I used to think that packing my lunch for the week ahead involved an entirely separate cooking process from making Sunday night dinner. Whenever I went grocery shopping, I would buy one set of ingredients for that night's dinner, and another for that week's lunch. And while I made it work (and made some tasty mason-jar salads in the process), it was not only fairly time-consuming, but also quite expensive. 

You've heard it time and time again: baking is a science. What does that mean? Well, that unlike cooking (where you can be a bit more spontaneous), it takes just the right combination of ingredients—and the right amount of them—to produce a tasty result that satisfies in both flavor and texture. That's not to say you can't get creative with your recipes, but you have to think carefully about substitutions to make sure you're replacing like with like. 

The moment we saw this fluffy, golden-brown cake in the pages of the Israeli cookbook Zahav, we knew we had to make it. Not only do we love lemon poppyseed anything, but it seemed like the perfect snack cake to have on hand—both to enjoy leisurely over the weekend and to grab throughout the work week. 

You guys! Our super awesome friends Jeff and Betsy have started a baking subscription box called New York Baker's Club, and you're gonna want to get in on it. Every month, they'll send you all the ingredients and step-by-step instructions to create two mouthwatering dessert recipes, such as this salty-chocolate-crunchy-caramel-y bark (made with saltines!!)

Kicking off each morning with a healthy breakfast helps me on stay on track the rest of the day, and while the usual suspects are yogurt, oatmeal, or toast, it's always nice to switch it up (especially if that means a baked good). So we decided to take one of our favorite ingredients—the sweet potato—and work it into a nutritious (and portable!) breakfast.

This cheesy, browned, bubbly breakfast strata has become our go-to brunch dish—and it's not hard to see why.