It's really hard to try to stay in shape when dessert is always tempting me! I decided no matter what I'm going to make the best decisions I can when it comes to my food, which means tweaking recipes to fit my needs when I have people over for dinner. I made a no to low, depending on preference, added sugar apple pie like crumble and I was so impressed! Everyone loved it and I didn't have to feel guilty about betraying my health goals! Win-win if I do say so myself. I know, the picture does not do it justice.

Granola is so delicious but it can be loaded with an insane amount of sugar when you purchase it from the store. This recipe is seriously easy and has just enough sugar to have a hint of sweetness, but not enough where it should come with a warning label! Plus, this recipe leaves room for creativity- you can really take the bare bones of this recipe and run with it! Add a little of this, a little of that, and you'll have your own favorite custom granola blend in no time!

I grew up eating my grandmother's simple cakes that she would make with with whatever seasonal fruit was available, usually plum, or cherry, or apple, or pear. This cake wasn't any typical American cake though, it was fruit that was baked into a sweet vanilla base. Sometimes she'd bake it in traditional cake fashion (like this one), but often times she would bake it in a shallow dish, with the fruit lined at the bottom of the dish and "dotted" with the cake, as it cooked the cake would fill into the crevices of the fruit and hold it all together. They were always delicious, no matter what fruit she used, and would go perfectly with a cup of fresh mint tea from the garden. When I think of the perfect dessert, I think of things like this- simple recipes that remind me of my grandmother's cooking, of her French and Italian heritage. I feel so honored to have witnessed her in the kitchen growing up, there was something so intuitive about the way she approached food, and thinking about these dishes connects me to her in ways I can't explain. So this one is for my grandma, Mimi, a cake inspired by my childhood. Oh and it would seriously be perfect for any occasion but especially Thanksgiving or Christmas.

These pancakes are perfect. My favorite pancake recipe thus far, and for many reasons. The first reason being that these pancakes are made without flour, and instead steel cut oats. They're incredibly fluffy, far fluffier than any other pancakes I've ever had. And they're made so quickly!! With so little ingredients! Dare I say these bad boys aren't bad for you either? It's true, take a lot at the ingredients list!

Ah. Ladies, you know when those cramps start up but they're not quite so bad where you're looking for pain meds but bad enough where you're just lounging around the house with a hot pack on your abdomen? Insert golden milk here. Golden milk is made with turmeric, hence the rich golden color, and other spices that have warming and moving actions within the body (helps with the cramping). And guess what! It's also extremely anti-inflammatory, so men, you can enjoy this too! It's delicious and healthy, something you can drink daily to warm your soul when you first wake up in the morning, or just throughout those times when you're not feeling your best (eh, ladies, that one's for you).

My lips have been so chapped with this intolerable summer heat! Yesterday morning I woke up and decided I had to do something about it.I was looking for a simple healing balm that would help nurture my chapped lips back to their soft and luscious state and guess what I discovered? Chap sticks are loaded with a bunch of toxic garbage that has no business being in health or beauty products, like...