recipes

35 Best Pasta Recipes to Make Now

I may as well title this post What Should I Cook for Dinner Tonight, because guess what? The answer is this list of 35 of the best pasta recipes to make now.

October arrived with a skiff of frost in my waning garden and the donning of my favorite knee sweeping sweaters. Fall is here. I’ve turned in my straw hat for my knit beanie, and while others are waiting in line for their pumpkin spiced lattés, you’ll find me dreaming of all the ways to fix my favorite comfort food: all the best pasta recipes.

October is national pasta month, so what better way to celebrate than make all the best pasta?

Whether it’s authentic and real Italian pasta like my Spaghetti Pomodoro, or the best American-ized mac and cheese to ever pass your lips, this list of 35 homemade pasta recipes are what you should be cooking this month.

continue to the recipe… about 35 Best Pasta Recipes to Make Now

Mexican Corn Dip (Hot or Cold!)

Whether it’s served melty hot or crunchy cold, this easy Mexican corn dip made with roasted green chiles, mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and chile powder will seriously have you considering the double chip dip.

This recipe is brought to you by Kettle Brand

I couldn’t really call myself a party thrower until I had a handful of easy potato chip dip recipes mastered and stuffed under my belt.

So by now, after eight years of sharing recipes here on la FoodieCrush and armed with a load of appys that have become reader favorites, I should be capable of throwing a damn fine soirée. And actually—as I no-big-deal brush the selft-congratulatory-dust off my shoulders—I do.

This Mexican corn dip is just one of the chip dip recipes that always delivers. It’s based on the popular Mexican street corn known as elotes, or more aptly named in this stripped-off-the-cob salad-esque-form, as esquites. It’s light, it’s fresh, and it’s primo with chips.continue to the recipe… about Mexican Corn Dip (Hot or Cold!)

The Best Easy Stuffing Recipe

This traditional homemade stuffing recipe is a classic. It’s an easy, traditional stuffing made with simple ingredients to make for a Thanksgiving turkey, or served as a side dish to chicken, pork, or just about any comfort food craving any time of year.

The Best Stuffing Recipe

If I were to stand at a table loaded with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner dishes, and have to choose just one to eat for the rest of my Thanksgiving dinner days, it wouldn’t be the turkey, it wouldn’t be the mashed potatoes, and it wouldn’t even be my grandma’s ambrosia salad that would make the cut. Nope.

The one dish I wouldn’t want to miss out on at Thanksgiving is this super simple, totally basic, bread stuffing I’ve been eating since I could put food in my hungry little mouth, and will still eat hot at the table or cold straight from the fridge. It’s my side dish kryptonite and the one I can never say no to.

I’ve shared other stuffing recipes that are more unusual with more ingredients, but I’ve never shared my favorite. I always thought it was just too basic, and not unique enough. But because it’s the same one I make year in and year out, and it’s the same easy stuffing recipe my mom made every year that I would more than happily taste test for seasoning, I figured it was high time to post it here where it proudly belongs.

There’s nothing fancy about this traditional stuffing. It’s totally basic. But its simplicity is exactly why I crave it year after year after year.continue to the recipe… about The Best Easy Stuffing Recipe

20 Caprese Recipes You’ll Go Crazy For

From the best caprese salads to caprese skewers and the classic caprese sandwich, this list of 20 favorite tomato, mozzarella and basil themed recipes will have you going crazy for caprese.

You know those quizzes you see all over the internet touting, “Choose your favorite XX and we’ll tell you your personality type”? Well, if I had to choose, my favorite-salad-personality-clone would be the caprese salad.

There’s not much you can’t do with the basic ingredients of the classic caprese salad, from the classic caprese salad to caprese skewers to caprese-topped chicken dinners, all you need to get started is:

fresh and creamy mozzarella (any shape or size, and ultra-creamy burrata makes things even that much better)
the season’s best tomatoes (hopefully still warm from the garden)
spicy basil that smells of summer
the best fruity olive oil your wallet can afford
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for that hit of spice we all need in our day

Alone as a preamble salad or served as a potluck side dish that will be the first to disappear, a classic caprese is pure love on a plate, in a bowl, or on a platter. But take those classically fresh Italian ingredients and add a dose of inspiration and you have so much more: a topper for chicken, or spritzing up toasts, or making breakfast eggs even more of the best way to start your day. The caprese personality is one everybody will love.

The season is now to capture the rapt ripeness of the best tomatoes. Get them before the getting’s gone. It’s time to get your caprese on.

Start with this list of 20 caprese recipes to crush on now.continue to the recipe… about 20 Caprese Recipes You’ll Go Crazy For

Memorial Day Recipe Ideas: Here’s What I’m Cooking

Celebrate the beginning of summer and Memorial Day weekend with a few favorite recipes made especially delicious when shared with friends and family.

Hello and happy Saturday!

3-day weekends bring on all of the desires of wanderlust, relaxation, and deciding what’s on the menu.

I was on a phone call with a client yesterday. After talking shop I couldn’t wrap things up before asking the most pressing question of our whole conversation: What are you cooking for Memorial Day?

His answer was unexpected of sorts, and a reminder of why we’ve come to celebrate this 3-day weekend with food. “Meat. Lots of meat.” He was joining his wife’s family at his father-in-law’s home where every year for Memorial Day they celebrate the life of her brother who was killed in action. He explained more, “My father-in-law spends days preparing and grilling so much meat for 40-50 people. I don’t know how he does it every year, but it’s important to him that he does.”

Memorial Day is a special holiday where we shouldn’t forget the real reason it was established: to honor our fallen patriots. And like so many traditions, it’s food that brings us together to do so. And so with a very grateful heart and a full stomach, we salute you and the families who’ve loved and lost.

continue to the recipe… about Memorial Day Recipe Ideas: Here’s What I’m Cooking

31 Plant-Based Recipes That Aren’t Salads

There’s no need to go fully vegan or vegetarian to take advantage of the benefits of a plant-based diet, and there’s no better time than now to start adding more of them into your diet with gusto.

