So far this month I have been very dedicated to the Whole 30 and documenting my experiences with the challenge through blog posts and instastory coverage. However, I wanted to take a little break from the coverage to share with you all some of the things that I tried and loved in December.

December was a month filled with potlucks and gatherings. The perfect time to whip up some holiday inspired treats and appetizers. In addition, this month I also challenged myself to use my Keurig more and make less trips to Starbucks (check out this post to see how I did on my December bucket list). I had to find some new k-cups that were just as tasty as what I would get on the go.

Here are a few dishes/items that I tried and loved in December:

Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites

I was so excited to try this recipe from Delish. It combines two of my favorite desserts: red velvet cake and cheesecake. Overall, the recipe is relatively easy to follow, especially for a novice at dessert making. The one thing that I would change about the recipe is the sugar content. I found that the center of the cheesecake bite did not turn out as sweet as I would want to have that genuine cheesecake taste. Next time I make it, I would add a bit more. Find the recipe here. 

Slow Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Dip

A day or two before a Christmas Eve party that I was attending, the host put in a request for a spinach dip. I jumped at the suggestion because I still hadn’t decided what I wanted to bring. This last minute find from Gimme some Oven was super easy and delicious. There was a little bit of prep work, but overall I was able to dump the ingredients into a crockpot about a half an hour before the party (I would not completely recommend…but it worked out) and continued to mingle with the other guest as they arrived. I was very surprised at how well it turned out and now I have a new go-to dip! Click here for the recipe.

Starbucks Caramel Caffé Latte and Tazo Chai Vanilla Caramel Latte K-Cups

Ok, so this is not a recipe, but these kcups were definitely something that I tried and loved during the month of December. In efforts to avoid my multitude of trips to Starbucks I tried to find new kcups to incorporate into my routine. In addition, I think that it is important to note that I CANNOT drink my coffee black. I love my caffeinated drinks to be on the sweeter side (even if it isn’t the healthiest choice). I also have a bad habit of buying creamers and allowing them to go bad before I use them. When I saw that Starbucks came out with a kcup latte (that includes a powdered milk substance), I had to try it. The Caramel Caffé Latte had the perfect hint of sweetness without the need of additional creamer (YAY). I have also been really loving chai lattes lately, so the Tazo Chai Vanilla Caramel Latte was the perfect match. It cuts out the extra steps of having to warm up the milk and measure out the chai to milk ratio that accompanies using a normal chai mix. I’m sure that you can find them at most places that you buy groceries (I got mine at Giant). You can also buy them in bulk on Amazon.

Enjoy!! Only a little over a week until I can some of these treats myself! For behind the scenes cooking action, make sure to check out my Instagram stories @ambitiouslycierra.

♥ Cierra