One thing I love about the summertime is a good ol' BBQ. There's honestly nothing I love more than hanging out with my family on my deck, cooking/grilling up amazing food and soaking in that summer sun. I have so many fun memories doing this with my family and I love continuing these traditions into my life as a Mom. Since my parents bought a condo in Chicago recently, I thought it would be fun to have a BBQ and ask them (and my sister) to bring their favorite nostalgic BBQ food. Basically, ... [ Read More ]
Sticky Mandarin Orange Meatballs
I love takeout Chinese food. My hips unfortunately do not. Because of this, I'm always trying to recreate my favorite naughty, to-go foods at home for a less guilt and less gut. One of my favorites to make at home is orange chicken. I can use all the freshest ingredients and avoid overly processed nonsense without sacrificing any of the flavor. it always turns out delicious. Since I love my homemade orange sauce so much, I decided to throw it over some meatballs and the result was even ... [ Read More ]
Vegan Quinoa And Kale Salad With Fresh Herbs
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Mirum. All opinions are 100% my own.* I'm a busy mom. Meaning, I rarely have a minute to shower much less get a healthy meal on the table. All I dream of are quick, healthy, inexpensive dinners I can whip up for my family. Target has become one of my staples for groceries because their prices are amazing and I happen to have one with-in walking distance to my house! Target Cartwheel should be on everyone's radar. It gives me access to ... [ Read More ]
Kid-Friendly Sushi Sandwiches
Keeping things fresh and unique in the kitchen is tough enough. Since adding in a picky 2-year old to the mix, things have become even more complicated! Every day, I rack my brain trying to think of new and innovative ways to get Elia to try new foods and help her explore different flavors and textures. I've partnered with Brownberry Bread to make the most adorable "sushi sandwiches" and my daughter thought it was the coolest thing ever. I even let her try and use chopsticks to help with her ... [ Read More ]
5 Cheesy Appetizers That’ll be a Hit Anytime
I love to host a good girls night or get together. It's what I live for. I love entertaining, I love cooking and I love seeing happy faces around the room when I watch people eat my food. I think the reason that I'm able to love it so much is I always keep things super simple. Over the years, I've learned that the number one reason people don't entertain is because they don't like to cook or feel stressed and overwhelmed. That's why I'm here! These 5 cheesy appetizers all have a wow ... [ Read More ]
Baby Back Mac & Cheese
The weather here in Chicago has been nonstop gray. We are either in a blizzard, frozen solid, or dealing with a balmy gross slush. This constant gloominess has had me craving comfort food, and lots of it. And nothing is better than BBQ! I find myself constantly craving the kind of BBQ that comes to your table on newspaper, where you can smell the smoker. The only negative is, venturing outdoors for that kind of deliciousness is the only option because BBQ made at home can be a huge ... [ Read More ]
Meal Prep: 5 Meals – 2 DIFFERENT Recipes!
Recently, I started meal prepping because I am really bad at sticking to a healthy diet without planning. I haven't told many people yet, but I actually started Weight Watchers about 6 weeks ago. It's been SO much fun and surprisingly very easy (when I'm planned out). When asked if you were interested in me sharing my meal-planning, many of you said yes, but begged me to create a weeks worth of meals that didn't have you eating the same thing every day. I heard you and I did the best I ... [ Read More ]
2 Ingredient Bagels
What if I told you you could eat bagels with a lot less guilt? Recently, I came across this bagel recipe on Skinny Taste and HAD to share it with you guys. It's THAT good. The original recipe calls for 5 ingredients, but the one I'm about to share can be done with just TWO (not including toppings)! To put it into perspective, I wanted to compare a bagel from Panera with this one... Can you believe a standard bagel has 160 more calories and 50 more grams of carbs?! ... [ Read More ]
Local Crate: Carne Asada Bowls with Chimichurri & Grilled Zucchini
I know I’m not alone in saying this: sometimes it is just exhausting trying to be all things to all people. I know for me, I want to be the best mom, the best wife, daughter, boss and friend that I can be. I want to be healthy and take care of myself while still having fun. I want to run a spotless household and always have a good hair day. Unfortunately, that is just not always reality. I have to remind myself that being the best version of you means setting your pride aside and taking help ... [ Read More ]
Low-Carb Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks
My reign as carb queen has recently come to an end (much to my dismay). I'm no longer in my twenties, and post baby, my love of carbs has had to take a back seat to healthier options. It would be a million times easier to dive into the low-carb life if my husband wasn't the reigning king. Let's just say this, if there's a carb in sight, he's munching on it. And he's not adjusting to my healthier choices as well as I'd hoped. Well, I'm about to fool him (and you) with these low-carb garlic ... [ Read More ]