The two main reasons we as humans eat are a) for health and b) for taste. Food is what makes life possible, and that much better, and so much more tasty and delicious.

But eating for health doesn’t have to mean sacrificing all of the things that make food so enjoyable. But with so many popular elimination diets out there right now (that often contradict each other), balancing this issue can seem complicated.

But it doesn’t have to be!

continue to the recipe… about 31 Plant-Based Recipes That Aren’t Salads

15 Asparagus Recipes that Make a Meal

Asparagus is the king of the spring crop, and we’re big fans. Prep these 15 asparagus recipes for healthy dinners all week-long.

Spring has sprung, and everything’s coming up green — especially asparagus.

We’re quite fond of this stalky superfood veg, which is essentially a mascot for spring. We love it simple and sweet when it’s roasted with just a squeeze of lemon, drizzled with browned butter and nuts, but also in pastas for dinner and salads for lunch, and for brunch in quiches, frittatas and tarts.

Asparagus may make our pee smell weird, but that won’t keep us away.

Because it’s in season right now and we can’t get enough of those tender emerald spears, we’re switching gears to dinner tine with 15 asparagus recipe ideas for your main meal if you feel the same.

You get the idea. Now get cooking!continue to the recipe… about 15 Asparagus Recipes that Make a Meal

31 Days of Healthy Snack Recipes to Make Now

Healthy snacks for adults and kids, weight loss, work, and on the go can literally be at hand with these easy recipes.

Healthy Snack Ideas Any and Every Time

Snacks are the key to keeping good nutrition habits on track, and the first thing to totally derail our best intentions of the day.

Keeping a stash of healthful snack ideas for every situation makes it a whole lot easier to pass right on by the sabotage of the dastardly vending machine, and makes it so much easier to just say no to that tub of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer.

This month long list of 31 healthy recipes makes it easy to snack any time, for:

healthy snacks for weight loss
healthy snacks for work
healthy snacks on the go
healthy snacks for adults and for kids

They’re sure to become your new go-to to stave off the 3pm slump at work, or even just a late night indulgence that you can still feel good about in the morning.continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Healthy Snack Recipes to Make Now

50 Favorite Mediterranean Diet Recipes

The Mediterranean Diet has been named 2019’s diet of the year, and this list of 50 breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes makes it easy to add more of the Med-inspired lifestyle to your weekly meal plan.

The Best Diet of 2019

Just as we were setting our sights on eating better with the New Year, US News and World Report came out with their standings of the best diets to follow for 2019, and for the first time, the Mediterranean Diet took top honors. CNN reports the diets were ranked on: “how easy it is to follow, its nutritional completeness, its ability to produce short-term and long-term weight loss, its safety and its potential for preventing and managing diabetes and heart disease.”

Unlike many of the trendy, silver bullet diets that are at the bottom of this year’s list and you see everyone jumping through hoops to try (and ultimately bail out on), the Mediterranean diet is a centuries-old lifestyle for long-term health and wellness instead of a quick weight loss fad that never seems to really last.continue to the recipe… about 50 Favorite Mediterranean Diet Recipes

10 Easy and Healthy Brussels Sprouts Recipes to Fall For Now

Roasted or sautéed, dressed with bacon or balsamic, this “best-of” list of 10 healthy Brussels sprouts recipes are literally on everyone’s lips.

Ok. I know it might be a bold statement to make, because not everyone loves Brussels sprouts. Really?? But hear me out! These recipes are NOT the gross and gloppy suspicious green mystery orbs of your youth.

I was never a fan of Brussels sprouts, and would sneak them under the table to feed them to the dog whenever my mom made them. But not anymore. Maybe it’s the fact that my taste buds have grown up, or America’s obsession with revisiting retro classics, but these veggies have received some major glow in recent years.

From the texture (crispy, crunchy, shredded, shaved), to the flavor (blackened, buttery, smokey, salty, sweet) Brussels sprouts are are having their moment.

Welcome them to your table–or at least let them pull up a seat, and give them a try–with the 10 tasty recipes I’ve rounded up below.continue to the recipe… about 10 Easy and Healthy Brussels Sprouts Recipes to Fall For Now

31 Days of Comfort Food Favorites to Make Now

Comfort food cures all our cooking cravings, and there’s no better time to cozy up to hearty soups, easy slow cooker meals, and comforting pastas, than the 31 days of October.

It feels good to fall into fall, don’t you agree?

While I fiercely LOVE the summer months, there is a totally cozy nostalgia that comes with changing leaves, a chill in the morning, and the don’t-want-to-admit-but-I’m-getting-excited-thrill of the holidays peeking just around the corner.

Whether you’re looking for a new killer chili recipe to bust out at your next tailgate party, a simple throw-together weeknight meal, or a healthy-fill-you-up breakfast, these 31 tasty recipes are what you should be making this month.

And since we are in the 31 days of October, don’t you dare forget the pumpkin recipes!continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Comfort Food Favorites to Make Now

15 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Get You Through the Week

This list of 15 easy and healthy breakfast ideas will have you out the door and on the go in no time.

We’ve heard it and know it by heart—the oft-repeated mantra, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

But too often the back-to-school rush of packing lunches, figuring out dinner plans, choosing healthy snacks, etc., breakfast can get left behind in the shuffle.

Even if you’re not sending littles (or bigs) out the door, I’m all about having options to mix up my healthy breakfast eating routine, because you KNOW I’m not one to skip any meal, but most importantly not breakfast and my daily time-to-be-just-with-me quiet time.

