Thank you Village Harvest for sponsoring this post. Every day Village Harvest is planting seeds of change and growing possibilities, one bag of goodness at a time.

I'm a big fan of poke bowls--when we first moved to California I think I ate at least one a week for a couple months. There's a place down the street from our house that makes great ones, but they can get expensive, especially if you make them a habit. I decided to make a few at home the other day because I hadn't had one in a while. Raw fish isn't exactly pregnancy-friendly, so I made mine with cooked crab (most of the ones I used to order had a mix of poke and crab, so it's not too much of a variation from what I normally would have ordered).

Recently Village Harvest was kind enough to send me a box of three of their Organic Benefit Blends to try, so I decided to take the Organic Antioxidant Blend for a spin instead of regular white rice. They also have an Organic Ancient Grains Blend and an Organic Protein Blend, but the antioxidant blend is made with black rice, black lentils, and black quinoa; so not only does it have a ton of nutrients, but it also looks really cool in your bowl. 

Ingredients (makes 2 bowls):

• 1 cup of rice--for this recipe I used the Antioxidant Blend from Village Harvest Organic Benefit Blends
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1/4 pound of ahi tuna, diced
• 1/4 pound of snow crab leg meat, chopped
• 1/2 of a large cucumber, diced
• 1 large carrot, julienned or peeled into ribbons
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
• 1/2 of an avocado
• Sesame seeds, for garnish
• Sliced green onion, for garnish
• A few tablespoons of pickled ginger on the side

Instructions: 

1. Prepare the rice according to package instructions. Allow to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, combine cucumber and carrots with diced tuna and chopped crab. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic chili sauce. Gently toss to combine.
3. Assemble bowls by spooning rice, then topping with veggies and seafood. Top with sesame seeds and sliced green onions and serve with pickled ginger.

And the best part? Village Harvest has pledged 1% of their profits to run programs that give back to the local communities from which they source their products. By the way, if your local grocery store or market doesn't carry Village Harvest, you can fill out this form to request it.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I don't know about you guys, but this extra-long holiday weekend really wore me out! It took me a little bit longer than usual to get back into the swing of things, but I couldn't resist sharing my friend Kenzie of Cave Girl in the City's newest book with you! Weeknight Cooking for Two is full of delicious, perfectly-portioned meals that come together in 30 minutes or less--perfect for weeknights, especially ones like these right after a holiday.

I can't wait to dig into this chocolate-chia seed pudding (I love that you can make it ahead of time and that it doesn't require any cooking! Win-win.) Check out the recipe below, and make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post for a chance to win your own copy of the book! It's available now for pre-order and releases on July 18th. Congrats, Kenzie!

Chocolate-Chia Seed Pudding from Weeknight Cooking for Two

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 cups almond milk
• sea salt
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, chia seeds, maple syrup, and almond milk. Add a pinch of sea salt and whisk until well combined and the cocoa powder has dissolved.
2. Divide the pudding into two jars, cover, and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until the pudding reaches desired consistency.
3. Top with blueberries and serve.

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I love making shredded chicken in my slow cooker with a little salsa, but I can only do lettuce wraps for tacos so many times before I start to really miss having an actual tortilla to pick up and eat like a real taco. These low-carb taco shells are incredibly easy to make and so delicious, you might not believe that they only require one ingredient. Seriously, one. That's right--the only thing that stands between you and a keto-friendly taco is a little handful of shredded cheese. Let's get cooking.

Ingredients (makes 4 taco shells):  

• About 6 ounces of shredded cheese (I like to use cheddar)

For the filling and toppings, follow this recipe for my crock-pot chicken tacos.

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Separate the cheese into sections of about 1.5 ounces.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (affiliate link) and make small circular piles of cheese--usually I can only do two at a time so they have enough room (they will spread out a bit in the oven). Pat the cheese down so each pile is in one even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool slightly (just a couple minutes).
3. Lay a wooden spoon or spatula over two overturned glasses and carefully transfer the baked cheese circle so that it lays over the handle, allowing it to cool into the shape of a taco shell. (You can also leave them flat and use them as a tostada.)
4. Fill with your choice of protein and top with chopped lettuce, avocado, salsa, sour cream, or whatever else you like on your tacos. Taco shells will keep for a few days in the fridge, but they do best freshly made, while they're still a little warm.