Cupcakes & Coffee Breaks

Migraines have been an unwelcome guest in my life since I was about seven years old. Back when I was a kid, you were allowed to play outside all day with the neighborhood kids (which I hear is frowned upon in the age of helicopter parenting), which is what I was doing when the headache set in. With all the resilience of a second grader who was on summer break, I ignored it as best as I could, until I went inside, not feeling well and needing to lie down. I don't remember much about the rest of the night. I do remember that the horrible headache would come back time and time again. The pain has always been on one side of my head, and would radiate from behind my eye, through half of my nose, half of my forehead, and the roof of my mouth or teeth, usually with the bonus of nausea and vomiting. As a child with parents who also suffered from migraines, the suggestions for ice packs, heating pads, dark rooms, etc., were readily available. To me, logic fol...

Like the rest of the recipes I've posted lately, this one is an attempt to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. I used to think that eating well had to be all or nothing. You either threw away the entire day stuffing your face with bacon cheese fries, or you subsisted on veggies and broth. There was no in between! I spent a good portion of last year counting calories, and what I found out was that couldn't be farther from the truth. So during a time of year that we associate with indulgence, it's the perfect  time to try and balance things out with lots of vegetables, proteins, and good-for-you fats. That's where this crustless quiche has got you covered. It's cheesy. It has bacon. It's packed with vegetables and protein. And it's SO EASY to make. Crustless Savory Breakfast Quiche with Veggies and Bacon Ingredients 6 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 bell pepper 1/2-1 cup of s...

One of the easiest, healthy dinners that I have found is homemade ramen. Is it authentic ramen? I have no clue. But is it tasty, easy to make gluten free, and a great way to pack a few servings of vegetables into the end of your day ? Absolutely! Taking that a step further, I decided to give it a try by using mostly spiralized zucchini. I've really been trying to get more veggies into my diet, and this seemed like the perfect way to incorporate them. I did add a small handful of pad thai rice noodles, just in case the squash zoodles were a flop, but I think it actually would have been fine with squash noodles only. They were really good, and really absorbed the flavor of the broth! Ramen Zoodles Ingredients 4 zucchini, spiralized 5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped 8 oz sliced mushrooms 6 cups of water 1 tbsp chicken or beef boullion 4 tbsp gluten free soy sauce Sriracha (optional) pad thai rice noodles (optional), soaked...

Painted pumpkins may be past their prime, but it's still pumpkin season as far as I'm concerned. Today's recipe is brought to you by none other than the familiar orange gourd, and a small serving of swiss cheese. I had originally planned to make this parmesan pumpkin soup , which is a sure winner, but as it turns out, I was all out of parmesan cheese. Cheddar was an option, but it just didn't feel... right. I'm a little over adding cheddar cheese to everything right now, so I wanted to switch it up. I had a little bit of shredded swiss cheese, which is great because you only need a little to get that nice strong flavor. Here is my simple soup recipe. I hope you enjoy it! Black Pepper & Swiss Pumpkin Soup Ingredients 1 can of pumpkin puree 2 cups chicken stock (or water and chicken boullion) 1/2 cup of shredded swiss cheese, plus extra for garnish 1 tsp of thyme dash of smoked paprika b...

The holidays are here, and that means lots of hosting. Maybe you have family in town, and you need to cook much larger meals than you usually would. Well lucky you, I tested this fuss free breakfast recipe for a crowd at a birthday brunch, and it's a winner! I'm a big fan of sheet pan recipes, which is why I love these sheet pancakes . You can bake all of your pancakes at once, so that you don't need to spend all of that time flipping them at the stove. The sheet pancakes are step one. Would they be able to stand on their own with a few scrambled eggs and slices of bacon on the side? Sure! But why be so basic when you can mix your sweet and savory together for an easy breakfast recipe for a crowd (or just your family... I won't judge)? Plus, making it into a sandwich saves you from needing to wash all of those utensils after breakfast. The premise is simple: bake or make all of your pieces of the perfect sandwich-- and d...

