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Make these Apple Pie Overnight Oats at the beginning of the week and eat them for the next couple of days! It’s a protein-filled healthy breakfast recipe that tastes amazing – cold or hot. 

Overnight oats and I go way back. All the way back to college. I opened the fridge one day and saw a mason jar, much like this one, filled with a strange goopy substance and I immediately set out to investigate. When my roommate tried to explain to me that refrigerating oats until they are soft, then eating them cold, was a thing … I looked at her like she had completely gone off the vegetarian deep end. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more weird than falafel. …

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A lightened up version of an Indian food classic that includes potatoes. This Lightened Up Crockpot Potato and Chicken Tikka Masala is as easy as dumping the ingredients in your slow cooker … it practically cooks itself!

Can you believe that in my 23 years of life, I had never tried Indian food until last month?! I had no idea what I was missing. It’s possibly some of the most flavorful, comforting food I’ve had … and it’s so easy to make a lighter version at home.

This Crockpot Potato and Chicken Tikka Masala is like your classic recipe, but with potatoes mixed in with the chicken. I had some extra potatoes to use up and only two chicken breasts thawed, so I decided to cook the two in this delicious Tikka Masala sauce. Hello, budget-friendliness! Since the potatoes are included in the dish, I ate this plain without any rice.

Plus, this makes a LOT of food and it doesn’t take very much to fill you up since it’s so rich and spicy. I’d even recommend freezing half for later if you’re only feeding a couple people. Since I cook for one, I ate this leftover for lunches all week – still good!

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Pot roast is one of those nostalgic meals for me that always tastes like home. This crockpot paleo pot roast is comfort food at its finest – paired with creamy cauliflower mashed “potatoes,” you’ve got yourself a cold weather comfort meal.

Hey! Those aren’t potatoes.

Okay, you caught me. But you’ll never know the difference! If you’ve yet to try cauliflower mashed “potatoes,” run to your kitchen right now. They’re super simple to make and are creamy and as satisfying as the real thing. You can even make a big batch of these faux-tatoes ahead of time and reheat when you’re ready to eat. …

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These pumpkin bars are packed with protein and have all the taste of pumpkin pie, but with one secret ingredient that make them grain-free … garbanzo beans! Just throw the ingredients in a blender, blend to form a batter, and bake. 

 

AND THE PUMPKIN BEGINS! Man I love fall … the leaves, the apple orchards, and the pumpkin recipes.

This is just the first of many pumpkin recipes to come because, let’s face it, pumpkin is a magical healthy ingredient that only really comes around once a year and transforms dessert into a delightful experience.

These “Secret Ingredient” Protein Pumpkin Pie Bars have the taste and consistency of pumpkin pie, but in a grain-free dessert bar! If you’re just dying to know what the secret ingredient is … I’ll tell you. …

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If you’re even borderline a fan of tuna, you have got to try these variations of healthy tuna salad. It’s a super quick and easily portable lunch option that’s healthy, filling and delicious!

The amount of tuna I have eaten this summer is borderline embarrassing. Whenever I fail to plan ahead and don’t have anything to bring to work for lunch, I always grab a can of tuna! (I buy the bulk packages from CostCo … yeah, it’s serious).

Disclaimer: your coworkers might hate you for eating smelly tuna every day, but ignore them. Delicious food to fuel your day is more important than worry about your reputation of being that girl who brings smelly lunch every day. Trust me. …

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Apple sauce is just another one of those things that’s SO much better homemade! This recipe for homemade apple sauce is one my mom makes all the time – it’s simple and so much healthier than store bought. 

Yay for fall! And apples! And apple orchards! And Mom’s Homemade Apple Sauce!

Everything is better homemade, and apple sauce is no exception. My mom introduced me to this homemade apple sauce recipe that she makes all the time when apples are in season. It’s so easy you don’t even need a recipe to make it! Plus, it’s so sweet on its own that you don’t even have to add sugar. Just throw some apples in a pot and you’ll be on your way to enjoying delicious homemade apple sauce that even the picky boys will eat….

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Homemade vanilla ice cream is topped with a fresh peach sauce that just tastes like summer. This ice cream recipe is irresistibly creamy and totally addictive – top with the fresh peach sauce for a sweet treat so good, you’ll never want it to end.

Man, I get hearts in my eyes just looking back at these photos. Now I know everyone is all pumpkin this and apple that lately, but I’m still holding onto the last bit of summer! Labor Day weekend I visited my family in North Carolina – which feels a heck of a lot more like summer than Chicago! We went to the mountains to get fresh peaches from the cutest farm, and with it we made sangria AND this homemade peach sauce.

If you’ve never tasted the magic of homemade ice cream in an ice cream maker, you’re seriously missing out. Imagine that store bought stuff taken to like the thousandth degree of deliciousness. After tasting homemade vanilla ice cream, I’ve become a total ice cream snob – the kind from the grocery store just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Trust me when I say, this stuff is worth the effort. It’s creamy, smooth, full of vanilla flavor, and absolutely delicious.

Mmmmm. I like this ice cream so much I could marry it. …

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All the flavors of jalapeño poppers are stuffed into mushrooms and topped with a crunchy Panko topping. These Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms are the perfect side dish or appetizer for any occasion. 

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A sweet white sangria recipe that’s easy to make and super refreshing in the summer! Strawberry Peach Sangria is the perfect way to use up fresh peaches.

If I didn’t love Chicago so much, I’d move to North Carolina in a heartbeat. During a trip to visit my family in NC, we visited a peach and apple farm in the mountains, along with a local winery that made their wine completely from local grapes! Since we returned home with an entire peck of peaches and 9 bottles of wine, we pretty much had no choice but to make a delicious Strawberry Peach Sangria.

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