Cassie DeNisco

New Posts Weekly

It Happened One Summer- Book Review!

I am so excited to be launching this new series on the blog for a book of the month! Reading is one of my favorite things. I know a lot of you have found me because of my book recommendations. I thought I would share one book I read from the previous month as a way for us to form our own book club!

To chronicle this book journey, I made a separate Instagram @bookchatswithcass to not only share these books in real time but keep myself accountable as I read! I hope you’ll give it a follow as we start this new series together!

For the first month of the year, I decided that I was going to share one of my favorite books from December, It Happened One Summer. This is a funny rom com style book that was such a light and easy read that I got through it in one night. You can shop for it here through my affiliate link.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

it happened one summer

I have read I think one or two other books by Tessa Bailey but this one seriously was so great. It had me laughing out loud and almost made me feel like I was watching a TV show. The characters she wrote were people that you could really feel what they were feeling.

The review on the back said it is like Schitt’s Creek which is so funny. This was not disappointing because it really was just that.

The main character is a rich girl who gets sent away after partying too hard. She finds herself in small fishing town that is connected to her late father. Through fixing up her family’s old bar and falling in love with an average fishing captain, she realizes the life she was living wasn’t at all what she needed.

I so appreciated the humor and little bit of spice🌶 from this book. This one is great when you’re in the mood to finish a book in one night. Once you pick this up, you can’t put it down until it’s done. Another great part of this book is it is actually the first in the series so you get to meet characters from later books.

This series is so exciting to have on my blog and once a month you’ll get a bonus post, like this one, where I’ll recomend a book! You can read it and leave your thoughts in the comments below! If you’re just here for the review, I hope you’ll give this funny rom com a try!

For more book reviews, click here!

My Vegan Pumpkin Bread Recipe

I love the holidays because of all the pumpkin spice. I wanted to get this post up sooner, but it has really taken me this long to perfect my vegan pumpkin bread recipe. It is finally ready to go out and I am obsessed with it!

This is a really easy recipe and since it’s vegan, it has very minimal ingredients too! I really have tried to move away from white sugar so this also is a little healthier since it uses brown. This recipe is going to be a go to when I want a healthy treat!

Ingredients:

1 c pumpkin puree

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c neutral oil (I used vegetable)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp sugar free maple syrup

1 3/4 c oat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Sprinkle of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease it.
  2. Combine pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup in a bowl and mix until combined.
  3. Next, add in your flour, baking soda, baking powder, spice, and salt. Mix again until well combined but try not to over mix. You’ll notice it become fluffy and that is the consistency you want.
  4. Pour batter into loaf pan and cook for 45-50 minutes or until you can stick a knife in it and it comes out clean.
  5. Let it set for an hour and enjoy!

I am obsessed with this recipe. The oat flour makes this vegan pumpkin bread dense and so decadent. This is a perfect dessert to bring to a holiday party which will already be filled with all the other typical goodies. This is a really healthy alternative and I hope you’ll try it out!

If you loved this recipe, follow me on Pinterest for more or you can read my latest recipe here!

PS.. here’s a funny behind the scenes pic of what happens behind most of my food pictures lol!

Melissa Wood Health Review One Year Later

I am honestly super surprised to even be giving you this Melissa Wood health review one year later! Prior to her workouts, I could never stick to a program for longer than a few weeks. I used to find working out a chore and really not something I wanted to spend a lot of time on.

Working out means different things to different people and for me, I want something quick and effective. I don’t want to be at the gym for hours but I want to be left feeling like I moved my body and am a little sore. My other goal with working out is increasing my flexibility since I’m a dance teacher and need to maintain that.

melissa wood health review

What I Love:

I think the really pull I have to Melissa Wood Health is her vibe. It sounds crazy but she is seriously so calming. I feel like with each workout, I’m not just getting a workout but also like a mini meditation session in. It makes me want to keep coming back for the feeling of peace each time.

Another thing I love about these workouts is I can do them anywhere. On vacation, I actually took my mat with me a and did her workouts. This is something I literally would never do but again, my body craves the post flow feeling. Her workouts range from weights, balls, and bands to literally just your own body weight. This makes her workouts easy to do anytime and anywhere.

