With the biggest BBQ weekend of the year coming up (at least in the States), I thought it made perfect sense to share some simple (colorful!) side dish ideas for your barbecue.

Prepare to drool…

It’s no secret that I rarely cook. I’m not very good at it, which frustrates me and only makes my feeble attempts at culinary excellence infinitely worse. My husband, on the other hand, enjoys cooking and happens to be way more talented at anything kitchen-related (except for washing dishes. He totally sucks at washing dishes—probably on purpose).

So when I do actually cook something, it should come as no surprise that it is always an insanely easy something (see: zucchini pasta). My latest obsession? Portabello pizza.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been eating like crap since well before my first pumpkin spice latte signaled the launch into the holiday season. In fact, I’m pretty sure I fell off my healthy living wagon way back in June when I hurt my ankle in an unfortunate refusal to wear sneakers incident.

The result? Well. I’m exploding out of my pants and my skin makes me look like I just hit puberty. I’m a mess.

A recent bout with stomach issues (that led to me diagnosing myself with pancreatic cancer before taking a deep breath, stepping away from WedMD and realizing that it’s more likely GERD) led me to take a closer look at what I’ve been eating and try to figure out what is not agreeing with me.

In the end, I cut out about 95% of my gluten intake (honestly, the stuff lurks everywhere. It can even be in baking soda, yogurt and salad dressing) and my stomach has calmed down dramatically. You know what else? My skin issues have begun to calm down a little bit too. A little reading up on the subject made me even more aware of the connection between what I eat and the state of my skin.

Color me sold.

via Gluten Dude

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.