Hiiiiiiiiiiiii! I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve sat down at my own desk, writing a blog for you all. It feels good. If you’ve been keeping up with me on Instagram (and now SnapChat) you’ve seen that I’ve been aiming to get back on track post-travels by doing my 7-day Whole Food Reset & Rebalance. I already feel amazing and have been adding lots of green juice and low-sugar fresh juices in addition to my plan to give a nice “juice boost” of nutrients. It’s been SO nice to get back home, into my groove, cuddle with my little family, and to take things easy on myself for once in a realllllllyyyyy long time. To be completely transparent with you all, I notice that I haven’t even been following some of my own tips and “15 Rules of Living Whole and Eating Well“- so this week I’ve done just that, I’m putting work away, relaxing, having fun, and re-energizing before a couple other big projects are announced.

Before I head off into solitude, I wanted to share a refreshing snack I’ve been making since getting back home last week. A neighbor kindly gave us a giant bag of beautiful home-grown cucumbers, so many that I had exhausted my common way of using them; slicing them on Nourishing Nut & Seed Bread, sprinkling them with kelp flakes, dipping in hummus, and chopping into salads. When I was younger, we used to eat these snacks called salami rolls- oh goodness, even the thought of them in the present day is pretty unappetizing. Basically it was cream cheese spread on a salami slice, rolled, and sometimes served with a pickle. I loved them and it tastes delicious, but now that my tastes and food preferences (to put it kindly) have changed since I was 6 years old, this reinvention of a cheese roll is sublime!

The first obvious swap is using raw, crisp, and crunchy cucumbers thinly sliced and instead of traditional cream cheese, I used Kite Hill’s Cream Cheese-Style Spread which is literally my new obsession. I’ve tried so many dairy-free cheeses on the market and none of them have met my two expectations: 1) the ingredient list must be legit, 2) it has to taste good! If I’m not the first to say it, Kite Hill will be one of the biggest food trends this coming year- they have some secret ingredient or process that I can’t recreate in my own kitchen to make the flavor as bold and texture as “cheese-like” as they do. They’re the dairy-free cheese kings. Excitement aside, this “recipe” is as simple as thinly slicing cucumbers, spreading some of the herb cheese on top followed by toasted pine nuts and roll it up. If you wanted to add a bit more protein in with this snack and you enjoy fish, add in wild caught smoked salmon or just eat it plain. One thing you can’t skip out on, is heavily topping it with freshly ground black pepper and a touch of sea salt, it brings the whole recipe together. Simple as that and it’s so satisfying.

Disclaimer: this is a sponsored recipe post, meaning I was given product for this recipe and post, my opinions of this product are 100% of my own- I only share the best of the best that I truly enjoy and would find beneficial to you all as well! Kite Hill on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

I hope you all enjoy this snack as much as I have the past week and I’d love to hear your stories about salami rolls as a kid- I can’t be the only one right!? Also, for a quick roll call here, what recipes would you like to see this summer? I have a lot up my sleeve, but let me know what you want to see on the blog!

P.S.Are you coming?

There’s a retreat I’m hosting with the one and only Blackberry Farm is only a couple weeks away!

We’ve already sold out and added more tickets, be sure to sign up and reserve yours. Be sure when you sign up for this retreat that you verbally tell them you’re with McKel Hill of Nutrition Stripped so you can get your VIP amenity package! They will only do this if you mention me and I totally want you all to get this VIP package:

Call this number: 800-557-8864 to make your reservation and mention Nutrition Stripped, simple as that! I can’t wait to spend this time with you!