Kitty Deschanel

When we crave ice cream, what comes to mind tends to be an unhealthy, albeit delicious, pint from the grocery store. Unfortunately, even the ones that market themselves as 'wholesome' are often full of chemicals. (I'm looking at you, Bluebell , with your phony baloney almonds.) Great news - it doesn’t have to be this way. Peanut Butter Banana Nice Cream   It looks so indulgent, doesn't it? But this homemade ice cream has a secret... It’s possible to create ice cream, or “nice cream,” out of whole ingredients and make it taste just as good (or better!) than the unhealthy junk from the store. What's a nice cream?   A nice cream is like an ice cream that is healthy. You don't need an ice cream maker and it comes together in minutes. Instead of thickening with cream, nice creams get their thick, creamy texture from frozen fruit. Bananas are the most popular fruit for making nice cream. With fresh bananas and good-for-you ingredients, it won’t leave y

How to Create an Outdoor Meditation Space Confession: I'm skeptical that the woman above is in her yard. I dig her peaceful, zen vibe though. Okay, on to the guest post... Meditation is about finding peace within, even when you’re under a tremendous amount of stress. Sometimes meditation is easy, but sometimes it’s difficult, and we have to concentrate hard in order to get to the place where we feel free and unburdened. Where you choose to meditate is important; the setting should help you find your own inner balance. Outdoor Meditation Space Can I meditate at home? Yes, and if you have a yard, large or small, you can transform it into a meditation oasis using the following tips. Creating a Meditation Space: The Groundwork Survey the outdoor space you have to work with. Is there a part of your yard with shade? A favorite plant with a pleasant scent? If you don’t live alone, remember that your garden will be used by others, so find a spot where you can be on your own.

This reader-favorite recipe is *almost* as popular as my Cake Mix Cookie Bars recipe .  When making Cake Mix pancakes , the scrumptious possibilities are endless. Red Velvet cake mix pancakes. Chocolate cake mix pancakes. Butter Pecan cake mix pancakes. Funfetti cake mix pancakes. (Yes, Funfetti cake mix pancakes!) With this 2-ingredient recipe, you can turn your favorite cake mix into your favorite pancakes. Pancake making at its finest. Cake Mix Pancakes Personally, I think my funny napkin is the icing on the (pan)cake. It's Sunday morning and you're planning to do all the things today - scrub those grody baseboards, polish your quartz countertop that was supposed to be low maintenance but actually isn't at all, sort through the disaster that is the freezer.  While on your superhuman kick, you think I'm going to make my family pancakes for breakfast. Not just any pancakes - the best pancakes ever. I may even serve them as breakfast in bed! You pu

How I Lost 8 Pounds Without Dieting or Exercising Today, I have the easiest weight loss tip ever to share with you. I've never been overweight, but now that I'm in my late 30s, the scale has been creeping up year after year and it has seemed impossible to drop even one pound and keep it off.  Our Alaskan cruise a few years ago really did me in - I jumped from 118 pounds to 124 and never lost an ounce. (Remember my blog post, Eating Our Way Through Alaska ? Yeah, I may have gotten carried away. I love meringue!) There wasn't much in my lifestyle to improve. We don't buy soda. I shop from the produce section more than anywhere else in the store and we eat home-cooked meals almost daily. Fad diets worked as a temporary solution, but the weight would quickly come right back. Lately, my scale has been hitting 130. 130! I haven't gotten any taller since weighing 118 a few years ago. (Wouldn't that be nice?)  My weight gain was unacceptable but I had no idea how