Maple Pecan Scones
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based/Vegan Few things in life are more pleasurable than a hot cup of coffee in the morning, and even fewer things go along well with it. For me, it’s all about pairing that incredible cup of coffee with either a muffin or a scone, my two favorites to break my fast with in the morning. Although I do love the Lemon Blueberry Scones, these particular scones are my favorite flavor with the subtle hint of maple and crunch of the pecans all wrapped up in a tender scone. […]
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based/Vegan You know how a lot of people go bonkers when pumpkin season arrives? Well, I am not one of those people. It’s not that I don’t like pumpkin, I actually love pumpkin. It’s the fact that I eat pumpkin flavored items all year long. So when the Fall gets here, I get excited about other people getting excited just because they’re finally getting excited to eat it too. Yes, I’m weird and easily entertained. […]
NEW GLUTEN-FREE COOKBOOK!!
I would apologize for yelling in the title, but I’m not sorry…BECAUSE I AM SOOO EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!! […]
Crunchy Granola (Homemade Cereal)
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based Click HERE to watch the video! As a kid, one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast was a ridiculously large bowl of cereal drowning in milk. My favorite brands were Cap’n Crunch (Peanut Butter Crunch), Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Frosted Flakes. All delicious, all loaded with sugar and a bunch of other unhealthy ingredients that massively upset my gut. […]
No-Churn Vegan Ice Cream
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan After writing an entire chapter with over 60 recipes for No-Churn Homemade Ice Cream in my Freezer Pleasers Cookbook, I was hooked on the simplicity of homemade ice cream…and how freaking delicious it is. […]
Fruity Mini Pancake Skewers
I’m a big fan of opening my eating window after a daily fast with something that is considered window-worthy. Ladies and gentlemen, these little babies are definitely worth opening that window with a hot cup of coffee. Pancakes are fantastic enough by themselves, but let’s throw in some added nutrition with fresh fruit and then drizzling them with maple syrup. […]
Stuffed Mushrooms
Gluten-Free While I was working on the updated version of my Party Time! cookbook, it was time to add a lot more recipes. As in, over 100 more recipes, to be exact. The last updated version had over 100 recipes, but the new one got bumped up to over 200! There is no shortage of party food recipes in this updated version, and adding stuffed mushrooms to the list was a must. […]
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan As a kid, one of the snacks that I loved to stuff in my face was an Oatmeal Cream Pie. In all honesty, any of those packaged sweet treats were sure enough to send me into an excited frenzy, which is probably why my mom didn’t keep our pantry stocked with them on a regular basis. Smart woman. […]
Halloween 5k and Kids First Fun Run
Since hubby and I started doing races, the kids have tagged along for a few events. I’m not sure what it was about these events, but both of our kids have expressed a strong interest in doing a race. Who are we to say no? […]
Quinoa Kale Salad
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based/Vegan Fun Fact: Kale has more nutritional value per calorie than any other food. I remember when I first read that, I stopped and read over it again. Wow, no wonder so many nutrition junkies are obsessed with kale. That’s insane. […]
She-Tris Sprint Triathlon
After completing my first triathlon, I got sucked into the vortex of endurance training and wanted to do it again…and again… That seems to happen after every race; I get super pumped and start looking for future races to participate. The first race was in Mount Pleasant, and this last one was in Summerville. Since I learned after that first race how important it is to have a ROAD bike instead of a mountain bike when it comes to speed, I broke down and got a road bike. This time, my husband and kids came along for support, and we made a weekend trip out of it. […]
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan When I switched over to making all gluten-free, dairy-free baked goods at home, hubby was a little less than thrilled. “Wait, does that mean you won’t be making Cinnamon Roll Muffins anymore?” he asked sadly. He’s not big into the lifestyle I’m into, but is willing to try new things…as long as I don’t try to trick him into eating something he doesn’t know exactly what’s in it. That’s our deal, I have to be straight forward about what I ask him to try, and he’ll try it. […]
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan A local cake-donut shop in Chapin fired up my cravings for Apple Cider Donuts after posting about serving them at their shop. Even if you don’t live anywhere around here, do yourself a favor and go to Chickenbutt Donuts’ Facebook page and follow them…I cannot stop looking and laughing hysterically at their posts. […]
Labor Day 5k
After having a somewhat lousy road race experience on July 4th with Covid, I was excited to redeem myself at the Labor Day 5k Race in downtown Columbia. In fact, it was at the exact same location! So far for this year with races, my fastest pace was at my First Sprint Triathlon. That still gives me a chuckle. How in the world has my fastest running pace been in a run that was AFTER a swim and a bike?? That still blows my mind, but there have been so many things that continue to blow my mind regarding endurance training. It’s fascinating on so many levels. […]
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan One of my favorite things to do in life is to trick people into eating more fruits and vegetables. It’s become a slightly obsessive talent, and has gotten to the point where my family asks, “What does this have in it?” I have learned that adding fruits and vegetables into baked goods is not only a fantastic way to add nutrients to your diet, but it’s also a great way to produce baked goods that retain their moisture and don’t dry out easily. With these muffins, you’re getting all kinds of nutrients with the zucchini, oat flour, and ground flaxseed without even realizing you’re eating something healthy. It’s magical. […]
My First Triathlon!!
