Spring Veggie "Pizza" Muffins

Topped with cream cheese & roasted seasonal vegetables, these easy to make Spring Veggie "Pizza" Muffins come together in just 30 minutes...

This post is sponsored by Thomas' English Muffins & Megaphone. All opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

Thomas' English Muffins have been a part of my family's breakfast table for years now. We serve them with butter alongside eggs and bacon. Sometimes I toast them up & serve them with various jams or jellies on the side. And we all know that Thomas English Muffins make the perfect base for a tasty egg & sausage breakfast sandwich. 

But have you ever thought beyond the breakfast table when it comes to your favorite variety of Thomas' English Muffins? ;)

Recently Thomas' English Muffins challenged me to head to my local Walmart, purchase my favorite variety of their English Muffins, & do just that- to create a couple of non-breakfast recipes perfect for spring & summertime. 

Since fresh spring veggies are in season now, I wanted to come with a quick & easy lunch recipe using the Light Multi-Grain English Muffins & my favorite spring vegetables. These Spring Veggie "Pizza" Muffins are loaded with lots of seasonal veggies & come together in just 30 minutes...

Blueberry Almond Chia Smoothie

Boasting both anti-inflammatory & healing properties, this thick & creamy Blueberry Almond Chia Smoothie is just what your body needs to recover after a good sweat session...

I was provided with a copy of The Protein Smoothie Bible for review. I was not compensated for this post in any other way. All opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own. This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

For the past few months, I have been making a conscious effort to get to the gym more, to get back into my yoga practice, & to really pay attention to just what it is that I am putting into my body. Call it a gradual epiphany of realizing that I really needed to focus a little more time on bettering myself & my health following my divorce. Once the dust had settled & my world had calmed down a little, I was finally able to get back to me.

And it isn't just about getting back to a healthier version of myself for me. It is also about becoming the best version of myself for both my son & my daughter. Sometimes having to start a new chapter in your life will inspire you to make the changes for the better that you have been putting off.

One of the first steps I took when I decided to take back charge of my health was to incorporate more healthy smoothies into my diet. Smoothies are a fantastic & easy way to pack in most of your daily requirements of fresh veggies & fruits. I usually start most of my mornings each week with a vitamin & protein packed green smoothie. 

Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls

These Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls combine tart lemon with delicate lavender making them the perfect addition to a spring weekend brunch...

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

For years, lavender has been one of my favorite scents as far as aromatherapy goes. I buy candles perfumed with its scent. I have a bottle of lavender-vanilla lotion that always sits on my bedside table. And when I am feeling stressed, I pour myself a nice warm bath, drop in a lavender scented bath bomb of some sort, & soak away my worries for a little bit.

What I haven't done, but what I have been wanting to try for months now is to start using more lavender in my culinary creations. It all started with an amazingly refreshing lavender lemonade I had at a cute little bakery in Corning, New York last fall. I had just never really thought about using lavender for anything else other than stress-relieving aromatherapy. It was a light bulb moment.

Fast forward about 6 months later, and I found myself browsing Amazon on the search for culinary grade lavender to start experimenting with in the kitchen. (Note: Make sure that the lavender you purchase is for culinary use & not ornamental!) I decided on a bag of USDA Organic Lavender Flowers & added it to my cart. Then I started brainstorming possible recipe ideas! 

I knew for my first recipe using lavender, I wanted to recreate that lemon & lavender flavor combination that I had loved so much while sipping on that lemonade in the Finger Lakes. The result? These perfect for spring Lemon Lavender Sweet Rolls...

5 Fun Ways with Ice Cream This Summer

Think outside the cone & turn up the fun with these 5 Fun Ways with Ice Cream This Summer...

This post is sponsored by Moose Tracks Ice Cream.

