Creamy cookie monster ice cream filled with chunks of Oreo and chocolate chip cookies is a hit with all cookie-loving kids and adults!

Blue Cookie Monster Ice Cream

What is cookie monster ice cream? Sweet vanilla ice cream is absolutely loaded with cookie chunks to create this ice cream. It’s cookie monster’s version of cookies and cream ice cream and it has been a win with everyone who tries it.

Not a fan of food dyes? Just skip the blue coloring. The ice cream tastes every bit as delicious with or without it.

I highly recommend serving this ice cream in cones, preferably Oreo or chocolate chip cookie ice cream cones if you can find them in the grocery store, for the ultimate cookie monster ice cream flavor!

Cookie Monster Ice Cream

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

• heavy cream
• milk
• sugar
• kosher salt
• vanilla extract
• blue food coloring OPTIONAL
• chocolate sandwich cookies
• chocolate chip cookies

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Read more

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful day!

I’ve got a new podcast episode up this morning, and am chatting with Sara Frenza about changing body composition.

137: Top 3 body composition mistakes to avoid with Sara Frenza

Here are some of the things we talk about in this episode:

– Top mistakes we see when it comes to changing body composition

– What body composition means

– Different factors that affect metabolic health

– How to eat more protein

and so.much.more!

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

Sara Frenza is a published fitness model and writer, nutrition and body transformation coach, and the owner of Sara Frenza Fitness and Nutrition. After overcoming her own struggles with chronic dieting and post-pregnancy weight gain, Sara discovered a sustainable approach to losing over 50 lbs. and transforming her body composition. Now, she helps women achieve their dream bodies through her 1:1 coaching program, focusing on the exclusive Restore, Lean out, and Sustain body transformation protocol. With a passion for empowering women, Sara has been published in top fitness magazines and graced the covers twice. Her journey from avoiding mirrors to becoming a fitness model in her 40s serves as an inspiration to women worldwide.

You can connect with Sara on Instagram and on her website. Download a copy of her free recipe ebook here.

More resources from this episode:

Check out this podcast episode about progressive overload training and how it works.

If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission. You can absolutely join if you don’t currently work in the health or fitness industry; many IHPs don’t begin on this path. They’re friends who are passionate to learn more about health and wellness, and want to share this information with those they love. You can do this as a passion, or start an entirely new career.

You can use my referral link here and the code FITNESSISTA for up to $250 off the Integrative Health Practitioner program. I highly recommend it! Read more

Sharing a recap of our time in Rome! We were able to spend four days in Rome in addition to our Mediterranean Disney Cruise. Since these posts are super lengthy, I split the recaps into two posts and will share a Disney cruise post next week!

Where to even begin?! It’s been two and a half weeks since we’ve been back in the states and I’m still missing Italy every.single.day and probably will until we make it back again. We had the most magical time and I’m still over here wishing for a Nutella croissant and espresso.

Since we were last in Rome, I dreamed of the day that we would take our babies to see one of my favorite places in the world. It was so exciting to finally be able to do it! It ended up being perfect timing because they’re the ideal ages for a bit longer travel and lots of exploring.

We ended up doing two red eyes on the way to Italy, which I would not recommend for anyone lol. Our first flight was an overnight from Phoenix to JFK, and no one slept on the way there. We ended up getting a day pass at the TWA hotel at JFK airport so we could nap for five hours before our next flight from JFK to Rome.

The TWA hotel was amazing; I highly recommend it if you have a super long layover at JFK and want to sleep! The rooms were dark, clean, and comfy, they had a cute food court with tons of options, and we all loved the vintage vibe.

Read more

Jalapenos and cheddar cheese make this Jalapeno Popper Potato Salad a guaranteed win. With a creamy, spicy dressing and smoky bites of bacon and egg throughout the salad, it’s a crowd favorite.

Jalapeno Popper Potato Salad

I’ve been playing with the idea of combining the spicy flavors of jalapeno poppers with the creamy goodness of potato salad for some time now, and I’m glad to say that this recipe is a hit.

While traditional jalapeno poppers are made with cream cheese, we weren’t big fans of the cream cheese flavor in the first recipe attempt I tested for this potato salad.

So, in lieu of the cream cheese, I’ve bumped up the cheddar cheese here and the potato salad earns two thumbs up from everyone now.

If you want some extra heat, toss in a generous portion of sliced jalapenos in addition to the finely chopped jalapenos in the dressing. I typically add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of sliced jalapenos to our salad.

Be aware that the heat in this salad will increase after resting overnight in the refrigerator. When I tasted the salad again after storing it for the night, my tastebuds were surprised – and this officially became my oldest son’s favorite potato salad due to that extra heat.

Read more

Sharing the best of the best from Amazon Prime Day! 

Hi hi! How are you? I hope you’re having a lovely morning!

Christmas is here in July because Amazon Prime Day is heeeeeere. This is when I usually stock up on things we need around the house, anything I’ve been scoping out, and Christmas gifts! The older I get, the earlier I shop, and it really makes a positive difference in my holiday experience lol. It’s so nice to feel like I’m not scrambling at the last minute.

If you’re shopping Prime Day, I went through and navigated the sale to find the best deals + some of my favorite products and recs. Everything is linked up below! Thank you so much to those of you who shop through my affiliate links; your support means the world to me and I hope you know how much I appreciate it.

Amazon Prime Day picks

Top Favorites

The BEST noise canceling headphones.

Sony A7 camera. I’ve been needing a new camera forever and this is the one I have my eye on. I love that it’s smaller and mirrorless, especially since I’ve been blogging since 2008 and never *really* learned how to use my DSLR.

Revlon One Step hair dryer. I still use this constantly, especially when I straighten my hair. I don’t use it to dry my hair – I’ll use a regular blow dryer and a round brush – and use this as the last step to fully smooth everything out. They also have the Dry Bar version of this tool here.

Your dental hygiene will thank ya. I never thought I could be obsessed with a WaterPik, but here we are.

The famous lip sleeping mask.

This is the vaaccum I use the most often. When our last one died, I got another version of the exact same one because it lasted for many years and does a great job. (My Dyson cordless vacuum died within a couple of years.)

Read more