health and fitness

Nearly everything my Gram cooked was homestyle and from scratch.  I know that a big part of that was growing up in a time where convenience foods weren’t readily available, but I also think she just enjoyed making her family something special.   One of those hacks was for  pasta sauce .  While she made a killer homemade spaghetti sauce, sometimes dinner needed to be on the table fast so that we could get to a game or concert.  There was always a jar in the cupboard “just in case”. Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe It’s a shortcut I use myself sometimes, like when I make these lasagna roll ups.  These lasagna roll ups are an easy, cheesy weeknight dinner your whole family will love.  Even Bubbles specifically requests them!   Cheesy Lasagna Roll Ups Prep time:   15 mins Cook time:   35 mins Total time:   50 mins Serves: 12 rolls Ingredients 12 lasagna noodles 1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese 1 egg 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided ⅓ cup grated Romano cheese ½ tsp b...

Make clam chip dip for your next party or get together. A clam chip dip recipe so good they’ll keep coming back for more! Easy DIY Recipe Tutorial Idea. In a  microwave-safe mixing bowl , put the entire brick of cream cheese and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is soft and spreadable. Combine all of the other ingredients into the bowl. For the clams, you want the entire can, juice and all. I never really measure the Lemon Juice I sprinkle it in, probably no more than a TBS.   With a  rubber spatula  stir the dip making sure to scrape the sides so everything gets mixed in well. And that is all there is to it! I like to eat the dip with the ruffle chips while my husband prefers the classic chips. So it is really is just preference. If you are brave enough to try this recipe I would love to hear what you think! I know your going to LOVE it, but I want to hear it from you! Share and leave a comment below. And maybe after you try it you will fall in love and get...

    This earthquake cake is a chocolate cake loaded with coconut, pecans, cream cheese and chocolate chips. A super gooey and delicious cake that ALWAYS gets rave reviews! Looking for something a little different to serve at your next gathering? This chocolate earthquake cake is filled to the brim with goodies and starts with a cake mix which means it’s super easy to make. This earthquake cake starts with a layer of shredded coconut and chopped pecans. Not a pecan fan? Try almonds or walnuts, or you can omit the nuts altogether if you’re baking for people with allergies. The next step is a layer of chocolate cake. I use a box of chocolate fudge cake mix and prepare it according to the package directions. The final step is dollops of sweetened cream cheese and chocolate chips. They call this cake an earthquake cake because it looks like there’s been an earthquake when you pull it out of the oven! Your cake will have lots of cracks and tunnels and pockets full of delicious flavo...

These Easy  Apple Pie Tacos  feature a delicious cinnamon sugary apple filling in a crispy and sweet mini taco, drizzled with caramel sauce, and then topped with whipped cream! The easiest apple dessert that comes together in no time.    This recipe includes a homemade apple filling that’s easy to make. You can also use canned filling if you prefer to save time. Because they’re baked instead of fried, they’re quicker and healthier to make than deep fried versions. To make the circles out of the tortillas, grab a large circular cookie cutter and cut circles out of each tortilla. To save time, stack the tortillas in threes.   he next step is to add some melted butter, cinnamon and sugar to coat the tortilla pieces. Probably the most fun is making the taco shapes in an upside-down muffin pan. A great activity for little helpers if you have kids around too. The tortilla pieces fit neatly in between the muffin cups to create the perfect taco shape, and …  Voilà  – you get 24 tacos ...

This  Eggnog Layer Cake  is super moist, fluffy and FULL of eggnog flavor! It has more than one cup of eggnog between the cake and frosting, as well as rum flavoring in the frosting. So good and perfect for Christmas! INGREDIENTS EGGNOG CAKE 1 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cup salted butter, room temp 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup sour cream 6 egg whites 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp nutmeg 3/4 cup eggnog 1/2 cup water EGGNOG FROSTING 1 1/4 cups butter 1 1/4 cups shortening 10 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup eggnog 1 tbsp rum extract 3/4 tsp nutmeg INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides. 2. Beat butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. 3. Add vanilla extract and sour cream and mix until combined. 4. Add egg whites two at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure all is incorporated and smooth. 5. In a s...

    Ingredients 1   pound   macaroni   uncooked (BUT it IS better if you cooked it a couple minutes) 3   cups   milk ½   stick of butter 1   package cream cheese   cut up 2-4   cups   shredded cheddar 1   pound   precooked ground beef 1-2   cups   shredded mozzarella   optional 3   ribs celery   diced (optional) 1   bell pepper   diced (optional) 1/2   tsp   paprika 1/2  tsp   garlic powder salt & pepper   to taste Instructions Place all the ingredients in a buttered slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Stir well and top with shredded mozzarella if desired. Serve it up with a side salad and some dinner rolls...I doubt there'll be leftovers :)