I've always liked mustard with fish. I had it growing up, and thought this was a common thing, but according to my husband this is not the case. Weird or not? I'll let you decide. There's no better to try it than with this super simple, gluten-free optional, mustard panko crusted flounder. However it came about, I decided to incorporate that mustard flavor into this flounder recipe to make it look a little more appealing, and to incorporate a few great, simple flavors and textures. The measurements are all approximate, and this recipe is easy enough to have on your table in about 20 minutes, tops! Mustard Panko Crusted Flounder 4 flounder fillets , thawed 2 tbsp yellow mustard thyme , to taste 2 tbsp gluten free panko breadcrumbs (I used gluten free, but there is no reason regular would not work if you are not eating gluten free) Instructions Start by greasing a baking pan, and preheat th...

This week, I was tasked with creating a birthday cake. But not just any birthday cake-- oh no-- a magical mermaid and unicorn birthday cake! Now, my experience with fondant is limited. And by limited, I mean, this was my first attempt at making fondant for any reason. I had taken the day off of work already, and thank God I did, because this took hours. Maybe it's just because I'm truly a beginner, but never again will I balk at the price of a professionally made cake. I used a few different recipes for the cake, frosting, and fondant. I wanted a bright pastel color scheme, so I used Neon Food Coloring . Perfect Buttercream Frosting by Chef in Training Milk and Cookies Cake , cake recipe only, using gluten free baking flour as a substitute, by Liv for Cake Marshmallow Fondant   by the Bearfoot Baker I needed about 3/4 of the whole marshmallow fondant recipe (or a little over the 1/2 batch), 2 rounds of the cake batter, and 3 ba...

There are three things that can divide a room unlike anything else: politics, religion, and opinion of Brussels sprouts. Some say they are delicious. Countless others turn up their noses. Some meet the leafy, cruciferous vegetables with a resounding "meh". Maybe you fit into one of the above three categories. Or maybe you think Brussels are okay, but are never prepared so that they are juuust right. Well, today is your day, my friend, because I have the perfect Brussels sprouts recipe and it is SO EASY that you will wonder why you never did it before. The best part? It takes MAYBE ten minutes max! The key is to start with fresh vegetables. For too long I had relied on the steam-in-a-bag kind of brussels sprouts, and I am not knocking conveniently packaged foods by any means, but the fresh Brussels take it to the next level. I've been ordering my groceries from Jet.com, and the fresh Brussels come in a perfect portion for my family of three. Plus...

The husband and I just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary together. To commemorate the occasion, he, genius that he is, had the idea for a pizza competition. Luckily we had some gluten free personal pizza sized crusts already, and used our imaginations to put our pizza making skills to the test. While he was a close second, we both determined that my original creation had the edge, and I took home the prize! So now I'm going to share it with you. I made a personal sized pizza, but the I definitely had leftover ingredients. This will assume you have a regular large sized pizza crust, but you can break it up as needed. I always  use gluten free ingredients for my own needs, but you can obviously very easily use the regular versions if you aren't restricted. The gouda is optional if you just don't have it, but the prosciutto is worth springing for. Trust me. Award Winning Garlic Parmesan Mac and Cheese Pizza Ingredients 1 pizza crust, pre mad...

I'm a chronic over sharer, and one of the experiences that people feign interest in  are interested in more than any other is my experience with LASIK eye surgery. Just this year, I went through the surgery for the second time, and both of my experiences were different in some ways, so I thought it might be helpful to share. My first experience with LASIK from 2012 can be found here . That post was imported from an old blog, so please forgive any weird experiences or formatting issues. Why Did I Need LASIK Twice? You know those warnings about not looking at the sun? Well, there was an eclipse and my Amazon order for eclipse glasses was cancelled, so I decided to risk it. Just kidding. For some reason or another, my vision changed over the four year period following my surgery. Blame it on pregnancy, staring at a computer screen, or just unfortunate biology, but I started having difficulty doing things like seeing the television from the across the room, r...

