I’ve been embarrassed to admit that it’s taken me SO MUCH LONGER than I had hope to put together my Easy Weeknight Meals e-book. It’s not that the task at hand was all that challenging – I’ve developed hundreds upon hundreds of recipes over the year for the blog and in my former line of work as a recipe developer and food editor. But when I set out to put together this e-book last summer, it seemed that every time … Read More
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Truth be told, I’m a little worried with the way winter is going that if I don’t publish this slow cooker soup recipe now – in February – it may get too warm soon to post it and have it be seasonally appropriate. In all seriousness, we have had such a mild Iowa winter with temps coming up to the mid 50’s later this week, that I hardly know what to do with myself. Joe and I joke ever now … Read More
Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Bites
I’m always seeking healthy ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. Not that I don’t allow myself to indulge in real-deal peanut butter cups or desserts on the regular (I do!) but if something can taste good while also being good for me, then that is always my preference. As someone who doesn’t eat a lot of sugary foods, I’ve found that I have lost my taste for super sugary things. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? Plus, peanut butter … Read More
Quick & Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Maybe it’s a little strange to be posting this the week of Thanksgiving, but hear me out…. After cooking a big meal (or contributing to a big Thanksgiving meal) what meal could be better than something warm and filling, yet super easy and a little lighter on your stomach than Chicken Noodle Soup? Bonus: If you have leftover Turkey, you could easily adapt this recipe to be a Turkey Noodle Soup and use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken. … Read More
THRIVE MARKET FAVES
We have been using Thrive for a couple years now and it’s taken me a bit of time to find what about Thrive makes sense for our family and our budget. While I don’t buy a ton of the basic pantry items via Thrive (I feel like I can find the same quality locally) I do have a lengthy list of items I find easier + better to buy via Thrive. The small yearly membership fee pays for itself over … Read More
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
I’m a little ashamed to admit I *haven’t* had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year. Yes, I love them (usually with oat milk, no whip and half the syrup, please) and no, I’m not ashamed to admit it. And while I haven’t been able to enjoy a PSL at home, I have been sipping on this amazing Pumpkin Pie Smoothie on the regular. Packed with pumpkin, protein, a bit of peanut butter (optional, but the extra fat really … Read More
Let’s Talk Body Image + Nutrition with The Gentle Nutritionist, Lisa Nolting
Hi, friends! Today I’m SO excited to share with you a conversation I had with a friend of mine, nutritionist Lisa Nolting. Lisa and I have known each other for a few years over social media and have connected over our shared love for clean products (Beautycounter) our shared love for my alma mater (ISU! Where she worked for almost a decade as a nutritionist) and our strong belief that diet culture is NOT the path to living a healthy, … Read More
Peppermint + Greens Smoothie
A while back I shared a Mint + Cacao Daily Harvest knock-off smoothie. But over the last couple of months I have been tinkering with my recipe to perfect the taste + consistency of my favorite Daily Harvest smoothie. Since nailing this knock-off recipe (truly! This is the best!) I could eat it for lunch every single day. It’s filling, refreshing for summer and packed with good-for-you ingredients. Bonus: The mint extract really helps disguise any of the “greens” flavor … Read More
The BEST Healthy and Easy Mug Cake
I’ve shared a version of this recipe before, but I recently updated my favorite mug cake with an added ingredient and it’s made the mug cake exponentially better. What’s the secret ingredient? Collagen! Adding a scoop of collagen to this recipe makes the mug cake so light, fluffy, and cake-like! My favorite collagen is from Primal Kitchen Foods that I buy through Thrive Market. (The link here will get you 25% off your first order and I think my membership … Read More
Perfect Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken
Can I make an honest confession? I don’t LOVE slow cooker meals. Gah, it’s true. While I love the convenience of a slow cooker, sometimes a meal that is made in the slow cooker can taste a little, well, bland in the texture department, especially when it comes to meat. Sometimes it’s just a little TOO soft and mushy for my liking. When it comes to slow cooking meat such as this barbecue chicken, I learned a trick years ago … Read More
Instant Pot Black Bean and Rice Bowls
Over the last couple years I’ve added both an Instant Pot and Air Fryer to my kitchen appliance round-up. I’ve slowly been searching for uses for both tools that make sense for our family. I was a FAST convert to the air fryer. And a bit slower to share the Instant Pot love. But over time I’m finding my groove in terms of what I enjoy making in the Instant Pot and what makes sense to make in the instant … Read More
Current Favorite: After School Smoothie
I have one fairly picky eater (ahem, Ainsley) who isn’t a big fan of things like foods touching on her dinner plate, anything remotely “spicy,” and anything that isn’t a very familiar food. It’s been a tad frustrating, to say the least, when her siblings are happily eating whatever I serve and our oldest is complaining about what mom made for dinner. I’ve read a lot about helping kids develop a healthy relationship with food and not forcing things too … Read More