Here are a few of my favorite healthy pantry staples and how I use them!
1. Oils – I buy organic, extra virgin, cold pressed oils
Extra virgin olive oil – salads, sautéing, roasting
Coconut oil – baked goods, chocolates, cookies
Avocado oil – for making my Easy Paleo Mayonnaise
2. Cocoa powder – full of antioxidants
This is #2 because this girl can’t live without chocolate. I have a piece of something chocolatey every.single.day. and I got really good at incorporating it into everything! Some of my favorites are Keto Chocolate Truffles and Peppermint Fudge (GF, Paleo, Vegan)
3. Spices – organic
Real sea salt – Redmonds or pink Himalayan are a few of my favorites
Garlic powder – I put this on my salads!
Sage – for tossing on Roasted Sage Spiced Butternut Squash
Oregano – for One Pan Greek Lemon Chicken & Vegetables
Pepper – cracked is my favorite
Turmeric – for Turmeric Bone Broth Latte
Cinnamon – in baked goods, sprinkled in my morning coffee
Curry powder – with chicken and veggies
Cardamom – love putting in protein bites and coffee
Ginger – for Ginger Coconut Smoothie Bowls
4. Coconut
Coconut flakes – I use for making my Coconut Almond Bars (No Bake)
Coconut butter – I like making Coconut Butter which is just the creamiest and amazing in chocolate, smoothies, cookies, etc!
Coconut milk and cream – I love the variety with coconut milk to use in soups, curries and smoothies. I keep coconut cream stocked for making homemade whipped cream and for baked goods.
5. Wild Caught Canned Sardines and Salmon – bpa free
These get topped in my salads or fried in my cast iron pan for a quick protein as an easy weeknight meal. I like taking sardines with an avocado and make a little dip with crackers for lunch on the go!
If you don’t have fresh salmon you could also use as a replacement in my Salmon Sandwich.
6. Almond flour
This is my go to baking essential for cookies, breads, no bake protein balls, and pancakes. I use almond flour in my Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie (GF).
It’s also an easy thing to make by keeping almonds stocked and then grind in a blender or food processor to flour!
7. Nut and seed butter – I’ll buy on sale or make my own
Almond butter
Cashew butter
Walnut butter
I love spreading on top of toast, sweet potatoes, in all my homemade chocolate, in smoothies, with fresh apples, seriously the list goes on. 
8. Vinegars
Apple cider vinegar – great for digestion in lemon water and for marinades
Balsamic vinegar – my favorite for lettuce salads
Red wine vinegar – a staple for Greek salad
Kalihiwai beach
The beautiful view of Florence.
The most quaint home we stayed at in Florence called “Valdirose.”
We knew we would fly into Rome, and from there we could drive anywhere we wanted! I was so excited for the road trip because the thought of driving around Italy, through the mountains, just brought me so much joy. I knew that would be one of my favorite parts. And sure enough Kosta found a beautiful area called Lake Garda with five villages surrounding it. This truly was such a peaceful and restful time for me because it was the least amount of walking I did 🙂 That is normally not me, but due to the circumstances, I was happy driving around the whole lake and stopping at the different towns to sit along the water.
We took a gondola up the mountain and had these incredible views of the Italian alps.
The view from our balcony in our room!
My favorite place we visited was the island of Burano, about a 30 minute boat ride from Venice. It was a gorgeous town that reminded me of a fairy tale Disneyland set. I loved how colorful all the homes were and how bright and cheery everything around me felt. I could have spent the whole day wandering around the tiny streets and crossing over the small bridges. Wouldn’t you love to wake up in a neighborhood like this?
We stopped at the island of Murano, famous for their glass-blowing techniques. It really made me have a completely different perspective on the intricacies of this work of art! Aren’t the blue, ocean deep colors just mesmerizing?
Our time in Venice was spent wandering around the streets, enjoying gelato, pesto pasta and all the espresso. We enjoyed taking a ferry to a few different islands around.
We loved the views from St. Mark’s Bell Tower at golden hour! 
Dinner in Venice along the river!
Our last day was spent in Rome and we really enjoyed it seeing the Colosseum at night! We went to an incredible restaurant with amazing service in the town of Trastevere.