I have a very strong love for pasta salads. I love that I can load them up with tons of veggies, or in this case even some fruit and get my pasta craving satisfied at the same time. The key to a good pasta salad to me is to have several textures, and flavors that come together with a tangy vinaigrette. I tend to make more pasta salads when the weather warms up for whatever reason and I love that I can keep them in the fridge and they are great for easy lunches, potlucks, or as a side dish to serve up with a grilled protein. This recipe for strawberry, feta, and herb pasta salad is going to become one of your favorite dishes to bring to any picnic, potluck, or simply just to serve at home!
Potato salad is a classic summertime dish for pot lucks, picnics, and more. Traditionally most potato salads are loaded with mayo and the potatoes are boiled until soft. There are few potato salads that I love for those reasons which is why I created a delicious new way to make potato salad that you are going to love so much. I am all about adding in crisp veggies into my potato salad, a little something pickled, and roasting the potatoes instead of boiling them for extra flavor and texture is a game changer. This recipe for roasted potato salad with asparagus, pickled fennel, and herbs will quickly become your new favorite potato salad.
This light, flavorful, and easy Vietnamese noodle salad is one of those dishes that pairs perfectly with grilled seafood or chicken, but also can be great for a make ahead lunch idea. Rice noodles get loaded with vegetables and tossed with a delicious rice wine vinaigrette that only gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. I love making it ahead of time and eating it for lunch all week long or having it on hand for and easy dinner side dish. This Vietnamese vegetable and noodle salad recipe is easy to make, can use up whatever veggies you have in your fridge, and is a winning dish with the whole family.
Soup season has arrived for most of us and I say bring it on. There is nothing better than a cozy bowl of soup on a chilly day that just feels like the ultimate food hug. It’s hard to pick a favorite soup for me, because I have so many that I love, but a classic vegetable soup is always high on the list in my opinion. Vegetable soup can sometimes be bland and lack luster in flavor, but I am here to tell you that this recipe for the best vegetable soup is going to change your mind about how tasty a bowl of vegetables in a delicious broth can truly be. I amped up the flavor in this recipe to make it the ultimate vegetable soup that you will crave all season long.
It’s officially fall and that means cozy dinners are a must, which is why I compiled forty of my favorite cooler weather, stay at home weeknight meals that will keep bellies and hearts full all season long. I’ve included a little bit of everything to satisfy all of your cravings and even included a few “on the lighter side” fall dishes in case you want to mix up those stick to your bones meals with a some delicious fall salads and more! I compiled a list of all of my favorite fall and winter dishes including a little holiday inspiration for you since that will also be approaching before we know it. You will find everything from soups, one pot meals, crock pot dishes, and more in this round up of fall dinner recipes that you need to make and hopefully it helps keep your family happy and well fed.
Summer melons are one of the reasons that this is my favorite season of them all. I stock up on all varieties when I am at the store each week and honeydew melon is the one that I tend to buy less often for some reason. I am not sure why because it is actually my husband’s favorite variety of them all. I decided to whip up a new fresh and healthy summer recipe using honeydew as the star ingredient. I have always been a fan of fruit in a salad, especially when you mix a little heat in with the cool fruit because it just is a magical combo. My honeydew cucumber salad is one of those salads that you will be making on repeat all summer long because it just that delicious.
Roasted cauliflower is one of my absolute favorite winter time vegetables! I am definitely the person who needs to make an extra batch for my family because I end up snacking on it as soon as it comes out of the oven and tend to eat half of the pan myself before I have even served dinner. But beyond roasting, cauliflower is so versatile and I love incorporating it into any meals where I can! It’s truly a vegetable that is a jack of all trades if you will. From roasting, to pureeing, to everything in between, cauliflower is the veggie for the job! I love a good bowl situation during the week where I can add veggies, a grain, and maybe a fried egg and dinner is done, and cauliflower is the perfect veggie to add to any bowl mix up. My roasted cauliflower and spinach grain bowls are seriously one of my new favorite dinners and you are going to love them too!
