Last week was a blur. Luckily my mom was here, otherwise we might not have made it (or I might not have made it.) I had to make the decision to put my 11 year old pup down very unexpectedly and it hit me hard. He was my first baby and had been with me since I graduated college. Needless to say, I was a little distracted and emotionally drained last week with losing my best friend, plus Parks is a little wild man these days and goes non-stop unless he is asleep which left me little time to spend in the kitchen! Let me tell you, when life hits hard, having a recipe like my healthy chocolate chip pecan muffins can make or break whether or not I start my day off right.
Happy New Year guys! I hope that your holiday was filled with as much love and joy as ours was! I still can't believe that it's January and a new year is here! I have been furiously working away on my cookbook which is why I have been absent from the blogging world for the past little bit, but I figured with the start of the new year this would be a great opportunity to share with you some of my favorite recipes to whip up when I am trying to focus on my health! And I'm guessing if your holiday was anything like mine, you are probably ready for some lighter meals...am I right? I've got my top 15 favorite healthy recipes right here!
You guys, last weekend I went a little fall crazy in the kitchen. I am so ready for all things fall-like, I just can't stand it. The heat here is sending me mixed messages, but I have decided that it's going to be fall in my kitchen regardless of the weather outside. I ended up with a bunch of mealy apples from the grocery last week, which is always a bummer, and wanted to make something with them since they aren't good to eat alone as a snack. My pregnant brain heard the words apple and butter at some point last week and I decided I would whip some up with what I had in the pantry, including my mealy apples. The verdict is in! It's so easy to make you own apple butter in the slow cooker that I am never spending money on buying it in the store again. I made apple butter and then put it in my oatmeal for some serious yummy breakfast vibes and I am dishing on both today!
Happy day after Labor Day guys! How was your weekend? I hope you did the opposite of labor and got to relax with your family and friends! Canean was out of town for a couple of days and I started binge watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix, which I had no idea was going to suck me in like it did! I also had a fabulous brunch Sunday morning with a girlfriend before picking the hubs up from the airport! Yesterday, we lounged around, walked the dogs, and ate big juicy cheeseburgers for dinner! Needless to say, we are both in need of some healthy for the rest of the week! I love having snacks like my homemade nutty granola bars on hand for weeks just like these!
They are sweet and salty, but completely good for you!
Growing up in the South, biscuits are considered a breakfast essential in most family households. Still to this day, when I take a bite of a homemade biscuit, I feel a sense of nostalgia and cooking in the kitchen with my mom covered in flour. Because if you are making your biscuits from scratch, you should be covered in flour...it goes with the territory. So when King Arthur Flour asked me to be a part of their Better Biscuit Campaign, how was I supposed to say no? Of course I said yes and debated long and hard about what kind of biscuit I wanted to make you. When it came down to it, I had to go traditional, because to me there is nothing better than a perfectly baked warm biscuit slathered in something yummy. These homemade flaky biscuits with lavender honey butter are going to rock your world in so many ways and I can't wait for you to try them out.
Lately if my fridge isn't stocked with go to healthy options, you can find me eating whatever is in reach and that is not a good situation! I don't have the patience to fix something, or to think about what I want, so prepping my food in advance has been key during this pregnancy! Honestly it's a great practice to get in the habit of even if you aren't pregnant, especially if you are trying to stick to a healthy eating plan! My recipe for granola banana pops are perfect to keep in your freezer for on the go breakfasts and afternoon pick me ups that you can feel good about eating!
I feel like I've been seeing frozen bananas in recipes everywhere right now. You can make ice cream with them, freeze them for your smoothies, and now you can add making healthy banana pops to the list! If you are someone who always finds them self not eating breakfast on the regular, chances are it's because you don't have time right? I got news for ya people, and it's probably not the first time you've heard it...breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I literally couldn't function without it!
