Strawberry Banana Smoothie is simple, easy, and refreshing as a snack or even a meal all on its own. It’s delicious with only four ingredients!

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie

Do you ever shake your head and just laugh at how we all complicate things sometimes? I have found that happens quite often in the kitchen. Whether that is ingredients or appliances. Do we really need an oven, a toaster oven, and an air fryer?

Now I have gotten myself off on a tangent. Back to one of the simplest smoothies ever. Sometimes the simplest things we make surprise us by being some of the best. I was in the mood for a smoothie, however, I was out of many of my favorite add-ins.

I usually like to pack my smoothies with lots of nutritious goodness like greek yogurt, spinach, or kale. This turns many smoothies into an entire meal and not just a refreshing treat. This smoothie, though, is a light and delicious treat.

This pretty pink deliciousness was the result of wanting something fruity and refreshing but not too sweet. Frozen banana gives a smooth ice cream-like creaminess. Add the strawberries and milk and you have a milkshake texture and flavor.

I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious a few ingredients in the blender can taste. It is easy to adjust the consistency with a little extra milk if you want it thinner.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

• milk
• banana
• strawberries
• honey 

Combine milk, banana, and berries in the blender. Puree until smooth. Taste and add honey for the desired level of sweetness.

Frozen berries may be substituted for fresh berries in this recipe. If you choose to use frozen berries, you may want to use a fresh banana instead of the frozen one listed in the rec

Ranch Melt in Your Mouth Baked Chicken Recipe

Buckle up and get ready for the best chicken recipe of your entire life! It is buttery, ranchy, and smoky with a crunchy panko topping. You’re going to be making this one over and over again!

Just 8 days before moving to a new city I decided to throw together a quick and easy chicken recipe for dinner that I honestly wasn’t even thinking about what I was doing. I was just trying to finish off things in the fridge, freezer and pantry as that’s always how I move- stop buying food and eat through as much as possible so I have less packing. 

Which means I created a killer chicken dinner recipe. 

UGH.

That’s always how it goes, when I’m not thinking and just playing in the kitchen the best recipes emerge. 

Thankfully I had enough thought after hearing Cade say for the 500th time that night, “THIS CHICKEN JUST MELTS IN MY MOUTH! It’s awesome!!!” to pause what I was doing and write it all down in my phone. 

This week I finally busted out the recipe and made magic happen again and I stand by this recipe until the end of time, it’s just that good! 

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Welcome to the weekend, friends! I did a double-take when I wrote today’s date for the newsletter. Much like Anne Shirley, “I’m so very glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” The pretty leaves, the cooler weather with a promise of fall and winter activities, cozy fires (we lit the first one last night!), mugs of tea and cocoa in the afternoon, I love it all.

And not that I’m rushing things one bit, but I can hardly wait for the first snowfall. (Sorry, native Ohioans, that will never not be exciting for me!) I’ll be in Phoenix this week, and while the sunshine and visits with family and friends are always lovely, I can tell you now that I’ll be counting down the days until I’m back home to enjoy all the awesomeness that is fall in Ohio.

ON THE BLOG this week: Full of spiced ground beef and covered in tangy tomato sauce, cabbage roll casserole is a hearty stick-to-your-ribs meal. With all the flavor of the more labor-intensive Cabbage Rolls with a minimum of effort, this is a dinner-time win.

Peanut Butter Apple Dip is simple and slightly sweet, perfect to enjoy with apples, pretzels, or anything you can dip into it. Judging from the fact that at least 4 people requested the recipe the first time I made this, (and I nearly couldn’t stop laughing when I told them how simple it was) I’m calling this a success. What’s not to love about an appetizer that takes about 3 minutes to throw together?

This fully loaded Chicken Potato Broccoli Casserole starts with fluffy mashed potatoes that are mixed with tender bites of broccoli and chicken, then generously sprinkled with bacon and cheese. The result is an absolutely irresistible dinner.

Pumpkin muffins filled with melting chocolate chips and bursting with autumn spices – is there anything more quintessentially fall than the smell of pumpkin spices drifting through the house?