This list of 15 easy breakfast provides three weeks worth of weekday breakfast options that will get you out the door quickly without sacrificing your diet, sanity, or valuable hair blow-drying time.continue to the recipe… about 15 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Get You Through the Week

Italian Chicken Wrap

You may see pinwheel wrap sandwiches so often at the store or the quick mart you don’t even realize how easy they are to make at home. But this healthy Italian Chicken Wrap sandwich has a few secrets up it’s tortilla that’ll make it so you’ll never want a take-it-with-you lunch any other way again.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods

It seems that lunches are the meal that can make or break your best eating intentions.

I know you know what I’m talking about. And I know that if you’ve said it to yourself once, you’ve said it 4053 times.

“This week I’m totally taking my lunch every day.”

But then it’s the night before and you’re too tired to pull a lunch together, or your morning is in a frenzy, or your delicate ingredients have all gone bad.

And then there you are. Once again, your intentions are dashed, leaving you staring emptily at the vending machine or forking over $13.84 for a lame something or another that really is just not that good. And worse, that marginal lunch is both taking away from your budget’s bottom line while adding too many calories to your very own bottom that soon won’t fit into your jeans if you keep this up young lady. (oops, did I say that out loud?)

But this easy Italian chicken wrap lunch is different. And here’s why.continue to the recipe… about Italian Chicken Wrap

21 Bucket List Recipes Because Summer Isn’t Over Yet

Summer delivers all sorts of cooking inspiration with piles of fresh produce and plenty of invitations to backyard barbecues, camp outs, and pool parties. But with the days getting shorter and school starting up again you may be like me and wonder, where did my summer go???

Each summer we make our summer bucket lists of all the things to do, to live, and to fill our days with meaning. For me, that means cooking is absolutely in the mix, and my bucket list of recipes seems to keep growing and growing.

So while everyone is looking forward to beating the back to school blues, we’re living in the now and finishing off our summer bucket recipe list.

If you feel like your warm-weather cooking is withering like an under-watered tomato plant, this list of 21 must-make recipes to make before summer sings its swan song should put some inspiration back into your kitchen.

Each one is simple enough to get you out of the kitchen without breaking a sweat, but adds a unique flair to many of our favorite dishes. Let’s get cooking!

21 Recipes to Fill Up Your Summer Bucket List

My light and juicy turkey burgers go vial during cookout season, and for good reason –> they’re healthy, delicious, and nobody will ever ask, “Where’s the beef?”
I can’t stop, won’t stop making this essential summer pasta salad. My husband has declared it his summer favorite and I took it to a party just last night.
Buttery shortbread crust with smooth chocolate ganache and a show-stopping toasty marshmallow finish. I can just feel my teeth sinking into these toasted s’mores squares.
Forget about the boring cob with butter, this grilled Mexican street corn salad is where summer bites are at.
We’ve all made tried and true pulled pork for family get-togethers, so it’s definitely time to try this amped up version with sweet pineapple and just the right kick from spicy jalapeños.
This summer salad was close to being my most popular Instagram post of the summer. And for good reason! Make if yourself, take a pic with the tag #foodiecrusheats and I’ll share yours on my InstaStories. Or any FoodieCrush recipe, too.
If you’ve ever cooked a traditional tin foil dinner, you’ve GOT to add this Philly Cheesesteak version with melty provolone to your list (camping optional).
While you’ve got the tin foil handy, save room for this over-the-top grilled donut sandwich situation, customized with Nutella, marshmallow and berries.
Whether or not you’ve been low-carbing it this swimsuit season, try this secret ingredient low carb “potato” salad for a healthier twist. Whoda thunk?
Summer veggie salads are always a crowd pleaser and this one is topped with a zesty lime vinaigrette for the perfect side to any summer meal.
Don’t miss this easy-peasy side or lighter main dish with a gorgeous mix of blueberries, kale, crunchy sunflower seeds and a simple secret ingredient to make meal prep a snap.
I am totally ready to cover the tables with newspapers, invite all the friends over, and get back to my roots even though I don’t live in the South with this low country shrimp boil.
One of the best ways to use up all that summer-fresh garden produce staring you in the face is an authentic gazpacho with homemade croutons. Or take a shortcut with my cheater version instead.
If you love strawberry short cake, you’re gonna love this peach short cake recipe with brown sugar even more.
Why didn’t I think of this? These grilled chicken drumsticks are a busy-day friendly way to fix a quintessential summer meal.
This twist on banana bread is the perfect way to use up not just one, but two types of fruit that might be withering a bit too quickly in the summer heat.
These classic no-bake cookies are how you take care of that summer sweet tooth without turning on the oven.
Just in case you need a different reason to use up those avocados other than avo toast, this fresh herby summer salad will gleefully take care of them.
If you can’t make it to the beach, bring the flavors of Baja to your neck of the woods with these spicy fish taco bowls.
I’m filing away this apricot almond cake to make in a couple of weeks when my neighbors tree starts spilling all that fruity goodness into my yard (not complaining!).
Farmers market breakfast bowls are literally the stuff that summer is made of–bursting with veggies and topped with a creamy green goddess dressing. Let’s end summer on the right note.

More Recipes to Make Now, or Really Any Time of Year

Cheers to finishing summer off with a bang, and getting into the kitchen to cook something good.

p.s. I’m still debating on whether to send out weekly meal plans with shopping lists or simply send out a weekly recipe round up that fits the season’s eats. Leave a comment or hit reply and email me back to let me know what you’d like to see!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

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31 Quick and Healthy Veggie Side Dishes in 30 Minutes or Less

Getting your fill of seasonal vegetables just got easier with this list of 31 quick and healthy seasonal vegetable side dishes that can be prepped in 30 minutes or less.

This time of year brings on a love/hate relationship with the season.

On the one hand, it can be completely comforting to daydream about weather cool enough for a cozy sweater, spicy pumpkin goodies, and getting the kids and ourselves back into the pleasant hum (fingers crossed) of a school-day routine.

But it’s always bittersweet to lose the relaxed vibe of those chilled out summer months and all the extra moments of family time we sneak in around the campfire, up at the cabin, boarding on the lake, or just in our own back yard.

