Welcome to the weekend, my friends! This was a week filled with sunshine (YAY for spring weather!), plenty of great food, a whole lot of work, and an abundance of coffee. I’m ready to relax as much as possible this weekend!

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: You can make this creamy, rich, and extra saucy Broccoli Mac and Cheese – completely from scratch – in the same amount of time it takes to cook a box of mac and cheese.

These Zucchini Taco Boats are full of flavor and cheesy goodness. Let’s face it – tacos make everything better, especially zucchini.

Pasta and sausage in a rich tomato pasta sauce is topped with an abundance of cheese to create this Cheesy Sausage Pasta. Everything bakes and melts together to create an irresistible dinner for any cheese or pasta lover.

Creamy, tangy, and very lightly sweetened, this Blueberry Cream Cheese is exactly what your morning is missing. Make some now and you can thank me later.

With crisp edges and soft, chewy centers, these White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies make me grin with every bite. If you aren’t a fan of white chocolate, feel free to use your favorite chocolate instead. However, if you like white chocolate, the combination of macadamia nuts and sweet vanilla chips can’t be beat.

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is an old-fashioned favorite made simply with strawberries, sugar, cream, and milk. Just a few ingredients add up to a summer ice cream treat that everyone loves.

Last but not least, here are 20+ easy, inexpensive, naturally gluten free desserts that require no special ingredients! These are my go-to desserts anytime I need an allergy-friendly option at the last moment. They are also the recipes I share with anyone who asks for a simple and uncomplicated gluten free dessert recipe.

What I’m CRAVING: This Muffuletta Cheese Ball caught my eye this week and it needs to happen very soon. Filled with spicy Capicola, salami, and provolone cheese, I already know my guys will go crazy over it. 

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are my pens. It’s been a little over a year since I first told you about these pens and I’m even more obsessed after using them daily for the past year. At barely a dollar each, they’re not only the b

The Most Delicious Mexican Black Beans Ever

Black beans taken to the next level with bold Mexican flavors all from ingredients you have around the house! Sometimes black beans become a forgettable side dish, but not these! They will be the highlight of your meal!

Easy Black Bean Side Dish

We just barely survived an extremely stressful summer. Before I get into the details, let me just say that these Mexican black beans from scratch came from some friends who had us over for dinner one tonight. They were the best black beans we have ever had!

All you need are a few simple ingredients and you’ll be in the middle of a Mexican black bean fiesta! Ole! Serve these alongside our pork carnitas or either one of our chicken or beef fajitas!

Okay, so this summer we made a major mistake. Well, not a mistake, but we went through an incredibly stressful summer and it was all at our own doing. We chose to completely gut our kitchen and three of our bathrooms.

You guys, I know that seems like it’s not that big of a deal, but have children, have your job be completely centered around cooking, and then take away the sinks, anything with cooking, showers and toilets and then fill the whole house with endless people, dust, dirt, and chaos.

That is stress.

One thing after another fell apart, the kitchen backsplash tile was accidentally installed in the shower, the cabinets were late, and then late again, and then wrong. The floors were ruined, which we hadn’t planned to replace.

WE FOUND MOLD.

I mean, the list literally goes on for another mile and we were stretched beyond our own capacity. It was so hard living off of protein bars and cereal in plastic bowls and I’m not kidding, that’s what we ate. We aren’t the type to say, hey folks, we could use a dinner or heck a plate of cookies because we are drowning!!!!! But we have two friends who reached out and cooked us a meal at one point.

One of those meals involved these easy black beans and although they filled our spirits and we knew, we knew it was such a crazy tender mercy that day, they also happened to be the best, the most delicious Mexican Black Beans Ever!

What’s Needed for Mexican Black Beans?

To make this simple black bean side dish, you need just a handful of mostly pantry ingredients. Here’s what goes into this easy recipe:

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Canned black beans
• Tomato sauce
• Fresh cilantro

The measurements of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Mex

Sharing faves from the week and around the web!

Hi friends! How are ya? Happy Friday! I hope you had an amazing week. We’re fully into MAYhem around here, so we’ve been busy with dance competitions, school events, community events, and fun friend time. I’m also working my way through the High Performance Health certification (code is FITNESSISTA) and loving every minute.

What are you up to this weekend? Liv and I are headed to another dance competition in Phoenix (P has a basketball game). Last weekend was such a blast – we got takeout each night after her day of dancing and quick changes, and watched multiple episodes of Friends.