In addition to the low maintenance of these workouts, I like that her message is never to do a super hard workout on your body. If you are just moving a little each day, that is more than enough. Putting this thought in my head has built up a consistency that I have never had before.

The Melissa Wood Health workouts start at like 5 minutes and go up to 50. If I am feeling a longer one, I’ll choose that but most of the time I am around 20 minutes. Because of this, I am able to put a workout in everyday and build that good habit in myself.

I thought about including a “what I don’t love” section but honestly, I don’t have anything. These pilates and yoga flows fit my lifestyle and are so easy to incorporate in my day. Finding Melissa Wood Health workouts during the pandemic seriously changed my view of working out.

I always thought that I needed a hard, intense cardio filled workout but I find that these slow workouts are just as effective and so much better on my body. I am obsessed with MWH and think everyone should at least give it a try. You really have nothing to lose when you’re moving your body in a gentle but crazy effective way!

You can read my initial Melissa Wood Health review here! If you want to check out the MWH method, you can read more here!

The Best Chili Recipe

Fall to me is all about a warm dinner. I love to cook in fall because your meals can help to bring all the cozy fall vibes you are looking for. I actually used to not like chili at all but I am obsessed with this best chili recipe. It is super easy to make and the flavors are so good! This is perfect to pair with white rice or just eat it alone in a bowl.

Here’s the best chili recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1lb Ground Turkey
  • yellow onion
  • 1 can of Bush’s Chili Beans
  • 1 can of sweet corn
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Chili powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • salt + pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Dice yellow onion and add to a big pot with ground turkey. Cook until turkey is browned and onions are translucent
  • Using paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt + pepper, season the turkey and onion mixture
  • Slowly mix in 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of corn (without the water), and 1 can of chili beans
  • Let mixture sit on low for 30 minutes and finish off by tasting and making sure it’s seasoned to your liking. Sometimes I add more of a seasoning here if I think it needs it!
best chili recipe

This is the easiest recipe I have found for chili and it is literally so good! Like I said, sometimes I’l serve this on top of white rice if I am looking for a more filling meal. I also like to make corn bread on the side of this too because there’s nothing I love more than chili with cornbread!

Let me know in the comments below your favorite fall meal and check out more of my recipes here!

I also am on Pinterest so be sure to follow me!

A Delicious Korean Turkey Recipe

This Korean turkey recipe is definitely something out of my comfort zone but it’s actually delicious! As many of you know, for the most part I am plant based. Once in awhile I will incorporate meet into my diet and Iove this recipe for that. The protein from the turkey makes this meal filling and somewhat healthy. Keep reading to learn how I make my Korean turkey recipe.

Ingredients:

3 lbs Ground Turkey

4 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 yellow onion

2 tbsp of minced garlic

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground giner

Red chili flakes (add to your liking)

Sesame seeds

3 c cooked rice

korean turkey recipe

Directions:

  1. I like to first dice up my onions and set aside. Next, I will start to cook the ground turkey in a large frying pan until cooked thoroughly.
  2. While the turkey is cooking, I add all the other things together to make my sauce except for the sesame seeds.
  3. Once the sauce is mixed and the turkey is finished, I’ll add the onions and sauce to the frying pan and let both sit covered for about 10 minutes. This step really helps the onions to soften and the sauce and meet to mix.
  4. When that is finished, I plate this with some white rice and top with sesame seeds!

I think you can see why this is one of my favorite recipes. I absolutely love how fast and easy this korean turkey recipe is. This makes for a really great meal prepped dinner or lunch if you want to prep this ahead of time. I prefer turkey over beef but you can obviously swap the turkey for ground beef, chicken, or even a plant based option!

Let me know in the comments below your favorite meal prep dinner! Check out my other recipes here!

Tips for Getting into a Fitness Routine

With summer now over, I find myself wanting to get back into my fitness routine. I usually am much more laid back with workouts during the summer months, really only doing what feels good. Now that I am back into work mode after a relaxing summer, I wanted to share my tips for getting back in to my fitness routine!

