There's something about summer that makes me crave simple meals—the kind that come together quickly after a day in the sunshine and leave more time for slow evenings on the porch, backyard conversations, and one more game with the kids before bedtime.


These crispy tuna cakes have become one of our favorite warm-weather dinners. They're light yet satisfying, packed with protein, and come together with pantry staples you probably already have on hand. Paired with a light pasta salad, fresh fruit, or roasted vegetables, they make an easy meal that feels just a little special without spending hours in the kitchen.
Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight dinner, an easy lunch, or a wholesome recipe to keep on repeat all summer long, I hope these tuna cakes become a favorite in your home too.

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Let's get cooking.

2 Cans Tuna, drained
1/4 C. avocado mayo
1 egg
1/4 C. fine gluten-free bread crumbs
drizzle of lemon olive oil or lemon juice
dash of sea salt
1 TBSP. dried parsley 

Warm olive or avocado oil in a pan.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until fully combined. 

Turn heat to medium, and with your hands, make tuna cakes. Rounded, perfected edges are not allowed here. The funkier the better. ;) 

Serve with tartar sauce or a fresh squeeze of lemon a la carte or along side a fresh pasta salad or rice pilaf. 

Halfway into 2026. 

It has been a MINUTE since I blogged here and there is just SO much to say its hard to just jump back in with a recipe but 1. this Street Corn Chicken is just TOO good not to share with the people and 2. I honestly missed sharing and writing long form and I am so excited to be back here. 

Instagram has been my home of creativity, posting and writing for the past couple of years, but I feel like there has been much growth, transformation, hard stuff, and life seasons that I wanted to start documenting again. 

The kids are massive, or they feel that way, to compared to where they were the last time I posted here. 

Greyson is almost 10, almost as tall as me and is so smart, sweet and fantastic. He's thriving at church, wants to get into Ninja Warrior and starts a co-op with some of his best friends this summer.

Lexi is in kindergarten (homeschooled of course still) and is my ballerina-gymnast who loves all things music, baking and creative arts - so I basically birthed a mini-me. And I love it! 

Doug and I are still continuing to renovate our 1950's ranch home - trying to make it cozier and more inviting for friends and family more each month.

I'll save my story and updates for another post. Until then, enjoy this delicious southwest inspired dinner. 

Happy Taco Tuesday ladies and gents! 

Tuesdays have become my one "office day" of the week now that we are running both Nosh and Nurture and our travel agency, Platinum Key Travel. It's been such a blessing to have help with the kiddos one day a week so I can catch up and pour into my passions outside of being a mama. 

Working makes me hungry, so I thought I'd share the perfect recipe for this Tuesday...

my Oven-Baked Tacos. Perfectly paired with chips and guac and a nice icy margarita or virgin lime slushie, these are super simple, kid-friendly and of course gluten and dairy free. 

If you're wanting a homemade tortilla, try my recipe here. We mix it up using those or store-bought. My favorites for store bought are grain-free varieties by Siete or for a more traditional flour tortilla, Mission has a great gluten-free option. 

Serve with fresh lime, avocado, homemade or storebought salsa, black beans, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, vegan sour cream or green chiles. YUM YUM YUM. 
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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 TBSP. avocado oil 
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I love Sprouts mild) 
• 12 soft tortillas or hard taco shells
• 1½ cups dairy-free shredded cheddar cheese

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​Directions 

Alfredo  is something I have been craving since going dairy-free in 2012. I haven't found a substitute or recipe that satisfied my in almost TEN years.

For a while, a local restaurant had a vegan alfredo that was AMAZING and I was in cream sauce heaven. That was until they decided to discontinue it from the menu, leaving me longing once more. 

I finally got into the kitchen with Grey and together we made this creamy, cheesey, nut-based sauce that was EASY and is now an Italian food staple on our menu. 

*I have had a lot of readers who can't do cashew or nuts and you CAN make this with JUST coconut cream and dairy-free milk. The taste is sweeter than I prefer but it's still creamy and delicious. Always feel free to comment with substitution ideas and I'll get back to you.

This one was the closest to a traditional alfredo when I tried multiple recipes in the kitchen, so I decided to share the cashew based cream sauce. 

​Bon appetite! 