Earlier this year, I started running. Why? Honestly, I don’t really know. I just needed some goals because that part of my life felt kind of empty. My husband is a runner and likes doing shorter races, so we both started training. He does the iFit training programs on his treadmill, and I like to run in our neighborhood. […]
Chocolate Cookies ‘n Cream Cake
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan Now that my daughter is getting a little older, she likes cakes that are less “kid-like.” To be honest, that is perfectly fine with me. When I first started decorating cakes 11 years ago, I liked the kid-like fun stuff…but now I thoroughly enjoy making beautiful dessert cakes even more. The decorated cakes are pretty, but you don’t want to cut them. The dessert cakes look so ridiculously good that you absolutely CANNOT wait to grab a knife, a fork, or just shove your whole face in it. Those are my kind of cakes. […]
I Ran a 4-Mile Race with Covid
After my first 5k, I was excited to train for the next upcoming race on July 4th. Little did I know, there would be a bit of a hiccup. The “cold” I thought I had ended up being Covid, which I tested positive for the next day. When I got home from this race, I was unusually fatigued, disoriented, and spiked a fever that afternoon. I was on the couch wrapped up in a blanket the rest of the day, thinking it was exhaustion. It most definitely was not exhaustion, and I spent the next few days binge-watching a bunch of movies I hadn’t seen. […]
My First 5k!!
I’ve never been a big runner. Well, let me rephrase that… I have never enjoyed, worked on, or consistently tried to be a distance runner. Playing softball in my childhood and doing TaeKwonDo in adulthood, I loved the short, explosive, fast movements using fast-twitch muscles. Running long distances was never something I was interested in or naturally talented, so training for something like this was going to take time, consistency, and work. Why not give it a shot? […]
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based/Vegan I’m often asked what I eat for meals throughout the day, and this is the most common breakfast item that hits my belly on a regular basis. It’s a fantastic on-the-go item that I love sticking in my kids’ lunchboxes, and also my favorite pre-workout meal when I’m training for triathlons. […]
Peach Cobbler
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan It’s not very often that my non-foodie husband gets excited about food, but this is one of those rare occasions that I see his eyes light up with excitement of the pure mention of this dish. Summer is here, which means peaches are everywhere. Am I the only one who constantly sings the song “Peaches” by the Presidents of the USA from the nineties? Millions of peaches, peaches for me. […]
Buckeye Brownies
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan The first time I made Buckeyes, I was hooked. My family has always been a bunch of peanut-butter-loving-fanatics, so these little homemade goodies quickly skyrocketed to the top of the list of favorite sweet treats. However; I’m also a sucker for brownies. […]
Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based/Vegan I have a confession to make… I am a mac ‘n cheese addict. So, when I had to switch over to a plant-based diet for health issues, I had to figure out how to get my mac ‘n cheese fix without buying the frozen prepared nonsense at the store. I’ve never been very impressed with the ones I have tried, so it was time to make it myself. […]
Death by Chocolate Cupcakes
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Vegan Recently, I was asked to make some Gluten-Free Vegan Cupcakes for a child’s birthday party after one of my unsuspecting victims tried my Carrot Cupcakes. These days I tend to shy away from making traditional desserts if I can, but was happy to oblige in contributing a healthier option. While talking to the mom about cupcakes, she asked if I could also make “something chocolate.” I believe that is a possibility. […]
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based/Vegan While I was sitting on the couch enjoying my coffee on a Sunday morning, I looked over at the kitchen and spotted them. There they were, bananas that were browning. My husband saw me staring, and asked what I was thinking about. “Those bananas are getting brown! I can making Banana Oatmeal Cookies with them today!!” I exclaimed. He chuckled, and said, “You get wayyyy too excited about food.” I disagree. […]