One of my favorite ways to make a fast and flavorful spaghetti sauce is to use sausage in place of the usual ground beef. It has all it’s own spices and flavors built right in, which means way less ingredients without compromising on flavor! Normally I just use Italian sausage, but it finally occurred to me to change it up a bit and use andouille sausage instead for a little Creole flavored flair!...

This view is the #1 reason we decided to hike the Bald Hills in Jasper National Park. Once you get to the top, you overlook the whole valley holding Maligne Lake. The colors of both the mountains and lake are absolutely stunning. As gorgeous as this view is, I still don’t entirely recommend this hike depending on your particular trip itinerary. Maligne Lake is a long way out from the town of Jasper, but I definitely recommend going to the lake and maybe even taking out a canoe....

Broccoli Salad was one of those classic recipes I grew up eating all the time. It was everywhere, kind of like 7 layer salad. My mom made it often, and so did all of my friend’s moms. It was also at pretty much any kind of get-together I can remember from birthday parties to backyard bbq’s. But somehow over the years, I haven’t been seeing it around as much. So today I thought I’d share my best recipe for this classic that really does need to make a comeback!...

I had a request for these earlier this year, but since it was March and I was heading into spring recipes, I had to make a note of it for later. Luckily it’s finally cranberry season so I can make this idea a reality. Cranberry orange is such a great combination, and turning it into streusel bars is the best kind of request you can get! You start with a shortbread crust, which is lightly baked before being topped with a homemade cranberry orange filling....

With hiking season starting, I’m needing to have more snack food on hand. We might be a little weird, but we don’t like packing a big heavy lunch to the top of a mountain. Usually we just have a nut bar or two and head back down the trail. But… here’s the thing; I don’t even like those nut bars, so more often than not I don’t eat all day which isn’t real brilliant....

Ever since I made strawberry buttercream for my Funfetti Cupcakes last summer, I’ve been wanting to try even more recipes with freeze-dried fruit. So far we’ve crushed up raspberries or strawberries to put into pancakes while camping. And the latest thing I made was my Maple Cinnamon Granola with freeze-dried raspberries and coconut milk in the backcountry Conrad Kain hut, (travel post to come). But none of these things are really a ‘recipe’....

I really feel like you can never have too many flavor packed salads in your repertoire! And it’s just a bonus if your salad includes healthy ranch dressing. As a kid I was a ranch dressing fanatic, I mean I would eat pretty much anything if it was drowned in ranch. In fact… my cousin and I were famous in our family, (or infamous) for stealing the the veggie dip trays at birthday parties....

What is it about summer that almost demands you make a pasta salad? Maybe it’s just me, but I love getting creative with pasta salads during the warmer months. And today’s recipe is pretty much the essence of summer, packed with summer veggies and pesto. I kept the pesto dressing dairy free, but you can always add a bit of parmesan if you’d like. Buying some already prepared pesto at Farmer’s Market is a great shortcut, (although it’s usually not dairy free)....

Click here for an overview map of the trail. The route to hike into Grinnell Glacier is located in the Many Glacier region of Glacier National Park. The trail meanders along Lake Josephine for a while, and then quickly climbs out of the forest. You can also shorten this hike by taking the boat ride on Lake Josephine which cuts off a few miles. Views of the surrounding peaks begin emerge as you climb, and the beautiful sight of Grinnell Lake in the valley below....

It never surprises me to hear Iceberg Lake is someone’s favorite hike. It’s definitely one of the most stunning hikes in Glacier National Park! The glacial colored lake sits in an enormous mountain cirque. It’s actually so big, you almost can’t capture it. We decided to combine hiking Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel because they share the same trailhead, and we weren’t the only ones with that idea. We chatted with several people hiking both trails in one day, and got to swap traveling tips....

I first came across this idea on Pinterest and I knew I had to try it! There comes a point in the life of every towel when it’s just not smelling quite right. No matter how much Clorox for colors I’ve used, there was still an ‘off’ smell. (My latest updated tips for this method are located at the end of the post.) To the best of my knowledge, the source for this method is Wikihow....

Fresh, bright, and juicy, this Winter Fruit Salad really hits the spot in the colder months when produce gets scarce. This fruit salad relies on tropical fruits that are abundant in the winter months. You’ll find my tips and serving suggestions below along with substitutions. But if you don’t eat honey, no worries because this recipe works perfectly with maple syrup or agave as well. In any case, this winter fruit salad recipe will keep you coming back for more....

So… what do you make for dinner that’s twice as fast as take-out? Why Spaghetti Aglio Olio of course – it’s Italy’s version of fast food. It’s made with pantry staples, and can be made in mere minutes – sounds like perfection right? This version is a departure from the traditional dish because I’ve subbed the pasta with zucchini noodles for a veggie packed, 1-pan kind of dinner. However there are still times when we come back from vacation, (read no fresh produce in the house) and I make this the traditional way with our favorite gluten free pasta....

Lemon juice oxygenates and hydrates your body. It’s high in vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium and much more. Lemon water in the morning kickstarts your metabolism, digestive system, and helps your kidneys flush out toxins. Lemon juice is antibacterial, antiviral, and immune boosting. I feel soo… much better! Not scientific, but there you go. Before I started adding lemon juice to my water, I would drink about 64-96 ounces of water per day and still feel incredibly thirsty!...

Even so… I find myself craving it far more often than we go out to eat, so I figured it was time for a homemade version. I decided to create the ‘grits’ out of cauliflower for more veggies on the plate, but also because they come together in a fraction of the time it takes to make traditional grits. Cauliflower isn’t a starchy veggie, so you wouldn’t think you could create the proper texture, but I added a small amount of tapioca starch to make them incredibly similar....

I first made this Cilantro Lime Dressing for my Fish Taco Bowls a few years back. But ever since then, we’ve been putting this zesty dressing on all sorts of Mexican-inspired bowls. It’s even delicious on Asian-inspired salads, (made without the cumin) as well with the cilantro and lime pairing so well with so many flavors. It’s also a great way to add a layer of flavor if you’re dairy free....

Cranberry sauce from scratch is so simple and so tasty, you’ll never go back to the canned version. Even better, it can be made ahead for extra ease during holiday dinners. I love adding orange to the mix when it comes to cranberry sauce because I find it takes the edge off, and rounds out the cranberry flavor. Then with just a touch of sweetener, you have a sweet/tart sauce perfect for pairing together with turkey....

Calendula is soothing to the skin and it give this lotion a lovely golden hue. Luckily, it’s not so golden as to tint your skin, so no worries there. I’ve been using this lotion every day for 1 month now, and not only is my skin the absolute softest it’s ever been. It’s also definitely not been tinted yellow in the least. But I really wanted to be sure about this, which is why I’ve held off putting out this recipe until 30 days had went by....

How does Creamy Garlic Chicken with mashed cauliflower and sautéed mushrooms sound? Pretty yummy right!? It’s one of our new favorite dinners featuring today’s Creamy Cauliflower Mash. Mashed cauliflower is super delicious, and not at all meant to replace mashed potatoes in my mind. This version is extra easy to make because you can use frozen cauliflower rice to eliminate most of the prep work. Sometimes I think we’ve gone a bit too far with cauliflower....

Collagen is reported to be incredible for your skin, hair, and nails. And while I can’t vouch for the part about your nails since I already have fairly strong nails. I can tell you that my hair is much more bouncy, (really it’s hard to explain, but it just has more body and shine to it). But the most obvious change since starting to consume collagen is how much my skin is glowing and smooth....