Lemon Blueberry Loaf

It’s officially summer today.  What foods remind you of this time of year?  For me, it’s fresh fruit and especially lemons.  I cook with them and use them in my home decor.  Today, it’s all about baking with these fabulous bright yellow citrus treats.  Plus, I’ll even take it one step further and add blueberries because lemons and blueberries are an amazing combination! Everyone says “yum” to a moist cake!  Honestly, I can’t even describe how moist this loaf is.  The cake is lemony and buttery, which pairs perfectly with the tart blueberries. Lemon Blueberry Loaf Recipe (Makes 1 loaf) …

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How To Brew Iced Tea

Iced tea is the perfect refreshing drink for this time of year.  My husband and I actually make it all year long though because we love the taste of it so much.  I used to buy the powdered stuff to make iced tea because I didn’t realize that there was another way to make it…brew style! How do you like your iced tea?  Unsweetened or sweetened?  Black, green, or flavored?  We prefer the standard issue black iced tea, unsweetened.  Of course you can modify this recipe to the tea you prefer and feel free to add sugar if you like …

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Whole Wheat Muffins

I don’t normally buy a box mix to make muffins (not that there is anything wrong with that), but I did tweak these a little just to make it my own.  However, I’ve come to the conclusion that in order to make a healthy muffin (one that is truly healthy) one needs a lot of ingredients, more specifically ingredients that I don’t normally keep in the house.  Instead, I can achieve a great tasting and healthy muffin with the help of Hodgson Mill for a lot less money because it has all the uncommon ingredients in it already. These whole wheat muffins are amazing!  They have …

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Skinny Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shake

I had a craving for a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup.  Who am I kidding, I could always go for one because they are one of my favorite candies.  Sadly, they are not diet friendly.  I’m still on my quest to lose weight so that’s not an option right now.  Since I had the craving, I made the next best thing, a peanut butter and chocolate shake.  In general I refuse to feel guilty for eating something “bad” (all things in moderation, right?), so this is a healthier version of what you’d find at your local ice cream shop because I skipped the …

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Marinara Sauce

Do you call marinara a sauce or a gravy?  You may know it as only one or the other depending on where you live.  I call it sauce.  Gravy is the stuff you put on turkey at Thanksgiving time.     😉 I am half Italian and my Italian grandmother made the best sauce and meatballs.  Of course everyone’s grandma made the best, right?  During summer, my grandpa would grow tons of tomato plants and my grandma would use some of the tomatoes to make her marinara sauce.  It was simply divine.  I tried to get her recipe but sadly I was never …

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