Foolproof Two Ingredient Peppermint Fudge

I absolutely LOVE baking during the holidays - what I don't love is a lot of prep time, a lot of directions or a lot of steps. I also prefer no-bake but I'll take what I can get, lol! I'm always looking for the best recipes I can make to impress guests when I have friends and family over, and recipes to take to parties and get-togethers over the holidays that won't take a day plus a huge mess in my kitchen to make. Let's face it - none of us have too much spare time every day, this time of year especially, and when there's an amazing holiday dessert recipe like this two ingredient fudge, it needs to be shared!

Patriotic 4th of July Frozen Strawberry Poke Cake

The best parts about the 4th of July are the fireworks, warm weather, time with friends and family and the delicious, refreshing desserts! This year I'm making this festive poke cake that has the most delicious, unexpected layer of frozen strawberries. I'ts one of my favorite things to make AND eat and your guests will love it too - it's a no brainer!

Energizing Mixed Berry Banana Smoothie Bowl

Thank you to FoodScience of Vermont for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
Let's talk breakfast. What do you have each morning? If your answer is "I don't", me too. I've never been a big breakfast person and haven't ever liked traditional breakfast foods... Some call it crazy, but it's never been my favorite, hah! Ever since moving my daily workouts to the mornings, I've craved something refreshing post-workout and getting ready for the day. Smoothies have always been one of my very favorite things for any meal or time of day, so having a smoothie each morning has made me realize what I've missed out on all these years by not eating each morning - go figure right?! So around 11:00 AM each day, I make one of my favorite smoothie bowls and it gets me - and my day - going for REALS. The only thing better than discovering the power of 3-4 servings of fruit each morning is that it can come with a daily dose of a much needed, natural source of energy.

Cucumber & Gin Cooler Cocktail

Looking for a delicious, simple to make summer cocktail that you can make time and time again? That everyone will love? This Cucumber Cooler will do JUST that! *insert alll the heart eyes here* This drink is so refreshing and delicious, not to mention it's pretty too. ;) This is one of my favorite drinks for a hot day and my girlfriends always love it! Since the weather's heating up and the pools are opening, get a head start on a pool party this season and serve this - it'll be a huge hit!

Implement a Healthier, Organic Lifestyle with this Berry Lemon Spritzer this Summer

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. #OceanSprayOrganic #CollectiveBias
We're getting closer to summer!! Cue all of the fun parties, bonfires and of course the delicious, fruity drinks (if you're 21! ;). It can be hard to keep up with healthy living habits when everyone has fruity, sugar filled cocktails, but now it doesn't have to be difficult! The new Ocean Spray 100% Juice Organic products are the perfect way to keep your healthy living habits afloat without having to sacrifice enjoying something delicious when you're hosting a party, hanging out with friends or just are enjoying a beautiful summer day or night.

Hot Chocolate Stirrers

Happy first full day of winter! It's definitely feeling like winter in New York; it's been snowing on and off for the past few days and it's absolutely frigid outside. One of my favorite things to drink is hot chocolate - I prefer it much more over coffee and I could have it multiple times a day when it's cold out! It's so delicious, fun and easy to make and such a winter staple. A few weeks ago I was in Home Goods and I walked through the baking section and found "hot chocolate sticks". But that's just what they were - wooden sticks, with chocolate that likely wasn't all that great and mini marshmallows that I would assume were as hard as a rock. But they were adorable - and then I looked at the price and they were $14.99 for a pack of 4!!! Yeah, you read that right. No way was I paying $14 for 4, mini wooden sticks. That's how I came up with this idea - except my hot chocolate stirrers are *fully* edible and not fake chocolate. ;)

Healthy & Tasty Baked Spinach Chips

I know, I know - it's the holidays and the last thing you want to see is a healthy snack option... BUT, you can't even tell that these spinach chips are healthy because of how freakin' yummy they are! I'm trying to not go too food crazy before the real tempting days get here... AKA Thursday. But believe it or not these could really make for a great hors d'oeuvres or side dish as well as a healthy on-the-go snack. The best part is they couldn't be easier to make!

