This post was sponsored by NAKANO® Rice Vinegars as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Joking around about being that great weekend mom with my friends this week. Weekends are all about adventure for us. Living some place that is warm has allowed our family to be more active all year round. A trip to the beach or a local hike is all my girls need for a day of adventure. These simple adventures allow me plenty of time to reflect on the things I want to achieve this year. Simple things like how to spend more moments enjoying my time with my girls. Plus how to meet my own health and fitness goals. 
While we’re not home a lot during the weekends we still try to pack in some essentials for the week like meal prep. Our girls stay busy during the week with school and after school activities I try to stay ahead of the game by prepping some things ahead of time. Simple things like cutting up vegetables or making breakfast burritos ahead fo time. being vegetarians our girls enjoy eating things like salads. Lets be perfectly honest though salads get a little boring mid-week so I try to spice things up by making my own croutons.
These Easy Homemade Garlic Croutons Recipe is such an easy one to make an it’s one that that entire family can enjoy throughout the week. 
Easy Homemade Garlic Croutons Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar Roasted Garlic
- garlic powder
- chopped basil
- your favorite sourdough loaf from the grocery store
One of my favorite things to use in our recipes is vinegar. Being vegetarians it’s nice to swap out ingredients and mix up the flavors. NAKANO® Rice Vinegars are a healthy and delicious way to mix up your meals. Whether it making your own salad dressing or even croutons I’ve found all kinds of uses for my favorite NAKANO products. Rice vinegar allows you to easily add flavor and not added fat. Salads are such a quick and easy meal that on our busy weekends we often turn to them as a quick meal idea. 
Making your own croutons is so simple and easy. I start first by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Then cut the loaf of bread in half. Then you will want to start with the NAKANO in a small bowl. Chop the fresh basil and add in the garlic powder. Brush over the entire half loaf then cut the bread into slices.
I make sure that I have a generous amount of the rice vinegar. I also like to use the NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegars as a savory, low-calorie alternative to high-fat dressings, marinades, oils or butter. 
Bake your croutons for 10-15 minutes until golden brown then allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes. We literally make these in under 30 minutes on the weekends and they’re perfect to add to our many favorite salads. 
These croutons will stay crunchy for a week or more stored at room temperature in a sealed plastic bag or plastic container. Honestly, they’ll be gone long before then! To make your own lighter version of garlic bread just keep the longer slices of bread and top with some fresh grated parmesan cheese. 
Right now you can find these NAKANO® Rice Vinegars at your local Walmart store. You can also lear more about the swaps you can make with rice vinegar that turn your favorite recipes into healthier versions. Plus save with this exclusive coupon.
What are your favorite swaps that you make so your favorite dishes a little healthier?
This is what I do with my leftover sour dough loaf. That, and french toast. Great idea.
I’ve never thought about making my own croutons before, and now I wan to try!
Oh what a great idea to make your own! I love that I could also make a batch of gluten free using our gluten free bread options! Cannot wait to try this!
These vinegars sound delicious. I love adding vinegar to food. I will have to check these out the next time I’m at Walmart. And super cool cacti pics!
I have never made croutons. Its easier than I thought and they look really good.
These look easy to make and tasty! I’m definitely going to try making these!
My girls won’t eat salad but they love the croutons! I will absolutly try this recipe!
This looks pretty easy to make! They look delicious and full of flavor!
This sounds so tasty. I love croutons.