks of building your own house (speed of completion is not on the list), so we are going to make the details (like having a drinking fountain!) one of them.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so share your favorite Pinterest farmhouse inspiration pictures, and tell me what you would do! Long live a great community willing to help a sister out.

July 24, 2017

I have a BIG favor to ask!

Friends, I have a huge favor to ask of you today. Behind all of the recipes, house updates, and pretty pictures of my future backyard there is a lot of life being lived. One of the most exciting parts of that life-behind-the-scenes is waiting in anticipation as my oldest sister searches for a baby girl to adopt. She’s been waiting for just over a year now and we’ve decided it’s time for us to start getting creative on ways to spread the news of her desire to adopt. I’m sharing this news with you in hopes that you too will share her story. The more people that hear about her family, their story, and their desire for a little girl, the closer we will be to finding their birth mom.

Hello dear Bless This Mess readers! A quick intro… My name is Lachelle, and Melissa is my sister just younger than me. I’m so grateful to her. As we’ve gotten older we’ve become closer as we share the joys and struggles of being moms to five littles. The difference being that I have ALL boys, which leads me to why I’m guest posting.

ADOPTION.

Through the whisperings of my heart and promptings from God, we were lead to begin the adoption process a little over a year ago. We are still waiting for the right birth mother to come along and allow us the privilege of raising her baby girl as our own. She’s out there, and Melissa has graciously agreed to help aide us in connecting us with that special mother.

As I tried to decide how and what to post, I decided to share this letter that I wrote to our birth mother. If you or someone you know is looking to place a baby girl for adoption, we would love if you took the time to view our profile and see if our family feels like the right fit. We also appreciate each and every person that is willing to share our link or this blog post! Our profile can be found at http://www.everlastingadoptions.com/waiting-families/profile/LachelleandBen.html

Dear Birth Mother,

Home. I’m home. We’re home. The boys are finally asleep. They were so excited to finally meet their little sister today. They just wanted to constantly love on her and hold her. I’m climbing into bed myself now. Ben wraps his arms around me as we settle in for the night. As I listen to her sweet sleeping breaths in her little bed next to mine, the tears start to flow. I am overwhelmed with love, joy, and gratitude. And I think of you.

Her tiny cries wake me, and I tend to her needs and hold her close. As she falls back to sleep, I watch her beautiful face in wonder. And I think of you. As the hours pass… I think of you. As the days pass… I think of you. She is learning so many new things. Her brothers adore her and protect her, but they also teach her how to be fearless and brave and strong… it about gives me a heart attack some days! Her daddy is smitten, but then again so am I. I love watching him be a daddy to a daughter. It pulls at my heart strings in the same, yet different ways. And all the while… I think of you.

Years pass. And I still think of you. We all do. I know. She knows. We all know. We couldn’t be the family we are without you. She was always meant to be a part of our family. And you were always meant to be her mother. We love her with all of our hearts. And we love you just as much for bringing her into this world. We think of you. Often. With love. With gratitude. With respect. Thank you.

Many thanks to all of you for reading my words and helping us to spread our story. We appreciate you and our hearts are full of gratitude for all of your support!

Much Love, Lachelle

Here’s what you can do!

SHARE this post or her adoption profile with your friends and family, however that might be (word of mouth, email, social media). That’s it! You just never know who might be right person to see it.

We need your help and I’m so glad I can ask you for this favor. Thank you for all your support and help with this life-changing event in our family.

March 15, 2017

New Orleans Travel Guide

My New Orleans Travel Guide. All the places we ate, things we explored, and activities we did and would recommend to you!

Thomas and I had the chance to visit New Orleans in February and I wanted to share my travel experiences with you. I shared some of the trip on social media and lots of people had comments and questions, so I thought a whole post would be fun.

Our hardware store distributor has a huge show twice a year where you can go and see all of the vendors that they work with. They invite all of their store owners to come to the show and pay for the plane tickets and hotels. We like to take advantage of this arrangement as often as we can! Thomas took Macey to the show in Orlando a year ago, and we took all of the kids to the show in Las Vegas last fall. Thomas and I did a solo trip without any of the kids for this adventure and it was a lot of fun. We were only in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) for two and a half days, but we made the most of it.

Here’s how we spent 2 1/2 days in New Orleans:

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March 9, 2017

Easy Baked Potato Corn Chowder

Did you know that you can bake a soup? This Baked Potato Corn Chowder is easy, versatile, and comes with a heavy dose of vegetables.

So I know it’s kind of uncommon, but baking a soup in the oven is a little quicker than a slow cooker but slower than the stovetop. It’s a nice middle when you have forgotten to get your slow cooker rolling at lunch time, the kid are almost home from school, and your evening is looking busy. That being said, this recipe translates well to the stovetop or the slow cooker. This is my go-to potato corn chowder recipe and I make it often! I’ll tell you all my tips and tricks in the notes of the recipe.