January always seems to be the month that goes on forever and ever. The weather is always a bit (or a lot) chilly depending on where you live, calling for lots of cozy food. In addition to soup, potatoes are the next best thing to stick to your bones if you ask me! I love using sweet potatoes as much as I can because they are more nutrient dense than a regular russet potato. Sweet potatoes are so versatile and while they are delicious on their own just with a little honey and butter, I love to add savory flavors as well. Stuffing sweet potatoes is a great way to add a variety of flavors and you can create an entire meal with them that the whole family will love. My miso butter sweet potatoes with roasted chickpeas will quickly become a weeknight favorite and the best part is, they are loaded with flavor and nutrition!
With the holidays in full swing it can sometimes feel impossible to keep up with a healthy lifestyle due to the constant influx of treats that co-workers, family, and the internet keeps throwing your way! This is the time of year I find most people throw in the towel and say I’ll just start fresh in January because they find it too overwhelming to stay the path! That’s why I like to prep easy and healthy lunches at the beginning of the week so that I can be sure I have something nutritious and satisfying to help me resist the holiday temptations throughout the day! My easy single serving veggie ramen bowls are going to be your new favorite healthy make ahead lunch for any day of the week!
Hey hey Monday! I see you, trying to intimidate us all, making us wish it was still the weekend..but that’s not going to work this week! I’m ready for you. I woke up motivated, rested, and ready to tackle this week’s to-do list! How about you? Not so much? Don’t worry if you aren’t feeling quite as enthusiastic about Monday morning just yet, I am here to change your outlook! One of the ways I prepare for a successful week is by meal planning and lunches are the one thing that sometimes get the short end of the stick! I have had several requests for not only kid friendly lunches, but also adult lunches, and I have a great one that you can prep in advance for the week! My roasted chickpea caesar wraps are so easy to make, healthy, and satisfying to keep you going through any day of the week!
This week I managed to take my child to school on a day that he didn't in fact have school (I may have almost cried), on top of that Parks has woken up at 5am or somewhere in that time frame every single day leaving me feeling more tired than usual, and it seems like I can't get into my routine this week! Do you ever have weeks like that where you just feel off? (Please tell me I'm not alone here.) Thank goodness for easy recipes that save the day when my brain clearly isn't working so I don't have to put much effort into creating a delicious recipe that the whole family loves. My sumac roasted chickpea Caesar salad is just the kind of meal that nourishes your body, tastes delicious, and is easy peasy too!
I'm here to let you know that I am extending the weekend another day! And yes I have the authority to do that. This weekend went by too fast, which it always does, but this weekend really sped by and I am just not ready to go into full on weekday mode today! So today I am challenging myself and you to do one thing for yourself that you wouldn't normally allow yourself to do today. Self-care Monday should totally be a thing if you ask me! Take a bubble bath in the middle of the day, read a book for a little while, take a power nap, whatever it is..do it! I need that today, and I am guessing so do you! And you know what else we need today? A little comfort food, so let's make ourselves a spinach and artichoke grilled cheese and call it a day!
I don't know about you, but when summer rolls around the last thing that I want to do is use my oven in any capacity. The air conditioner is already running 24/7 to keep the house at a reasonable temperature, and the last thing I want to do is add any heat to the mix! I am all about easy summer salads that I can grill up a protein to pair with it and call it done-so! My spicy peach and corn summer salad is my new obsession because it's spicy, sweet, and full of textures that you are going to love!
It's officially Spring, which has turned into my favorite time of year here in Texas. The weather is just right and there is only a small window of time before the heat takes over and I turn into a pool of water. We have been enjoying as much outside time as we can get while the temperature is perfect! Things like strawberry picking, letting Parks play in the sprinkler, and eating crawfish with friends makes for a pretty happy lady (aka me) let me tell you. Along with the desire to be outside more, comes a strong need for color on my plate! There is something about the weather shift that makes me crave fresh foods with lots and lots of color. My roasted beet salad with tahini white beans is one of those salads that is not only delicious and super healthy, but it is also really gorgeous too!