Baked oatmeal, loaded with summer berries and lightly sweetened with brown sugar is a great way to start the day. Berries are a mainstay in my refrigerator. The other day I had a few things that needed to be used up and baked oatmeal was the perfect way to make sure those berries didn’t go to waste.

What I’m CRAVING: These Cinnamon Coffee Twists caught my eye this week. They sound fantastic and I don’t know when I’ve seen a prettier cinnamon roll.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these inexpensive little jar openers. Nothing makes me feel older than when I can’t get a jar open these days. Seriously though, what’s the deal with feeling like

Baked oatmeal, loaded with summer berries and lightly sweetened with brown sugar is a great way to start the day. 

Baked Berries with Oatmeal

A few days ago, I was having a conversation recently with our followers on our Facebook page about fall flavors and it turned into a discussion about why we associate certain seasons with certain flavors and foods.

It has only been in recent years that things like fresh strawberries and blueberries are in grocery stores year around. While I do love making and enjoying things in season when I get a craving for dishes with fresh berries it is so nice to be able to find them regardless of time and year and location.

That being said berries are a mainstay in my refrigerator. The other day I had a few things that needed to be used up and baked oatmeal is the perfect way to make sure those berries didn’t go to waste.

This oatmeal recipe isn’t overly sweet and it allows the bright flavors of the berries to shine through.

Baked oatmeal is one of those breakfast dishes I don’t like to oversweeten before making. It is easy to take the sweetness up a notch by topping it with honey or maple syrup when you serve it – if the finished oatmeal needs to be sweetened at all.

Oatmeal is one of my children’s favorite breakfasts and we’ve gathered a huge collection of great oatmeal recipes over the past few years.

My youngest son loves oatmeal so much, there was a phase where he attempted to order it at almost every restaurant we visited.

There was nothing quite like watching the waiter’s face when he requested, “A big bowl of oatmeal, please,” while we are dining at a Mexican restaurant. Luckily, he loves chips and salsa almost as much, so it was easy to distract him.

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Pumpkin bread filled with melting chocolate chips and bursting with autumn spices – is there anything more quintessentially fall than the smell of pumpkin spices drifting through the house?

I tasted pumpkin bread for the first time about 20 years ago, when one of my students shared her mom’s pumpkin muffins with me. The recipe below includes both traditional and gluten-free variations.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have no idea how I survived up until then without this awesomeness in our life, because pumpkin muffins have been a year-round (yes, pumpkin haters – year-round) favorite in our home ever since.

These muffins are moist, sweet, and packed with real pumpkin flavor. A spoonful of pumpkin pie spice (homemade or store-bought) brings out the classic fall flavors.

And while I’m a bit of a purist about some recipes, I have to admit that pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips added into the mix are truly irresistible.

The aroma of warm cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg wafting through the house as the muffins bake is one of the best parts of this recipe. Aside from eating the muffins, of course!

We can’t get enough pumpkin-based recipes during these last few months of the year. If you like these pumpkin muffins then you’ll love our Pumpkin Spice Waffles too.

Another easy hearty breakfast all of my kids love is Pumpkin Spiced Baked Oatmeal. It’s one of our favorite ways to eat oatmeal; and that’s saying something because we eat a lot of oatmeal around here.

And of course, no autumn lover’s season is complete without a few afternoons sipping homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes with a friend.

(Our homemade version is just as good as anything from a coffee shop but with real pumpkin instead of syrup!)

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

I’ve played with the recipe countless times adding all kinds of ingredients. If that’s your style, have at it. This recipe includes both traditional and gluten-free variations as well instructions for baking a loaf of pumpkin bread or a tray of pumpkin muffins.

Add in handfuls of chocolate or nuts, whatever makes you grin. Chocolate chips and walnuts are a delicious combination. Cranberries, raisins, and other kinds of dried fruit are also tasty.

For me, it’s all about the basic pumpkin bread with a handful of chocolate chips thrown in. Whether I’m eating this for breakfast or sneaking a muffin as an afternoon snack, the simple combination of pumpkin and spice all baked into a portable baked treat, just can’t be beat.