I bought my kids strawberries … which they wanted, but didn’t eat. I was going to make a strawberry cake, but saw a recipe for jam using the Instant Pot. My IP hasn’t had much use lately beside making tea, so I thought I would give this recipe a try.

It was super easy to make and requires only three ingredients. It’s perfect to enjoy on a piece of English Muffin bread or as the jelly in your PB&J sandwich.

You’ll probably start noticing things will be changing on the blog slightly. I’ll still be baking delicious desserts and snacks for my kiddos. I started an 8-week challenge at the beginning of the year that has focuses on a clean eating, low carbs and lots of veggies. I’m already seeing success and feeling much better – less joint pain, sleeping better and feeling more comfortable in my clothing.

This risotto was one of the last foods I made before I started the challenge and I’m so glad I attempted it. I thought it was delicious and love the creaminess. My family is not a big fan of risotto, but that’s ok. I really enjoyed it! It would be the perfect compliment to a roasted turkey or grilled steak.

The best part of this recipe, it’s made in an Instant Pot! No need to spend time stirring your risotto.

When you have leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving, it’s always fun to see what other ways you can use them. My daughter was begging me to make something with them and found this great recipe that would use up some of the ingredients in my kitchen.

My daughter and husband LOVED this recipe. It was tart from the cranberries and creamy with the perfect pie crust. I don’t make my own pie crust, I know … but I found that Marie Callender’s frozen pie crust is just as good as homemade.

There’s nothing better than homemade bread. I made a new soup recipe and of course we needed to have fresh baked bread with it. I’m working on portion sizes and knew if I made a loaf of bread, I would eat way more than I should.

This recipe for rolls was easy and they were delicious. They were crusty on the outside and soft on the inside – just the way rolls should be!

It’s starting to feel like fall here in PA and that means all things maple, pumpkin and apple. I bought a big pack of yogurt cups over the weekend and now I need homemade granola to go on top of it.

I love making my own granola. It’s easy, delicious and you can control what goes into it. This batch is made with almond butter, Vermont maple syrup, a touch of cinnamon and three varieties of nuts. It’s perfect to eat along, as a bowl of “cereal” or topping a cup of granola.

We didn’t plan a vacation this year, so I’ve decided I need to make something that reminds me of the tropics. Though, the weather we’ve been experiencing in PA has been quite tropical – lots of days of temps in the 90s and high humidity. We’ve been spending a lot of time in our pool and family time together … so almost like vacation!

This bread was so good! It’s delicious, moist and sweet. I loved it plain, but my husband spread a little cream cheese on it. Either way, it’s a little bit of the feeling like you’re on the beach surrounded by palm trees.

I’m a big fan of smoothie bowls and decided to whip one up for breakfast this morning. I usually don’t eat breakfast as I do intermittent fasting, but was in the mood for a little something this morning. Smoothie bowls can be made so many ways and use whatever fruit you have available.

My bowl today used fresh cherries, frozen bananas and blueberries and topped with some sliced almonds, drizzled honey and cherries. What type of smoothie bowl would you make?

I’m back to baking more delicious treats! I whipped these up on Saturday morning while I was enjoying a cup of coffee. We were up early because my husband wanted to run to the local hardware store to grab some items he needed to paint. Our daughter turned 13 in March and we decided we would makeover her room to be more grown up. The weather was great this weekend and we took full advantage of being able to open the windows. Her room came out great and just needs a few finishing touches.

Back to these lemon poppy seed squares … the recipe is originally for a loaf, but I decided mini squares would be better – plus they’re individually sized. We all need a bit of portion control these days. Being stuck at home, we’re all snacking nonstop. The bars are just the perfect amount of lemon and poppy seeds. They’re made with Greek yogurt and olive oil and delicious and moist! Continue reading →