To help ease the craziness that can surround the first few weeks of a new schedule and busy activities, we’ve put together a list of 31 quick and healthy veggie-based side dishes that have you covered from A-Zucchini!

Most dishes have just 10 ingredients or less (not including pantry staples like olive oil or salt and pepper) and with the exception of items with a longer baking/roasting time, all recipes can be put together in 30 minutes or less, with minimal prep time.

These recipes will help you get dinner on the table in no time flat, with enough nourishment to keep you going until Fall really gets here.continue to the recipe… about 31 Quick and Healthy Veggie Side Dishes in 30 Minutes or Less

31 Healthy Mexican Recipes to Make in May

These 31 healthy Mexican dinner recipes are ones you can feel good about, whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, or just your average weeknight.

Happy May!

Cinco de Mayo is fast-approaching, and while I really don’t need an excuse or a designated day to enjoy Mexican food, I will definitely jump at a holiday that encourages me to celebrate by eating a taco or two! Are you with me?

Mexican food is one of my favorites and the proof is in the number of recipes here on the blog like my favorite guacamole to slow cooker Chile Verde, to stuffed pasilla peppers here in my recipe archives. But today we’re leaning into our healthier main meal frame of mind and that’s where these 31 recipes come in.

These 31 recipes are all weeknight-friendly (you can make many of them in just 30 minutes), low-carb, and full of lean protein and veggies. Plus, there are several seafood and vegetarian options. Guilt-free, easy Mexican meals you can make any night of the week? Now that calls for my favorite margarita! Because you know…balance.

From burrito bowls that blow Chipotle out of the water, to big, hearty salads with all of the fixins, these 31 healthy Mexican recipes are the perfect way to kick off May and celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

Make meal planning your month of meals a snap.

First, download this free printable weekly meal planner/to-do list to fill in, tape to the fridge, take to the grocery store, or use for reference next year when you can’t remember what the heck were your fave recipes from this one.

And then sign up for your free weekly meal plan and prep list here.

You get the idea. Now let’s dig in.

These lightened-up Mexican meals are coming at you just in time for Cinco de Mayo! So without further ado…

May 1: One-Pot Mexican Shrimp Orzo with Zucchini

FoodieCrush

One pot and 30 minutes are all you need to make this easy orzo made primarily with pantry staples you likely already have hanging around. It’s studded with plenty of healthy shrimp and zucchini, and is full of great Mexican flavors, making it an obvious choice for any night of the week!

May 2: Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole

Well Plated

Casseroles are notoriously known for excessive calories and globs of cheese, but not this one. It’s made with protein-packed quinoa, black beans, and chicken, and has a healthy does of veggies. And thanks to Greek yogurt and a reasonable amount of cheese, it’s just as creamy and satisfying as a casserole should be.

May 3: Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Stuffed peppers are the ultimate comfort food and these babies are low-carb, gluten-free, perfectly cheesy and spicy, and they come together in just 20 minutes!

May 4: Healthy Mexican Street Corn Burrito Bowls

Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Inspired by Mexican street corn (yaas), these colorful burrito bowls are guilt-free and full of so much awesome flavor.

May 5: Kale Taco Salad with Roasted Jalapeño Lime Vinaigrette

Plays well with Butter

This kale salad represents what all kale salads should be (totally hearty, tasty, and yes, healthy). This one one is loaded with honey chipotle chicken, black beans, corn, radishes, a quick pico de gallo, pepper jack cheese, and a roasted jalapeño lime vinaigrette that will be your new favorite summer salad dressing, and it’s a keeper in our book.

May 6: Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema

Freutcake

You know the drill — warm weather means grilling season, and these shrimp tacos with shredded cabbage and avocado crema are definitely worth firing up the grill for. The shrimp are marinated in a citrus-rum mixture beforehand (um, yes please), and everything comes together in under 30 minutes.

May 7: Ground Turkey Tacos in Lettuce Wraps with Cilantro Lime Crema

Joyful Healthy Eats

Think outside the tortilla with these ground turkey and lettuce tacos with tomato, avocado, and a super refreshing cilantro lime crema that’s buy delicioso.

May 8: Easy Chilaquiles with Eggs

FoodieCrush

Breakfast for dinner never tasted so good. This crave-worthy classic features tortilla chips, runny eggs, and an authentic enchilada sauce that’ll knock your socks off. Plus, it can be on your table in under 20 minutes.

May 9: Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde

Skinnytaste

The words enchiladas and light can actually exist in the same sentence. Filled with shredded chicken, white beans, and green chiles, and topped with a green chile enchilada sauce and just enough cheese, these hit the spot.

May 10: DIY Burrito Bowl

Oh She Glows

This gluten-free and vegan burrito bowl is for vegans and carnivores alike. It’s easy, healthy, filling, and completely versatile (try quinoa or cauliflower rice instead of traditional brown or white rice, or mix up the type of beans you use). Whatever you do, definitely don’t miss out on the avocado-lime sauce!

May 11: Instant Pot Chipotle Chili

My Food Story

This super flavorful, chipotle-spiked chili tastes like it spent all day simmering away on the stove, but it only takes 30 minutes in the Instant Pot.

May 12: Meal Prep Carnitas Burrito Bowls

Fit Foodie Finds

Take an hour on a Sunday and prep these yummy bowls for quick and healthy lunches or dinners all week long. You can cook the carnitas in the slow cooker, and while they’re cooking, make your cilantro lime rice, chop your lettuce, and prep your beans and street corn.

May 13: Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Fajita Salad

Cafe Delites

Ditch the carb-heavy tortillas and turn your fajitas into a big, hearty, healthy salad. This one’s bursting with flavor, especially thanks to tender chicken thighs in a chili-lime marinade that doubles as a vinaigrette, stir-fried peppers and onion, and cool, creamy avocado.

