First stop on our tour: The Colosseum! Able to seat 50,000 fans, the Colosseum was built in A.D. 80 to host gladiator contests and public events. Like I said in my previous post, Rome has literally built itself up around the ancient ruins scattered throughout the city and the Colosseum is no different. One minute you’re walking down the street, cars & mopeds whizzing by, then all the sudden you see it....
In case you’re a newer reader, Ben and I have been coming to Colorado almost every year for the past seven years (recaps at the bottom of this post if you’re looking for some vacation ideas!) My younger brother lives there so we enjoy spending time with him on his own turf, plus we just love everything Colorado has to offer. Good food, the great outdoors, and…fountains. I’ll get to that in a bit....
Published 3/21/2021 Baked oatmeal is my favorite way to eat oatmeal because it’s almost like eating cake for breakfast. Baked oatmeal is a great make-ahead breakfast idea that takes no time to reheat when you’re ready to eat. What is Baked Oatmeal? Baked oatmeal is a method of cooking oatmeal where you combine rolled oatmeal with eggs and milk to create a muffin or cake-like breakfast bake. The texture is like a hearty bread or muffin and it’s so good topped with your favorite toppings such as peanut butter, honey, and fresh berries....
My husband and I recently had the opportunity to sneak away for a parents-only vacation in Kansas City and decided to grab kidless cocktails after arriving on what felt like of the hottest day I’ve ever experienced in my life. The house-made Sangria on the menu immediately caught my eye. Refreshing, lightly sweetened, and full of fresh fruit, it sounded like just the thing to cool off with and relax....
I meal planned for the first time in what feels like forever this week and it’s made such a difference in how our afternoon/early evenings have gone. Not only did the little boys and I have extra time to play or go on a walk after naps since I wasn’t staring inside the refrigerator waiting for inspiration to strike, but I was also able to try a few new recipes instead of our ol’ standbys, like Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chicken Enchilada Skillet which got a really, REALLY good rating from all three of my guys....
Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen whole chickens next to the packages of chicken breasts at the grocery store and loved the price, but had no idea what to do with it? Maybe you waved it off saying “next time” or even purchased a rotisserie chicken instead. Well I’m going to show you how EASY it is to make your own roast chicken with just three ingredients plus a cast iron skillet....
Published 3/31/2023 • Updated 10/23/2023 Collagen peptides are something that I’ve been incorporating into my daily nutrition since pregnancy. Today we’re talking all things collagen peptides, plus sharing our go-to recipe that we always have in the studio freezer. What is collagen? Collagen is part of the makeup of animal bone, cartilage, and skin. Collagen peptides are broken-down pieces of whole collagen and have many benefits when ingested. (source)...
My husband and I tend to hit the same restaurants over and over again here in town, so we tried to think of somewhere new to us to dine a few weekends ago. We ended up at Bonefish Grill – bonk! ;) Although it’s a chain, it was truly delicious and I was excited to try their famous Bang Bang Shrimp. What ended up blowing us away though? Their Grill Pan Asian-Glazed Shrimp....
Recently I scrolled past a TikTok from a husband’s POV showing him arriving home from work to see his wife has dinner ready and waiting in the crock pot. He promptly dropped to the floor and tried crawling back out the door. I about fell out of my chair (many of the commenters did not, which I understand!) As a recipe creator though, I got a kick out of it because crock pot recipes CAN be kind of gloopy, boring, and bland with no texture or color....
Published 11/18/2020 A Breakfast that Serves a Crowd Whenever my family gets together for the holidays (or any time of year!) we love cooking together. I’m usually in charge of breakfast because I’m always the first one up. You know what they say, the early bird catches the worm…or makes breakfast for the whole family! I’ve been making breakfast for my family since I was about 5 years old. I was the first one awake back then, too....