Ingredients
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• 12 ounces gluten-free fettuccini noodles
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cut up into bite sized pieces
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, unsalted
• 1-2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (more for a cheesier/stronger flavor)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (add more for saltier sauce)

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Directions

• Cook and chop one chicken breast. Keep warm until sauce and pasta are ready.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain, then add it back to the pot and cover until the sauce is done.
• Boil 4 cups of water and pour over cashews. Soak 5-10 minutes. (Do not skip this step! If they aren't soaked or soaked long enough your sauce won't be as creamy!) 
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, until fragrant and the onion is translucent.
• Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Add them to a blender (I use the Ninja) along with onions, garlic, unsweetened dairy-free milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt.
• Blend until very smooth.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir. If the noodles are still hot, serve immediately. 
• If the dish needs a warm up, cook when combined over low heat until ready to serve. 

How is everyone out there doing?

Like, really doing? Not passing small talk, but really doing a big heart check and reaching out if you need to. We've had our ups and downs with so many thoughts, theories, big feelings, grief over "normalcy", being pregnant during a pandemic, raising a toddler who is sad his world has changed. It's a lot to process. 

So very much. 

I have faith in a big, big God that will get us all through this. Praise, because I don't know how any of us could get through times like this without his provision, strength and promises. 

But until we can resume normalcy, if ever, we can stay fervent in prayer, draw close to those we love (even if from a distance) and make lots of delicious food. 

This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is so delicious and amazing that it would be great on vegetables or meat as well if you're watching grains. Or you may swap out the pasta for a grain-free variety such as almond flour pasta, garbanzo bean or edamame. 

I poured it over piping hot rice pasta and topped with chopped basil for a comfort meal I was craving. 

Grab the recipe below, comment your favorite food and reach out if you need! I'm always here to lend an ear. :) 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box of gluten free or grain free pasta of choice
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers in water 
• 4 oz. vegan cream cheese
• 1/4 c. fresh or dried basil 
• 2 TBSP. vegan butter
• 1 shallot
• 2 tsp. minced garlic 
• 1 C. vegan cream of choice (I used unsweetened coconut cream, almond, cashew or oat work as well) 

DIRECTIONS 

• In a large sautee pan, over medium heat, place in your butter and shallot and warm for 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for an additional minute.
  
• Boil water for pasta and cook pasta to directions and set aside. 
• Add cream cheese and cream to pan and mix well until creamy.
  
• Drain jar of peppers and add peppers into the pan to warm. 
  
• Carefully transfer all ingredients to a blender or food processor (I use my Ninja and it works amazing!) and blend until creamy and no chunks remain.
  
• Pour over pasta, top with basil and enjoy!

Having entered my second trimester of this pregnancy and feeling better while still being on quarantine from pandemic 2020, it only means one thing - cook and bake all the things. 

With everything having been closed for so long (and with so much still closed), my little guy and I took to a nearby small hike early in the morning before the heat really kicked in and it was exactly what our hearts, souls and bodies needed. We had so much fun and it made him feel so proud to lead the way and make it all the way to the top. 

After a morning hike and lunch smoothies, we played in the sprinklers and sunshine until almost dinner time when I started to prep the enchiladas.

These are so simple to make and I believe my total time in the kitchen was around 40 minutes. We came in around 4 and we were seated and eating by 5. So nice. 

You can serve these alone (we did, with just a side of sliced avocado) - or to make a bigger meal you can add in some jalapeno cornbread, Mexican corn, taco salad or a nice Spanish rice. 

They are also delicious re-heated! We enjoyed them for lunch the next day as well with a nice sparkling water. 

Ingredients

• 2 C cooked and shredded chicken breast (i put two cooked chicken breasts in my Ninja blender for a few seconds, so easy!)
• 8-10 Gluten Free Tortillas (I used GF Mission for these, but you can use Cassava or Coconut Flour tortillas to make these grain free as well. You can also make homemade GF tortillas, my recipe is here.) 
• 2 C. vegan shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3 TBSP. vegan butter (I use soy-free Earth Balance)
• 3 TBSP. gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1)
• 2 C. vegetable broth  
• 1 C. vegan sour cream
• 4 oz. organic diced green chiles
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with avocado or olive oil spray. 
• In a medium bowl, mix shredded chicken and 1 C of the vegan mozzarella and add in salt and pepper. 
• Fill your tortillas with the chicken and cheese mixture, roll and place in baking pan. 
• In a small sauce pan, melt your butter. 
• Once melted, add your flour and whisk until warm and bubbling.
• Add in your broth and mix well. 
• Add in sour cream and green chiles and mix until well combined.
• Pour your warm sauce mixture over the tortillas. 
• Top with 1 C. vegan cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes and serve warm! 

Well. Here we are. Back on the AIP diet.