May 14: Blackened Fish Taco Salad

Chef De Home

This loaded salad has everything you love about fish tacos — flakey, blackened fish, juicy tomatoes, avocado, kidney beans, red onion, jalapeño, roasted corn, cilantro, and tortilla chips, all on a mixed bed of lettuce and kale. And don’t even get us started on the avocado lime cotija dressing.

May 15: Fresh Huevos Rancheros

Cookie and Kate

If huevos rancheros is on the menu, we’re ordering it. This vegetarian dish may be a popular choice for breakfast and brunch, but we love it so much, we eat it for dinner just as often. And with plenty of protein from refried black beans and a perfectly runny fried egg, it always fills us up.

May 16: Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls

How Sweet Eats

This honey-chipotle marinade has become one of our favorite ways to flavor chicken on the grill. Paired with fluffy coconut-lime quinoa and a fresh and zesty side salad, these chicken bowls are the perfect light but hearty summer dinner we crave.

May 18: Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos

Gimme Some Oven

These healthy vegetarian tacos feature turmeric-roasted cauliflower, black beans, avocado, and a zippy tahini-lime crema you’ll definitely want to put on everything.

May 19: Fiesta Chili Lime Chicken Salad with Mango Avocado Salsa

Little Spice Jar

Marinated chili-lime chicken, avocado, mango salsa, and grilled red peppers bring mega flavor to this satisfying salad that’s so tasty you don’t even need dressing.

May 20: Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce

FoodieCrush

These Baja-style Cajun-spiced fish tacos are filled with a cool and refreshing avocado and cilantro tartar sauce, shredded cabbage, and fresh cilantro, beach-view and cerveza not included (but definitely recommended).

May 21: Skinny Refried Bean & Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Ambitious Kitchen

These refried bean and chicken enchiladas were lightened-up with a few simple tweaks, like baked and shredded chicken breast (instead of rotisserie chicken, which has more calories and fat), less cheese, and refried black beans, feature and a wonderfully authentic homemade enchilada sauce that will have you vowing to never use the store-bought stuff again.

May 22: Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas

FoodieCrush

Slow cooker Mexican flavored beef gives these savory enchiladas their start, with a healthy dose of butternut squash to round out the healthier side. Give these an even lighter bite when you go easy on the cheese—if you can.

May 23: 20 Minute Skillet Blackened Shrimp Fajitas

The Recipe Critic

Restaurant-worthy shrimp fajitas in just 20 minutes? We’re so there.

May 24: Vegetarian Chili

A Beautiful Plate

You won’t miss the meat in this hearty, nutritious, and smoky 3-bean chili, made with fire-roasted tomatoes, toasted ancho chili peppers, veggies, and kale.

May 25: Skinny Taco Salad

Well Plated

Forget the soggy, bland iceberg lettuce and greasy ground beef taco salads you used to know, because this one’s getting a healthier (and tastier) makeover. Made with lean ground turkey, black beans, crispy tortilla strips, tomatoes, avocado, crunchy romaine lettuce, and a Greek yogurt salsa dressing (yes, please), this taco salad will be your new favorite.

May 26: Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

Two Peas and Their Pod

This slow-cooker shredded Mexican chicken takes just 10 minutes to prep and is perfect for your next DIY burrito bowl, tacos, salad, nachos, and more.

May 27: Mexican Grilled Chicken Tacos

RecipeTin Eats

A bold marinade brings awesome flavor to the grilled chicken in these Mexican street food-inspired tacos. Even if you skip the taco part, make. this. chicken, because it’s all about that marinade, baby.

May 28: Chickpea Corn Fiesta Salad

Brewing Happiness

This 30-minute vegetarian salad (easily made vegan, by the way), starts with a bed of crisp romaine that then gets topped with crunchy tortilla strips, spiced chickpeas, corn, poblano pepper, avocado, and cotija cheese, and tossed with a lemon-honey dressing.

May 29: Enchilada Style Baked Chicken

The Harvest Kitchen

You can have the whole enchilada with this easy, low-carb chicken, baked with black beans, corn, tomatoes, and a homemade enchilada sauce. It all get topped with cheese, green onions, cilantro, and black olives, and it seriously could not be simpler to make.

May 30: Grilled Steak Tacos

FoodieCrush

Steak doesn’t have to be expensive. These tacos call for flank steak — an inexpensive but super flavorful cut that’s perfect for the grill. The steak’s marinated in a spicy, tangy citrus-adobo sauce, so it’s nice and tender and bursting with flavor. Top the tacos with some chopped onion and tomato, cotija cheese, avocado, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime, and you’ll really be livin’ right.

May 31: Mexican Cobb Salad

What’s Gaby Cooking

The classic cobb gets a Mexican spin with this totally loaded but healthy salad recipe. It’s got shredded romaine, spicy sautéed shrimp, black beans, cheese, guac, and pico de gallo, and we could seriously eat this salad every day.

This recipe round-up was curated and written by FoodieCrush contributor Hayley Putnam of Seven Day Weekend. Follow her foodie tastes and other flights of fancy on Pinterest and Instagram.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting FoodieCrush. Have something to say or a recipe round-up request to make your dinnertime meal making easier? I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or let me know in the comments below.

As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

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37 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Jumpstart Your Day

What’s the best thing to eat for breakfast? All the good things! This roundup of 37 quick and easy, healthy and delicious breakfast ideas will give you all the sustenance and energy you’ll need to keep you going all day long.

When the alarm goes off in the morning, rudely interrupting your peaceful slumber to alert you it’s time to get going, breakfast is likely the last thing on your mind.

But it should be.

Food is fuel, and after being asleep all night, we need a major refill come AM. It’s time to get the energy we need to be alert and power through our day (with a little nudge from our friend caffeine, of course).

Whether we eat breakfast or not, and what that meal might be determines how we’ll feel for the next several hours — dazed and confused, or energized and ready to slay the day. We think we’ll take the latter.