This easy cranberry trifle features soft cake layered with sweet tart cranberries and homemade custard.  This beautiful dessert is perfect for any time of year! This cranberry trifle features a homemade sweet tart cranberry sauce and a from-scratch custard layered with your favorite cake!  You can assemble this up to 2 days ahead of time but I’d recommend adding the whipped cream & decorations just prior to serving. INGREDIENTS CRANBERRY LAYER 24   oz   fresh cranberries   2 packages 1-1/2   cups   water 1   cup   sugar 1   cinnamon stick CUSTARD LAYER 1 1/3   cups   sugar 3   tablespoons   cornstarch 1/4   teaspoon   salt 4 1/2   cups   2% milk 9   egg yolks 1   tablespoon   vanilla extract 1   tablespoon   butter CAKE 1   loaf   16 oz frozen pound cake, cut into 1″ cubes OR 1 9   x13 white cake   baked, cooled and cubed Whipped cream for decorating Sugared Cranberries for decorating INSTRUCTIONS CRANBERRY LAYER Combine all cranberry...

How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Fudge This is a great way to use up that last little bit of pumpkin that’s often leftover from other, more complicated pumpkin treat recipes. You can whip this up in about three minutes, which is great motivation to  actually use  that extra pumpkin puree instead of just throwing it out or letting it go bad in the back of the fridge. Ingredients 1/2   cup   Pumpkin puree 1/3   cup   Cashew butter 1/2   cup   Coconut oil 1   tsp   Pumpkin spice   (or more to taste) 1/4   cup   Maple syru Instructions Melt the coconut oil in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl for about 45 seconds. Add all other ingredients and mix until well-combined. Pour into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set. You can also put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes to make it set a little more quickly. Remove from the pan and cut into squares with a sharp knife. You can store this fudge either in the fridge o...

  In my small Brooklyn apartment the bathroom is really tiny and narrow. There’s zero storage or counter space, so I decided to create something to help with my storage problem — a modular shelving unit made from bamboo drawer organizers. The great thing about the drawer organizers is that they come in a variety of shapes and sizes that you can use for storing all kinds of objects in whatever way suits your space and needs. Imagine making your own for your kitchen to store and display spices and teas, or in your hallway to organize your keys, sunglasses, loose change and wallet. I designed my own unit so that some of the drawer pieces are adhered together with wood glue, but a few are left freestanding, to rest upright on the shelves — in my bathroom we use cups for q-tips, cotton balls and our collection of essential oils that until now has been almost inaccessible in a storage box. I’ve also added small cup hooks to display a few of my favorite necklaces. Now I walk into my bathr...

Slow Cooker Balsamic Glazed Roast Beef We are getting into roast season and you really can’t get any easier than this super tasty slow cooker balsamic glazed roast beef dinner! The slow cooker is amazing for long slow braises for meat where you can literally just throw the roast into the slow cooker in the morning and let it cook all day long, completely unattended! Pot roast style roast beef is one of my favourite comfort meals and for this one the roast is braised in a tasty gravy wit balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire and garlic. This recipe starts out by browning the beef and onions in a pan before transferring to the slow cooker; browning the meat and onions first adds plenty of flavour but you can cheat  and skip this step to save time! (I won’t tell anyone!) After the roast is cooked in the slow cooker the juices/gravy is transferred to a sauce pan and cornstarch is added to thicken up the gravy. I like to add carrots and potatoes to cook in the juices/grav...

Cilantro Lime Skillet Chicken I like to have quick and easy recipes on hand for those busy nights where you just don’t have the energy or the time to cook and you also don’t want to wait for delivery or go out to pick something up; this tasty cilantro lime skillet chicken is perfect for those nights! You literally just brown the chicken, make a simple butter, garlic, lime and cilantro pan sauce and you are good to go in less than 20 minutes! Make some rice or pasta and steam a vegetable and you have a complete, light and healthy meal in less time than it takes to have food delivered! The sauce for this chicken is loosely based on the butter, lemon and garlic sauce similar to a shrimp scampi sauce except with lime and cilantro! Yum! Ingredients 1 tablespoon oil 1 tablespoon butter salt and pepper to taste 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional) 1/2 cup  chicken broth 1 lime, juice a...

Chicken and Avocado Chicken and avocado enchilada recipes have been making their way around the food logging sphere lately like these spicy avocado chicken enchiladas on the novice chef , these chicken and avocado enchiladas on gimme some oven and these avocado cream and chicken suiza enchiladas on foodie crush and given my obsession with both Mexican cuisine and avocados it was only a matter of time until I made some of my own! For my recipe I wanted to get as much avocado into the dish as possible so I stuffed the enchiladas with big chunks of avocado in addition to using avocados in the creamy enchilada sauce. Another goal that I had with the recipe was for it to be really quick and easy to put together and if you have the salsa verde and cooked and shredded chicken on hand already then you can whip these super tasty enchiladas up in about 30 minutes! ingredients 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup salsa verde 1/2 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt) 2 avocados 1 jalapeno, coarsely...