Maureen and I had originally talked about a park playdate but on account of all the rain and horrible dreary and cold weatther we’ve had, we figured we’d rather be cozy and dry and sipping our java indoors. Plus Skylar could bounce on the comfy chairs if we were indoors. Always a bonus. I met up with Maureen (Mo) once before in This Post, and it was fun to see her again....

Remember last Tuesday’s Meetup with Maureen? Well, I had another Tuesday Blogger Meetup today! But today’s meetup was with the amazing Alyson of Nourished Fitness! Alyson radiates energy, vibrancy, and is so positive and energetic!!! Our conversation flowed a million miles an hour and I love meeting new friends who can keep up with my sometimes manic flow of conversation and random topic shifts! Skylar and I met Alyson at WF’s and we the big girls drank some coffee....

My Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches have been so popular that I’m really excited to share another of our favorite freezer friendly recipes with you all! These are perfect for busy mornings when you want to start the day with a hearty breakfast. There are a few things I love to keep stocked in my freezer at all times and easy freezer meals and snacks (like these healthy freezer muffins) are at the very top of that list!...

comment icon 83 more comments Friends, these are BREAKFAST ENCHILADAS. Wait tho let me say that again: break-fast-en-chi-la-das. That you are going to make in your own house and then devour as breakfast (and lunch and dinner and midnight snack) for the foreseeable days ahead. That are going to make you either a breakfast hero to yourself or a breakfast hero to the world’s luckiest souls who get to share this pan of cheesy goodness with you....

Easy Butter Chicken Meatballs Recipe For full disclosure, I want to make it known that I am not an expert on curries, other than I love to make them at home! I tend to make Thai curries more frequently, but every so often I get a real hankering for some Indian spices. Enter these butter chicken meatballs! These baked chicken meatballs are so juicy and tender on the inside, and lightly crispy on the outside....

Fully Loaded Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese If there was ever a rich, decadent, and comforting side dish recipe that your whole family will devour, these loaded mashed potatoes with bacon, cheddar cheese, butter, sour cream, and heavy cream is the one! Easy to make, and ready in less than a half hour, they’re a perfect recipe for entertaining because they’re no-hassle, no-fuss, and loaded with everything fabulous. Whether you’re making these bacon mashed potatoes as a side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or as a family dinner recipe on busy weeknights, everyone will be happy and content....

Easy Pasta Bake with Ground Beef This ground beef pasta casserole is hearty, family-friendly comfort food that feeds a small army. If you need a crowd-pleasing dish to bring to a potluck, work function, or party, this easy pasta bake is a slam dunk. If you like to meal prep for the week, this is a great batch-cooking recipe. You are definitely set for many meals with this one. And as a bonus, this ground beef pasta casserole freezes really well so even if you’re just cooking for two or for a small family, put the rest into airtight containers, freeze them, and dinner is ready on nights you don’t want to cook....

Cookies … Made with Devil’s Food Cake Mix! When I told my daughter I was going to make cake mix cookies, she looked at me like I was nuts. She asked me why I was making cookies from chocolate cake mix? I explained to her that cake mix cookies are the oldest trick in the book for all of us tired moms. Or lazy people. Or inexperienced bakers. Or people who just want to make cookies with an extremely limited amount of ingredients that are guaranteed to turn out....

Don’t miss our other stuffed shells recipes including Pizza Stuffed Shells and Lasagna Stuffed Shells. I love so many things about this Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells recipe, but particularly, this is a dish my whole family enjoys, and it comes together pretty quickly when I use a rotisserie chicken (I never leave Costco without one!). It’s easy to make in advance or even double the recipe for an extra freezer meal....

Want more 30 minute meals? Try Chow Mein, Meatloaf Sandwich, Hibachi Chicken, or Taco Salad! Why you need to make these quesadillas: Baked – I love the ease of baking quesadillas all on a sheet pan to make a bunch at the same time, and they cook to crispy perfection. Adaptable – Add different types of meat, chopped peppers, black beans, and corn. Quick and Easy – To make the best chicken quesadillas extra easy, use leftover chicken from the night before or get a rotisserie chicken....

