I came up with this recipe as an alternative to the typical tomato filled spaghetti sauce since my oldest son is allergic to tomatoes.  To be honest, the first time I made it I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, especially since I didn’t follow a recipe and just winged it.  But, one of my friends had suggested it as an alternative to tomato sauce.  I had made tomato sauce many times from scratch so I figured bell pepper sauce wouldn’t be too much harder.  It turns out my whole family prefers this sauce to regular tomato spaghetti sauce!  Hooray!  So, even if you don’t have anyone in your household that is allergic to tomatoes, give this recipe a shot.  You might just discover you found a new favorite sauce to put on your pasta or veggies.

My grandma made the best whipped mashed potatoes!  Unfortunately, they were loaded with ‘real’ butter and cow’s milk.  I’m going vegan and my oldest son is allergic to dairy products, so I have been working on an alternative.  Honestly, I think this tastes just as good as my grandma’s.  I’ve made it for many family gatherings and even hardcore carnivores admitted it was delicious, with a few even saying it was the best mashed potatoes they had.  But don’t take my word or their word for it!  Try it yourself!  Plus, the vegan substitutes are less fat which equals less calories, which means we can eat more of the mashed potatoes.  Right?

SMOOTHIES ARE AWESOME!  Not only do they taste delicious BUT they are a wonderful way to get your daily quota of fruits and vegetables.  Of course, you knew that already otherwise why have a smoothie when you can have ice cream!  Am I right?  That being said, if the smoothie has a ton of sugar, it can counteract some of those benefits from the fruits and veggies crew.  Why is sugar so bad?  There are SOOOOO many reasons and I’m sure we all have heard that sugar is bad for your teeth, sugar is linked to cancer, and sugar is empty calories.  Here’s a good article on 10 reasons why sugar is bad, if you want more information (it’s honestly really depressing HOW BAD SUGAR IS, so if you’re reading this while munching on some sugary sweets, I advise waiting to read the article): https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-disturbing-reasons-why-sugar-is-bad#section9

Do you like almond milk?  Believe it or not, almond milk is easy to make AND super delicious.  Here are a few reasons to make your own:

1. It saves money.  Almond milk sold in the store tends to be EXPENSIVE, or at least on the pricey side in comparison to cow’s milk.
2. It’s dairy free!  My oldest son is allergic to dairy (specifically casein protein so he can’t even have lactose free dairy products) which was what originally got me started in making my own almond milk.
3. Almond milk is a healthy alternative to animal milks, if you are wanting to reduce your consumption of animal products.  For more information on this, please see the following link: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/heres-why-non-dairy-milk-is-a-health-choice-not-health-hype/