Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies filled with the perfect amount of raisins are a classic that will never stop being made in my house. These have been Sean’s favorite cookies for as long as I can remember.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I’ve been making this recipe since we were newlyweds (has it really been over 25 years?!) and the recipe is timeless for a good reason. These really are the best oatmeal raisin cookies.

(And I take no credit for that. The recipe below is very lightly adapted from the ancient recipe on the side of the Quaker oatmeal packaging.)

With simple pantry ingredients, a bit of butter, a couple of eggs, and a generous handful of raisins, these cookies come together in very little time at all.

The dough freezes well, as do the cookies, so I frequently double or triple the recipe to have it on hand all the time.

What’s not to love about having cookie dough stashed in the freezer?

Frozen Cookie Dough

I was sick over the holidays a few years ago and I was craving oatmeal cookies, but I didn’t have any in the freezer. Side note: This cookie dough freezes beautifully, so I highly recommend stashing some away for future baking.

Sean made a batch of these cookies for me that Christmas and they turned out perfectly. Baking is not his thing at all, so having an easy and reliable recipe helps!

In addition to keeping cookie dough in the freezer, I recommend tucking a few of the cookies in the freezer too. I love having them for snacking on with my morning coffee.

Kitchen Tip: I use this bowl, this Read more

Crisp, earthy spinach leaves blend with ripe, frozen bananas and orange juice to create a Banana Spinach Smoothie that is out of this world.

Banana Spinach Smoothie

Long ago, my boys wanted a smoothie or breakfast, but we were due for a trip to the produce store. I decided to try making our Favorite Green Smoothie and just skip the grapes.

Necessity is the mother of invention, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and I’m happy with the spinach banana smoothie that resulted. All three of the boys enjoyed this and I barely managed to get a sip for myself.

Simple Spinach Smoothie

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

• frozen bananas
• baby spinach
• orange juice

Add the bananas, spinach, and orange juice to a blender. Then, puree until smooth. Pour into g

Sharing my tips for healthy digestion and easy things you can add into your routine!

Today, let’s dive into a topic that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: healthy digestion.

Our gut health plays a crucial role in our overall well-being, from energy levels to skin health, immune system function, nutrient absorption, and even mood. So, it’s time to give our bellies some love and embrace the power of good digestion!

Please keep in mind that this post is for information purposes and is not medical advice. If you struggle with digestion, reach out to your health care provider so they can provide individualized suggestions for your unique needs.

Tips for healthy digestion

1) Eat Mindfully:

Slow down and savor every bite. Take the time to chew your food thoroughly, allowing your saliva to mix in and kickstart the digestion process. This simple act of mindfulness can improve nutrient absorption and reduce bloating.When we eat mindfully, we are fully present in the moment, savoring each bite and paying attention to our body’s cues.

Here’s how this simple act can enhance your digestion:

• Increased Chewing: Mindful eating encourages us to slow down and chew our food thoroughly. Chewing breaks down food into smaller particles, allowing our digestive enzymes to work more efficiently. The more we chew, the easier it is for our stomach to break down the food, reducing the strain on our digestive system.
• Improved Nutrient Absorption: Mindful eating allows our bodies to better absorb nutrients from the food we consume. When we’re present and focused on our meal, our body’s ability to absorb vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients is optimized. This means we can reap the full benefits of the nourishing foods we consume.
• Reduced Overeating: Mindful eating helps us tune in to our body’s hunger and fullness signals. By eating slowly and paying attention to our body’s cues, we are more likely to recognize when we are satisfied and avoid overeating. Overeating can lead to discomfort, bloating, and sluggish digestion, so being mindful of portion sizes can make a big difference.
• Enhanced Digestive Enzyme Production: When we eat mindfully, our body’s digestive enzymes are produced more effectively. These enzymes help break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, making them easier to digest. By engaging in mindful eating, we optimize the production and release of these enzymes, promoting smoother digestion.
• Reduced Stress Response: Mindful eating can help reduce stress, which has a direct impact on our digestion. When we eat in a relaxed state, free from distractions and stressors, our body’s “rest and digest” mode is activated. This allows our digestive system to function optimally, promoting better digestion, absorption, and elimination.

Warm tortillas are filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, crispy bacon, and melting cheese to create these mouthwatering bacon and egg tacos. They are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner any day of the week.

Bacon and Egg Taco

Is there a breakfast combination more quintessential than bacon and eggs? I feel a bit like Sam-I-Am when thinking about this pairing. I would eat them on potatoes, in a salad or two or three, and again each morning, plain as can be.

Cooked to a crispy bite, bacon adds a perfect texture to pillowy scrambled eggs. I want them snuggled up in a tortilla with plenty of cheese.

I typically skip the hot sauce, but my oldest uses the hottest stuff he can find. We almost always add green chile to this recipe. But, a bacon and egg taco is fabulous, no matter how you choose to fancy them up.

Egg Tacos

Breakfast tacos are always a huge hit with my whole family. This breakfast tacos recipe was inspired quite a few years ago by the Breakfast Nachos that my boys adored.

Eventually, there came a time that they requested breakfast nachos, and I didn’t have any tortilla chips in the house. However, a box of taco shells caught my eye and one thing led to another, and they got this egg taco recipe.

I make an egg taco with either hard taco shells and flour tortillas and however they’re made, they disappear lightning fast.

Gone are those little boys who

Teriyaki Pina Colada Burger [+ Video]

Teriyaki Pina Colada Burger is our favorite! It’s a secret blend of meat for the juiciest burger, topped with teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple, crispy bacon and a special pina colada sauce.

Cade has created a monster. A real life hamburger monster. Annnd that sounds gross. I’ve never really cared for burgers, but slowly and surely I’m realizing that it’s all about how the burger is made.

In fact I had one in Portland a few years ago that is still one of the best I’ve ever had. Except I had to shower when I got home as all the spices had gotten stuck in my hair and made my hair smell horrid. But it was worth it.

Anyway we’ve been creating quite a few favorite burger recipes like the Brazilian burger and the rest I’ll list at the end of the post so you all can have a list of them. But this teriyaki pina colada burger recipe (which was inspired by the darling Jeana Hammer), well thanks to our 2 secrets for the best burger, is awesome!

How This Recipe Came to Be

This is one of those burgers that you kind of have to trust me on. I know some maybe find it weird that we baste the burger, but trust me, it’s so yum. Good golly it’s good! I mean, if you can make a teriyaki steak (which happens to be a favorite of mine at Tepanyaki grills) then why not a burger?

And then as they were cooking I thought, we just had Maui pork nachos with pina colada sauce which is one of our favorite football foods ever, so why not use the leftover sauce to make a pina colada mayo?! BOOYAH BABY!!

Ingredients for a Teriyaki Pina Colada Burger

Here is what you will need to make these heavenly burgers! This is just meant to given you an overview of the ingredients need. The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below.

• Brioche Buns – The bun makes all the difference and brioche is soft and fluff but will home up to the sauce and juicy burger.
• Ground Beef – We recommend using 80/20 or 85/15, but nothing leaner than that. The more fat, the more flavor!
  • This recipe also works great with ground turkey or chicken!
• Teriyaki Sauce – you could make the sauce homemade or buy your favorite brand at the store
• Salt and Pepper – added flavor
• Butter – used to grill the buns
• Pineapple – that grilled brown sugar glazed pineapple ring is noth