Fast and Healthy with Sprouts Farmers Market

Last week I decided enough was enough and I was going to start eating healthier if it killed me. Okay… was kind of hoping it wouldn’t kill me, but I knew something was up with my energy level and something was definitely up with the number on the scale. I admit that I don’t exercise enough (if at all) and the food I eat obviously wasn’t doing much for me. As someone who has no less than 5 jobs I do on a daily basis… oh wait… I forgot being a Mom… make that 6 jobs… I was grabbing food that was convenient and fast. Not fast food… I stay away from that, but I’m talking things like pasta for dinner, sandwiches for lunch… skipping breakfast. I clearly didn’t eat enough fruits and veggies. It was time to refocus my food intake and start shopping healthier.

We’ve had a Sprouts Farmers Market in Santa Clarita for several years and I used to go often when they first opened. Honestly, I don’t really know why I stopped since it’s in a shopping center in the middle of a Target and an Ulta. You know not a day or two goes by when I’m not in that part of town. I’ve been on their mailing list for a while and I actually started opening it up and finding all kinds of things I want… that are at some ridiculously amazing prices.

I decided it was high time I planned a trip.

I came home with a bunch of goodies and just in time because my kids were on their way home from school and were going to be very hungry. I decided to whip up some of the Annie’s Mini Pizza Bagels and create a dipping sauce with the Muir Glen Pasta Sauce and some fresh spinach.

This is a great trick to get some greens into your kids when they are simply refusing to eat them.

Ingredients:
1/2 jar of Muir Glen Pasta Sauce
2 heaping fistfulls of fresh spinach
1 cup of fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
olive oil

Get out a blender or mixer of your choice. I used my Cuisinart. Add the spinach, basil and parmesan cheese and mix together. Add drizzles of the olive oil and blend until you get a smooth consistency. You want a smoothie consistence, not too liquid or else your dip will be runny. Once done, mix equal parts of the pesto with the Muir GlenPasta Sauce. This is also a great sauce to use on pasta… or add to chicken or fish.

Make the Annie’s Mini Pizza Bagels according to the instructions. I plated them around the pesto and tomato sauce and the kids thought it was the perfect snack. You can also do this with mozzarella sticks or any type of breadstick or garlic bread. Makes a great snack and gets some more greens into your diet.

Check out all of the April Deals of the Month and get some recipe ideas as well.

Sprouts Farmers Market will be hosting a Get and Give Back Sweepstakes. Five lucky winners will be selected to receive a $2,000 Sprouts gift card and nominate a local food bank in their community to receive a $2,000 monetary donation.