I love this recipe because I generally have everything on hand, it’s warm and comforting, and it’s pretty healthy, thanks to a heavy hand of vegetables. Just add a little cream at the end of cooking to make it extra delicious and serve this soup with a side of cornbread or corn muffins and some fruit. It’s kind of a meal in a bowl, which I love. While Thomas often adds more sour cream to his bowl, I like to add hot sauce to mine. The kids eat it up just like this.

I love to bake this soup in my cast iron Dutch oven. Cast iron is great to use in the oven because it distributes heat well and the lids generally fit firmly (because they are heavy), trapping moisture and heat inside. Cast iron Dutch ovens with lids are wonderful for making a quicker version of my favorite slow-cooker recipes (like these chicken legs). They are great fix-it-and-forget-it meals for busy weeknights when you didn’t remember to turn the slow cooker on.

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February 19, 2017

9 Simple Healthy Toast Ideas

9 sweet and savory healthy toast ideas that are simple, colorful, and filling enough to make into a meal! Which one will you try first?

In an effort to help you eat the rainbow this year, I thought I’d share with you some super simple but extra delicious toast recipes! I know toast doesn’t need much explaining, but I wanted to highlight the variety that you can achieve if you just set out to do it. Sure, you can have peanut butter and honey or sugar and cinnamon on your toast every morning, but look at all these beautiful, healthy, tasty toasts you are missing out on.

Fancy healthy toast like this is a lot of fun for the kids to make and top themselves. On the weekend I’ll make a “toast bar” of sorts where the kids can pick from different breads, spreads, and toppings. We also like healthy toast for brunch before church and I think these are pretty enough that you could serve them at a baby shower! I definitely make meals out of toast; just think of them as beautiful open-faced sandwiches.

Healthy Toast Tips and Tricks:

Bread

You have so many choices! I normally end up with a whole grain bread because that’s something that I like, but the bread choice is really up to you. If I’m making a whole wheat sandwich bread, I use this recipe. Annalise from Completely Delicious has a great Honey Oat Bread recipe that I like too. If I’m picking something up at the store, I tend to look for something with a short ingredient list. For this post, I got Dave’s Killer Bread Thin Sliced Good Seed bread. I super like the thin sliced line from Dave’s Killer Bread because the whole loaf is smaller than their traditional loaf on top of the slices being thin. The smaller slices are nice because my kids are little. We seem to waste less if we start out with the smaller slice of bread. I like them because they are only about 70 calories for serving.

Choose what you like, but a whole grain hearty toast is going to hold more toppings than an extra fluffy piece of white bread.

Spreads

I typically have one or all of these in the fridge for toast: mascarpone cheese, honey goat cheese, herb and chive cream cheese, and peanut butter. Mascarpone tastes a lot like cream cheese, but we find it to be less “sour” in taste and it generally spreads a little bit easier. It’s delicious, inexpensive, and pretty easy to find. Don’t let the fancy name hold you up, it’s just a simple smooth and creamy cheese that is made from cream and citric acid.

Honey goat cheese is one of my favorite treats. It has a more crumbly texture than cream cheese or marscapone, but it’s rich, sweet, and not strong at all. You can get plain goat cheese and add your own honey, but it’s so easy to get it already mixed together.

Herb and chive cream cheese spread is one of my favorites. It’s full of flavor and a delicious savory element for toasts. You can buy this already mixed together and ready to go or you can make your own herb and chive spread using this recipe.

Peanut butter isn’t a cheese but it’s always a favorite on toast in this house. I normally get the organic peanut butter from Costco.

Toppings

You can use almost any fresh fruit or vegetable that you like. I have listed some of my favorite combos below, but they are just to get you thinking! You can also add crunchy elements like toasted coconut, chopped nuts, or even hemp seed hearts/chia seeds/ground flax. If you are making a sweet fruit toast, you might want at add a drizzle of honey, depending on what spread you choose and the ripeness of your fruit. If you are making a savory toast, be sure to add salt and pepper to taste, again depending on the type of spread you use.

Toasting options

You can always pop your bread into a traditional toaster, but I thought I would share with you my favorite way to make toast. We love to make oven toast and it is delicious! My husband’s grandma used to make him oven toast for a snack when he spent the night at her house, and he has converted me to making toast this way.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and place a baking sheet in the oven. While you are waiting for the oven to heat, butter one side of your bread with softened butter. When the oven and the baking sheet are heated to temperature, quickly remove the baking sheet from the oven. Quickly place the bread, butter side down, onto the baking sheet and return the sheet to the oven. Bake until the bottom side of the bread is toasted 5-10 minutes (the top won’t toast, so peek under the corner of your toasts to check the bottom regularly). This toast is delicious because it gets crispy on one side without drying out like it does in the toaster. This is also a great method for making a lot of toast at once (said the mom of 5!).

Now you are set up for amazing toast success. I bet you didn’t know it could be so much fun.

Here are some of my favorite colorful healthy toast ideas to help inspire you!

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