Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the morning so far!!

For today’s post, I figured we’d have a little green juice date! While I wish I could have a green juice or coffee with you in real life, virtual will have to do for now. So please grab a green juice or coffee, let’s share a giant pastry, and catch up a bit on life!

If we were having green juice right now…

I’d ask you when the kids are going back to school. Ours go back next week and no one is ready for it. Usually by now, I’m like, “Ok, time to get back to life and a routine.” but not as excited this year. The kids have zero desire to go back, but I’ve been trying to get everyone excited by back-to-school shopping this week. I’ve loved having them home and our schedule is already packed through spring, so I’m just savoring this last week of jammies until 10am.

We’d probably talk about our adventures and travels from the summer. I already can’t wait to go back to Europe – even though it will probably be a couple of years – and thankfully, the kids loved it as much as we did. They can’t stop talking about the stunning beauty of Italy and Greece, and of course, they’re raving about the incredible food we indulged in. I feel like so many friends have had some amazing summer travels and I always love to hear about new spots + recommendations.

I’d want to know what you’ve been doing fitness-wise! Take any new classes or try anything fun lately? I’ve been sticking with my usual routine, but it’s been fun to add hot yoga back into my life (I missed it!) and also take some reformer and pvolve classes. (I’ll share a Focus On post for pvolve soon!) I haven’t been able to make it to F45 for most of the summer since the kids have been home, but have been embracing home workouts and a few studio classes here and there.

I’ve been working on keeping the intensity of workouts pretty minimal as my eyes have recovered, which brings me to the next topic..

If we were having green juice right now, I obviously consider you a close friend, so I’d tell you something that’s been on my heart a bit lately:

we did a bunch of labs to see if there were any indications of something that could have caused my eye issues. Most of the usually suspects came back normal, but two markers for an autoimmune issue came back positive.

My NP talked to rheumatology and she said since I don’t have any other symptoms, we can re-test in a few months as long as my eyes continue to improve. Sometimes acute inflammation (like the inflammation in my eyes) can trigger a positive on the test. I feel comforted by this, but also know that autoimmune stuff can unpredictable and sometimes lead to other issues. My NP also said that it could just stay like this and this is how my body responds/reacts… which is what I’m praying for, especi

This Spinach Orzo Salad is filled with cranberries, creamy goat cheese, tender pasta, and plenty of fresh spinach tossed in a tangy sweet dressing. The salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – making this an awesome make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner.

Spinach Salad with Cranberries

The recipe was inspired by the Cranberry Orzo Salad that Princess Cruises serves in their International Cafe. It’s just so good! Tender pasta in a sweetly tangy dressing, with tart fresh cranberries and sliced almonds. Simple, fresh, and delicious.

I’ve included more cruise details at the bottom of the post here for anyone who is interested. As soon as I got home from our cruise through the British Isles, I immediately recreated the salad for my family.

As always, I loved the salad, but my guys? The kids decided that the fresh cranberries were too tart. (Crazy kids!)

So, the next time I made the salad, I went with dried cranberries and it was a win across the board. I like this salad every bit as much with dried cranberries as I do with fresh cranberries – and that’s an even bigger win, since fresh cranberries aren’t available more than a few weeks a year.

(And unless you’re lucky enough to have cranberries stashed in the freezer for this cake, you’ll be stuck waiting until the holidays to try this awesome salad.)

Spinach Orzo Salad

I took our salad to the next level by adding a generous portion of fresh baby spinach and warm chicken. Both the chicken and the spinach made it a heartier meal for my family.

And as far as my guys are concer

Fabulous Ranch Green Beans Recipe [+Video]

This is a green beans recipe like you’ve never tasted before and it is FABULOUS! The green beans are creamy and full of that comforting ranch flavor that everyone loves all topped with a crunchy Panko topping. Boom! You’re going to love this vegetable side dish!

I’ve been spending some quality time with more and more teenagers lately, and I’ve never felt more old and out of touch. Haha! I find myself asking them to explain all the slang words they are using. I learned a new one the other day and I’m totally incorporating it into my everyday lingo because it’s used to describe really, really good food — now that is something I can relate to! The word is “bussin'”. I can confidently say that these green beans are totally bussin’! 

After I accidentally created our melt-in-your-mouth baked ranch chicken, I had the thought that swapping the chicken for green beans would be stellar! And then I thought, nobody ever cares about green bean recipes. My next thought was…I don’t care! I’m going to do it anyway! And I was 100% correct, creamy ranch green bean casserole is out of this world…aka bussin’! And you need to try it!

Ingredients for Ranch Green Bean Casserole

You only need a few ingredients to make this tasty side dish, and most of the items will already be things you have on hand. Here is what you will need:

• Green Beans – fresh, washed, trimmed and then blanched
• Shallot – part of the onion and garlic family but more subtle in flavor
• Salt and Pepper – adds flavor
• Butter – used in the base for the sauce and as a binder for the crunchy Panko topping  
• Flour – thickens the sauce
• Ranch Salad Dressing – Trust me on this, make it from the packet, following the directions. It will taste way better then if you just buy a bottle of ranch.
• Milk – combines with the ranch to create the sauce
• Panko Breadcrumbs – Japanese-style breadcrumbs that adds crunch to the top of this casserole

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also save and/or print the recipe from there.