I am beyond excited that last week has come and gone. First of all there are no more sick people in my house, including me, hallelujah. And second, my mom is coming to town on Wednesday! I have an exciting new project that I will be announcing at the beginning of the year which I cant wait to tell you about, but also I have a ton of work to do. So Gram is going to occupy the babe while mommy works works works...and of course we will have some Christmas shopping and wine sipping and all of that in between. Speaking of wine, I will be making these brie and roasted thyme cranberry paninis to be enjoyed in between sips and I think you should make them too.
Happy Monday guys! How was your weekend? Ours was so great and spent mostly at home just hanging out. It was perfect and as always, went by too fast! I am also hitting the reset button on in the meal department because this weekend I definitely ate too many pumpkin bars and some of that lingering Halloween candy that needs to go. To get back on track, I am whipping up my healthy butternut squash, apple, and kale salad with spiced pecans to eat all week long!
I have been slacking in the meal prepping department for Parks. I was so on my game at the beginning of the solid food stage and then he got really mobile and I found it super hard to find the time to go pee, let alone fix his homemade meals. Since we entered the can't sit still stage, I won't lie...there has been a hot dog or two thrown into the mix and maybe some mac and cheese...because some days I just need to get food in a hungry and fussy baby's belly and I need fast and easy. Yesterday however, I meal prepped for Parks because my mama guilt of not getting as many nutrients in him each day as possible was weighing heavy on me! Originally I made this dish for just him, and then after tasting the lentils I decided we would be sharing these lentils for a healthy lunch option all week!
Fall has officially arrived surrounding me with thoughts of fall fashion, pumpkin everything, and the hope of some cooler weather arriving to Texas in the near future. I love this time of year. The colors, the food, the energy from everyone else's excitement for the season, and this year the anticipation of our baby boy's arrival! Speaking of, we are officially one week and six days out from his due date! Crazy town! My cravings have been carb heavy lately or anything pumpkin related so I combined my two obsessions and created this delicious and easy brown butter and sage pumpkin ravioli with walnuts!
This meal is decadent, everything you love about a fall cozy meal, and is just absolutely delicious!
Texture is everything to me when it comes to food. Some of my favorite textures to eat are crisp apples, al dente pasta, crunchy potato chips, ice cream with a little milk poured on top (don't ask)...and I'll stop there because the list goes on and on. Risotto is not excluded from my list of best textured food awards. It's super creamy and luxurious and makes you feel like you are eating something really special. I know it can be intimidating, but in all honesty it's really easy to make! Time is your only commitment. Since I love risotto so much, I combined another one of my favorite flavors of pesto to make the perfect springtime version of a classic risotto recipe! My pesto risotto is going to make your tummy really happy from the first bite.
Salad has not been on my list of everyday foods right now. I have been craving lots of things, but vegetables just aren't one of them. I'm hoping my regular love of all things healthy comes back in the next couple of weeks, and in the mean time I have been tricking my brain by putting vegetables into sauces, smoothies, and sometimes forcing myself to eat them for the sake of the baby. However, my strawberry and avocado salad happens to be the one salad that I don't have to choke down and that actually taste amazing to me. This salad is so healthy and easy and the flavor combinations are just right.
You can top it with grilled chicken or salmon and even your picky eaters will approve of this healthy weeknight dinner. There is something about the savory and sweet when you get a bite of the strawberries with the tangy vinaigrette that just makes this salad so dang good until the last bite.
Watermelon is hands down my favorite summer fruit. We go through at least one watermelon a week and I love not only eating it by itself, but also making summer salads with it. Cucumber and watermelon are a classic combo when it comes to summer salads, but I added a few twists to make this watermelon salad really stand out amongst the crowd! This recipe for smashed cucumber and watermelon salad with crispy shallots and an herby vinaigrette is going to hands down become your new favorite summer salad to enjoy all season long.