I’ve been making a conscious effort to be healthier. Not that I wasn’t before, but my sweet tooth was getting a bit out of control, plus I made the decision a couple months back to manage my PCOS with diet and lifestyle rather than with medication (honestly, I hate taking pills. Talk about an anxiety trigger). With this effort, I am learning a lot about not only my habits and cravings, but simple ingredient swaps I can do to make my go-to meals that much better for me.

     Enter salmon cakes. I LOVE making salmon cakes. They are crazy easy to do and are a great pantry dinner (I use canned salmon for these). Typically I make these using [gluten free] breadcrumbs and end up frying them in a pan with vegetable oil, but that’s old me. New me swaps for better ingredients that are still yummy and satisfying while being healthier. So this version has almond flour in place of breadcrumbs and coconut oil in place of vegetable oil.

     Not too long ago I posted on Instagram (@thealiconklin, follow ya girl!) that I'm getting back into the blog thing. It was an announcement to everyone just as much as it was me holding myself accountable to actually do it. With that, I asked the IG world what recipes they would like to see. Oddly, multiple people requested mac & cheese - hence this post!

     I debated going healthier with it (and trust me, I've created a recipe for that, too) but ultimately said "screw it, the people want mac & cheese dammit!" So this is my super creamy, super indulgent, super cheesy version full of all the good stuff you crave (minus the gluten...but you can use glutenous ingredients just the same). 

     I'll be honest, lately I've been so busy and tired that the last thing I've wanted to do is a blog post (more work goes into it than you might think!). Any spare moment to just chill I did. ...damn I've missed this though! I think this recipe is perfect redemption - plus it's inspired by suggestions from friends which makes it even better!

     Since being single, one of the biggest challenges I've faced is cooking for one. It's definitely changed the way I cook and shop for food. I feel like I am just now - over a year later - getting the hang of it.

     I've come to really love meals that come together quickly and can be made as one serving just as easily as two or four servings. This flatbread is just that. Cooking just for you? Make one. Cooking for more? No problem! Make as many as you need with barely anymore effort.

     Last night I was out with some friends having drinks and buffalo chicken came up in conversation. Now, if you've been reading my blog for a while or know me IRL then you know I love buffalo chicken. So when we started to talk about our other friend's family and how they always have some sort of buffalo chicken food at family cookouts (sounds like my kind of family) it got me craving the good stuff.