We have a penchant for anything dainty and delicious, and these delicate DIY Yogurt Kisses, featured on One Good Thing by Jillee, definitely fit the bill. 

The instructions are easy as 1-2-3 and the result looks like a healthy and refreshing way to satisfy your sweet tooth. All you need is your favorite flavored yogurt, a plastic bag, and a cookie sheet and in about an hour they’re ready to eat!

To make these pretty little treats, simply follow these easy steps:

1. Spoon your flavored yogurt of choice into your plastic bag. 
   
    

   

2. Cut a small hole in the corner of the filled bag, then squeeze dots onto your cookie sheet and place in the freezer.
   
    
3. Wait about one hour, and enjoy!
   
    

We can’t wait to make this a snack time standard for balmy summer days!

Cheers!

We love discovering sweets and treats from within the LC.com community so if you have your own DIY Good Eats, please share it with us!

XO Team LaurenConrad.com

P.S. If you’re not sure how to submit your recipe or photos, click here to learn how.

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Photos: © 2012 One Good Thing By Jillee

Earlier this month I was thumbing through my copy of Martha Stewart Living Magazine when I found this little gem of a recipe: Sparkly Lemon Cookies. While I was already sold on the lemon factor, the glittery sprinkles sealed the deal! Thankfully, the folks over at Martha Stewart were kind enough to share the recipe for these festive holiday treats.

Whether you’re in need of a last minute gift or hoping to bake something sweet for the holidays, these are the must-bake cookies of the season. Plus, they’re as tasty as they are cute. Pretty tough to resist, right?

Here’s how to make them…

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart

Makes 40 cookies

Star-shaped edible glitter (Michaels.com) is an optional embellishment for these lemon cookies. The topping really makes them sparkle, but you could also use coarse sanding sugar or simply leave the cookies glazed.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Salt
• 1 stick plus 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 lemons, zested and juiced (1/3 cup juice)
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
• Start-shaped edible glitter or coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Whisk together flour and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
3. Beat in eggs. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Slowly add milk, and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes.
5. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ½- inch plain round trip.
6. Pipe 1 ½- inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
7. Bake until bottoms are pale gold, 16 to 18 minutes.
8. Let cool completely on sheets set on wire racks.
9. Whisk together confectionsers' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.
10. Brush glaze onto cookies, and sprinkle with edible glitter.

Note: Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

What’s your favorite holiday cookie recipe?

Upload and submit your best cookie recipe to your profile page or link it in the comments below. I’ll feature my favorite submissions in the Dine Gallery!

XO Lauren

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One of the lovely members here on LaurenConrad.com, Julia Longueville, runs a deliciously fun blog called Hazelnut where she chronicles her cooking. Julia recently uploaded one of the fantastic recipes from her blog to her LaurenConrad.com profile. And let me tell you, this is a must-make recipe for fall: Chipotle Pumpkin Soup. Julia describes it as “a sweet and spicy pumpkin soup,” which is “sure to impress your friends and taste buds!” The recipe is full of flavor, veggies and it’s low in fat. Give Julia’s pumpkin soup a try and let me know what you think…

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 chiles en adobo, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 5 cups of pumpkin puree
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 cup of milk
• 4 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt or sour cream for serving

Instructions

1. Sautee garlic and onion in large soup pan until soft and fragrant.
2. Add chiles en adobo and cumin. Toss to combine.
3. Add pumpkin, vegetable stock and milk. Blend with immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a regular blender and return to pot).
4. Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve with a drizzle of nonfat yogurt.
5. Serve and enjoy!

What's your favorite fall soup recipe?

XO Lauren

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Good Eats: Veggie Omelet

I received lots of requests in response to my post, Slim Tip: Why Break the Fast?, to share the recipe for the egg white omelet I like to have for breakfast, so I have posted the whole thing for you below!

When I have the time, I like to whip up a nice breakfast for myself. Usually, I make an egg white omelet with vegetables.  This makes for a great breakfast because the egg whites are full of protein and the veggies have lots of nutrients and fiber.

Below is the basic recipe I follow. Needles to say, I do mix it up based on what vegetables are in season and, more importantly, what’s available in my refrigerator. Sometimes I’ll have the omelet with a side of toast and berries depending on how much time I have…

Note: This recipe makes one omelet.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup egg whites (sometimes I add in a full egg, with the yolk)
• 1 handful of baby spinach
• ¼ teaspoon (about a pinch) onion powder
• ¼ cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup shredded low fat (or skim) grated mozzarella cheese 
• Note: A few vegetables I like to sub in are steamed asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, or steamed broccoli.

Instructions

1. In a bowl, beat together the egg whites, spinach and onion powder.
2. In a small skillet coated with olive oil cooking spray over medium heat, pour in the egg mixture and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. 
3. Flip with spatula and cook another 2 minutes. (At this point it will look like a big egg pancake. Yum!)
4. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle on cheese and cherry tomatoes and then fold omelet in half (one side over the other). Cook for another minute or so to allow cheese to melt and then serve. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

This omelet is really simple, quick, and very easy to make! Plus, it’s a great way to kick start your day. The best part? You’ll notice that the egg + veggie combo will keep you feeling full longer.

Do you have quick and healthy breakfast recipe? Upload the recipe to your LaurenConrad.com profile page and link the recipe in the comments below. I will feature my favorite recipes in the Dine Gallery and spotlight one in a follow up post!

Learn how to upload and submit recipes by clicking here.

Photo: planet green

Eating fresh veggies and fruits is a must when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. During the hot summer, I like to have salads for lunch and dinner. I pile my salads high with vegetables and fruit, which keeps me full and satisfied. The best salads are simple, usually consisting of only a few main ingredients accompanied by a light homemade dressing. You can imagine how happy I was when I stumbled upon Mark Bittman’s 101 Simple Salads for the Season article for The New York Times... 101 simple salads? Yes, please. I tried a few of them out and enjoyed them all (to the very last bite)!

One of my favorites from 101 Simple Salads for the Season is #7. This salad has grated carrots, blueberries, and toasted sunflower seeds in. It's all mixed together with some olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper and the resulting salad is absolutely delicious. In Bittman's article, he describes it as crunchy yet soft, sweet and a little bit sour.

Another salad I fell in love with from the 101 list is #49. This salad combines raspberries, herb greens, walnuts and blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. After you've put together this decadent mix, Bittman suggests: "Sell for $14 a serving." I couldn't agree more.

My favorite salad is #2. It's described as "astonishing," which it is. What's in this salad? It's probably the most unlikely mix of ingredients I've ever heard of. It's a mix of tomatoes (I prefer heirloom), peaches, red onion, red-pepper flakes and cilantro. Then it's drizzled with some lemon juice and olive oil. Let's just say this salad will leave you speachless (sorry spelling fanatics, I had to).

After reading through all 101 of the salads I've been inspired to be more adventurous with my salad preparation by trying out new combinations. If I come up with any winners, I'll be sure to let you know. In the mean time, give these a try.

For your ingredients, I suggest picking up them up from a local farmers market. Fresh produce is always better, especially if you buy locally. When you buy your produce at a farmers market, the flavor is fuller and you can usually score organics for less.

What’s your favorite (simple) summer salad? Post your recipes to your LaurenConrad.com profile page and link the recipe in the comments below! I'll feature my favorite salad idea in a Member Spotlight post. And I'll add my other picks to the Dine Gallery.

Not sure how to upload and submit a recipe? Click here to learn how.

 
XO Lauren

Photo: nytimes, Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times