When I started cutting back on sugar, I thought vanilla milkshakes were out for good. But this version changed everything. It’s naturally sweetened with banana, still thick and delicious, and doesn’t leave me feeling sluggish after. It’s now one of my favorite little “mom treats” in the afternoon. 

I used to think pancakes were off-limits if I wanted to eat healthy.
But when I started learning how to actually fuel my body after 40 — not just restrict or count everything — I realized there’s a way to make comfort foods like pancakes work for me.

These cottage cheese pancakes are high in protei...

Ever have one of those days when it’s so hot you don’t even want to look at the oven? That used to be me every summer in our tiny kitchen — sweaty, flustered, and reaching for whatever frozen treat I could find, even if it meant bright blue popsicles loaded with who-knows-what.

Then I discovered gr...

Back when my kids were little, I used to dream about a 5-minute escape from the chaos — just enough to feel like me again. One summer evening, I started playing around with leftover citrus and a splash of tequila while prepping dinner. What came out of that shaker was sunshine in a glass — tart, swe...

The first time I made this…

It was the beginning of strawberry season, and I’d just picked up a big basket from our local farm stand. 🍓
The kids were begging for shortcake (let’s be honest… me too), but I didn’t want the sugar bomb that usually comes with traditional recipes.

So I played around wi...