- Author: Melissa -

Hi there! I'm Melissa & I am a firm believer in taking cookies out of the oven 2 minutes under the recommended cooking time. I also love to travel, cook, shop, craft, and live an all around positive lifestyle. Come say hi!
Breakfast, Holiday Eats, Recipe Box, Sides, Snacking, Sweet Tooth

Low-Fat Yogurt Holiday Bark

November 12, 2014 by

As many of you know, dessert is my favorite food group. If I could, I would make chocolate 90% of my daily diet. I am constantly trying out ways to help curb my sweets cravings in different, healthy ways. Now that the weather is turning into boots and scarf season, my holiday spirit has cranked way up. I have caught the baking bug, and my kitchen is already beginning to overflow with holiday treats! It probably comes at no surprise that holiday bark is one of my favorite snacks this time of year. What’s not to love about candy layered over chocolate? I’ll be making some closer to December time, but in the meantime, I created a healthy substitute! Let me introduce you to my latest obsession: Low-Fat Yogurt Bark! Similar to the typical…

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Dinner, Lunch, My Life, Recipe Box

Turkey Veggie Stuffed Peppers- Low Carb!

November 8, 2014 by

The other night, I went to the gym after work, came home starving, and stared blankly into the fridge. I’m trying not to waste any food, so that means I’ve been grocery shopping less so that I don’t end up throwing out food. This was one of those times where I was in between grocery hauls and had minimal dinner options, so I had to improvise. I had thawed ground turkey, a few veggies, and that was about it. I considered pasta but I’m attempting to cut down on carbs, and then stuffed peppers came to mind! Stuffed peppers are one of those staple, easy, go-to meals. You can switch it up with what you have on hand, and I love those kinds of recipes! This recipe makes 6 peppers, but I only had…

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Book Reviews, My Life

What I’m Reading: Gone Girl Review

November 6, 2014 by

Buy the book here! I love reading. Have you ever watched Gilmore Girls? Well, I turn into a little “green eyed monster” when thinking of Rory’s book collection. I love exploring old book stores, reading Amazon and Barnes and Noble reviews… I even enjoy the smell of books. Is that weird? Tell me I’m not alone here! Throughout college, being an English major with a concentration in Business Professional Writing & Editing, it’s safe to assume that I read. A lot. A lot, a lot. To the point that I physically could not read out of pleasure, because I simply did not have the time. I have recently talked with you guys about the downfalls of graduating from college, but this is actually the opposite. Since graduating, I have found the time to read…

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Breakfast, Lunch, Recipe Box, Sides, Snacking, Sweet Tooth, Tailgating Must-Haves

Curbing Sweets Cravings- Banana Bowls

November 3, 2014 by

The other night was one that I just couldn’t seem to fix my sweet tooth. I needed something sweet, but filling so that I wouldn’t convince myself to grab “jut one” cookie later. ;) This simple, 3 ingredient bowl was the perfect solution. All you need: -1 cut up banana -1 tablespoon unsalted raw almond butter -½ tablespoon any kind of jam/jelly/honey that you want. I would recommend using my Healthy 3 Ingredient Strawberry Jam because it’s so simple & good for you, but I cheated a little and used orange marmalade. It’s my favoritttte. Below are some other of my favorite ‘sweets cheats’ recipes. Just click on the name of the recipe and it will take you directly to the post. :) Baked Chocolate Peanut Butter Cinnamon Bananas Game Day Tri-Apple “Nachos” Strawberry Honey Greek…

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Dinner, Lunch, Recipe Box, Snacking

Hummus Deli Lettuce Wraps

November 1, 2014 by

Can you believe it’s already November 1st? I feel like it was just the Fourth of July.. Anyways, with the holiday season coming up, I know that I am about to begin a whirlwind of baking, heavy dinners, and plenty of sweets. I am definitely way too excited about this. I love this time of year.. just the whole feel of it is indescribable. To help cut back on the upcoming “holiday bloat”, so to say, I am doing my part now. Where I’m able to, I have been trying to cut out as many complex carbs (bread, pasta..) as possible. This is a really simple way to do this.. “unwhich” your sandwiches! This is a fun way to cut out carbs without cutting out flavors. I do this all the time with not…

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Eating Out, Friends & Family, JAXplore, My Life

Miller’s Ale House

October 27, 2014 by

This weekend was so fun, I told Monday it could wait, but apparently it didn’t listen to me. :) Friday, Dj, Tyler, and I went to the Navy Air Show at the Naval base down here. Dj and Tyler work there, so we were able to go during the day on Friday for a “family & friends” day, which was great because there weren’t that many people there. But more on this in a post to follow later! We’re all pretty obsessed at the moment with Miller’s Ale House. The restaurant/bar is about 5 minutes from our apartment, so it’s easy and convenient. They also have great drink specials and a menu packed with variety. They have locations all over. They are mostly located in Florida, but they have a few other establishments sprinkled…

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Fitness, JAXplore, My Playlists, Workout Plans

Getting Active

October 25, 2014 by

Since graduating from college this past December and moving to Florida, I’ve been unpleasantly surprised by the sudden change of inactivity in my life. West Virginia University has a gorgeous campus. You could (and would) walk anywhere and everywhere in that town. It was also extremely hilly, so without realizing it, you were working different muscles. Now, I need to drive to work, sit at a computer desk for 8.5 hours, drive home, watch some TV and cook dinner, then go to sleep. My activity level did a complete 180 and I can feel the difference immensely not only physically, but mentally as well. To help this, I’m finding ways to adjust my daily behavior to bring constant activity back into my life. I’ll do a separate post later on about how to bring…

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Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, My Life, Recipe Box, Snacking

I Say We Campaign For More Time in a Day…

June 24, 2014 by

Hi, all! So, a little something about me if you’re a recent follower; I work as a Marketing Consultant for a small start-up company in Jacksonville, Florida. Because the company is less than 5 years old, we put in countless hours during the week, as well as switch off working during the weekends. Feeling so overwhelmed with work is not really a new feeling, being that I just recently graduated college this past December, but it’s always something I find myself struggling with when it comes to meals. I’m always looking for quick fixes that I can either make to eat throughout the week or one-time meals that I can whip up in less than 20 minutes. (I do this thing where if food takes more than 20 minutes to make, I end up…

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