DIY Iced Tea Bar

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TeaProudly #CollectiveBias

August is quickly coming to an end, but summer doesn't have to just yet! Who doesn't love cold iced tea on a hot day? Water and iced tea are two of the only things I'll drink and Bigelow is one of the only tea brands I enjoy. Iced tea is so refreshing and the best summer drink for all ages and with as many flavors as Bigelow has, it's impossible not to find one you love! These warm and steamy summer days are unfortunately quickly coming to an end, so enjoying each and every one is so important. Finding time to relax is only easy in the summer and doing so with friends and family makes it even better. Patio and pool parties are about the only thing I want to do this time of year so I can soak up all of the sun possible!
With Labor Day coming up next week and lots of parties, this is the perfect time to make your guests feel welcomed and cool them down with yummy flavors of iced tea. The new Cold Brew line from Bigelow is a healthy option for more sugary drinks and yet it tastes just as good, if not better! It's caffeine free and beyond easy to make; no water boiling or waiting necessary. The ingredients are all natural too and all you need to add is cold water.

Quick & Easy Breakfast Sandwich Ideas

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Tyson Foods, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #JDgreatdays http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
No matter what time of year it is, breakfast can be a struggle. In the summer, I find myself either waking up too late for breakfast or getting out of the house early enough to beat beach traffic; and during the rest of the year getting up, ready and eating in time to get to school/work is nearly impossible! It's so bad that breakfast can be so easily overlooked, because it's clear on how important it is for a productive day. I think I've found the solution to my (and all of yours, too) breakfast problems - Jimmy Dean breakfast foods! Having a healthy breakfast is the best thing you can do to start your day, especially when you're busy!

Watermelon Rice Krispie Treats

There's some things in this world that just scream "summer" and I'm pretty sure we can all agree that watermelon is one of those things! The colors are so pretty, the fruit is so yummy and the emoji is constantly in my frequently used section ; ) I'm one of those people who loves to snack all day and every day and as bad as it sounds, I try and be super healthy about it! But sometimes you just need a fun snack and that's exactly where these fun (and super yummy) watermelon rice krispie bars come in to play. We're in the middle of an almost two week long heat wave now in New York and that means if a recipe says "no bake", I'm a happy camper. I can't even imagine turning the oven on when it's this hot - thank god for central AC because as much as I love summer time and fun, outdoor, summery things, I do not handle heat well! Back to this fun summer snack; they're almost too cute to eat!

Bleu Breeze Mojito + Bali Sunset Cocktail Recipes

This post was sponsored on behalf of Alizé Passion. As always, all opinions stated are my own.
We're only a few days away from the official start to summer and that means fun in the sun with friends, family, good food and yummy drinks! I'm not a huge fan of all alcoholic beverages other than the occasional glass of wine, but in the summer I love to have fruity drinks - my favorite! I'm so excited to have partnered with Alizé in putting together a few fun recipes to make with this super yummy French Vodka.
Using the Bleu Passion and Gold Passion, I've literally found my two favorite summer drinks. You're able to make such refreshing, unique and inviting cocktails that you can share with friends and family all summer long! I'm so loving sitting by the pool with these drinks!

Rise-n-Shine Strawberry Banana Smoothie

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MySmoothie #CollectiveBias

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a great way to jump start your day. It isn't every morning that I find myself having time to sit down and eat breakfast (unless it's a day off or on the weekends) and these also tend to be the days that I'm hungriest in the morning, go figure!
My two go-to ingredients for breakfasts that are quick, easy to make and east to grab and go are Jif™ Creamy Peanut Butter and Dannon Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt. These are two ingredients that are used for so many different types of recipes, but my favorite are smoothies. All sorts of smoothies are one of my favorite things to eat at ALL times of the day! Not only are peanut butter and yogurt two of the yummiest things ever, they're also so good for you and the best way to get your day started. Any meal that includes peanut butter and yogurt will be so energizing too.
Having a breakfast option that is easy to make in a rush and portable is important for a lot of us - and smoothies are just that!
Here's a super simple and extremely delicious smoothie recipe for rushed mornings, sluggish afternoons, or even relaxing evenings when you crave something sweet:

Strawberry Lemon Prosecco Spritzer

Ever since I turned 21 last September, I love to entertain my friends with fun cocktail parties and get-togethers that include beautiful days, cute outfits and of course, cocktails! There are so many possibilities when it comes to fun drinks and trying new recipes is by far one of the funnest things to do when you're preparing for any type of party. I recently came across VOVETI Prosecco and it's my new favorite alcoholic beverage for SO many recipes. VOVETI is a chic and modern Italian based prosecco that gives you the ultimate symbol of what prosecco is and it's affordable too, which you'd never guess by the great taste!
This strawberry lemon prosecco spritzer is a recipe I put together recently and it's SUCH a hit every time I make it! This drink is quick and easy to make and it's simple enough that everyone will love yet still has such a great taste. The fun days of summer are getting closer and this drink recipe is sure to impress all of your guests!

