Dr Pepper ice cream blends the nostalgia of a soda fountain drink with the indulgence of freshly churned ice cream. The creamy texture balances perfectly with the unique soda taste, creating a refreshing frozen treat.

Dr Pepper Float Ice Cream

When I heard about Blue Bell’s Dr Pepper Float Ice Cream, I immediately filed that under “must try ASAP.” Lucky for me, after just a few attempts, I had an ice cream churning that delivered all of the Dr Pepper float flavors I was craving.

Did you know there are 23 different flavors in Dr Pepper? And while the unique blend of flavors is a closely guarded secret, some commonly speculated ingredients include Almond, Amaretto, Blackberry, Black Licorice, Caramel, Carrot, Clove, Cherry Cola, Ginger, Juniper, Lemon, Molasses, Nutmeg, Orange, Prune, Plum, Pepper, Root Beer, Rum, Raspberry, Tomato, and Vanilla.

I can’t say I’ve ever noticed most of those flavors in the soda, as I’m clearly not a super-taster. But cherry, almond, and vanilla? Those are flavors I can taste in the soda and they ring through in this ice cream.

Dr Pepper ice cream is a quirky flavor that has been a hit with everyone who has tried it so far. It’s distinctly Dr Pepper, while also a treat for anyone who loves cherries as much as I do. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy this ice cream.

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Lots of tips here on metabolic flexibility and how to improve it. 

Hi hi! How’s your day going? I hope you’re having a wonderful day so far. I have quite a few things on my to-do list for the day — all good things, of course!

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a bit about something I started paying more attention to over the past couple of years: metabolic flexibility. As I learn more biohacking tips and strategies to improve my health, I’m excited to share more of this info here. This post was written in collaboration with Mia, our Fitnessista RD. If you have any questions for her or topics you’d like us to cover, please let me know!

Now, let’s get into it!

How Do You Know If You Are Metabolically Flexible

What is metabolic flexibility?

Metabolic flexibility is the body’s ability to switch between fuel sources, whether it is energy received from fat or energy from carbohydrate consumption. Do you notice that you feel better when you eat a steak vs a pizza?

Why Is Metabolic Flexibility Important

Being metabolically flexible allows the body to easily switch between glucose and fatty acid catabolism. Catabolism is essentially the process of breaking down the food you just ate and using it for fuel, or if it’s been hours or even a day since your last meal, it lets your body dip into fat stores for fuel.  A flexible metabolism allows this to happen with ease while feeling great and is an indicator of mitochondrial function.

How do you know if you have a flexible metabolism?

Here are some indicators that your metabolism is functioning at an optimal level:

– You can go hours without eating and without becoming “hangry.”

– Your meal frequency doesn’t dictate your mood.

– Your energy levels are great when eating a diet rich in protein and healthy fats.

– You feel great when eating a diet rich in protein and carbohydrates.

– There’s no need for you to eat every 2-3 hours to prevent fatigue, headaches, or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels).

– You haven’t coined yourself as someone who follows a specific “diet”.

How I measure my own metabolic flexibility:

I use two things to see how my metabolism is functioning and how my body responds to different foods and eating patterns. The first one is the Lumen, which will actually tell you whether you’re predominantly burning carbs or fat, based on your RER (respiratory exchange ratio). I use Lumen a few times throughout the day, and tweak my nutrition based off its suggestions. (If you decide to try it use FITNESSISTA for an extra $35 off!)

It’s also been insightful to see how certain workouts and foods (especially late-night meals) affect my metabolic function.

Hi friends!

I’m so excited about today’s episode because I’m chatting with Dr. Avanti Singh all about Ayurveda and how you can use this ancient wisdom to boost you immune system and help with allergies/

Here’s what we talk about:

– How to find your dosha and what it means

– Ayurvedic strategies for this time of year

– Morning routines and daily habits

– And so much more

160: Ayurveda for Allergies and Immune System Function with Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD

Avanti Kumar-Singh, is an Ayurveda Wellness Expert on a mission to show how Ayurveda is a health catalyst to achieve optimal wellness in modern life.

After receiving her Bachelor’s in Art History from the University of Chicago, she went on to receive her medical degree from Rush University Medical College. While working as an ER physician, she experienced first-hand the limitations of Western medicine. To learn more, Kumar-Singh began a 10-year wellness journey during which she studied energy healing and yoga therapy and became a practitioner of the 5,000-year-old ancient healing tradition known as Ayurveda.