It’s a fast and easy goofproof recipe that’s sure to be a hit. No mixer needed, no dough to chill, ready and on the table in 30 minutes, family-friendly, and perfect for events, parties, or holidays. To make the stir-together dough I used Betty Crocker™ Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. It’s a great shortcut when you’re short on time, but Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie, Loaded Soft and Chewy M&M Cookie Pie, or Triple Peanut Butter Cookie Pie are all easy recipes from scratch....

comment icon 63 more comments Breathe. And eat baked mini donuts. Breathe mini donuts? Yes. That’s what the voice inside my head is saying these days. That was when there were still mini donuts left. That was like a year ago. It was fun while it lasted. Dessert has always been high on my list of loves, and dessert for breakfast is even higher (see also: these cinnamon sugar donut holes)....

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars Recipe These peanut butter candy bars are no-bake, easy, loaded with bold peanut butter flavor, and plenty of chocolate. There’s both a layer of melted chocolate and assorted candy bar pieces adorn the top. If you need a way to use up that random assortment of Halloween (or Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter, etc.) candy that you have on hand, these peanut butter chocolate bars are perfect. Snickers, Milky Way, Payday, you name it, use it up....

Chocolate Poke Cake Recipe Over the years, I’ve made my fair share of poke cakes, meaning a cake that has holes poked into it after baking. If poking holes in a freshly baked cake has you wondering, why? The answer is because a sweet chocolaty syrup mixture gets poured into those holes before topping the whole cake with a light and fluffy chocolate frosting. Like most poke cakes, this one begins with a box of chocolate cake mix that I then doctored up....

The Christmas tea ring returns! And oh my gosh, is she a beautiful lady or what?! I can’t even, you guys. I MADE THAT. 🏆 I baked that Christmas tea ring right in my very own kitchen. We are talking about a homemade brioche stuffed it with a cream cheese raspberry filling and drizzled with the simplest of powdered sugar glaze type of situation. HELLO. Those of you who have been around this blog since Christmas of 2013 might remember the beloved, disastrous, embarrassing daughter-in-law moments of years gone by....

Make sure to check out all of my brunch favorites including Japanese Soufflé Pancakes, Snickerdoodle Muffins, Homemade Scones, or Crab Cake Benedict! How to make Cinnamon Rolls: Proof Yeast: If you’re using active dry yeast, proof the yeast by stiring it with water and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it’s foamy on top. If this doesn’t happen, the yeast is bad or your water was too hot....

Easiest Candied Cashews Recipe You’ll never need to buy those extremely over-priced fancy candied cashews again. The kind that are so good you can’t stop eating them. Like, $20 dollars worth in 20 minutes. Never again. You can make your own. This is best and easiest recipe for homemade candied nuts I’ve tried. The recipe is adapted from my Classic Candied Nuts recipe and I made it even easier. Everything is mixed in one bowl and they’re ready in 30 minutes....

Chocolate Coconut Kale Chips Chocolate Coconut Cashew Butter Thanks to everyone who told me you loved the recipe and pictures. Make your own in 5 minutes! And previously there’s been Raw Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate Ginger Coconut Roasted Potatoes & Vegetables Vegan Gluten Free Pancakes No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars (Vegan, GF) And so many other recipes that I use coconut oil in. Maybe you’d like to win some coconut oil for yourself?...

Easy Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Pulled Pork Recipe Lately I’ve been on a slow cooker pork kind of roll from sliders to tacos. And now I’m excited to share this super juicy, smoky, sweet-and-tangy, and ultra flavorful slow cooker pulled pork recipe made with Cherry Coke! Yep, there’s one can of cherry cola in this easy Crock-pot pulled pork recipe. Think that’s crazy? Go check out my Dr Pepper Bacon Baked Beans too!...

[print_this] Curried Ginger & Raisin Lentils Ingredients 1 c dry Green Lentils (green lentils are much heartier and firmer than red which turn to mush much easier) 1/2 c Raisins 1.5 Tbsp Garam Masala seasoning 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger 1 Tsp Cumin 1 6-ounce can tomato paste (a 4-oz can or a fruity salsa would also work, or omit entirely) + add 1/2 c water or more to desired thickness 1 c diced Vegetables (I used carrots and broccoli stalks) 2 Tbsp EVOO (or coconut oil) 1 Tbsp Salt (optional) 1 Tbsp Sugar (optional) Directions Cook 1 cup dry lentils with 2 cups water on stovetop (Bring the lentils and water to a boil, then cover and reduce heat)....