Sharing this recipe for pumpkin banana muffins. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and totally delicious. 

I’ve fully embraced my basic-ness of the fall and holiday season. Give me all of the pumpkin spice, flannels, Halloween decor, holiday movies, and fun events and gatherings. I LOVE summer, but there’s something so fun and lovely about fall. I love taking the kids to all of the fall events and activities, and baking treats, making soups, and casseroles featuring seasonal squashes and gourds. 😉

Pumpkin season is heeeeeeere, and it’s time to celebrate the versatility and health benefits of this fall favorite. I know the blog world is inundated with pumpkin recipes (as it should be!) and here’s one more to add to your collection. Today, I’m sharing a delightful recipe that combines the goodness of pumpkins with the natural sweetness and texture of bananas –  pumpkin banana muffins.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Here are the ingredients you need to make this family-favorite treat!

Ingredients:

1 cup almond meal

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

Step 2:

In a bowl, combine almond meal and chia seeds. Add the baking powder and baking soda, stir well.

Step 3:

In another bowl, mix the mashed bananas, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, almond milk, and melted coconut oil. Ensure they are well combined.

Step 4:

Gradually fold the wet ingredients into the dry mix. The chia seeds add a delightful texture and a boost of omega-3s. Add in the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Step 5:

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. This ensures the perfect rise without overflow.

Step 7:

Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, with perhaps a little chocolatey residue.

Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy them warm with a little butter or let them cool completely – the choice is yours.

Pro Tip: These muffins freeze beautifully Pop them into a freezer bag, and you’ll have a stash of deliciousness for those busy morn

Creamy chocolate fudge filled with peanuts and marshmallows makes a chewy, crunchy, salty, sweet Rocky Road Fudge that all ages will enjoy.

Rocky Road ice cream has been one of my favorite ice cream flavors ever since I was a child and this Rocky Road Fudge has everything I love about the classic ice cream flavor mixed into a rich chocolate fudge.

Rocky Road brownies, Rocky Road chocolate bark, Rocky Road pretty much anything is sure to be a hit with my family. What’s not to love about a handful of chocolate filled with peanuts and marshmallows?

Rocky Road Fudge

When I was playing with ideas for new fudge recipes this holiday season, I knew I needed to make a rocky road fudge. I’ve put peanuts in fudge before, and I’ve put marshmallows in fudge, but I had yet to try both together.

I’m happy to report that the finished Rocky Road Fudge was just as good as I imagined it would be, if not better. It was a hit with my kids and given the opportunity we could have polished off the whole batch in no time at all.

5 Minute Fudge

I am so completely hooked on five-minute fudge recipes. Unlike traditional old-fashioned fudge recipes, no candy thermometers or other special equipment is required.

You don’t even need a stove to make this fudge. Everything melts in the microwave and then sets up in the fridge in just a few hours.

My 5 minute fudge obsession started with this simple Chocolate Pecan Fudge, a recipe I’ve used as the base for tons of chocolate fudge recipes since, including this one.

Rocky Road Fudge is the latest incarnation of 5 minute fudge I’m sharing this year. Don’t miss the others like White Chocolate Pretzel Fudge, bite size pieces of salty-sweet heaven. Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge, Chocolate Covered Oreo Fudge, and Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge are even more recipes you’re sure to enjoy.

I also plan to give this Eggnog Fudge and this Read more

Sharing the best of the best from today and tomorrow’s Prime Day deals!  

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far! The kids are home from school for fall break, and while we’re staying in town, I’m definitely looking forward to some fun adventures. This week, we plan on strolling Botanical Gardens, taking a family hike, and going to see the new baby sloth at the zoo! We’re also going to get a little shopping done.

Today is the huge Amazon sale, and it’s the perfect time for the holidays! I’m trying to get as much done as possible early this year, which is what I say every year, but I’m determined. I used to love the frantic energy of last-minute shopping – it gave me a rush, what can I say lol – but no longer. It’s too stressful. This year, I’m trying to set myself up for success and blast through our list, so I can kick back with a lil mug of hot cocoa and watch Christmas movies without the shopping list in my head.

If you’re shopping early for family, friends, or yourself, I’ve scoured all of the sale in advance to share the best stuff with you!! I hope you get some good ideas here, and I’d love to hear what you’re shopping for and what you’ve found. It’s also a great time to stock up on home essentials, appliances, and beauty deals. Everything is listed below!

*Affiliate links are included below, which don’t impact purchase price. They enable me to earn a small kickback that I use to keep the blog running! Thank you so so much to those of you who shop my links and support the blog in this way.

