This post was sponsored by ALDI as part of Influencer Activation for Influence Central.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you all how excited I was that ALDI has arrived to Southern California. I got so many great things at such great prices! In addition to the many staple items that I use on a daily and/or weekly basis, I got many of my favorite fresh foods for summer. Today, I want to share a special meal I made with high-quality ALDI ingredients, featuring my delicious homemade pepper jack cheese sauce! (more…)

I received product and compensation from Foster Farms® to create this post. All experiences and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Since my daughter started transitioning from formula to solids, I’ve been really vigilant about what she eats. I’m all about buying the most natural foods possible for her to try out, and in the process of feeding her this way I’ve been eating a lot healthier too. We love eating local foods, including fruits and vegetables from our local farmer’s market, and Foster Farms® fresh chicken products sold in California, which are locally grown in California. (more…)

A while back I wrote a post about how to make pickled beets. I love pickled beets. I like eating them plain, but…I had a HUGE jar of them leftover. And you can only eat so many plain pickled beets…am I right? I was inspired to make this beet, goat cheese, and pistachio salad by a restaurant called The Purple Pig. (more…)

Fall is my favorite season for many reasons: Halloween, Thanksgiving, everything pumpkin spice flavor, and of course, football! I really love getting together with my family and friends and watching my favorite football teams play every week. Because I want to spend less time in the kitchen, and more time with my family and friends, these “grown-up” pizza bites are a great dish for football season, and the perfect way to #FallForFlavor. (more…)

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the SPLENDA® Brand. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All opinions and reviews are my own.

Summer is finally here, and with that comes lots of barbecues, decadent fair food, and LOTS of birthdays in my family (we have 3 in August alone!). To balance out all the eating at these events I try to make smarter choices, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away in the parking lot at the store, and being more mindful of the ingredients I use in recipes. Today I’ll show you how I got active with some friends and reduced the added sugar in an easy tiramisu recipe by swapping out full sugar for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products. (more…)

I’ve never been a big fan of mayonnaise-based salads. Now don’t get me wrong, I like mayonnaise on my sandwiches, on my burgers, even on my hot dogs sometimes. But too much mayonnaise in my potato salad or macaroni salad, and… I just can’t. One day though, out of nowhere, I suddenly started craving macaroni salad. But again, I didn’t want it to be too mayonnaise-y. So I decided to DIY my own macaroni. And surprisingly, the “do it yourself” aspect of the DIY was pretty simple – I created this macaroni salad pretty easily.

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Hey, everybody! Today I want to share a recipe with you that features one of my very favorite ingredients…wait for it…wait for it… BACON! Yes, you all know how I love bacon, so when I decided to try my hand at cooking my own refried beans, you know I had to add in some bacon. (more…)

Who doesn’t love Rice Krispie treats, right? I’d say they’re probably one of the most favorite desserts out there for kids and adults alike! Why? Because they’re easy to make, and they’re super delicious! I took classic Rice Krispies treats and put a spin on them with my own mint Oreo Rice Krispie treats recipe. (more…)

It’s Pi Day! Do you know what Pi Day is? It falls on March 14 every year because the date is 3/14 or 3.14 AKA the first three digits of Pi. This year is an extra special Pi Day because 3/14/15 are the first FIVE digits of Pi. And if you wanted to go even further, 3/14/15 at 9:26 is the ULTIMATE Pi moment. So, what better way to celebrate such a monumental Pi Day than with pie?! (more…)