1. Cute Workout Clothes

I swear this is a bigger tip than it may seem. I am most motivated to workout when I have something I feel confident. Workout clothes really help not only the workout but showing up for the workout. When I have something fun and cute to wear, I am most likely going to be excited for the workout and keep coming back. I love Amazon for workout clothes. This tank here came in a 4 pack for only 28.99!

fitness routine

2. Pre/Post Workout Snack

fitness routine

I must say, waking up and having my pre workout meal is something I really look forward to. I like to workout mid morning during my lunch break so I love to make a morning smoothie. You can check out my morning smoothie recipe here. Some people wake up and look forward to their coffee, for me I love waking up for this smoothie with my workout gear on. If your a person who workouts out later, you can have your favorite protein bar or smoothie post workout to keep you motivated through your workout.

3. Do What You Love

Let me tell you, this one took awhile to figure out. I absolutely love Melissa Wood Health pilates and yoga inspired flows. They are gentle on my body but I feel so strong after them. I seriously look forward to my workout because they are just that great. You need to find a workout program or class that you love and that excites you or else you won’t want to keep coming back to it. My Melissa Wood Health Review is live here on my site if you want to check it out!

4. Build it into your Schedule

This one is so important for me. I build my day around work and my workout. Workouts keep me energized to get through the day and my mind clear. I like to workout midday so I make sure that I find time for a workout even if it’s only 5 minutes. A little movement is better than no movement so whatever you can get in whenever you have time will make the difference. It’s all about the little consistency that will make habits for you.

5. Don’t Stress!

Missing a workout isn’t the end of the world. I’ve found you just have to listen to your body to see what works for you. I like to workout Monday-Friday and if I’m feeling it, I’ll do a Saturday or Sunday workout too. If I miss one day, I don’t get myself worked up or down because it’s not a huge deal. For me, it’s all about listening to your own body and doing whatever you can to form healthy habits.

I hope these tips for getting into a fitness routine helped you. My perception of working out has really shifted as I’ve gotten older. It’s more about the habit as opposed to the actual work out. You can workout once or twice but until you get a habit formed of working out a few times a week, you won’t stick with it.

For me, these tips have helped me get into my own fitness routine and keep it going all year long. Let me know some of your fitness routine tips in the comments below!

My Veggie Couscous Bowl for Back to School

This recipe is seriously one of my favorites to meal prep. My veggie couscous bowl is so easy to make and reheats well so I love to make this at the beginning of the week. Another great part of this recipe is you can really choose any veggies you like. I picked sweet potato, zucchini, and tomato because they’re my favorite but you can use whatever you like. Here’s my veggie couscous bowl recipe!

veggie couscous bowl

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato

2 tomatoes

2 zucchini

1 box of couscous (I like instant)

Olive oil

Thyme

Paprika

veggie couscous bowl

Directions:

  1. First preheat your oven to 425 then I start chopping up all of my veggies. I dice them into about 1 inch pieces so that they don’t cook down to small.
  2. I prepare 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and place the sweet potatoes on one with a sprinkle of paprika. On the other I put my tomatoes and zucchini with a sprinkle of thyme.
  3. Bake the zucchini and tomato tray until soft for about 15 minutes. The sweet potatoes will need to be in longer for about 25 to get soft.
  4. While everything is baking, I follow the directions on the instant couscous box and then let it sit until my veggies are ready.
  5. Once everything is cooked to how I like it, I stir together and I’m all set!

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was such an easy recipe. The instant couscous seriously makes life easier because you don’t even have to do much to it. I like this as back to school or work meal because it’s somewhat healthy and gives you all the nutrients you need to continue on with your day.

Let me know in the comment if you loved this recipe! Subscribe to the blog for more recipes like these!

Follow me on Pinterest!

My Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

As summer begins to wind down, I thought sharing my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe is fitting. I love the chillier weather that comes with fall and my go to dinner is usually a soup. I am obsessed with this chicken noodle soup recipe because it’s delicious and filling! Here’s how I make it:

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked rotisserie chicken

1 can of sliced carrots

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 white onion chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2-3 tablespoons of garlic (i love more garlic)

8 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 package of egg noodles

Directions

  1. I start by heating a large pot with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I then place the onions in and sauté until cooked down then add the garlic and carrots and cook until fragrant.
  2. Add the 8 cups of broth, cooked chicken, potatoes and spices to pot and cook for 30 minutes on a simmer covered.
  3. After 30 minutes, I remove the lid and cook uncovered for 10 more minutes with the uncooked noodles. You really just have to make sure the potatoes are soft enough for you and that you boil the noodles to your liking.

