This chocolate chip whole wheat muffin recipe with walnuts is our go-to muffin. We’ll make them for a leisurely breakfast on Sunday or for a snack on a rainy Wednesday afternoon.  This easy and healthier chocolate chip muffin recipe has been a standard in our family for years now. The kids love eating them even more than they like baking them. It’s packed full of oatmeal and walnuts and while it calls for coconut oil, you can substitute vegetable oil just fine (we do about half the time). I started making these with Lincoln when he was two and his favorite activity was “cooking” on his ..read more

 Are you looking for what to dip in hummus? This roundup of the 17 best things to dip in hummus is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boar’s Head. All opinions are 100% mine. With the holidays coming up we’re heading into a heavy season of entertaining so today I have an easy and delicious spread for you, along with a couple of extra ideas to keep your snacking interesting. Sometimes it’s hard to get the right mix of sweet + savory, indulgent and healthy when I’m planning for guests. I get excited about the different desserts I could make but I know I always appreciate having so ..read more

  Today we’re talking all about a dupe for the Panera duet cookies. This post was originally published in 2016 and we still love this recipe just as much. At least twice a week I have an urge to stop at the Panera drive-thru just to get one of their chocolate duet cookies. The combo of chocolate, white chocolate, and walnuts just gets me (and is essentially an upscale version of the subway chocolate cookie that I lived off of my freshman year of college). But, as wonderful as the cookie and the drive-thru is, there is something about paying $2 for a cookie and then only having one that b ..read more

Today we’re talking all about virgin mojitos. This post was originally posted back in 2019 but I just picked up another bottle of peach syrup to enjoy these on our back patio here in California!  Have you tried a mojito before? Characterized by its combination of lime and mint, the refreshing drink is perfect for summer and we’ve been having it non-stop. Back in college, there was a mocktail bar down the street that served the most delicious (virgin) mango mojitos. We’d order them with herbed truffle fries to dip in melted cheeses and it was always such a fun date. Call it a pregnancy c ..read more

This post is sponsored by FAGE; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. What do you need for a really great dessert? For me, it’s three things: easy delicious beautiful That said, how many times have you looked at a really beautiful wedding cake and then taken a disappointing bite, realizing it definitely didn’t taste as good as it looked?  Give me a fresh chocolate cake right out of the oven ANYDAY over one that has been frozen and frosted to look like it belongs in an art museum.  We have been making this simple chocolate cake in our family for decades and it has never ..read more

I’m not sure why I wait until fall + winter to make all of my favorite foods, but something about the cooler weather and the changing leaves always gets me excited to bake. I’m excited to be sharing our favorite fall/holiday treat, a recipe that has been in our family for generations. On the first page of the dessert section in the family recipe book, it’s called Harvest Loaf Cake, but I feel better about eating it for breakfast when I call it Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, so we’ll go with that. This year Lincoln and I have already made these mini loaves a couple of different times and you ..read more

Today I’m sharing one of our favorite granola recipes, this homemade tropical granola. It is perfect for eating in a bowl with milk or snacking on the go. This recipe was originally published in March 2016.  It is no secret that we eat A LOT of cereal in this house; I just counted, we have 9 boxes sitting in the pantry. Anyone else?  When I was pregnant, with the constant need to snack every few hours, cereal was my go-to. But, when  you go through multiple boxes of sugary goodness in a week on your own, it is time to start looking for alternatives. I was trying to find health ..read more

Well it is officially fall here in Northern Ohio and I couldn’t be happier about it. The windows are open, the knit sweaters are layered on, and I even have a candle or two lit. It means the welcome of fall fashion, fall leaves, and fall flavors (read: fall recipes and delicious fall baked goods). I have two yummy fall recipes for you this weekend. One will be perfect for all of your entertaining into the holidays and the other, well, maybe more for a fun snack this weekend. Apple Harvest Punch the easiest of fall punch recipes    What You’ll Need:  1 32 ounce bottle of Mott ..read more

  Today I’m sharing a fun, simple, DELICIOUS recipe for Butterfinger® popcorn.This post is sponsored by Ferrero. All opinions are my own, just like always. We’ve gotten into a pretty good social distancing routine and so instead of mixing up date night or Saturday adventures right now, we’re switching up our popcorn during family movie night and choosing new music for living room dance parties. Exciting, right?  But really, this popcorn is the best thing that’s happened to our movie snacks the last few months. If you love the unique peanut butter flavor of Butterfinger, DO NOT mi ..read more

Today we’re talking about our favorite things to bake with the kids (ages 3 and 5 right now). These are all family favorite recipes we’ve made for the last 5-30 years.  Do you find yourself baking more than usual at home these days? We’ve been using baking as a fun activity, especially during the long afternoon hours that seem to stretch endlessly on until dinner.  I’ve rounded up nine of our favorite family recipes, almost all handed down from my mom or grandmother. We’ve been baking them for decades and they don’t disappoint.  Our favorite ones with toddlers are the chocolate ..read more