Beat the heat with a dairy-free, two-ingredient ice cream alternative.

We’re hosting a Healthy Every Week Challenge for the month of May; a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter.

I’m here wrapping up the Healthy Eating Challenge, but secretly I am wishing it was continuing longer! The healthy habits I’ve practiced during the month of May have actually stuck with me. I mean, who knew that plotting out my bites would lead to money saving and weight loss? I certainly didn’t. Now eating breakfast every morning, preparing meals ahead of times, and thinking about the choices I make when I visit the grocery store helps me stay on track with healthy habits.

I think the hardest part of the challenge was trying to resist eating dessert. Summertime has me craving something cool and sweet. While buzzing around the internet, I found an incredible recipe for banana ‘ice cream’. Here’s the thing–this magical “ice cream” really isn’t ice cream at all — it’s a one-ingredient, dairy-free treat that tastes like soft serve. Have you ever tried it?

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We’re hosting a Healthy Every Week Challenge for the month of May; a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter .

The May Healthy Challenge is almost over, and I have to say that I’ve had a wonderful time participating with all of you. The challenge has enabled me to save money, eat healthier, and stay on track with portion control. What about you? Perhaps you’ve been inspired to make healthy choices, or simply think about ways to make small changes, such as eating breakfast in the morning or getting more whole grains in your diet.

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Vegan Pina Colada Smoothies

We’re hosting a Healthy Every Week Challenge for the month of May; a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter .

Between work, exercise and a busy social life, sometimes I find it difficult to prepare myself meals during the week. It’s time consuming and after a long day in meetings the last thing I want to do is cook a meal for myself. It’s usually easier to heat up a frozen meal or to stop and grab a sandwich on my way home. So what’s the problem with this? Well I’m spending money that could be saved and I’m also not 100% sure of what additives or hidden calories are in my food. Okay and I’ll admit: I’m a firm believer that cooking at home is a creative energy that should be explored by all.

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Fresh Veggie Pasta With Butternut Squash Sauce

We’re hosting a Healthy Every Week Challenge for the month of May; a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter .

How did the second week of the Healthy Every Week Challenge go for you? Did you eat enough whole grains?

The second week of the challenge was a success for me. After falling head over heels for quinoa in pancakes, I couldn’t resist eating quinoa as my whole grain for nearly every meal. I even used some of Toby’s different quinoa ideas. From a Mexican flavored quinoa salad with lime, avocados, and black beans to completely delicious enchilada chicken and quinoa stuffed bell peppers; I was celebrating Cinco de Mayo with quinoa all last week.

One of my favorite things about spring is how affordable produce becomes. Instead of buying frozen food, I become inspired to cook more at home with fresh, seasonal vegetables. I found a variety of bright baby tomatoes and squash on sale at the grocery store and knew I wanted to incorporate them into something for this week’s theme: eating more whole grains. Of course pasta was the first thing on my mind; to me a big bowl of pasta is like a giant serving of comfort.

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Quinoa Pancakes from Ambitious Kitchen

We’re hosting a Healthy Every Week Challenge for the month of May; a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter .

Hi I’m Monique and I run the food blog Ambitious Kitchen. I’m excited to be joining you all on the Healthy Every Week Challenge in May; each week, right here on Healthy Eats, I’ll share my experiences, as well as provide you with healthy, creative recipes to try.

During the first week of the challenge, the goal was to eat breakfast. Now for me, breakfast is undoubtedly one of the most important meals of the day. Eating in the morning gives me energy, boosts my mood, and puts me on track to eat right the rest of the day. Even if I wake up and I’m not hungry, I realize that if I don’t eat something for breakfast I’m more likely to reach for that bag of chips or candy bar during the afternoon. Yikes!

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It’s almost summer — are you ready for beach season? How many of you have kept your January resolutions? Spring is a good time to reevaluate your 2012 health goals and get back on track if you’ve gone off course.

To help everyone get back on track and be fit for summer, we’ve set up a get-healthy challenge for the month of May. This challenge will be similar to our January Challenge, with small, weekly goals that when practiced, can turn into lifetime healthy habits.

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The Undercover Cook's Piled High Roasted Vegetable Pizza Pie

We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.