How to Blanch Green Beans

Blanching green beans takes just a few quick and easy steps. Fill a large pot of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add kosher salt to the water (about 1 tablespoon for every quart of water). When the water starts boiling, add the beans and let them cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice while the beans are cooking. When the beans have finished cooking, transfer the beans to the ice bath. Let them sit for a few minutes in the cold water. This helps the green beans maint

Perfectly sweetened and wonderfully spiced jam with just a hint of cinnamon, Homemade Peach Jam has been a staple in our home for about 15 years.

Every year, I wait until we can order peaches by the case. Then I roll up my sleeves and set to work making and canning a year’s worth of delicious jam.

Several years ago, about the time I started this website, the summer’s peaches were very late getting to our area. They finally arrived the day before I was headed out of town. I was looking forward to making jam just as soon as they were at the perfect stage of ripeness.

I glanced around at all my wonderful peaches and panicked because I knew they were going to be way past perfect by the time I returned home. I was on my way to being disappointed; when Sean very casually told me that he’d take care of it.

Now, I admit that jam making is not difficult. It is actually quite easy. However, it can also be time-consuming (especially, when you are not familiar with it all) and it is not a simple thing to accomplish with three small children running through the house all weekend.

I assured him that he shouldn’t worry about it, but if he really wanted to do it, I would set out the recipe and the jars for him.

Well, I came home a couple of days later to 24 jars of peach jam. Perfectly sweetened and wonderfully spiced jam with just a hint of cinnamon.

Did Sean really want to spend his time making jam this past weekend? That’s doubtful. But he did it to make my life easier and that makes every bite of this delicious jam taste even more delicious.

When I first posted this recipe on the site in 2011, it was just the photo of those jam jars. I’ve since updated the post with a video, and plenty of step-by-step photos. I hope it’s helpful to you in your jam-making endeavors.

Peach Jam

Store-bought jams and preserves just can’t compare with the taste of the homemade stuff and this peach jam is no exception.

Nothing says “summer” like biting into a fresh, sweet, juicy peach at the perfect stage of ripeness. This jam manages to capture all that spectacular warm weather flavor in a jar for eating any time of the year.

Peach Jam jam is phenomenal on all kinds of breads, muffins, and scones.

Toast a slice of Read more

Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars

These peaches and cream crumble bars are the best dessert I’ve ever had with peaches. That creamy filling and brown sugar oat topping!!

I don’t think we even need to talk about these peaches n cream crumble bars. Let’s just sit and stare at them. My good gracious they are good. That buttery crust and topping is everything. It’s a little chewy, crisp, sweet and salty. You could eat it lone and be totally satisfied. But why would you settle for that when you could take it to the next level?

Let’s add a little cream cheese gloriousness in there with fresh, juicy, sweet, golden peaches. That filling is so sweet, rich, creamy and wonderful. You really don’t even understand how much I love these bars. The crumble is perfect for such a lovely filling. And I actually really needed something delicious to take my mind off of something horrible.

And by horrible I mean annoying. I’ve been bit by mosquitoes before, but this time is just crazy. Yes, we are talking about mosquito bites. Haha, I know!! Doesn’t it seem so lame? But truly, they are driving me nuts! The mosquitoes at our new rental house are insane. I have 13, 13 you guys! I got 13 bites in jut 30 minutes the other night playing soccer with my son. So ridiculous.

And they just keep getting worse. The bites are ginormous, as in red and swollen bigger than a golf ball, and the itchiest sons of guns ever. I cannot even explain it! And 3 of them are starting to bruise. Dude, what will make them go away?! See, I did need a little dessert to take my mind off of the itch!

Ingredients for Peaches and Cream Bars

You will need a few basic pantry ingredients to make the crust and crumble topping. Then you need just a few ingredients to sweeten and thicken up the peaches and make the rich and creamy filling. Here is what you will need:

Cream Filling: Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar, Egg, and Vanilla

Peaches: Brown Sugar and Cornstarch

Crumble: Salt, Flour, Cinnamon, Quick Oats, Baking Soda, Unsalted Butter, Brown Sugar

You can find the exact measurements of each ingredient and the detailed instructions for making the bars in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also print or save the recipe from there.

What are the Best Peaches for Baking?

You want to find freestone peaches because they are sweeter and easier to work with. For a list of my favorite freestone peaches, head to our peach cobbler post!

Will Peaches Ripen After They Have Been Picked?

Peaches, like apples, pears, avocados and tomatoes (among other fruits), can ripen after being picked.

The easiest method to ripen peaches is simply to leave peaches on the counter. If you want to speed things up, pop the peaches in a paper bag.

It will contain the ethylene gas the fruit gives off, which hastens the ripening process.

Should the Peaches Be Peeled?

You don’t have to peel the peaches, but my family prefers them peeled in most dess