The aroma of this Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef as it simmers away on the stove is absolutely divine. Rich and savory flavors create a symphony in this simple recipe.

Meat Sauce for Spaghetti

Simmering this ground beef spaghetti sauce concentrates the flavors into a delicious harmony of savory and sweet. The tomatoes release natural sugars as they cook, reducing their acidity.

Aromatic ingredients like garlic and onions add depth to this meat sauce for spaghetti, while herbs such as basil, oregano, and thyme bring a touch of earthiness. You will love the way your house smells while making this dish!

Spaghetti Sauce Recipe with Meat

The recipe here is very adaptable. I often add sliced mushrooms or chopped bell peppers when I make this. However, as written, the spaghetti meat sauce is a staple for us.

My boys love the heat, so we always use red pepper flakes in this recipe. But, you might want to finish it with red wine, add in other vegetables, or even get daring with your spice cabinet.

If you do end up changing things, please let me know how what worked for you. I’d love to know!

If you’re in a hurry, you can cut down the cooking time and serve this after it simmers for just a few minutes. I don

Sharing my favorite mom swimsuits that are flattering, not too skimpy, and functional!

Hi friends! How’s the week going? I hope you’re having a great one so far! For today’s post, I have summer on the brain. I’m SO ready for slow mornings, no homework (praise be), and days in the pool.

THANK GOODNESS FOR THE POOL.  I often hear people complain about the Tucson heat – it really is like an oven outside – but the truth is, Tucson is reverse hibernation. We have good outdoor weather in the winter, and stay indoors or swim during the summer. In the summer, you can find us in the water or in the AC.

I was pondering mom swimsuits and how difficult they are to find. When I find one I love, it’s a huge deal.

What makes an awesome mom swimsuit? A winner of a mom swimsuit needs to be comfortable and flattering, but also has to rank high on the functional front. It has to keep everything LOCKED DOWN. For example, I want to be able to play freely with the kiddos without flashing my goodies. A good mom swimsuit keeps everything covered, even while you’re building sand castles, running in the waves, chasing the kiddos as “mama shark,” or tossing them into the air.

For this post, I thought I’d share some of the best ones I’ve found! These are a mix of ones I already own (notated with ***) or have found online with stellar reviews. If you have any mom swimsuits you love, please spread the word in the comments section!! I usually find the best swimsuits at Nordstrom, Everything But Water and Anthropologie. Target also has an incredible selection at reasonable price points.

This Garlic Herb Bread has become a staple on our meal plan and I’m not sad about it. Made with plenty of butter, herbs, and garlic, this is an easy way to elevate your next pasta night.

Easy Garlic Bread

It takes about 3 minutes to make this herbed garlic bread and tuck it into the oven. This gives you plenty of time to pour a glass of wine or tea and pause for a moment before serving dinner – or calling the hungry hordes to the kitchen to serve themselves.

There’s something priceless about having a couple of minutes to pause in the cooking process right before serving the meal. A side of easy garlic bread accomplishes that nicely.

Garlic Herb Bread

Let’s take a moment to talk about garlic bread. I love it. I really do. Spaghetti dinners require it to be present.

For years, I simply slathered a loaf of bread with butter and sprinkled garlic over that before broiling it under toasted. It’s delicious stuff.

When I’m feeling fancy, roasted garlic makes for a pretty amazing parmesan roasted garlic bread too, but in general – quick and easy is the name of my garlic bread game.

Herbs on Garlic Bread

However, last year, I watched my friend Rebecca assemble a garlic b

Blueberries and lemon come together perfectly in a Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake that is truly worthy of any occasion.

I have a huge grin on my face today and I am positively giddy to tell you that this cake, this fantastically moist, perfectly sweet blueberry coffee cake with a hint of lemon, is the best blueberry coffee cake I have ever tasted.

I am so happy with this cake, I practically danced across the kitchen after I tasted it. I ate a slice of this cake right after I finished photographing it this afternoon and I ate another slice after dinner.

Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake

Coffee cake, in my opinion, doesn’t get nearly the amount of hype it deserves. A good coffee cake has a tender moist interior with a crisp, crumbly topping. This one is also stuffed to the brim with fresh juicy blueberries.

I was surprised to learn recently that in some parts of the world a “coffee cake” is a cake with actual coffee in it. While I’ve been known to bake a cake with coffee in it from time to time, like this Chocolate Mocha Cake, a true coffee cake is one designed to be eaten alongside a cup of coffee.

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Sour Cream

This blueberry coffee cake with sour cream is ideal for sipping with a Spanish Cafe con Leche or for sharing with friends alongside a pot of coffee. The blueberries in it make me think of summer afternoons, gathered with friends for an afternoon chat on the porch.

Coffee cake is also the kind of cake you can happily eat for breakfast. It’s basically a muffin in cake form, right?

Do I even need to tell you what I’ll be eating for breakfast tomorrow? This is a dangerous kind of awesome, my friends.

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Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had an amazing weekend! Once again, Liv’s team crushed their competition; they took 1st, 2nd, and 5th overall for their categories! It was so much fun to watch them shine and enjoy a little Phoenix staycation. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks for the next one.

For today’s post, I thought I’d pop in and share a little bit about how my personal relationship with fitness has changed and my mindset around it.

When I first got into the fitness world, I was omgsoexcited about trying and doing all the things. I loved teaching all of the classes, taking as many classes as possible, trying new exercises and strategies in the weights room, and was absolutely in the honeymoon phase of fitness. This *phase* actually lasted for many years, hence the name of my blog and why fitness has become more than a hobby and the baseline for my entire career.

Currently, I don’t feel very Fitnessista-ish 😉 It’s become more of a box that I check… and that’s ok.

I don’t look forward to strength training on my own the same way that I used to, so I haven’t been lifting consistently on my own for quite a few months. I walked into the gym yesterday to teach a class, and the weight room felt so foreign to me, when it used to be a daily staple in my life.

Instead of using a lack of excitement as my reason to quit strength training entirely, I’ve done some other things that have helped me to stay consistent.

Right now, it involves taking classes (F45, hot yoga, barre, Sculpt Society), working with an amazing local personal trainer, and I enjoy encouraging others through Fit Team and with my one and one clients.

I’ve realized over time that health and wellbeing is so much more than what you do in the gym each day. Yes, it’s absolutely important to move your body consistently, but I’ve been emphasizing the other 23 hours in the day more than what I do for my workout. I just make sure to get in a walk each day, usually with Maisey, get daily steps in on my walking pad and doing chores, and strength train 3-4 times per week (whether it’s through training or taking classes).

When we lose the honeymoon phase of anything, it’s when we really need to lean into our dedication and commitment, instead of depending on excitement and motivation. Goals can impact our attitudes about certain things, and I don’t really have any fitness-related goals right now.

I’m not looking to get incredibly strong or lean. No PRs or races or distance goals in my near future. While these things used to be exciting and motivating for me, I don’t think they would be right now. Just typing the word PR makes me feel stressed lol. I just want to be healthy with tons of energy, have full function and mobility, and for