Chewy and crisp, the best monster cookie recipe is loaded with all of our favorite cookie flavors.

Does anyone not have this cookie recipe from their grandmother? And doesn’t everyone think their recipe is the best? Oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, M&Ms, and a drop of maple syrup all combine to make my grandmother’s Monster Cookies.

My friend Augusta and I compared our recipes years ago and laughed when they were almost identical.

Side note: We then proceeded to make and eat almost an entire batch on our own, we probably consumed half of it as raw cookie dough – yeah, these cookies are that good.

I grew up thinking that Monster cookies were exclusive to my own family and in the past 10-15 years, I’ve seen these all over the internet.

If you haven’t tasted them before, you are missing out on one of the best cookies ever.

I only make these cookies a few times a year, because I absolutely cannot eat just one (or two or three). I’ve been known to polish off so many I went to bed nauseous. (How’s that for a selling point? ha)

These cookies stay beautifully chewy when frozen. If you’re like me and like to stash cookies in the freezer for late-night cravings, this is the ultimate freezer cookie. As a result, that makes this the PERFECT cookie for ice cream sandwich making.

My brother Karl shares my weakness for these cookies and that’s all the excuse I need to make these every time he visits. And for a serious treat? You’re going to want to make these Monster Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.

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Sharing my thoughts on using a castor oil pack and how I implement them in my routine. Friendly reminder that this post is not a substitute for medical information; always ask your doctor if something is right for you! I’m definitely not a doctor and just sharing my experience. My favorite castor oil pack company is offering a free dry brush for readers if you place a castor oil liver kit through Saturday! Details are here and the code is GINA23.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a wonderful morning! What are you up to today? I’m hiking with a friend – the weather has been a dreaaaammm – studying for IHP, and have a podcast interview. I’d love to hear what you have going on!

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a little about castor oil packs. I’ve been using them on and off for about 12 years now, and have recently brought them back into my routine more regularly. I first tried it out when I started working with Dr. Flynn with my hormones before we got pregnant with Liv. It was part of the detox protocol and wowwww they’ve come a long way since then! It’s so much more convenient now that there are less messy options. I figured I’d share more about my experience if it’s something you’ve heard about or are considering adding into your routine.

How to use a castor oil pack (and why you might want to)

What is a a castor oil pack?

This ancient healing remedy is one of the oldest and most widespread traditions, used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, to Modern Naturopathic medicine.

Castor oil packs have been used all over the world for centuries, and users have reported benefits including:

– Mental and physical health improvements

– Improving hormonal imbalances (PCOS, estrogen dominance, etc.)

– Digestive issues, including bloating, constipation, indigestion and IBS

– Insomnia and other sleep distubrances

– Stress reduction, anxiety, and depression

– Period regulation, endometriosis, TTC, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breasts

– Cancer, tumors

– Thyroid health

– Liver and gallbladder support

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Light and slightly tangy creamy pasta salad, with just enough dressing to coat the noodles and vegetables, this is one heck of an awesome summer pasta salad.

Perfect on its own for a light meal or as a side dish for all the summer potlucks and barbecues. Homemade pasta salad is better than any deli salad you can buy at the store.

A few years ago, while visiting my aunt and uncle, we were fortunate enough to arrive around dinnertime. (My aunt is a fabulous cook, so I tend to time my arrivals that way. You know, accidentally on purpose?)

Speaking of Aunt Judy’s amazing foods, have you tried her Almond Bars yet? Put them on your holiday baking list right now.

Her pasta salad was so simple and so delicious, I had to recreate it for my family as soon as I got back home. Thanks once again for the inspiration, Aunt Judy.

Summer Pasta Salad

This salad is filled with broccoli, cucumber, red pepper, black olives, and green onions. I am a big fan of pasta dishes that have a high ratio of vegetables to pasta, so don’t hesitate to add more or switch things up with your favorite vegetables.

Adding extra vegetables to a pasta salad is about more than just making it a little bit healthier. Vegetables add different flavors, textures, and colors to recipes like this one. This salad is about 50/50 pasta and vegetables and I often make it with more vegetables than are actually in the recipe.

Everything gets tossed in a light tangy dressing and the result is a fresh pasta salad that disappears quite literally almost as quickly as I can stir it together.

Recipes like this Asian Pasta Salad and this Summer Couscous Salad are a couple more that thrill my vegetable-loving heart.

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Hi friends! How are you?? I hope you’re having a lovely morning so far. I’m back here in Tucson with a still-froggy voice from 3 hours of screaming at the Taylor Swift concert. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to! I figured for today’s blog post, I’d throw it back to the blog days of yore and share a recap from the weekend. It was packed with fun adventures and while I need a weekend to recover from the weekend, it was a great one.

We left for the Taylor Swift concert Friday afternoon and after multiple delays and crazy traffic, we made it! We missed Gayle, but got to hear Paramore sing some of the songs we’ve loved over the years. (“Misery Business” and “Ain’t It Fun” were SO GOOD.) I’m always interested to see how artists sound in person, and Hayley Williams sounded even better live. She crushed it and had super high energy.

Before we knew it, it was time for the main event, and it was mind-blowing to hear the echo of almost 70k people screaming and cheering.

I’m not even the hugest Taylor Fan – I like a lot of her songs and think she’s super talented, but not in my personal top 10 – but the concert was AMAZING. Liv is a hardcore Swiftie and knew all of the songs. P danced and clapped, and fell asleep around the 2-hour mark. The Pilot was a good sport and I think he enjoyed it, too.

I had no clue what to expect with this concert but was blown away by how many songs she performed (44?!), the costumes, the dancers, the special effects/sets/lighting, and how great she sounded.

Also, I have this weird thing where I feel extremely proud of people I don’t know after they perform. I get choked up at the end of every Broadway show and concert because I appreciate the effo

Juicy oven baked chicken thighs are possible with almost no effort at all!

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you likely know that we eat a lot of chicken. I’ve shared over 150 chicken recipes already and there isn’t an end in sight.

Chicken is so versatile that you can serve it for dinner several nights a week for months and never have to have it exactly the same way.

Baked Chicken Legs and Thighs

Learning a few different ways to cook chicken thighs means always being able to whip up a delicious, inexpensive meal that everyone in your household will love without putting in a ton of extra time or effort.

Today, I’m serving up a round-up of my favorite recipes for baked chicken legs and thighs. These are dishes I’ve made again and again over the years that are simple, nourishing, and incredibly flavorful.

Every recipe included in this post relies on ingredients that are a cinch to find at any grocery store. Many ingredients you are likely to already have in your fridge and pantry.

If you’re wondering what to make for dinner tonight, baked chicken thighs are the answer. If you happen to have potatoes in the house, this Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner is a great idea too.

This is such an easy dinner recipe and my family continues to make it at least once a month. It only takes about 5 minutes of effort to toss the chicken, potatoes, and green beans in a simple lemon and herb vinaigrette before roasting until tender and crisp.

Despite being so easy to prepare and cook, all of these chicken recipes are far and away tastier than almost any takeout meal you could get for the same cost.

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

Did you know it’s possible to get crisp, flavorful chicken without frying? I’ve always loved the crispiness of a pan fried chicken thighs, but don’t always have the time to monitor the chicken as it cooks on the stovetop.

Crispy oven-baked chicken thighs are what you need. This recipe only requires about five minutes of preparation and an hour of hands-off cooking time that results in the most crisp, juicy, delicious chicken dinner you could want.

I’ve made many variations on this recipe over the years