I think this post makes it official – I’ve hit the big time as a blogger. I love doing reviews anyway, but “free beer” is pretty much the dream. Although since I don’t like regular beer very much this was even better – Michelob ULTRA Light Cider is a less sweet, lower calorie alternative to traditional ciders. It was the perfect drink to share with friends on a warm evening, straight from the bottle or over ice.

E came home from work a couple weeks ago and said “So the guys decided it’s my turn to host a barbeque this weekend. They’ll be here around 5.” Lucky for him the house was already clean. And thanks to the week of backbreaking work last summer we have an amazing patio space to accommodate his coworkers and their families. I was also excited that I had just picked up a six pack of 12 oz Michelob ULTRA Light Cider, which ended up being a great choice for a casual backyard party.

Even though summer is making it harder, I’m still trying to choose healthy food whenever I can, so I made chicken and veggie kabobs and a light tabbouleh salad to go with the cheeseburgers and nachos. Since Michelob ULTRA Light Cider has only 120 calories per serving I felt good about enjoying one (or two) with dinner.

After trying it, I would absolutely buy this product again. Michelob ULTRA Light Cider was light and crisp and you could definitely tell it is made of fresh-picked apples. I know “cider” makes most people think of fall, but in this case it was more like a fruity white wine. Like I said above, I’m not a huge beer fan so this is a great alternative. The brewing process for cider is similar to that of beer, with the main difference being the ingredients used: cider is made from apples, while barley and hops are generally the main ingredients in beer. Michelob ULTRA Light Cider is made with all-natural ingredients, including apples, and is naturally sweetened with stevia. It’s also naturally gluten-free!

You can get more information on Michelob ULTRA Light Cider on the Sponsor’s site here. It includes a great tool to find it in your area (and here’s a hint: some stores have a separate cider section, so be sure to look there!) You can also check out the Michelob ULTRA Light Cider page on BlogHer.com. Or come on over and I’ll share one with you on the patio.

More dinner ideas, right here! I’ve been on the hunt for dinners I can make for the kids and myself that E can easily take out of the fridge and/or reheat when he gets home from work at 9.

1. Lemon and Herb Pasta Salad – Rachel Ray
2. Spaghetti with Turkey-Pesto Meatballs – Parents Need To Eat Too (I LOVE this cookbook!)
3. Chicken Andouille & Shrimp Jambalaya – Rachel Ray
4. Thai Chicken Pizza  – Me! I was out of carrots so I used cucumber. Still delicious!

5. BLT Pasta Salad – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking
6. Grilled Nachos – I bought this tray at Williams-Sonoma with my Christmas gift card and it’s AMAZING.
7. Chicken Satay Naan – Rachel Ray
8. Mango Lime Couscous – Idea from the Weight Watchers Points Plus Cookbook, but I ignored most of the recipe. It’s just whole wheat couscous cooked in vegetable stock, mango, red onion, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and a little olive oil, all to taste. I served it with baked Cajun chicken.

I’ve been working towards changing my attitude towards food – redefining “good” food and “bad” food and what I’m “allowed” to eat – so suddenly a whole new world of recipes are open to me and I’m pretty excited. My friend Erin might even have sold me a little on the whole Paleo thing. She sold it with promises of bacon. At this point I feel like I’ve tried every diet in the world and they all WORK…but only until I get bored. I need to figure out what to eat forever.

I spent all morning Sunday on Pinterest. That’s pretty much all you need to know to understand the next couple of posts I have planned. Let’s just say I was REALLY hungry afterward.

These are actually more cake-like than the traditional powdered sugar dusted lemon bars – sort of like lemon brownies (these are actually what inspired me try making my own recipe). If you aren’t a fan of coconut, you could easily omit the crust – just watch the bake time closely. And if you don’t happen to have any blueberries, you could leave those out too. But personally, I think this is the perfect combination of sweet, fresh and tart.

There's a tiny hand photobombing my lemons in the background

Lemon Blueberry Bars With Coconut Crust

CRUST

1 1/2 CUP FLOUR
¾ CUP FLAKED COCONUT
½ CUP BROWN SUGAR
½ CUP BUTTER, ROOM TEMPERATURE
1 TSP SALT
2 TSP LEMON ZEST

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Press into a well-greased 9×13 baking dish. Put it into the fridge while you make the filling.

 FILLING

1 CUP FLOUR
1 CUP SUGAR
½ TSP SALT
¾ CUP (1 ½ STICKS) BUTTER, SOFTENED
3 EGGS
ZEST & JUICE OF 2 LEMONS
1 ½ CUPS BLUEBERRIES

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour the lemon mixture into the flour mixture. Beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Turn off mixer, fold in blueberries by hand. Spread filling over crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees, until the center is baked through and the edges are lightly browned. Let the bars cool completely before you try to cut them.

GLAZE

ZEST & JUICE OF HALF A LEMON
½ CUP POWDERED SUGAR
2 TABLESPOONS WATER

Wisk together until it’s all combined. Drizzle over cooled bars and spread around with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until the glaze hardens. Eat and enjoy.

She's trying SO HARD not to touch them

She couldn't resist anymore!

Yeah, yeah, I know, Mother’s Day was like a zillion years ago and all the moms who REALLY appreciated their families already posted their recaps. What can I say, except maybe mine will remember to get me something next year.

The blankie she's wrapped in was my baby blankie, knit by my grandmother

Pallet petunia garden - we'll see if it holds up when I stand it against the fence

Srsly, the greatest swag anyone has ever given me - Corona garden tools are the BEST

GROSS

Super Hero Evan!

Monkey-see, monkey-do

Super Hero Caroline!

Grill tray for nachos on the grill = genius

NO SAD FACES ON MOTHER'S DAY

TWINS

Giant marshmallows might have been the highlight of his year

To be honest, I am not a huge fan of green beans. The only time I ever really like them is battered and deep fried but by that point they’re barely a vegetable any more and definitely not a health food. And although I’m sure some kids eat green beans willingly for breakfast, lunch and dinner, mine prefer french fries…and I do too.

So I made my green beans into fries. Sort of. Healthy ones!

Baked Green Bean Fries
Serves 4

12 oz green beans
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
Splash of water
1 cup Italian panko bread crumbs*
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat a rimmed cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

First you have to blanch the green beans, which sounds like a long, fancy, unnecessary step, but is easy and quick. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add a little salt. Toss in the green beans and boil for 3 minutes. As soon as the time is up, drain the beans in a colander and then put them in a bowl of ice water for at least 3 more minutes. They should still be green and crunchy.

Drain the beans again and pat them dry. Put them into a dry bowl, pour the flour over them and toss until they’re all coated. Put your egg in a bowl with a splash of water and scramble it, then put your bread crumbs and salt in another bowl. This next part is a little tedious but I tried doing it other ways and they didn’t work as well. Working a couple beans at a time, dip them in the egg mixture, then roll them in the bread crumbs until they are well coated. Put them on the cookie sheet. Repeat until they are all coated and in a single layer on the sheet (use another cookie sheet if you run out of space). Bake for 18-20 minutes until the coating starts to brown.

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce for little fingers or something spicy for grown ups (I dipped mine in Kraft Horseradish Dijon Mayo but if you were REALLY fancy you could make your own).

*If you wanted to make them spicy, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the bread crumbs. I was trying to keep them kid friendly for the picky 3 year old (the baby loves spicy stuff).

Caroline approved!

I calculated the Weight Watchers Points Plus and each serving is only 2 points – so feel free to eat most of them in 1 sitting. Or all of them you can keep away from the kids. Enjoy!