This is literally one of my favorite chicken noodle soup recipes because I cheat and use rotisserie chicken. It makes life so easy and the soup I swear tastes better. Rotisserie chicken is a serious life hack because you can get it and use it so many different ways throughout the week!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious chicken noodle soup recipe. Weather you’re trying it out this summer or holding off until the fall, let me know how you liked it! Soup is always a favorite meal of mine because of just how easy it is to make and how yummy it tastes every time!

You can see more recipes of mine here!

My Shower Routine

One thing I can’t live without is my long showers. Showering to me is so therapeutic and I have gotten my shower routine down to a since. I love nothing more than after a long day taking a shower to just get rid of all the stress of the day. This post is dedicated to all of you out there who love the shower as much as me!

The first step to any good shower routine is ambience. I like to turn the lights off so it’s dark. Sometimes I’ll even drop in a few drops of essential oils like lavender or eucalyptus to help me relax. I also have recently been incorporating music into my routine. I got this adorable little water proof speaker and I’ll play some Taylor Swift or spa music to unwind.

After I set the stage for a relaxing shower, I’ll hop in and get to the nitty gritty with my products!

Dr. Teal’s Lavender Body Wash

This is my go to body wash when I’m needing to unwind. Because it’s epsom salt, it relaxes the muscles and the lavender scent just takes it to the next level. I can’t get enough of this body wash and it also makes a good bubble bath soap too!

Shampoo and Conditioner

My shampoo products often switch up during the week. I’ll go in with Olaplex when I’m needing something to help refresh and hydrate my hair. I use the Not Your Mother’s Purple Shampoo and Conditioner when I really need to refresh my blonde. I try to only wash my hair every other day so I will make sure to switch off between these products so that my hair always gets what it needs.

Shower Tools

This is probably my favorite section of products for the shower. I love to use a loofa with my body wash. It helps to really soap up the product and get it into a thick lather. Similar to a loofa, I love this hair massager. It helps to get the buildup off your scalp while also giving you the best scalp massage. My final shower tool is my face brush. This is great to use in the shower because it cleans my face and then I don’t have to do it when I get out.

This was definitely a more up close and personal blog post with sharing my shower routine. I cannot explain just how much I love a good shower so I hope these products and tools help you get the most out of your shower. Let me know in the comments below if you’re a night shower person or a morning. I am definitely a night person!!

You an read about my other relaxing night routine essentials here.

My BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe

As we head further into summer, I am all about a light and easy dinner. This BBQ chicken salad recipe is delicious and so easy to recreate. This not only is a great dinner, but it’s also easy to prep for lunches for the week. By spending a little time prepping everything on a Sunday, you can have healthy salads all week long that you can mix and match ingredients. Keep on reading for how to make my favorite BBQ chicken salad recipe.

Ingredients:

bbq chicken salad recipe

1 Red Onion

2 Tomatoes on the Vine

1 Can Corn (I roast mine on top of the stove until blackened)

2 Cups Rotisserie Chicken

2 Hard Boiled Eggs

1 Cucumber

1/2 Cup Shredded carrots

Greens of your choice

Barbecue Sauce

Ranch Dressing (I love this Boathouse Greek Yogurt one!)

Assembly:

I love to grab a big bowl and put my greens down first. I always pick a mixed greens with baby spinach but that is totally up to you. Next, I just throw everything in the bowl and finish off with a drizzle of barbecue sauce and then some ranch dressing. My top trick is to cover your giant bowl and give everything a good shake so it all gets covered.

As you can see, this BBQ chicken salad recipe is so quick and delicious. It makes the perfect summer dinner or lunch recipe and is great for meal prep. Salads aren’t always my top choice but when you have so many yummy toppings, it helps you not even realize you have greens in it!

Let me know your favorite salad combo below!

Click here to check out my other salad recipes.