As hard as this is to work in with a busy schedule, a career and a toddler, I am SO thanfkul to the holistic professionals who found out that this diet is SO healing and SO beneficial to calming our inflammation and auto-immune issues. And PRAISE THE LORD for meal prep. You NEED to be meal prepping. If you ever need help, reach out! I can talk to you about some easy tips. 

I've found for me, it's 100% needed to come back to this from time to time when I feel myself more sluggish, carrying excess water, inflamed or reacting more from cross-contamination. I haven't put many AIP recipes on the blog, because honestly, when I'm on AIP it means I'm not at my best and the energy for recipe creation and promotion usually isn't there. However, I am trying to turn a new leaf. 

I was so blessed in 2012 when this blog really started to take off because of the connections I was making with so many women, men and children who were needing to go gluten free, dairy free or soy free and it made my heart so happy to know I could provide safe and yummy recipes to those who needed them in their season or life of food restriction.

I want to make it a point to add more healing foods, more AIP options and more whole choices when it comes to entrees in 2019/2020. 

The baked goods are pretty and fun guys, but they have their place. And unfortunately their place isn't in my home or body right now. 

For this recipe, I've found it's hard to find organic ground chicken in the stores. If you invest in a meat grinder, you'll be able to grind higher quality poultry to make this recipe.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb organic ground chicken
• 1 medium uncooked sweet potato, finely grated (I peeled and cut it and put it in my Ninja)
• 2 Tbsp. grain-free flour (cassava, coconut, tigernut)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil 
• 1/8 c. chopped chives
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt 

Optional: You could also add a small amount of grated apple, to make Chicken Apple Nuggets. 

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment. 
• Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. 
• Wash hands and using your hands, roll meat and potato mixer into nugget shapes and place on baking sheet. (I needed two baking sheets to fit them all)
• Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
• Serve with AIP friendly guacamole or vegan AIP coconut sour cream.

Have you incorporated an AIP lifestyle? What health changes have you seen? 

If you haven't, leave any questions below and I'd be happy to assist you! It's hard, but so so so so so so so worth it! 

I've always loved weekends. My husband (my favorite human) works a corporate Monday-Friday position so our weekends have always been a blissful time to connect, travel and pursue passions side by side.

Now that we are parents to our little guy, weekends get sweeter the older Grey gets. We play, shop, travel, dress up, read, watch movies and cook together. Simply making sweet memories. Now that it's summer, I have flashbacks of my own childhood summers daily and I just love these little moments with my guys. 

Always one to want to mix it up in the kitchen, making different new dishes EVERY night, EVERY week was wearing on me. It was taking time from my family and made meal planning and grocery shopping stressful each week. So a couple of weeks ago Doug and I made a new plan. We would make a seven day meal plan and stick to it EVERY week until we got bored. We are on week four of one rotation of seven meals and it's the best decision we've made in a while. 

For our Sunday night meal we decided stuffed potatoes are a win because they are quick and we want time to really soak up the end of the weekend before my husband goes back to work. It also allows us to be creative and mix up different flavors. We made these Vegan Chili Cheese Potatoes tonight and they came out SO yummy and so pretty that I had to grab my camera and share them with you guys too! 

Share your favorite potato toppings below to inspire us and keep these babies in our weekly rotation! 

Ingredients:
2 Russet Potatoes
1 Can Annie's Black Bean Chili (its sweet + savory! Not spicy.)
2 Slices Follow Your Heart Vegan Provolone
Sea Salt 
Chives, washed and diced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
Wash potatoes and pierce 3-4 sections with a fork.
Sprinkle sea salt on skins and bake for 45 minutes-1 hour until tender. 
While potatoes are cooking, cook chili over medium on the stove until bubbling. Remove from heat and set aside. 
While still warm, cut open carefully and insert vegan cheese to melt. 
Top with chili and chives. 
​Enjoy! 

Last week we had one of those moments.
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You know those idyllic parenting moments you dream about and then you become parents and sometimes the moments you pictured in your head don't quite turn out because #reallife. Well this wasn't one of those. It was one of those beautiful, just-as-I-always-pictured-it moments and I am so thankful for God for the memories we got to make when we took our one year old to the pumpkin patch this year. 

Grey adored EVERY part of the day at the "Pum Pum" Patch, that he so affectionately calls it, which in turn made ME enjoy every part of the day and made my mama heart extremely happy. He played in corn (yay sensory activity I didn't have to clean up, haha), fed a goat, rode a massive tire swing, slid down a huge slide with me and Mr. Charming, picked a baby pumpkin and ran until his cheeks turned pink and his legs grew tired. 