But let’s be real for a minute. We admit, we’re not always on top of our breakfast game, especially on hectic mornings as we wait out traffic. On other frenzied mornings, it becomes something we sacrifice all together for five more minutes of sleep. And as delicious as those few extra z’s may be, they’re nowhere near as delicious as a hearty breakfast burrito or a piping hot bowl of oatmeal with all the fixins.

We know we can do better, we just need a little inspiration and a game plan.

Even if you’re not a morning person, with a bit of planning, it is possible to hit the snooze and have your breakfast, too. And if you’re not a breakfast person, we bet you will be after browsing through these easy, healthy, and totally tempting recipes.

So let’s rise and shine with this list of yummy brekkies!

How to Make an Easy Breakfast On the Go

We all have mornings where we’re lucky if we can get out the door on time, and with matching socks no less. On mornings like those, breakfast tends to get demoted to the bottom of the priority list, or something that escaped our attention entirely.

That’s where these dishes come in.

You can whip them up on the fly, and some can even be prepped the night before, so no matter how early your AM wake up call, you can just grab and go!

Microwave Egg Caprese Breakfast Cups from FoodieCrush

5-Minute Pesto Arugula Breakfast Sandwich from A Couple Cookscontinue to the recipe… about 37 Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Jumpstart Your Day

20 Easy Healthy Cauliflower Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight

Cauliflower might be the most versatile vegetable. You can roast it, steam it, grill it like a steak, puree it like mashed potatoes, or grate it and eat it like rice. These 20 fast and healthy cauliflower dinner recipes prove cauliflower is a whole lot more than just a side dish, but is also great for easy meal prep and exactly what we need to carry us through a busy week.

Cauliflower is stealthy. It’s like the Madonna or Tilda Swinton of vegetables, always reinventing itself and morphing into something new.

Gone are the days when it existed solely as part of a boring medley of steamed broccoli and carrots. Now it’s “riced,” or mashed into a creamy deliciousness that often rivals even the best mashed potatoes, cut into steaks and grilled, and pureed into a healthier creamy chowder soup that’s so decadent you’d swear it had heavy cream. Cauliflower keeps us guessing and keeps us on our toes.

That’s why we’re big fans of this cruciferous veggie. There are endless ways to enjoy it, and since its flexible nature and creamy texture allows us to trick our brain into thinking we’re eating regular rice, pizza dough, and mashed potatoes, it totally satisfies our carb cravings (in a healthier, forgiving way).

Heck yes for sneaky brain tricks!

*But first, A QUESTION*

I’m experimenting with the best day of the week to share recipe round-up posts like this one so they’re most helpful for you.

so….

Will you please answer the following poll:

Which day of the week is most helpful to receive meal-planning recipe ideas?

To see the other posts in this Meal Plan series, check out the following:continue to the recipe… about 20 Easy Healthy Cauliflower Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight

20 Healthy Dinners to Make In the Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is the hot, do-it-all appliance on every foodie’s radar right now. It makes cooking fast or slow, but always easy. Today we’re sharing more weekly meal prep inspiration, with this list of healthy dinners you can make in an instant.

Happy New Year, friends! Did Santa baby bring you everything you wanted, including a shiny new Instant Pot? These puppies have been selling in droves, especially over the holidays. And since IP recipes have been flooding the Internet lately, we couldn’t help but wrangle up some of our favorite looking dishes at the moment.continue to the recipe… about 20 Healthy Dinners to Make In the Instant Pot

The 20 Most Popular FoodieCrush Recipes of 2017

I published many recipes on FoodieCrush this year, and while I thought they were all good, this is YOUR list of readers’ top 20 favorites.

The best recipes are the ones we come back to time and time again — the ones that are the heart of of our ever-expanding repertoire and the ones that keep them asking for seconds.

This last year I tinkered and tested, made a lot of messes, and whipped up tons of winners along with a fair share of losers that you never even got to see. Hopefully I’ve inspired you to make memories in the kitchen and to make something good, because honestly, what’s better than enjoying a stellar meal with the ones you love?

I’m happy to bring you YOUR list of the 20 most popular recipes chosen by readers as your favorites. These are the recipes that were most clicked on/bookmarked/and hopefully cooked with by FoodieCrush readers in 2017. Some are new, some are favorites you obviously keep coming back to for more, but all of them were FoodieCrush favorites.

Happy eating, friends. :)
continue to the recipe… about The 20 Most Popular FoodieCrush Recipes of 2017

31 Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes to Make in December

These 31 Instant Pot and slow cooker holiday dishes are perfect for easy meals when company calls, hearty breakfasts when extended family crashes, and fun treats for all of your holiday mingling this month.

Happy December!

Are you scurrying around like little elves, trying to get your holiday shopping done? Is the Instant Pot on your wish list? If not, it should be! It was the most sold item on Amazon last year, and it’s expected to do the same this year. That’s because this appliance is a beast. It functions as a slow cooker or a pressure cooker, slashing most cooking times in half, and leaving you with minimal cleanup.

Isn’t that magic to the ears, especially during the holidays?

That’s why our latest and last installment of the 31 day what to cook series is all about holiday dishes you can whip up effortlessly in your Instant Pot or or slow cooker. From crowd favorite appetizers and hearty breakfasts to soul-warming soups and beverages, we’ve got you covered this holiday season.

continue to the recipe… about 31 Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes to Make in December

20 Recipes You Can Make with a Can of Beans

Canned beans are one of those pantry staples we always have on hand. They’re cheap, easy, fuss-free, and filling, and their versatility makes them an awesome standby for tacos, salads, soups, enchiladas, and more. To get more Sunday meal prep inspiration, check out this list of favorite dinners made with all different types of beans.

