Black Bean Salad

I just made this Black Bean Salad for a salad potluck tonight and it is SO yummy and SO healthy! I wanted to bring something that was a little more unique than just another green salad. I used mango instead of pineapple and that was the only substitution that I made. There isn't a bit of oil and it sure doesn't need any! Thank you Food Network for coming through one more time! I'm eating a little bowl full right now as a snack..yummy!

I.Heart.Tea

I LOVE tea. I drink at least a pot a day. I love it for so many reasons. 1. it's calorie free 2. it's healthy 3. it's warm. I can come up with many more, but those are just some of them. My favorites tend to be black tea based, but my husbands love for green has grown on me and I do really like green, too.

I've always appreciated the taste of Earl Grey. It has a sweeter taste to it than just plain English Breakfast. I bought a new box the other day of Bigelow because it was cheaper. I'm actually very disappointed in it. I don't usually like Stash teas, they just seem much lower quality to me. But, in this case, I have to say that Stash Earl Grey is much better than Bigelow Earl Grey.

*Pictures courtesy of Amazon.com. I am not affiliated with Stash, Bigelow, or Amazon. This is simply my personal opinion.*

Cranberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

These are a delicious and healthy breakfast or snack cookie.

1 C. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C. quick oats
1/2 C. packed brown sugar *I use Rapadura (unrefined sugar) instead to increase healthiness*
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2/3 C. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. dried cranberries
1 egg
1 Tbs. butter

Soak cranberries in warm water and drain before adding them.

Mix dry ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients. Place 2 Tbs of batter on a cookie sheet and flatten until they are about 3/4 in. thick.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min.

Store in refrigerator.