Yes, it was a beautiful Fall day indeed. And for those of you in Arizona, we drove up to Dewey (just outside of Prescott) to Mortimer Farms and its by far my new favorite fall spot. 

We've been trying to be more intentional this season. Intentional about our quality time together as a family, intentional about how we care for our marriage, our home, our bodies. 

I've been doing a life changing Proverbs 31 Study this month and it's motivated me to spend more time with God, purge our home of things we don't need and up my game again in the kitchen to get nutritious, home cooked meals in me and the boys. 

Even as a nutritionist, I was falling short (and can totally admit it) when it came to putting the best food on the table when I was in new mama territory. 

This Quinoa bowl was ACTUALLY a total accident, as I had white quinoa in the freezer and my husband was on his way home for lunch and I wanted to give him something healthy as we're trying to keep our immune systems boosted and our calories down and this bowl was born.

And. It. Was. Gosh. Darn. Amazing. 

The flavors came together SO beautifully. I love when you throw together what you have left in the fridge and you make an epic creation. This bowl needs to be made and enjoyed. The hot quinoa and roasted sweet potato with the crunchy cool tomatoes and avocado play with your senses, while the olive oil, sea salt and pepper enhance the natural flavors in the dish. 

A simply and easy meal for any weeknight or lunch hour. Recipe below per usual. 

Yesterday was just one of those good days.

When you wake up feeling super sunny after a good nights sleep (even with a new baby!) and you get good news throughout the day (like my French Toast being featured in the Today Show's weekly newsletter and that your mom is on the mend and going home soon) and you get to take the day at a slow pace and end it with some of your best friends who you haven't seen in months and enjoy good, good food.

Thanking the Lord for a soul refresher for sure. After a week of stress at work and my mom being in the hospital, it was just what we needed. 

Mr. Charming and I adore the couple we had over for our Friday Night Dinner last night. Our friends Karly and Zach and their adorable kiddos no longer live in AZ and we miss them terribly and soak in every moment we get to hang out with them. Karly and I have been friends for years. Before marriage. Before babies. And they are just those people who you just want to hug and beg to move back every time you see them because you just love doing life with them and love seeing their kiddos grow. 

Friends like that, I've found as I get older, are harder and harder to come by, which is why nights like last night are so very special.

And speaking of special, I wanted to cook them something SUPER yum to warm our bellies as we let the kiddos play and caught up on what was going on in our lives. I TOTALLY meant to get photos of the evening, but we were having too much fun and the food was just too good and so after snapping photos of the food post-enjoyment, the cameras and phones were pushed aside and we just enjoyed.

Which I believe needs to happen in social situations more often. I don't even think I knew where my phone was all night. Which was a very refreshing break for me. 

Their family eats like we do (gluten-free, dairy-free and clean) so it was easy to know that the ingredients I use are the same foods they eat at home. I was going to go easy at first and whip up a big pot of spaghetti, but then I found gluten-free breadcrumbs and vegan cheese, thus birthing my Reinvented Baked Ziti. SO good. 

I made food enough to feed an army. You should see how much we had leftover, haha. So I cut my recipe in half to make a more normal family dinner amount. Just double it if, you too, want a truckload of ziti to feed your family for a week. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Bag of Gluten-Free Penne or Rotini (Penne is traditional, we opted for Rotini for tiny hands)
• 1 lb. Organic Ground Turkey
• 1 Jar Organic Pasta Sauce (more if you like it extra saucy)
• 1/2 package of Daiya Mozzerella Shreds
• 2/3 C. Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs
• Fresh Basil
• Sea Salt 
• Olive Oil 
• Minced Garlic

Directions: 
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• Brown turkey in a pan with minced garlic and sea salt to taste. 
• While meat is browning, bring water to a boil for pasta. Add a small amount of olive oil to the water to help keep the noodles slick. (I know this is an Italian no-no, but it helps keep the pasta slick to not stick together in the bake)
• Once meat is browned, set aside and warm sauce. Cook pasta per package directions in a LARGE pot and drain.
• Brown bread crumbs with 1 TBSP. of olive oil in a small sauce pan and set aside. 
• Add meat, sauce and fresh basil leaves, 2/3 of your Daiya Mozzerella shreds and drained pasta back into large pot and mix. 
• Add mixture to a large baking dish and top with remaining cheese shreds and browned bread crumbs. 
• Heat under broiler on low until cheese is melted and breadcrumbs are toasty. 
• Serve immediately with a spring mix salad, wine or sparkling water.