I can’t believe next weekend is Mother’s Day! If you’re looking for last-minute gift ideas, check out this post.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Friday Faves 5.3

Read, watch, listen:

Finally started this book and it’s exceeding my high expectations.

Counting down the dayyyysssss.

Don’t miss this week’s podcast episide with the author of Wheat Belly and Super Gut, Dr. William Davis MD, here.

Why do I love this cover so much???

Fitness + good eats:

This amazing coconut bliss bowl from Vitality Bowls:

(even though it did make me lol that their “gluten-free granola” is a mix of sweetened rice puffs, corn puffs, and corn flakes)

Healthy carrot cake cupcakes.

Read more

Hi friends! I’m SO excited about today’s podcast episode and can’t wait for you to take a listen. I’m interviwing Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly and Super Gut, and here’s what we talk about today:

How grains impact metabolic health

What does he recemmend for preventative heart screening?

How grains deplete nutrients and minerals

Yeast, bacteria, fungus, and mold, and their impact on the immune system, allergies, and food sensitvities

Parasites

and SO much more.

159: Grains, gluten, and gut health with Dr. William Davis, MD

Here’s more about Dr. Davis and his background:

William Davis, MD, cardiologist and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Wheat Belly series of books, Undoctored and, most recently, Super Gut: A Four-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health and Lose Weight that maps out the damage that has occurred with the modern human microbiome and the specific, actionable steps that can be taken to restore it to maximum advantage.

Dr. Davis champions programs that empower the individual in health in a world in which the healthcare system has failed to provide unbiased information and services. He is co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Realize Therapeutics Corp. in Lake Bluff, Illinois, a commercial project to fund research and develop therapeutic products applying the new science of the microbiome. He is active in various online activities, including his Wheat Belly Blog (33 million visits) which has now transitioned to his Dr. Davis Infinite Health website. He also broadcasts his message through his Dr. Davis Infinite Health YouTube channel and his Defiant Health Radio podcast. He remains active in social media with, for instance, 400,000 Facebook followers.

Dr. Davis, a graduate of St. Louis University School of Medicine, received advanced training

Spanish Rice

Spanish rice is exactly the side dish you need with your next Mexican meal! This is a classic with all the flavors you want in a Spanish rice recipe and it’s perfectly moist every single time!

We’ve all been there…your meal arrives at your table, you take a bite of your main course and then tear into the rice and beans. The rice is dry and pasty and you can barely choke it down. Say goodbye to that scenario with this Mexican rice recipe!

This Spanish rice is so dang delicious. It makes a lot, but don’t you worry, we will be using the leftovers for pork tostadas later. The leftovers also freeze well (details below), so it’s actually awesome to have loads of leftover rice!

Make some steak fajitas, smothered chicken burritos, or the best pork carnitas with this Spanish rice for a side and prepare for a fiesta in your mouth! Ole! Cinco de Mayo anyone?!

Oh and don’t forget the refried beans to go with it!

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Spanish Rice?

All the ingredients are exactly what you would expect in this dish. No surprises here!

• White Onion
• Tomatoes (Roma or Vine)
• Jalapeños
• Rice
• Cumin
• Canola Oil – olive oil can also be used
• Garlic
• Chicken Broth (or Vegetable)
• Tomato Paste
• Salt
• Cilantro
• Limes

How to Make Spanish Rice

Here are all the steps and tips we have for making this delicious rice recipe. For full details, see the recipe card below.

• Preheat the oven.
• Puree the tomatoes and onions in a food processor.

• Measure out 2 cups of the tomato/onion mixture and discard the excess.

• Mince the jalapeños leaving the ribs and seeds in one of the jalapeños.
• Rinse the rice through a fine-mesh strainer and shake to remove excess water.
  • Pro Tip: Rinsing the rice removes all the starch on the surface of the rice which can cause the rice to clump and get gummy when cooked.
• Saute the rice and cumin in a large skillet.
  • Pro Tip: This step is crucial. It adds a boost of flavor that takes this rice to the next level.

• Add garlic and seeded jalapeño.
• Add pureed tomato/onion mixture, broth, tomato paste and salt.
• Bring to boil then cover and place in oven to bake.
  • Pro Tip: You can also cook it on the stove top. We just prefer the taste and tex