Prime Big Deals Day

For her:

This oversized cardigan

This long line sports bra. I have a few of these and they’re very similar to Align tanks.

This square-neck bodysuit.

Chunky hoop earring set.

Cozy wool socks.

One of my fave sets of all time.

Half-zip sweater.

These waterproof Chelsea boots are so cute and they have amazing reviews.

Memory foam slippers.

I have a couple of Read more

Foil Baked Mustard Maple Bacon Salmon

Tender flaky salmon wrapped in bacon and glazed with a garlic maple mustard sauce, this baked salmon recipe is sensational! You have to try it!

My friend Megan swears by her dad’s salmon and bacon. I only like salmon when it’s got enough flavor to mask the fact that it’s actually fish. Bacon to the rescue! Everything is better with bacon!

My friend Janet makes a good one, and I love a few of our own recipes like our Salmon Bowls and Asian Sticky Salmon, but when Megan said there was bacon in her dad’s recipe, I was so intrigued!

If you have been an OSB follower for long, you will know that I am not a seafood person. It’s just not my thing. Even salmon…I have been trying to love salmon for years, and I have to say that this baked maple mustard salmon has won me over!

Recommended Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Whisk

Before You Begin…

Grab four sheets of foil that are big enough to wrap each of your fillets in and lay 2 slices of bacon vertically on each piece of foil.

How to Pick Good Fresh Salmon

Buying salmon at the grocery store can be intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be! There are a few things to look for…

• Smell – good fresh salmon should not have a fishy smell
• Color – vibrant, deep shades of red/coral/pink is what you are after and there shouldn’t be any brown spots anywhere on the fillet
• Appearance – it should look moist and not dried out
• Touch – when you gently press the salmon, it should bounce back and not leave an indentation

What Do I Need to Make This Baked Salmon Recipe?

All the ingredients are easy to find and create the most amazing flavor. Here is what you will need:

• Salmon Fillets
• Lemon
• Kosher Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil Mayonnaise
• Maple Syrup: Grade A
• Garlic
• Dijon Mustard
• Yellow Onion
• Bacon
• Thyme: or parsley

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card. You can also print and save the recipe there.

How to Make Baked Maple Salmon

1. Prep: Preheat the oven, get foil pieces ready and place the bacon on each piece of foil. Season the salmon fillets.
2. Sauce: Whisk all the ingredients of the sauce together and pour the sauce on each fillet.
3. Assemble: Top the fillets with the onions and wrap the bacon around the fillets. Fold the foil around each piece of salmon.
4. Bake: Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake, then open the foil and change the oven to broil to crisp up the top for about a minute.
5. Season: Sprinkle each fillet with fresh herbs and serve!

The complete instructions for making this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Keep scrolling for all the details.

Sharing a full recap of my first 21-day detox, how I felt, what I learned, and if I’d do it again. Check out my full review! I also created a freebie with 21 days of detox recipes if you’d like to download it (details below).

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had a lovely weekend! Ours was great. I feel like I caught up on life (laundry, chores, grocery shopping) and also taught a couple of classes, we had an amazing dinner night with friends, and also met up with the fam for brunch. I hope you had a great one, too!!

For today’s post, I wanted to share a recap of my 21-day detox experience! I love doing the EquiLife detox four times a year. It helps support my liver pathways, I always feel GREAT when I do this, and it’s become a part of my health routine. Please keep in mind that I’m just sharing my experience and this isn’t medical info. Before proceeding with any new fitness or nutrition routines, always consult with your doctor. 

As you guys know, I’ve been dealing with some inflammation issues since last spring. It started with my eyes (which was a long, painful mystery, and thank God, it’s been resolved), and in the process, I had a couple of markers come back positive for Lupus. I share more of my story in this podcast episode.

In addition to working with my primary care, I’ve been running some functional labs on myself. I had a feeling that I had some gut issues (since gut issues can manifest in different ways and contribute to autoimmune symptoms, as well as allergies, brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues, decreased immune system function, low mood, poor sleep, etc.) and sure enough, I had significant yeast and bacterial overgrowth.

Here’s what page 1 of my OAT test looked like, which is extremely comprehensive. It also gave me insight into nutrient deficiencies as well as neurotransmitter levels.

(Please keep in mind that functional labs do not treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any types of disease or illness. They’re used as a tool to discover deficiencies and toxicities, so you can work to bring the body back to balance. After running a couple of tests