No matter how depressingly barren our pantries may get, we can always find at least one can of beans lurking in there somewhere. They’re inexpensive and efficient, and they give us protein and fiber. Plus, you can get a lot of mileage out of beans, whether incorporating them into soups and chilis, enchiladas and burritos, stuffed peppers, casseroles, salads, and more. Canned beans have saved our lives on a number of occasions when we’ve lapsed on the grocery shopping, meal planning, and budgeting. We know how busy things get and how daunting meal planning can be, which is why we’re swooping in with our free meal plans to make your life and schedule a little more organized and a lot more simplified. More time for relaxing with the new revamp of Will and Grace and a glass of wine? Yes, please!

We’re excited to bring you our 2nd installment of our new Sunday Meal Prep Series where we’ll be sharing 20 recipes you can plan and prep ahead of time for a head start on your week—and show Monday-Friday who’s boss. If you missed the first one, you can check it out here: 20 Recipes You Can Make with a Pound of Ground Beef (It’s What’s for Dinner).

continue to the recipe… about 20 Recipes You Can Make with a Can of Beans

20 Recipes You Can Make with A Pound of Ground Beef (It’s What’s for Dinner)

Chances are you almost always have a pound of ground beef socked away in the freezer for a rainy day. It’s a good standby for making tacos, soups, spaghetti, burrito bowls, and more. To get more Sunday meal prep inspiration, check out this list of favorite dinners made with basic hamburger meat, because these are where beef is definitely what’s for dinner.

You know how it goes. Weekends are over in the blink of an eye and suddenly you find yourself on a Monday evening with no idea what’s for lunch or dinner in the week ahead. You check your pantry and survey your fridge for inventory, but figuring out what to cook can sometimes be just as time consuming or stressful as the cooking itself.

Fret not. You can still have Sunday Funday while doing some simple planning and cooking for the coming week so that come Monday, your future self will thank you when you already have the answer to that nagging question of, “What’s for dinner?” That’s why it’s helpful to have an arsenal of easy, organized recipes at your fingertips—recipes you can make on a Sunday to prep for the coming week.

Enter our new Sunday Meal Prep Series where we’ll be sharing 20 recipes you can plan and prep ahead of time for a head start on your week—and show Monday-Friday who’s boss.

continue to the recipe… about 20 Recipes You Can Make with A Pound of Ground Beef (It’s What’s for Dinner)

20 Chili Recipes to Cozy Up to This Fall

From crockpot to stove-top, there’s no better time to hunker down and cozy up to a bowl of homemade chili than right now.

Picture this: outside the wind is blustery, trees are rustling, and the scent of burning leaves and wood hover in the air. Inside, the football game’s on and a pot of chili is simmering away in the kitchen. Nothing conjures up fall like all of these things—particularly the aroma of home-cooked chili.

Whether you make it meaty and beefy or opt for a vegetarian version, chili really is one of the most flexible dishes you can prepare no matter what your cooking skill level. Throw it together to stew all day in the crockpot or make it quickly on the fly, you can always count on chili to bring on all the comfort food feels.

We can’t think of anything cozier than curling up under a blanket on the couch with a hearty bowl of any flavor, and that’s why we’re bringing you 20 chili recipes to make while you hibernate and warm up this fall and winter.

Grab your spoon and belly up to one of these pots of stick-to-your-ribs deliciousness. And remember to never forget the fixin’s.continue to the recipe… about 20 Chili Recipes to Cozy Up to This Fall

55 Healthy Zucchini Recipes to Make Now

This round up of 55 favorite zucchini recipes will keep you healthy and happy through the rest of summer’s bountiful harvest and all through the year.

During these final dog days of summer, there’s not much better than healthful eats packed with summer produce, unless of course you’re the lucky one who gets to lounge on a floatie all day at the pool with a summer sipper in hand. But even then, a girl’s gotta eat!

Late summer’s bounty of fresh summer veggies and fruits are one of the bright spots during these last steamy days—and sheesh, they’ve been STEAMY!

If you’ve been all Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and have a garden that continues to grow, you’re likely up to your ears in zucchini and sneaking it into meals in every which way you can. It’s wiggled its way into soups and galettes, bowls of zoodles and loaves of zucchini bread handed off to friends and neighbors.

From appetizers and mains, to sides and salads, there are thousands of ways to enjoy this versatile green veggie beyond my favorite 5-minute super simple zucchini sauté. We’ve narrowed down our list to these favorite 55 recipes shown off in all their glory below.

Let’s get squashed, shall we?

continue to the recipe… about 55 Healthy Zucchini Recipes to Make Now

31 Days of Summer Produce Recipes to Make in August

These 31 easy, healthy recipe ideas for summer produce are what make the living easy this month!

There’s nothing quite like biting into that first peach with juice dribbling steadily down your chin. Or the taste of summer’s first BLT stacked high with tomatoes still warm from the garden—you know, the one that requires at least five napkins.

Ah summer, there are so many reasons why we love you but your fresh fruits and veg are at the tops of our list.

With a jam-packed calendar of fitting in each and every summer picnic, take-it-to-the-beach day, and potluck soirée, summer’s favorite, fresh seasonal eats are more in demand this month than ever. Thankfully, there’s produce aplenty come each and every August so that seasonal farmers market gems are easily making their way into all of our meals.

For our eighth installment of our 31 Days Series, we’re going seasonal, baby, so it’s all about tender squash, juicy tomatoes, and corn so sweet you could get a toothache. We’re frequenting the farmers market and stocking up like its our job, because this summer bounty won’t be around for too much longer. So grab your best market tote and let’s hit the stalls!continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Summer Produce Recipes to Make in August

Classic Shrimp Macaroni Salad Recipe

A simple mayonnaise dressing lightly coats the classic ingredients of homemade macaroni salad, fancied up with bay shrimp for an easy side dish made perfect for every barbecue, picnic, or potluck.

Updated: This recipe one of my main go-tos for nearly every summer BBQ dinner I host or bring something to. So after re-visiting this recipe so many times this summer and looking at the old photos, I knew it needed a refresh. I hope you’ll enjoy the new look of one of my favorite salads, too.

