Friends, oh how I've got a yummy dessert recipe to share today! Let me tell you the story of how my newfound love for pudding began. Around a month ago, I got super sick with ear infections. The gist is that I have sinus issues and have gotten ear infections in my adulthood numerous times, but usually it's either when I'm already sick with common upper respiratory yuckiness, or when I'm traveling since my sinuses sometimes don't drain normally after flights (fun stuff). This time, however, I wasn't either of those things. And normally when I get an ear infection, I get some ear drops prescribed and go about my life. I swear to you that I'm not a baby about these things... so believe me when I tell you that these ear infections were hell. I was experiencing throbbing pain that kept me up ... [Read More]
chocolate
Chocolate Pistachio Energy Bites [gluten free]
I'm such a sucker for any kind of place where high-quality food is the focus. Farmers' markets. Gourmet food shops. Italian markets. Bakeries. I love it all. It's no secret that I love experimenting in the kitchen, and finding new foods and ingredients gives me inspiration to try new recipes... plus I just love eating food, obviously. A few weeks ago, I was walking to a Starbucks to work for awhile before meeting a friend for dinner, when I passed by a spice shop. I've seen it before when it was closed for the day, but this time it was open. Naturally, I walked in the shop and moseyed around smelling and tasting things. I wound up leaving with some goodies - all that were new to me, with the exception of local cinnamon infused honey (I pretty much buy that whenever I see ... [Read More]
Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cereal Bars [gluten free]
As a traveler, I'm not usually the person that seeks out the best shopping spots in a given area. I'm not huge into shopping and my husband absolutely loathes it, so shopping is never on our vacation checklist. While I prefer making memories, taking photos, and going on adventures while traveling, I do enjoy nabbing a souvenir that reminds me of the trip and is unique to the area. For instance, I picked up coasters in New Orleans that have the city's symbolic fleur-de-lis design on them. When I put my drink on one, memories from my time there come to mind. The last time I was in Italy, I bought a bracelet from a street vendor. Every time I wear it, I think of the magic of Venice. During my trip to Ireland a few months ago, the souvenir that I took home was a jar of locally ... [Read More]
Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Cake for 1
Every time I get anything new for my kitchen, I get seriously excited. Some people may not understand my enthusiasm in the least bit, but kitchen gear to a foodie is like candy to a kid... Okay, I get excited in candy stores too, but you get what I'm trying to say. So you can only imagine how great it was when I walked into Bed Bath & Beyond after my bridal shower a bunch of years back with thousands of dollars in gift cards. My bridal shower was on the east coast, and since I live on the west coast, most people gave me a gift card instead of shipping tons of presents. I wish I had a photo of the awesome madness of that shopping excursion...though I did just find this lovely photo of my face when I walked into my grandma's house for what I thought was a lunch date, only to ... [Read More]
Chocolate Raspberry Mocktail + Puritan’s Pride Giveaway!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Puritan’s Pride, but as always, all opinions expressed are my own. Hi friends! Today's post is the last installment of my 3-part Puritan's Pride seasonal smoothie challenge. You may remember that in October, the theme was pumpkin smoothies (you can check out my chocolate chip pumpkin protein smoothie here), and my November creation was a pineapple mint smoothie for the belly soother smoothie theme. So what do we have going on for this month? Yummy mocktails! This simple 4-ingredient mocktail includes dark chocolate and cocoa powder, which are sources of antioxidants to support total-body wellness. Raspberries are a great source of antioxidants, fiber, and nutrients, and using frozen ones makes the mocktail a bit creamier. ... [Read More]
Chocolate Mint Oatmeal Flax Cookies [Gluten Free]
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! My weekend was full of holiday related activities: buying a tree and decorating it, buying outside lights and decorating my front yard, shopping for gifts, and starting this DIY craft... ...a wine cork wreath! I'm not all that crafty but I've been wanting to do something with the many corks I have around, so I decided to give it a go! I'll be sure to share the final product, which I'll hopefully have done later this week. Chances are I'll be glue gunning corks at 11 pm tonight! Coinciding with my holiday cheer, I also did some baking last weekend. ... [Read More]