Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’ve spent every morning this week hearing the birds sing, appreciating this spectacular weather, and thinking endlessly about how much I love living in Ohio. The fact that I wake up every day in my favorite place in the world is something I hope I’ll never take for granted. 

I’m headed out to walk with a friend this morning, followed by (a very easy) hike with Sean this afternoon and I’m pretty happy about both. My youngest son had his last day of school yesterday and we’re taking him to TN (just the three of us) to celebrate his 13th birthday this coming week.

We’ve taken each of the boys on a trip by themselves for their 13th birthdays – you can see those trips here and here. I can hardly wait! Shoot me any suggestions you might have for food or fun in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas.

ON THE BLOGS this week:  This zesty Italian dressing is so simple to make, it’s ready in just a few minutes! And I promise you it’s infinitely tastier than anything store-bought.

Once you’ve made the dressing, put this California spaghetti salad on your must-make list for summer. It’s filled with fresh vegetables, tangy Italian dressing, and delightful twirls of pasta, you’ll want to savor each bite.

Pot pie has never been easier to make – all the irresistible flavors of classic chicken pot pie are here in a perfect balance of savory chicken and wholesome veggies, wrapped in a buttery crescent roll crust.

Three different kinds of beans simmer in the crockpot with plenty of seasonings and hot sauce to make one of the easiest side dishes you can put on the table. These spicy baked beans come together with barely five minutes of effort.

Crispy cauliflower, toasted bread crumbs, and nutty, savory parmesan are wonderful together in this scrumptious side. This roasted garlic parmesan cauliflower is snackable right off the pan!

Tender and buttery, sauteed mushrooms and onions are a terrific side dish on their own. However, if you happen to enjoy them anywhere near as much as I do, you’ll want to pile them over your next pan of steak bites or serve them with these roasted chicken thighs.

If you’d told me a couple of years ago that one day in the future I’d be Read more

Every scoop of this Twix ice cream is bursting with chunks of cookies, caramel, and chocolate. If you love Twix candy bars, this ice cream just might be your newest favorite flavor!

Candy Bar Ice Cream

I can’t remember the last time I ate a full-size candy bar. But, bake pieces of them into a cookie, or sprinkle them on top of a cake, and I am so there for it!

Did you know that ice cream used to only come in smooth and creamy flavors? Well, I adore fully loaded flavors with rich texture and depth. So, you know candy bar ice cream definitely had to happen.

I spied a Twix ice cream at the store a while back and did a double-take. I love making copycat recipes for foods like that, so this needed to happen asap.

With over 70 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information y

Hi friends! How’s the week going? I hope you’re having a lovely morning. I’m so excited for today’s podcast episode because it’s with someone I genuinely admire as a fitness professional and instructor: Lauren George! She is a powerhouse instructor and posts the best new barre and strength combos on IG. I always check out her page when I need inspiration for classes!

Here’s what we’re talking about today:

Tips for fellow fitness instructors and how to launch your own program

Home workouts – what equipment do you need?

Tips for getting the most out of home workouts (and not getting distracted by chores and social media)

Her tips for being Healthy in Real Life

and so much more!

134: Getting more out of home workouts with Lauren George

Here’s a bit more about Lauren and her background:

With more than 16 years in the fitness industry, Lauren George has created multiple fitness formats and educational workshops, run group fitness programs at large health clubs and university campus recreation centers, and trained thousands of new instructors. She is the creator of Pumped Up Strength, The Musicality Method, co-creator of Barre Above, a program specialist for Balletone, Balanced Body certified Pilates instructor, consults on numerous fitness projects for other companies, and is adjunct faculty for Non-Profit Leadership at Clemson University. Additionally, Lauren has launched multiple businesses including Clemson Fitness Company, a boutique fitness studio in Clemson, SC, the Fit Biz Club, PulsePointe barre, and the LG Fitness Virtual Studio and app.

Connect with Lauren on Instagram and through her website. Try a Pumped Up Strength workout here!

More resources from this episode:

I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket – use the code FITNESSISTA15. This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day, and the red light f

Three different kinds of beans simmer in the crockpot with plenty of seasonings and hot sauce to make one of the easiest side dishes you can put on the table. These Spicy Baked Beans come together with barely five minutes of effort.

The first time I made these beans, my family devoured them in one meal. Serve them with Beer and Garlic Chicken and Memphis Coleslaw for an easy and tasty weeknight dinner.

Mexican Baked Beans

The inspiration for these Mexican baked beans hit me one day when I wanted to make baked beans, but I didn’t have any bacon in the house and the ground beef was frozen.

My family is full of self-proclaimed meat-loving carnivores and it’s hard enough to get a meatless meal past them, let alone a new variation on a much-loved meat-filled baked beans recipe.

I decided to bump up the flavors in the beans and see if the added spices could compensate for the “missing” meat. Sure enough, with some added Mexican spices and a generous pour of hot sauce, my guys devoured these beans.

If you happen to have bacon on hand, I’m always in favor of adding it to the recipe. But these accidentally-vegetarian beans stand on their own as a terrific side dish for any meal.

Spicy Baked Beans Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• light red kidney beans
• great northern bea

Filled with fresh vegetables, tangy Italian dressing, and delightful twirls of pasta, you’ll want to savor each bite of this California Spaghetti Salad.

Italian Spaghetti Salad

Like so many pasta salads that I love, this one is loaded to the max with fresh vegetables. I like to add about ¾ of a cup of vegetables to the salad for every ounce of pasta (i.e. 6 cups of vegetables for 8 ounces of pasta).

That might sound like a lot, but I promise this ratio won’t result in too many vegetables. This is the best balance I’ve found for maximizing the textures and flavors in this Italian spaghetti salad.

You can make this recipe with any vegetable you enjoy snacking on or eating raw. Just cut the vegetables into somewhat uniform, bite-size pieces. This ensures the maximum variety of textures and flavors in every bite.

If at all possible, try making this salad with homemade Italian dressing. It takes less than five minutes to shake this dressing together, and it makes a world of difference.

California Spaghetti Salad

Something magical happens in each forkful of this pasta salad. Crunchy cucumbers and juicy tomatoes balance the slight bite of red onions and bell peppers.

The dressing is a tangy highlight, with bright notes of lemon and the smooth richness of olive oil. It adds vibrant and irresistible flavor to this California spaghetti salad recipe.

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