Well, our January Healthy Challenge is nearly over, but hopefully the habits formed during the past few weeks will stick around. The goals for each week of January were:

Week 1: Eat Breakfast
Week 2: Eat More Whole Grains
Week 3: Cook at Home
Week 4: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Week 5: Stay On Track

But the goal for lifetime healthy eating is to eat breakfast, choose whole grains, cook more at home and eat more fruits and vegetables every day of every week. Did the simple weekly breakdown help you create new healthy habits? We hope so. And from the feedback we’ve received from our participants, it seems that many have seen great success and will continue to think carefully about what they eat, and make the healthful choice most of the time.

Last week’s goal, Eat More Fruits and Vegetables, was challenging for some; as we discovered when we asked fans on Facebook and Twitter that there are quite a few hated vegetables. But before you swear off broccoli, Brussels sprouts and eggplant, try cooking them in a new way. You might be surprised how much better they taste when prepared right. To help you with the last goal of the month (but a big goal for the rest of the year), check out the fruit and vegetable recipes our participants shared, after the jump. And for the Roasted Vegetable Pie recipe pictured at the top, visit The Undercover Cook’s blog for the recipe.

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You could win this.

We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.

Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet doesn’t mean you have to crunch on raw carrots like a rabbit. Keep things interesting by adding hummus to the mix. Whether you like the creamy classic flavor or you prefer your hummus with touch of added spice, you can dip, dunk and spread your way to a healthier you.

Keep a container of hummus and raw vegetables at work for a mid-day snack. Add a scoop of Tribe’s Mediterranean Style Hummus to a green salad. Spread some Sweet Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on veggie sandwich — it’s a healthier alternative to mayo.

You can buy your own Tribe Hummus or enter in the comments for a chance to win a two-month supply. Just let us know, in the comments, your favorite vegetables to dip in hummus. The contest starts at 10:00 a.m. EST today, and ends on Friday, January 27 at 5 p.m. EST.

We’re giving away a two-month supply of hummus to two lucky, randomly selected commenters. You must include your email address in the “Email” field when submitting your comment so we can communicate with you if you’re a winner.

You may only comment once to be considered and you don’t have to purchase anything to win; a purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Odds depend on total number of entries. Void where prohibited. Only open to legal residents of 50 U.S. states, D.C. or Puerto Rico, and you must be at least 18 to win. For the first day of the giveaway, all entries (answers) must be entered between 10:00 a.m. EST on January 25 and 5 p.m. EST on January 27, 2012. Subject to full official rules. By leaving a comment on the blog, you acknowledge your acceptance to the Official Rules. ARV of each prize: approximately $24 per prize. Sponsor: Scripps Networks, LLC, d/b/a Food Network, 9721 Sherrill Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37932.

So tell us, what are your favorite vegetables to dip in hummus?

Cookin' in my Kitchen's Carrot-Walnut Muffins

We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.

The theme of the third week of our healthy challenge was to cook more at home. Cooking more means something different to everyone — some of us eat out once each day, some once a week, some of us buy lunch but prepare dinners at home and some of us buy breakfast on-the-go but pack lunch each day. Regardless of your personal dining away from home practices, increasing the number of meals you prepare yourself will save you money and you’ll save on calories, too. Plus, if you’re feeding a family, preparing a meal together makes for fun family time.

It was great to see variation in the recipes our challenge participants made this week — some shared dinner recipes, we saw quite a few homemade breakfast ideas, a selection of easy-to-make lunches, and of course, some sweet treats too, like the Carrot-Walnut Muffins pictured above from Cookin’ in my Kitchen. What did you make last week? Did your good habits carry over to this week? Check out our challenge participants’ recipes from week 3 after the jump.

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Are you eating enough of these?

We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan an is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.

If you’re following a vegetarian or vegan diet, chances are a good portion of your plate is already made up of grains. But the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that at least half of all the grains you eat are whole grains. What’s so special about whole grains? They’re naturally packed with high amounts of fiber, and micro-nutrients like folic acid, magnesium, and vitamin E. All grains are low in fat and cholesterol free, and they typically have between 5-10 grams of protein per cup, which is great new for those of us following a plant-based diet. All that fiber and protein in whole grains helps to fill us up and keep us satisfied, making them great for weight management. Better yet, they’ve been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

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