Isn’t it funny how so many favorite recipes come from the kitchens of cooks who don’t consider themselves anything other than average? They aren’t culinary trained, they haven’t worked behind the line at fine restaurants and have never fathomed the thought of authoring a cookbook. Or even a food bloggity blog.

But those cooks, they all have at least one recipe they can rock in the kitchen.

That’s the secret to this Shrimp Macaroni Salad Recipe. Years of experience and good, old-fashioned, home cooking.

continue to the recipe… about Classic Shrimp Macaroni Salad Recipe

Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche

Thanks to a few staples you can keep in your fridge and freezer, this quick and simple quiche comes together fast thanks to a puff pastry crust filled with custard-ey eggs, smoked salmon, and crème fraîche or goat cheese.

This post has been updated with new photos and a few tweaks to the recipe. Enjoy!

Keeping long-lasting basic ingredients on hand in the fridge, freezer, and panty easily solves the “what’s for dinner” question. And with this super simple, quick quiche recipe, you won’t have to ponder that question for breakfast, brunch or lunch either.

We’ve definitely been on a breakfast kick and quiche has been top of mind. And I don’t mean breakfast for breakfast, but for dinner instead. One of my favorite things growing up is when my dad would break out the big electric frying pan in the evening and sauté mushrooms and bacon for Grandma’s Eggs. What kid doesn’t think breakfast for dinner is some sort of cosmically altered universe? And it’s an easy way for mom and dad to look like we’re ‘breaking the rules’ and going against society.

What rebels we are.
continue to the recipe… about Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche

Friday Faves and (re)Solutions for 2015

Today I’m going to be getting real. Maybe even a little bit raw. Today I’m sharing more of my personal realities than I normally would. It’s the new year, so why try to fake it?

Every year I’m injected with New Year sights and clarity, inspired to make vows that are too often abandoned or leave me deflated when I don’t reach my goals.

This year my chin is up and I’m striding into 2015 wearing my new favorite shoes with a new approach and optimistic vigor because my friend Paula introduced a variation of New Year’s goal setting to me. It resonated, and so I’m following her lead.

reSolutions for the New Year

Instead of creating open-ended ‘resolutions’ that leave too much wiggle room for neglect, this year I’m defining ‘reSolutions’ and pinpointing solutions to actually make them happen.

You may wonder, “Well, isn’t that pretty much the same thing?” Perhaps. But in my head it’s a new strategy that puts success within reach. I’m going for it because what’s to lose? Maybe…a lot.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves and (re)Solutions for 2015

10 Best Corn Recipes and Friday Faves

Food blogging can be a solitary job.

Dreaming up wild ideas on your own, being a one (wo)man show in the kitchen, taking on the tasks of a full-service photo studio to become a food stylist, prop stylist and photographer all wrapped up into one. And then there’s the writing, which is probably the only part of blogging that truly takes just one brain to deliver our sweet and savory, crunchy or smooth ideas to the table.

But this week, I was far from alone. Instead, I went from the mountains of Park City, UT to the flatlands of the midwest to be immersed in food bloggerness thanks to some of the most talented names on the www’s.

continue to the recipe… about 10 Best Corn Recipes and Friday Faves

recipes

The Best Stuffing Recipe

Healthy Snack Ideas Any and Every Time

The Best Diet of 2019

21 Recipes to Fill Up Your Summer Bucket List

More Recipes to Make Now, or Really Any Time of Year

Make meal planning your month of meals a snap.

May 1: One-Pot Mexican Shrimp Orzo with Zucchini

FoodieCrush

May 2: Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole

Well Plated

May 3: Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Healthy Seasonal Recipes

May 4: Healthy Mexican Street Corn Burrito Bowls

Chelsea’s Messy Apron

May 5: Kale Taco Salad with Roasted Jalapeño Lime Vinaigrette

Plays well with Butter

May 6: Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema

Freutcake

May 7: Ground Turkey Tacos in Lettuce Wraps with Cilantro Lime Crema

Joyful Healthy Eats

May 8: Easy Chilaquiles with Eggs

FoodieCrush

May 9: Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde

Skinnytaste

May 10: DIY Burrito Bowl

Oh She Glows

May 11: Instant Pot Chipotle Chili

My Food Story

May 12: Meal Prep Carnitas Burrito Bowls

Fit Foodie Finds

May 13: Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Fajita Salad

Cafe Delites

May 14: Blackened Fish Taco Salad

Chef De Home

May 15: Fresh Huevos Rancheros

Cookie and Kate

May 16: Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls

How Sweet Eats

May 18: Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos

Gimme Some Oven

May 19: Fiesta Chili Lime Chicken Salad with Mango Avocado Salsa

Little Spice Jar

May 20: Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce

FoodieCrush

May 21: Skinny Refried Bean & Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Ambitious Kitchen

May 22: Beef and Butternut Squash Enchiladas

FoodieCrush

May 23: 20 Minute Skillet Blackened Shrimp Fajitas

The Recipe Critic

May 24: Vegetarian Chili

A Beautiful Plate

May 25: Skinny Taco Salad

Well Plated

May 26: Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

Two Peas and Their Pod

May 27: Mexican Grilled Chicken Tacos

RecipeTin Eats

May 28: Chickpea Corn Fiesta Salad

Brewing Happiness

May 29: Enchilada Style Baked Chicken

The Harvest Kitchen

May 30: Grilled Steak Tacos

FoodieCrush

May 31: Mexican Cobb Salad

What’s Gaby Cooking

This recipe round-up was curated and written by FoodieCrush contributor Hayley Putnam of Seven Day Weekend. Follow her foodie tastes and other flights of fancy on Pinterest and Instagram.

How to Make an Easy Breakfast On the Go

Which day of the week is most helpful to receive meal-planning recipe ideas?

reSolutions for the New Year

Follow @foodiecrush on Instagram

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