This week we'll explore spring-appropriate lemon recipes and a healthier alternative to fries. We'll also delve into seasonal bird migration patterns and my top five tips for revamping your smoothie nutrition.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight

Happy March! Although it's not officially spring yet, it's never too early to get excited about spring flavors. Accordingly, this week is all about bright, citrusy, sunny lemon. Lemon is an incredibly versatile ingredient that you can use in everything from salad dressings to cocktails to baked goods.

If you want to take lemon in a savory direction, this Loaded Lemon Hummus is one of my personal favorites. You can either use just the simple lemon hummus recipe without toppings or load it up with a bunch of fresh and colorful Mediterranean-inspired garnishes. If you're hosting a gathering this month, a big bowl of this protein-rich hummus is a great way to keep everyone satisfied until dinner (bonus: it's make-ahead friendly).

If you want to take lemon in a sweet direction, I think you'll enjoy these Fig, Pistachio, and Lemon Truffles. They're easy to make at home and use just a few simple whole-food ingredients including dried figs, pistachios, and lemon zest. Make them for yourself to enjoy as a portable snack, nourishing dessert, or post-workout treat, or make them as a gift for someone special.

Feeling saucy? This unique Caramelized Lemon Turmeric Sauce uses the entire lemon (including the peel!), so it's a no-waste way to get a big dose of spring flavor.

What I'm Loving Right Now

As many of you know, my husband and I just made our seasonal migration back to Vermont (from the northernmost Hawaiian island) two weeks ago. Being greeted by sub-zero temperatures (Fahrenheit!) and tons of snow wasn't necessarily the welcome I wanted. However, one major benefit of being back is that I've been happily reunited with my air fryer. That means we're back to our favorite cozy weekend happy hour snack: carrot fries!

Intrigued? Carrot fries are easy to make at home and are a much healthier alternative. They have the same appeal as regular fries, but they're not cooked in oil and are made from vitamin-rich, fiber-rich carrots. All you need to do is cut full-sized carrots into carrot sticks. Toss them in a dash of olive oil and air-fry them at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, until tender but not soft. They should be delicately browned on the outside. Salt them generously right when they come out, then top them however you like.

Our current greatest love is to pair carrot fries with a simple maple mustard tahini dressing. I just mix a few spoonfuls of tahini with a bit of homemade coarse-grained mustard, a dash of maple syrup, and some salt. You can get the detailed recipe (both for the fries and the sauce) in this recent blog post. Give them a try next Fryday night and let me know what you think!

Live Colorfully

In the Natural World

As spring nears, keep your eyes and ears out for enhanced bird activity. Your local birds will be getting all excited and, depending on where you live, some migratory birds will start coming through your area. Awakening bird life is one of the earliest signs of spring. Even here in northern Vermont, we've been seeing a lot of colorful male cardinals swooping back and forth across our yard.

What are these busy birds doing right now? A lot! Winter is a lean time for birds, so you'll likely see them clustering around trees that still have remaining fruit from the fall. If your ground isn't still frozen or buried in snow, you may see the first intrepid robins pulling worms from the soil. Birds of many different species are also starting to pick their mates and look for their nesting sites. Keep your ears open, especially early in the morning, to hear their songs.

Birds are tremendous migrators, so you'll likely see some new faces passing through on their way north or arriving in your area to stay for the summer. If you're into this sort of thing, the Audubon has a really neat tool for illustrating bird migrations (note: it works much better on a computer browser than on a mobile browser). You can zoom into your area and toggle different bird families on or off to see who is coming through. Click on any individual species to see their incredible journeys!

Self-Care Pick

I've recently gotten some great questions about smoothies, so I wanted to dedicate this week's Self-Care Pick to making smoothies that work for you rather than against you. Although Instagram is loaded with beautiful smoothie bowls, have you noticed that most of the recipes you see there have half a dozen or more servings of fruit? Don't get me wrong, I think fruit is a fabulous and precious gift from nature. But it's also pretty high in carbs and sugar, so many nutritionists would recommend that you enjoy it in moderation and alongside fiber and protein.

Here are my top five tips for how to take your smoothies from sugar bomb status to powerful fuel:

• Add veggies. Frozen cauliflower is my personal favorite; it disappears right into the smoothie. It adds great texture, fiber, potassium, and a few different vitamins too.
• Add protein powder. There are many great plant-based protein powders on the market right now. My personal go-to is Sprout Living (use the code ROGUE to save 20%). A single scoop has about 20g of protein, which keeps you satisfied and is important for many different reasons in your body.
• Decrease the fruit. Using more veggies and protein effectively crowds out the fruit (plus do you really need to eat four bananas at once? I think probably not...).
• Sweeten as you go. Especially if you're new to veggie-based smoothies, start with a small amount of fruit (e.g., two dates or a few tablespoons of fruit), blend it up, and taste. You can always add more fruit it you like, but you may be surprised at how little you actually need.
• Use other big flavors. Compensate for the decreased sugar by adding in some big flavor powerhouses like cinnamon, ginger, matcha, etc.

If you're looking to revamp your smoothie routine, I think you'll love my e-book "Blend the Rainbow". It has eight smoothie recipes that are based in cauliflower, carrots, and/or spinach rather than fruit. All of the recipes are high in plant-based protein and fiber, low in carbs and sugar, and loaded with veggie-powered nutrition. You can purchase the e-book here for $5.

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Thanks for joining me for this issue of Eat Colorfully, Live Colorfully! I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to reply with questions, thoughts, or requests. If you missed a previous issue, you can view all my newsletters here. Have a great week!