It's fall, and all types of squash are in season. Pumpkins and butternut squash are plentiful, and while squash is easily roasted, there is something about soup that just screams "Fall". Plus, it's a filling meal in one easy dish. Did I mention it's great for you, packed with nutrients, low calorie, and super filling? A perfect balance to all of that Halloween candy you've been sneaking from your child's trick or treat basket. When I set out to make this soup, I found a bunch of soup recipes that were all very similar to each other. Trust me, I know that pumpkin soup is great with cinnamon, but I was looking for something a little more savory, with a flavor that didn't depend on throwing chopped bacon on it. This is what I came up with. The smoky flavor of the paprika paired with the light sweetness of the vegetables is excellent, and the cheddar cheese takes it to the next level. It's the perfect fall comfort food...

It's not quite holiday time, which means that people like me are already in the full swing of holiday planning. When the weather gets cold, you're going to want this red wine nutella hot chocolate recipe. It's SO easy, and it tastes just like red velvet cake. But in a mug. You only need a splash of wine to get the flavor (but I won't tell if you add a little extra-- hey! It's almost the holidays). Red Wine Nutella Hot Chocolate Ingredients 3/4 of a mug of milk 1 tbsp nutella (plus more for lining the edge of the cup if desired) 2 tsp hot cocoa mix splash red wine Line your mug with nutella if desired. Add milk and the scoop of nutella. Microwave for 1 minute until hot. Add hot cocoa mix and stir until dissolved. Add a splash of wine and stir. Enjoy, preferably in a warm sweatshirt next to a bonfire on a chilly fall night under the stars.  It really is that simple, and so delicious! Perfect for a chill...

I always try to incorporate vegetables that are in season into our family dinners. It helps cut costs, and it keeps things interesting. This beef stew is heavy on the vegetables. I'm trying to reduce carbs and calories, so this is heavy on the veggies, but I'm sure it would be lovely with potatoes as well. Plus, slow cooker, crockpot, whatever you want it to call it, just throw everything in and come home to a hot, delicious meal at the end of the day. Working parent win! Slow Cooker Autumn Beef Stew Ingredients 1 lb of beef stew meat (a roast would be fine as well) 4-6 carrots, chopped 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into chunks 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 cups beef stock (or use beef boullion and water) 2 tsp herbs de provence 1 tbsp sundried tomato pesto The instructions are simple: throw everything into the pot and give it a stir! Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6. If you're home durin...

If you've seen my post about  Peachy Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes , you already know how I feel about sheet pan recipes. These sheet pancakes pull together all the goodness of regular pancakes, plus the ease of a casserole-- no more standing at the stove flipping batter! UPDATE: These make a great breakfast sandwich -- perfect for a crowd! If you have not checked out that recipe, I recommend you check it out , as this is a significant improvement over an adaptation of the first. Since it's fall, and we have been doing all the fall things-- like a family pumpkin painting day, and trying to brave the fall festivals even though it's unexpectedly hot-- these pancakes bring a taste of fall with apples, cinnamon, maple syrup and bacon. Yum! Read on for the recipe. Apple Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes Ingredients: 1 cup gluten free bisquick 2 tbsp cooking oil of choice, plus a little for greasing the pan 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus extra for...

Sometimes you have a craving for something cheesy and delicious, and only a good old fashioned, American cheeseburger will do. But sometimes, your waistline says, "easy on the burgers", or you need to eat gluten free and don't have any gluten free burgers buns on hand.  In those cases, these cheeseburger spring rolls are here to save the day. Luckily, they are completely customizable and up to the challenge of satisfying your burger cravings. Plus, I'm firmly of the belief that if you take a comfort food classic and make it smaller and dippable, you can't lose!  Serve them up with a side of roasted carrot "fries"-- note, the fries won't exactly fool you into thinking they are actual french fries, but they did  have my toddler uttering the phrase, "More carrots, please?" Sold? Then read on for the recipes! Cheeseburger Spring Rolls Makes about 8 spring rolls. Ingredients...