Published 9/17/2024 While this banana smoothie extremely simple and made with only 5 ingredients, I’ve made so many variations of this smoothie and can safely say this is one of the tastiest smoothie recipes on Fit Foodie Finds! There is something wonderful about the creaminess of frozen bananas. We use them quite often as a smoothie base and that’s exactly what we did for this delicious smoothie. This banana smoothie recipe is truly a 5-minute meal....
Published 11/6/2020 • Updated 11/14/2020 What is Ratatouille? Is ratatouille a dish or a movie! It’s both! The dish ratatouille is a french dish that is a mixture of stewed vegetables that usually consists of vegetables like eggplant, yellow or green squash, onions, and a tomato sauce! Some people make ratatouille into an actual stew (or soup) dish and some people bake it in a casserole dish! We went the casserole dish route and OMG is it delicious!...
Published 3/5/2022 Simple Lemon Pasta Salad Spring is in the air and we’re in full-on salad mode over here. Whether it’s our hearty Nicoise salad, our light, and fresh spring mix salad, or a yummy lemon pasta salad, we’re team salad! This lemon pasta salad is such a great way to make a dish to serve a crowd and also pack in the veggies and herbs at the same time....
It’s a well known fact that nachos are my favorite food. My kids know it. The internet knows it. It doesn’t get more official than that. In our younger years, Ben and I even went on a lengthy Tour de Nacho around town, searching for the very best of what central Iowa had to offer in terms of chips, cheese, and all the fixins’. Spoiler alert: any place using nacho cheese sauce was immediately placed at the top of the list....
Published 6/24/2023 Easy Grilled Broccoli Recipe Sure, steamed broccoli, air fryer broccoli, or roasted broccoli taste great and all… but have you tried GRILLING broccoli? It’s a game-changer. It may sound more complicated than the other options, but it’s actually a super easy cooking method that’ll take your broccoli-eating experience to a whole other level. For seasoning the broccoli, we opted for olive oil, salt, and black pepper. The result is a delectable blend of charred flavors that enhance the natural taste of broccoli in every bite....
Published 7/28/2021 • Updated 3/17/2024 In this post, we’ll teach you how to make marinara sauce, what to do with it, and how to store it. Marinara Sauce = Favorite Red Sauce Spaghetti and meatballs were on the menu at least once a week in my house growing up. My Italian mother grew up eating delicious Italian/American foods and a marinara sauce was high on the list of favorites. While we can’t claim this as an authentic marinara sauce, we can claim it as an easy marinara sauce inspired by my Italian grandmother that you can make at home!...
Published 12/13/2021 • Updated 6/24/2022 Chicken and Dumplings in the Slow Cooker This slow cooker chicken and dumplings is a completely homemade version of a classic recipe. So many classic chicken and dumpling recipes are made with cream of chicken soup and canned dumpling dough. Not his recipe! We make homemade dumplings and a delicious thick and creamy base. You won’t ever go back to a semi-homemade version of chicken and dumplings again....
Have you ever cut into a beef enchilada at your go-to Mexican spot, dug into a taco salad from your favorite diner, or bit into a loose-meat sandwich from Maid Rite (tell me you’re from the Midwest without telling me) and thought to yourself: “How do they get the beef so soft and finely-textured?” Because when I brown ground beef in a skillet at home the result is fine, but the beef isn’t extremely tender nor does it have a super fine, almost creamy texture....
Published 8/29/2022 Homemade Cold Brew Did you know that cold brew coffee is super easy to make? There are only two simple steps (steep + filter) that you need to take before you will have yourself a big glass of cold brew. There are a few tips and tricks between those two steps that will make homemade cold brew in the comfort of your own home easy and delicious....
Published 2/22/2024 We love starting the day off with a cup of coffee and a little something sweet, too. Check out some of our favorite morning sweets like our amazing oatmeal recipes or maple cinnamon rolls! Nothing beats a good, strong cup of coffee in the morning. Using a French press coffee maker is easier than you think. All you need is some boiling water, coarse ground coffee, a French press, and you’re set to go....