Over the two decades of her training, study, and research, Kumar-Singh has shared her expertise with Fortune 500 companies, at elite undergraduate and graduate institutions, and at prestigious industry and medical conferences. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, goop, Thrive Global and mindbodygreen and served as the co-lead facilitator of the Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare at the OSHER Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Medicine.

She is also the author of The Health Catalyst and the host The Health Catalyst Podcast. If you’d like to receive new episodes as they’re published, please subscribe to The Healing Catalyst in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,

Samoa Cupcakes

Girl scout cookie meets cupcake in these rich chocolatey, caramel, and toasted coconut Samoa Cupcakes!

I’m so thrilled that stores have started making knock off Girl Scout cookies so that I don’t have to wait until March to devour all my favorite Girl Scout cookie flavors. Keebler has a version of the Samoa cookie and Walmart even has it’s own Great Value version. So you can make these Samoa cupcakes all year round!

Samoa Cookie Inspiration

I love cupcakes and Samoa cookies so why not mash the two together?! Voila! It’s seriously a party in your mouth. I chose to use a yellow cake for the cupcake to mimic the shortbread in the cookie and then I dipped it in ganache similar to how the bottom of a Samoa is covered in chocolate.  

I was going to top the cupcake with just a caramel/coconut mix but what kind of cupcake would that be without a buttery frosting?! The caramel buttercream is divine! I could eat it by the spoonful! And we top it with a sprinkle of toasted coconut!

Oh and for extra good measure I drizzled more caramel and ganache on top of the cupcakes creating a delicious mess.  These Samoa Cupcakes are going to blow your minds!  Enjoy!

Ingredients for Samoa Cupcakes

There are a few steps that go into making this cupcake recipe, but don’t worry, every ingredients and step is worth it! Here are the ingredients you will need:

Cupcakes:

• Dry Ingredients: All-Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt
• Wet Ingredients: Butter, Sugar, Eggs, Vanilla and Sour Cream

Ganache:

• Milk Chocolate Chips
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Heavy Whipping Cream

Caramel Frosting:

• Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Caramel Sauce
• Vanilla

Topping:

• Samoa Girl Scout Cookies
• Sweetened Coconut Flakes
• Caramel Sauce

The measurements for each ingredients can be found in the recipe at the end of this post. Keep scrolling down for all the details!

How to Make Samoa Cupcakes

Now that you know all the ingredients you need, here is the step-by-step guide to making them:

Cupcakes:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Combine: Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
3. Beat: Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat until light and creamy.
4. Mix: Add the eggs one at a time mixing thoroughly between each egg. Then mix in the vanilla and sour cream.
5. Combine: Add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
6. Bake: Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners

Sharing a roundup of some the things I’m loving from Amazon for summer! Affiliate links are included below, which don’t impact purchase price, but enable me to earn a very small commission. Thank you so so much to those of you who shop through my links!

Summer is almost heeeeeeere. Thank the LORD lol. The kids have a week of school left, and I’m so ready for summer travels, slow mornings, evenings swimming, time with friends, and no homework. (Math used to be my strong suit but they changed the program this past year and now it hurts my brain.)

I thought I’d share a roundup of fave things for Summer! Please share some of your top picks in the comments section, too.

Amazon Summer Faves for 2024

Swim and beach:

The best hat! You can wear it with a bun and it rolls up to easily store in your suitcase.

The best beach and pool bag.

Our top sunscreen picks now that BC is gone: this spray, this spray, and this for face.

This shade tent. We used this for years when we lived in San Diego!

A fun beach game to pop in your suitcase.

These are a huge hit with kids.

Cute sunnies that are less than $20

Women’s swimsuits:

A one-piece with a ruffled neckline.

High-waist sporty set.

This one-piece comes in a ton of colors and has amazing reviews.

This high-waist two-piece with a flattering top.

One of my all-time fave classic coverups.

This crochet coverup is so pretty.

For the kiddos:

I get the kids Maaji suits every year. They’re reversable and last all summer.

These boy’s swim trunks have a ton of prints and look like decent quality for the price.

The girls LOVED this unicorn sprinkler when they were a little younger (though let’s be real, if I got another one, they’d totally play in it.)

A little bit of a hazard, but SO much fun.

Cloud slides for the beach and pool.

Waterproof Birks for summer.

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