I’ve been on family vacation this week, and this experience, first of all, has been amazing. North Carolina has just blown my mind with its Nicholas-Sparks-esque beachy beauty and I’m all wahhhh about going home tomorrow. I love me some Minnesota lakes, but the tall grass + ocean + white sand + dolphins jumping out in the water (NO I’M SERIOUS) is like something straight out of the best movie you ever saw....

Quick Lemon Pepper Pasta with Chicken This lemon pepper chicken pasta recipe is as simple as boiling pasta and while it cooks, to a separate skillet add bite-sized pieces of chicken breast and season it with lemon pepper, garlic, and lemon juice before adding fresh baby spinach. Combine the cooked pasta, chicken, spinach, add fresh fragrant basil, and get ready to serve. So fast, easy, ready in minutes, and full of robust lemon flavor which complements the basil perfectly....

Honey mustard sauce means a lot of different things to me, but mostly what it means is that when I make it, I am going to get to eat something that will be dipped in sauce. And in my life, there are few things better than a meal dipped in sauce. comment icon 265 more comments Let’s take, for example, chicken. I’ve mentioned before that my true feelings for chicken are less than wonderful, but you guys....

My Family Was In Cebu This Week Weeeeooo! They braved the 24+ hours of travel to Cebu so they could reconnect with my siblings’ biological family, visit the orphanage we’re working at, and experience our new normal here. {I just realized most of you probably don’t know anything about my family. I grew up as the oldest of three girls, and then a few years ago my parents adopted three siblings from an orphanage called CSC....

comment icon 141 more comments A thick, soft brown sugar crust sandwiching a heaping apple layer that is drizzled with homemade caramel: you down widat? It’s been way too long since I made dessert. And WHO EVEN SAYS THAT. Not me, normally. And these apple crisp bars are my current vice. For the majority of my life, I’ve been basically a walking sweet tooth. But the truth of the matter is that something happened to me after going sugar free for a period of time....

If you love air fryer recipes, check out Air Fryer French Toast, Air Fryer Chicken Wings, or Air Fryer Baked Potato! What I love about this recipe: Perfect Texture – It’s get perfectly toasted and crispy and the cheese is melted to perfection. An air fryer grilled cheese sandwich is next level good. Easy – Such a quick and simple recipe that’s fun and satisfying for kids to help with....

I am really glad you enjoyed Gena’s post yesterday about her Top 5 Tips for Digestive Health! Including Ditching the Dairy and Not Guzzling Water at Mealtime… I hope you took the time to read that post because it was chock full of great info! Thanks again, Gena, you Rawk! And don’t forget to check out Gena’s 10-day Cleanse Program she’s doing with the ladies of Spark! Wellness in January....

Real question here: how are you not already making these? Are you now?! Okay, we’re almost two sentences in, it is definitely time that you get straight to these gems with gooey marshmallow and melty chocolate squanched between two graham-cookie layers and a secret swath of peanut butter sneaking throughout. Hello, hi. We’re in love. comment icon 236 more comments And you DID in fact read that right, the base of these bars, and the only thing you’ll need to make from scratch, is the graham cookie dough....

comment icon 198 more comments You guys, I know I say this a lot, but I really love this one. Noodles just speak to me. Something about all the twirling of the forks and the soakage of the sauces… it’s like we were made for each other. This week I made a special grocery trip to a local co-op for a little something different and exciting in my life. Party!...

Next, I was recognized by a reader (Jenny) while sitting in the Aruba airport at our gate. A young woman came up to me and asked me if I was Averie and I said yes, and she told me she reads my blog and recognized me! She said she’s been on the island of Bonaire Scuba diving for 10 days and is headed home today, too. Imagine that, I was recognized internationally....

After a run outside, I needed something quick and easy to replenish my stinky self thirsty self. I always have a tub of frozen banana chunks and other fruit odds and ends like peaches, mangoes, mixed berries, plums, or blueberries, too. I buy whatever fruit is on sale that week at the grocery store and if we don’t get around to eating it before it gets too ripe, I slice it and throw it in a baggie into the freezer and it’s perfect for smoothies....

comment icon 50 more comments These are trying times, and cooking dinner feels, well, maybe to you it feels easy? But to me it feels like it requires monumental effort, physically and mentally and dishes-ly. Easy, minimal, and delicious is the three-way target I’m looking to land on. Let me give you a brain break. Let me show you a cheat code. Let me present an idea that feels about 10x more fancy than it actually is....

I’d call it more of a I made this for dinner and the husband really loved it and told me to blog about it type of thing. This is not rocket science. This is potatoes. But they’re sweet potatoes which elevates them past typical tuber status. Their natural sweetness paired well with the Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus seasoning blend I found buried in my cupboard. If you’ve never tried that blend, it’s citrusy indeed; and it has just a tiny bit of kick from sweet chili peppers and cayenne....

I’m proud to add this recipe to my growing list of amazing, authentic Mexican recipes like chile relleno, Huevos Rancheros, Sopaipillas, and Horchata! Charro beans make a great main dish or side dish! What I love about this recipe: What are Charro Beans? Charro beans (AKA frijoles charros or cowboy beans) are a popular Mexican dish consisting of pinto beans in a boldly flavored broth with other types of meat (chorizo, bacon, ham), chili peppers, tomatoes, and spices....

It’s time for another amazing homemade pizza recipe! If you haven’t made homemade pizza dough, you really should give it a try! It’s SO easy and will you save you money and calories! I have a wheat pizza crust recipe that’s also amazing! We have designated Friday as pizza night at our house, and I don’t mean to sound like a broken record when I say homemade pizza definitely “tastes better from scratch”!...

And even “in season” you little devils are still expensive. But that’s ok, you’re worth it. Your “season” is all of about 3 weeks. Cherries and apricots are the same: Short season, still expensive compared to bananas or apples but I love cherries, too! Broccoli Crowns. I eat this is a sitting. Daily. Raw. Dressed With Vegan Slaw Dressing using Reduced Fat Veganaise. I just dip straight into the jar and devour....

It was met with husband approval. A Visual Guide Combine all ingredients, toss and coat Get ready to bake After flipping halfway through roasting Done! You may enjoy serving these potatoes with everything from ketchup to maple syrup to cinnamon-flavored cream cheese. What can I say, I live for dips and condiments and creative flavor combinations. Or simply eat the cinnamon sugar and ginger roasted potato sticks plain. And yes, I think this is my last tater recipe for a bit....

As soon as we round the corner into November, I’m ready for it all: nostalgic music, flickering candles, the smells of cinnamon and cloves, dogs in Santa hats, babies in Christmas jammies, twinkling lights, and hot mugs of coffee or wassail steaming in my face while quiet snow falls outside. I’m ready for the warmth that comes from gathering a group of people around a table together, with all our differences and imperfections, and finding the joy that comes from tradition, reflection, and togetherness....

I was fortunate to receive these Enjoy Life cookies Enjoy Life Products are Free Of: But not free of taste. For baked goods that are vegan, GF, and free from many common allergies, I give Enjoy Life products their props. Or, you can make your own Vegan + GF brownie-cookies Raw Vegan Brownies Or make Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies I can vouch 100% for the taste on the brownies and the cookies in case you don’t have access to specialty vegan + GF baked goods....

White Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe When the weather gets warmer, I seem to crave white chocolate. I’ll never say no to regular chocolate chip cookies but white chocolate has been calling my name lately. The cookies are extremely soft, moist, and creamy. To create them I combined two favorite recipes, Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies and The Best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Both are reader and personal favorites....