I don't know about you all, but I am getting just a little bit excited that summer is just around the corner. Summertime means long days poolside, backyard BBQ's, summer vacations, & of course- ice cream! Summer is definitely ice cream season. What better way to cool off on a hot summer day than with a fun ice cream treat? :)

My family & I have recently discovered all the delicious flavors of Moose Tracks Ice Cream just in time for the summer. With so many flavors & varieties to choose from at all of our favorite retailers, each member of my family is sure to find the flavor (or flavors!) of Moose Tracks that they will love all summer long. (CLICK HERE to see which of your favorite Moose Tracks flavors are offered at retailers near you.)

While you can never go wrong with a scoop on a cone or in a cup , I like to make ice cream a little more fun during the summertime. Both of the kiddos are home from school for the summer, and it is time to turn up the fun!

Here are 5 ways to make Moose Tracks Ice Cream just a little more fun this summer...

20 Farmers Market Inspired Recipes for Spring

From breakfast recipes to appetizers to desserts & everything else in between, these 20 Farmers Market Inspired Recipes for Spring will have you racing off to your next local farmers market ASAP...

One of my favorite things about spring is that everything comes alive & my local farmers market starts to brim with fresh garden goodness again. Everything from asparagus to ramps to bright leafy greens & sweet strawberries. Springtime is also when my local farmers market goes from a once a month thing to a weekly happening, so I am always on the lookout for more market inspired recipes to use those locally sourced & harvested veggies, herbs, and berries in. 

Once again, my food blogger friends did not disappoint when I put out the call for their favorite farmers market inspired recipes for springtime. I literally combed through hundreds of recipes to narrow it down to just these twenty. From breakfast recipes to appetizers to desserts & everything else in between, these bright & fresh recipes will have you racing off to your next local farmers market ASAP...

Strawberry Lemon Drop Martini

This refreshing Strawberry Lemon Drop Martini is bursting with the flavors of fresh strawberries & tart lemon...

Who else could use a good, strong cocktail this weekend? Maybe some of you all are scrambling to get your taxes finished up over the weekend to make that Monday deadline. Or maybe the kids' spring break has just started, and you are already pulling your hair out. Or maybe you have recently delved into the world of online dating & need a drink or two to get you through the swiping. (Raises hand.) No matter your reason, this tasty Strawberry Lemon Drop Martini is just what the doctor ordered. 

Can we just chat about that latter reason for a quick second though? ;) For those of you who haven't picked up on it yet or just don't know, my husband and I got a divorce this past year. I won't go into too many of the sorted details of all of that, but I will tell you that the entire thing caught me off guard and totally shook up my world for a while. I am just now starting to find my footing again and am ready to move on & forward, so naturally I decided to sign myself up for a couple of online dating apps just to test the waters. 

Let's just say the waters haven't been all that warm & friendly so far. Maybe I am too picky (ain't nothing wrong with that, you all!) or maybe it is just because of where I live, but I haven't really made any real connections so far. What I have managed to make though is a few entertaining observations about men's dating profiles from the ones I have come across so far...

The 5 Best Hikes in West Virginia for Amazing Views

Many of the best hiking trails in West Virginia lead to some of the most scenic vistas on the East Coast. Here are the 5 Best Hikes in West Virginia for Amazing Views...

Spring has arrived, and I am ready to break free of this serious case of cabin fever that I have and get back out there on the hiking trails! Hiking is something that I decided to take up a few years back as part of my journey to a healthier lifestyle. Hiking also happened to come with the bonus perk of becoming a great way for my then teenage son & I to connect & bond over our shared love for nature & outdoor photography.

With so many great hiking trails within a 3 hour drive of us, it can be hard to narrow down our list of must-do hikes each spring. summer, & fall. But one thing I always look for is the reward of completing our hike. Sometimes that reward is a cascading waterfall. Or maybe some out of the way, abandoned ruins. But my favorite reward after a long or challenging hike is a breathtaking view. 

And when it comes to hiking trails that lead to the best views, you just can't beat West Virginia hiking. In fact, many of the best hiking trails in West Virginia lead to some of the most amazing scenic vistas on the East Coast. Views that are most definitely worth breaking out the panoramic mode on your camera for...