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Stromboli

To put it simply, I love stromboli! There's so many different ways to make it and although it isn't always the healthiest food choice, it's definitely a comfort food and seriously what is there not to love?! I recently tried making a few different versions that were a bit healthier so that I didn't feel as bad about eating them and this one is by far my favorite! This is also one of those recipes that you can make using the things you have left in your refrigerator and/or pantry which is great for those days before food shopping if ya know what I mean! ; ) It's also so, so, so easy to make and a really great appetizer idea for parties as a finger food; it can be pretty messy because of the cheese but when something is this good, that really doesn't matter!

Magic Cookie Bars

Every year my favorite dessert to make for the holidays are Magic Cookie Bars. While this time of year is so exciting for SO many reasons, the magic cookie bars may take the cake (pun intended) for what I get most excited for! Food wise anyway, ha! I could make these every day and eat an entire tray every. single. day. There is no better dessert and I would make them all year round but they probably wouldn't taste as good (as my mom says)! ;)
My mom has made these during the holidays for as long as I can remember and I always loved to help make them when I was little, so now they're something I make probably 5 or 6 times throughout the next two months. For real, it's an obsession...

Bloody, Broken Glass Cupcakes

Happy Halloween!!! (insert cute emojis here ;)
This time of year brings the baker (I wish!) out of me - I looove to make fun, holiday themed cookies, cakes and all sorts of desserts. I originally made these glass shard cupcakes for the season finale of Pretty Little Liars when A's identity was revealed last summer. I loved Pretty Little Liars while it was on (if you loved it too, you'll love these 8 real life lessons we learned from PLL!) and I always made something fun and 'A'-related for a season premiere/finale. Now, I make these cupcakes for Halloween too! I will admit - these are VERY time consuming, tedious and take practice. The second time around was MUCH easier and even took a bit less time since I better knew what I was doing, and they get easier every time. That being said, they are very fun to make and you'll be amazed at how real they look!

Cheesy Avocado Melt

I hate to admit it, but I'm a somewhat (my mom would say more like VERY..) picky eater! I'm not sure why because I do love to try new things, but for some reason I still am very indecisive when it comes to food - especially lunch. Once I find something I love to make, I eat it for weeks straight and then get tired of it and want to try something new. I know, sounds ridiculous but I think I've solved that problem by finding a recipe that includes every single one of my favorite foods! When I was younger, I absolutely did not like avocados but for the past three or so years they've been my favorite food. If a recipe has avocado in it, I will try it in a heartbeat! To make my avocado obsession even better, they're one of the best foods for you and I can eat them guilt free!

DIY Dipped Ice Cream Cups!

There's nothing I love more than summertime and ice cream!! I'm a total ice cream junkie and am always looking for new, fun ways to display and eat it! Since the 4th of July is coming up and so many exciting summertime parties and BBQ's as well, I decided to try a new kind of ice cream cone. I've seen similar cones like this at places like Coldstone but never thought to make them myself!!

Ingredients:

Waffle cones/cups
Chocolate (milk, dark, white)
Toppings of choice

• Oreo crumbs
• Sprinkles
• Cookie crumbs
• Kettle corn
• Mini M&M's
• Crushed pretzels
• Shredded coconut
• Your favorite candy

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl that will be easy to dip your sized cones/cups in
2. Dip (or spread with spoon) the cone/cup in the chocolate on its rim
3. Once coated in chocolate, add desired topping(s). Place the finished cone or cup onto a sheet of parchment paper on a plate or cookie sheet that will fit in your fridge.






You can use such a variety of toppings - sprinkles, chocolate, walnuts, coconut, kettle corn, mini m&m's; the list is never ending! For my first go around at this amazing DIY I decided to keep it simple and go with some rainbow sprinkles! I also had bought peanut butter cup ice cream (I don't mess around!) so I figured having a simple cone cup was better (oh, the things I think about!).




These are super easy and quick to make and also will be a fan favorite at your next summer bash! I made them on Thursday for a party last night and they went over so well - everyone loved them!





Here's the finished product with my peanut butter cup ice cream! SUCH a to die for dessert and so perfect for summer! It also is a prettier way to serve ice cream and the best part is that you're left with no ice cream dishes to wash!




Has anyone tried these/have any other toppings you like for the rims?! If you make them, I'd love to know what you think! XOXO

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Spinach Artichoke Cheeseball

Whose ready for game day?! Every Super Bowl Sunday I'll be honest, I'm usually more interested in the commercials, half time show and of course the food. Finding new appetizers and finger foods to make for Super Bowl is so much fun and one of my favorites that I've been making for years is a Spinach Artichoke Cheeseball. This is super easy to make and it's a perfect food for any party!