Coconut Coolers

Summer makes me crave allll of the coconut recipes. coconut lime sugar cookies, coconut pie oats, creamy coconut zoodles, etc. Gimme all of them! One of my favorite cocktails are my Coconut Margaritas. I wanted to make a new coconut drink that was a little lighter and could be made without alcohol for the kids. These Coconut Coolers were exactly what I wanted! And even better? You don’t have to drag out the blender to mix these up!

These coolers couldn’t be easier to make and only require a few simple ingredients! All you need is a can of coconut milk, some cream of coconut, lime juice, and club soda! Because cream of coconut has added sugar, I did not add additional sweetener, however, if you are serving these to kids or if you prefer more sweetness, you can stir in some sugar or even honey or agave.

On their own, these are perfect for summer sipping and will satisfy your pina colada cravings without all the added calories and sugar. If you want to add booze, add a couple of splashes of rum or vanilla vodka!

Homemade English Muffins

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s June Dairy Month and to celebrate, Safeway is giving back to local schools in 2020 by donating $1,000 to the school of your choice located in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Texas. They will be donating $50,000 total! For more details on this wonderful promotion, read below.

And did you know another great way to celebrate June Dairy Month is with butter?! Butter makes this world a better place, let’s be honest.

One of my most favorite breakfast indulgences of all time is a toasted English muffin with a generous smear of butter and some scrambled eggs. This is truly my perfect breakfast!

Chocolate Banana Bread

Making banana bread has become a part of my weekly food prep routine. The girls love to snack on it during the day and I also love to grab an occasional slice when I have a sweet tooth.

I decided to mix up a slightly more decadent version of my usual banana bread base recipe by adding chocolate! Cocoa powder in the batter and chocolate chips make this banana bread feel extra special. My girls were so excited when I gave them a slice because they thought it was chocolate cake!

I know people hate this word, but this chocolate banana bread is so moist! This is thanks to an extra egg, but also sour cream! Sour cream is glorious in cakes and breads and if you haven’t tried adding it, it’s a must! If you don’t have sour cream, you can also use milk (any milk will do). I also prefer to use brown sugar over white sugar in my banana breads. The molasses also adds moisture.

This recipe takes under 10 minutes to mix up and smells glorious while baking. Enjoy it for breakfast or as a sweet treat with some tea or coffee. I always like to freeze some of my banana bread too so it stays fresher longer! You can also bake this recipe into muffins if you would prefer.

The Best Broccoli Salad

It’s the unofficial start to summer and while I’m not quite sure what this summer will be like this year, I know that I still plan to make all of my favorite summer dishes either way! This Broccoli Salad has been a summer fave of mine for a long time and I can’t believe I haven’t shared it yet!

My version is based off the more classic version of this salad, but I like to add a little sour cream instead of just mayonnaise in my dressing. If you want to make this salad lighter, use Greek yogurt in place of the mayo or sour cream. I also prefer not to add dried cranberries or other dried fruits. I prefer my salads to not be sweet. Of course, if you want to add them, go ahead!

I also like to add green peas to mine as an extra dose of veggies. My version also includes diced red onion, diced colby jack cheese, and BACON! The bacon is a must for me! I love the added crunch and plus, it’s bacon! Lots of other versions also include chopped nuts or sunflower seeds. I didn’t have any on hand, but if you want to add some chopped cashews, pecans, or almonds, they are also great in this recipe!

Easy Peanut Noodles

I’ve been craving peanut noodles and Pad Thai lately, but since we are trying to limit take out, I whipped up my own and these Easy Peanut Noodles hit the spot!

I used linguine because that is what I had in my pantry. If you have rice noodles, you can use those. Spaghetti also will work. Basically, any long-cut noodle you can get your hands on!

I added red and green bell peppers. You can add other veggies like broccoli and peas too. If you want to make these to be a more substantial meal, add protein like shrimp, beef, or chicken (or even tofu)!

For the sauce, you will need natural creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, a bit of hot water, and rice vinegar. Using hot water when you mix the sauce helps the peanut butter melt easier. I didn’t add any thickeners as the peanut butter made the sauce thick enough. If it seems too thick, you can add more water.

I didn’t have any on hand, but a few teaspoons of sriacha would also be yummy if you like a bit of heat!

Air Fryer Zucchini Fries

My grandma used to pan fry lightly breaded zucchini as a side dish when I was a kid and it was truly one of my favorite sides to eat! So simple, but it was just tasty. Isn’t that how most Grandma recipes are anyway?

I’ve been loving my air fryer and thought it would be yummy to give my childhood favorite a healthier and lower carb makeover!

These fries are not breaded in regular flour or bread crumbs, but rather a mixture of almond flour and grated Parmesan cheese. I love the added flavor all the Parmesan adds to these! And as you can see from the photos, look how perfectly crispy they turned out to be!