I have a little bit of a sweet potato problem. I love them and have been eating pretty much a sweet potato per day lately. Buuuut, since they’re chock full of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants there are definitely worse things to be obsessed with.

My husband has taken my sweet potato obsession and run with it. He started out saying he hated the things (he is the only one in our little family who is completely devoid of a sweet tooth), but he actually likes them now in spite of himself. He’s gotten sweet potato chips pretty much down to a science (that recipe is coming soon!), makes a pretty delicious sweet potato hash, bakes the things like a boss, and has recently started making me these little sweet potato cakes.

Like any perpetually busy momma, I’m all about easy around the holidays. I have enough trouble keeping track of all of the parties and activities and gifts that need to be given and gotten (if you need help there, check out my gift guides!). I don’t need a cookie recipe that complicates my life. I need quick, easy stress-free holiday cookies that are easy to make in a pinch.

These chocolate peppermint cookies are my favorites. When I need a dessert to bring to a party or a quick gift, I always turn to the Easiest Holiday Cookies Ever. Three simple ingredients and about five minutes of hands-on time will give you some serious semi-homemade goodness.

I don’t know about you, but I need a detox. There is WAY too much post-Halloween sugar running through my veins right now. This revelation may or may not have been brought on by the fact that I sat on my iPhone this weekend and shattered the screen. Or maybe it has something to do with my 7-year old talking about how big my butt is all weekend (both before and after the now infamous phone crushing experience).

Truth is, the revelation should have come months ago. I’ve been on a downward spiral ever since I messed up my ankle in the middle of my first attempt at Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred. Note to anyone with half a brain like me: 1) Sneakers are kind of essential to high impact workouts. 2) If you’re experiencing pain that is making it slightly difficult to walk, maybe don’t “power through” until it’s nearly impossible to walk.
My messed up ankle meant that I couldn’t work out for a bit and I fell off the healthy bandwagon—hard. The healthier eating habits that I picked up while working out and feeling better quickly went out the door and my obsession with sugar kicked itself back up into an even higher gear.

That was early July. It is now November and I’m sluggish, exploding out of my fat jeans and on a constant rollercoaster of sugar highs and lows. BOO.

My problem in life is not meals. I’m usually great with breakfast and lunch and my husband always makes healthy dinners. My problem is snacks. As in, I like them. A lot. And I have little to no willpower against them.

I’ve decided that my best bet in this epic battle is preparation. If I have options available that are healthy and ready to eat, I’m way more likely to grab them than if I have to make it. Also essential is trying to keep the amount of sugar in my house to a minimum. I decided to go on a hunt for some clean eating snacks that sound yummy and are actually not half bad for me. I even created a clean eating snacks board on Pinterest. It’s worth a try, right?

Here are a few of the recipes I found that made it to my Must Try list:

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that September puts me into clean slate mode. There’s something about back-to-school that makes a routine seem so appealing. Maybe it’s because there are suddenly so many activities and schedules are much more rigid. A good routine just seems to make everything flow better.

Only a week has gone by since my big kid went back, but I’ve already started to slowly attempt to find a new day-to-day routine. It’s going to take more than a week, but I’m making progress.

Since I work from home it can be hard to stick to a set schedule (ok, it’s impossible), but I’ve been trying to check emails and update social media (or at least schedule them to update) in the mornings while my ladies are eating breakfast. Once Sam is on the bus, I try to claim chunks of time to work throughout the day while Ellie is playing or napping (if she’s napping). Slowly but surely we’re settling into a new routine.

I’ve also promised myself (and my husband) that I’m going to cook more, which is more than a little amusing since just about everything I’ve cooked to date has been with my husband giving me instructions.

When Pillsbury reached out and wanted me to make something yummy with one of their recipes (you can download their recipe booklet with super easy weeknight dinner ideas here), I was all for it—especially when I saw their chicken pot pie puffs recipe. My husband happens to be a huge fan of chicken pot pie so I knew he’d not only be happy that I cooked something, but his stomach would be thrilled too.

Here in New York, the nights have been getting a little crisper. I even busted out my favorite furry slippers this week. The kids are all officially back in school. Some of the trees are already even getting small spots of color. Basically, it really feels like fall. And when I think fall, I think apples!

We’re going apple picking with friends next weekend, which means I’m in full on apple recipe collecting mode. I want all the apples and all the delicious recipes that go along with them.

I also want to try and make sure that at least a few of the recipes I use attempt to be a bit healthier. I don’t want to do all butter all the time. I mean I do, but I’d rather not have to invest in a whole new wardrobe when my butt explodes from all the indulging.