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Pumpkin Apple Muffins with Brown Sugar Crumble Topping
Why choose between apple and pumpkin when you can have both?! If fall had a flavor, I’m pretty sure it would taste exactly like these Pumpkin Apple Muffins! 🍂 There’s just something about the combination of pumpkin, fresh apples, warm spices, and a buttery brown sugar crumble topping that makes you want to grab a cozy blanket, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and enjoy a slow fall morning. These muffins are soft, moist, perfectly spiced, and topped with just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. And let me tell you, they were an absolute HIT in our house! The kids practically devoured the entire first pan between breakfast…
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Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Dark & White Chocolate Chips 🍪🎃
Soft, chewy, perfectly spiced, and loaded with chocolate! It’s officially pumpkin season, and if there’s one thing I love about fall, it’s having an excuse to get back into the kitchen and bake something delicious! These Chewy Pumpkin Cookies are everything I want in a fall cookie. They’re soft in the middle, slightly golden around the edges, filled with warm pumpkin spice, and packed with both dark and white chocolate chips. And can we talk about the combination of pumpkin and chocolate for a minute? The dark chocolate adds a rich flavor, while the white chocolate brings just the right amount of sweetness. Add a little oatmeal for texture, and…
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French Onion Chicken
An Easy, Cheesy Comfort Food Dinner Some nights, you just need a dinner that’s easy to throw together, tastes delicious, and doesn’t require a sink full of dishes afterward. 😂 Enter French Onion Chicken! This recipe combines tender chicken breasts, savory French onion soup, creamy sour cream (or French onion dip if you’re feeling a little extra!), crunchy seasoned croutons, and melted provolone cheese. It’s one of those meals that feels a little fancy without requiring a whole lot of effort. And honestly, those are some of my favorite recipes. The best part? You can get everything assembled in one baking dish and let the oven do most of the…
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The Simple Holiday Shopping Hack That Saves My Sanity
One list. One budget. Less December chaos. I love Christmas. I love the lights, the decorations, the traditions, watching my kids get excited, finding a gift that I know someone is going to love—all of it. What I do not love is December financial panic. Or realizing two weeks before Christmas that I still need six gifts. Or ordering something simply because it’s on sale and then wondering why I bought it. Which is exactly why, sometime around October, or even the middle of September, I become that person in the family group chat. “Soooo… when are we having Christmas?” “Are we drawing names?” “What are we doing this year?”…
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Sunsets, Leftovers & An Unfinished To-Do List
Today was one of those days where I worked all day long and somehow ended it feeling like I didn’t get a single thing done. You know those days? The ones where you’re constantly doing something, but nothing ever seems to actually get crossed off the list. That was today. Work was chaotic. We are currently without a secretary in our office, our phones aren’t functioning the way they need to, we don’t have working voicemail or direct lines, and I felt like I spent most of my day scrambling from one thing to another. By the end of the workday, I was frustrated. Not necessarily because it had been…
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Rooted & Rising: Small Things I’m Doing for My Brain, Body & Self
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it actually means to be rooted and rising. When I created Rooted & Rising, it was about finding joy in the messy middle. About recognizing that we can be grateful for where our feet are planted while still wanting to grow. And lately, I’ve realized that growth doesn’t always look like some huge life transformation. Sometimes it looks like one minute. One minute of movement. One minute to breathe. Fifteen extra minutes in the morning. One better choice at lunch. One glass of water. One day of choosing not to have that glass of wine after supper. Small things count. And right…
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Simply Samantha Is Growing 🌻
Two books. A new brand. An LLC. And somehow, this little idea of mine keeps growing. If you’ve been around Simply Samantha for a while, you know this space has never been about having everything perfectly figured out. It started as a place for me to share pieces of real life—the recipes, the garden, motherhood, things I love, things I’m learning, and the messy in-between parts that don’t always make it into the highlight reel. And lately? Things have been growing around here. Like… really growing. There have been a lot of little things happening behind the scenes over the last several weeks, and I finally get to sit down…
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Something New Is Growing 🌻 | Rooted & Rising Is Coming
🌻UPDATE: IT’S LIVE! 🌻Rooted & Rising: An Adult Coloring Book for Finding Joy in the Messy Middle is officially available on Amazon! 👉 Shop Rooted & Rising on Amazon There are some things you work on quietly for a while because you’re not quite ready to say them out loud. And then there are things that suddenly become very, very real. Like getting an email saying the actual book you created is on its way to your house. So…I guess it’s time to officially tell you. I made a coloring book. Like, an actual coloring book. It’s called Rooted & Rising: An Adult Coloring Book for Finding Joy in the…
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Hi, I’m Samantha — The Real Life Behind Simply Samantha 🌻
I figured it might be time to reintroduce myself. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning, stumbled across one of my recipes, found me through social media, or somehow landed here while searching for what to make for dinner — hi. I’m Samantha. And this is Simply Samantha. So, who is Samantha? That answer depends a little on the day. I’m a wife and a mom of three. I work full-time in health and wellness programming. I’ve spent more than 16 years serving in the South Dakota Army National Guard. I’m a homeowner, gardener, home cook, occasional DIY-er, and someone who is almost always trying to figure out what we’re…
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Banana Cream Iced Protein Coffee (Without the Creamer!)
Some mornings, I don’t want a complicated recipe or a coffee packed with sugar. I just want something that tastes like a treat, keeps me full, and helps me hit my protein goals. This has quickly become one of my favorite combinations because it’s so simple—and the best part? I completely skip traditional coffee creamer. The protein shake does all the work, making the coffee creamy, flavorful, and satisfying while adding 30 grams of protein. If you’ve been trying to find easy ways to increase your daily protein intake, this is proof that it doesn’t have to be complicated. My Simple Bananas & Cream Protein Coffee Ingredients: Directions Why I…
