Sharing a recipe for gluten-free cashew chicken that will change your liiiiiife. Not even joking.

Hi hi! How’s it going? I hope you’re having a lovely morning. Today is a day off from the gym (taught dance cardio, barre, and aerobics all in a row and ya girl is spent), so I’m looking forward to reading by the pool with the crew and also getting some content done for an upcoming partner post with NOW Foods (you can use FITNESSISTA for 20% off sitewide! They have SO much amazing stuff). I also have a 1:1 client call and am getting some stuff done around the house.

For today’s post, I have a new quick and easy dinner recipe for you that was a home run: gluten-free cashew chicken.

TBH, I LOVE Chinese takeout. It makes my soul so happy, but I typically end up feeling a little bloated afterwards and kind of blah. Fried food just doesn’t love me back, so I don’t eat it super often.

I was craving cashew chicken, but didn’t have the things I usually like to coat chicken for air frying: out of almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot, everything.

In the pantry, I saw this bag of pancake mix staring at me, and figured I’d give it a whirl.

This is a game changer, friends.

It has so many great ingredients for coating or breading chicken (you could totally use this for fish, shrimp, or tofu) and very little mixing required. Just season the heck out of it with salt and pepper, make a little egg bath (about 2 eggs with a little water) and you’re good to go.

Heads up with this recipe: you do need an Air Fryer. (It’s $87 right now!)

I fought buying one for at least two years and now that I have one, I’m like how the heck did I live without you for so long?! You can cook so many things in the air fryer, but our favorites are frozen fries (they crisp up beautifully), teriyaki salmon, chicken wings, bacon (the BEST way to cook regular and turkey bacon!) and quick veggie and protein dinners (like chopped chicken sausage, veggies, and potatoes).

I coated some diced chicken with egg and then popped it into a bowl with the pancake mix, and stirred to coat. Next I sprayed the air fryer basket (preheated at 375), added the chicken and cooked for 12-15 minutes, flipping once. I made sure it was done – always use a meat thermomet

From the very first bite, these Buttered Steak Bites and Mushrooms became an instant favorite for my whole family. This is the most tender steak you can imagine and my whole family goes nuts for it.

Steak Bites with Mushrooms

I have two boys who aren’t the biggest fans of steak. (Yes, I know, it’s hard to imagine!) However, they dive right into these steak bites and always ask for seconds.

Served with Salt Potatoes and Honey Sriracha Roasted Broccoli, I love every bite of this meal.

Bite-size pieces of tender steak are seared in a hot skillet just for a couple minutes until each bite is crisply browned outside and juicy inside.

Then the mushrooms are seared in the same pan to absorb all of that delicious buttery flavor left in the pan.

How To Cook Steak Bites

The goal when cooking steak bites is to create a crisply browned outside and a lovely pink and juicy center for each piece of meat.

As the meat is cooking, if a piece is slightly larger and has a side that looks like it hasn’t browned, flip to that side again for 20-30 seconds. Take caution not to overcook the steak.

Steak Bites and Mushrooms

1. Cut the steak into bite-size pieces, about 1/2″ – 3/4″ in size. Sprinkle the meat generously with 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat a heavy, flat bottomed stainless skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter has melted, swirl to coat the pan. Add about a third of the meat and spread it across the pan.
2. Cook for 1 minute and then use a large spatula to fli

Jello Popcorn

Jello in popcorn? You only need 4 simple ingredients for this fun snack! Jello popcorn is our family’s latest obsession and you can use any flavor Jello you like best!

I was totally and completely obsessed with Jello growing up and this would have been one more amazing way for me to enjoy it but the truth is, I just learned about it a few months ago. Our neighbors, Rod and Tawya, totally hooked us up with a batch one weekend and I’ve been utterly obsessed ever since. 

I honestly can’t even explain this treat to you. It’s better than caramel popcorn IMHO, and it’s also easier than caramel popcorn so it’s a huge win at our house. The kids love how bright and gooey it is and it has started all sorts of kid conversations about what else we should take from classic to new and wild.

So far Claire has requested Muddy Buddies Rice Krispies Treats. 

Thoughts? Should we try it out?

Ingredients for Jello Popcorn

I mentioned that you only need 4 ingredients for this recipe. So simple! Here they are:

• Jello (3oz)
• Butter (unsalted)
• Mini Marshmallows
• Popcorn

Do you have them in the pantry already?? I’ve started to just buy mini mallows every time I grocery shop. The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Homemade Cherry Pie

It’s 100% homemade from top to bottom cherry pie! Fresh tart cherries sweetened up for a luscious filling all tucked in a buttery golden crust. Every summer needs a cherry pie!

I’ve said this before, but I am a pie girl through and through. I’ll take a piece of pie over almost any other dessert (except a strawberry shortcake…my true love!). We have enough pie recipes on the blog to prove it, but seriously, pie is everything I love…flaky golden crust (hello carbs…lover!), a sweet fruit filling, the crunchy contrasted with gooey textures. Dream come true!

And don’t be intimidated by doing everything homemade. We are going to take you through each step. Your family is going to be totally wowed by this dessert!

Ingredients for a Cherry Pie

Here are the ingredients you will need to make the homemade cherry pie filling. Hop over to the post for the pie crust recipe for those details but all you’ll need is flour, butter, salt, sugar and water for that.

• Pie Crust
• Cherries
• Sugar
• Lemon
• Almond Extract
• Sure Gel (or Cornstarch)
• Egg
• Milk
• Sanding Sugar (optional)

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

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Have you tried the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso from Starbucks? It is so good and as soon as I tasted it, I knew I needed to make it at home too! Brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon provide terrific depth of flavor for this awesome drink.

It’s been a couple of months and I’m still amazed by how much I’m enjoying this dairy-free iced coffee drink. I’ll forever love my Cafe con Leche, but sometimes (especially in the summer months) iced drinks are where my heart is.

Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

My cousin Hannah came to visit a few weeks ago and introduced me to the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at Starbucks. (Side note – WHY must their drink names always be so darn long and ridiculous to order?)

I know I’m late to the oatmilk game, and you likely also know that I’m a die-hard member of team real dairy products. However, in this drink, the oatmilk contributes a distinct flavor that I truly love. Thanks to this drink, oat milk has earned a dedicated spot in our refrigerator now.

Newfound love of oatmilk aside, if you’re solidly in the team dairy category and aren’t interested in trying oatmillk, this drink is also delicious with real milk.

We made our drinks a couple of different ways while Hannah was here and I’ve been making this shaken espresso daily since then.

Ingredients for Oatmeal Shaken Espresso

• brewed espresso
• light or dark brown sugar
• unsweetened oatmilk
• ice cubes
• ground cinnamon (optional)

Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

1. Combine the hot espresso and the brown sugar in a cup and stir to melt the sugar. (If you wo