The sparkle attracts me. After all, what other time of year could I feasibly don a glittery skirt or a light-up snowman sweater and be right on trend? Then, I flash forward to my feelings every year after my family’s four-day, multi-dinner holiday feast extravaganza. The only sparkle I want is the shiny stripe down the side of my sweatpants. Fortunately for us, with cranberry St. Germain cocktails in hand, we’ll be party pretty no matter what we are wearing!...

Words that encapsulate the warm, fuzzy feelings that surround the height of fall and transition into the holidays: footie pajamas; hearth; hot chocolate; mittens; cranberry turkey meatballs. Turkey meatballs often get a bad rap for being dry and flavorless. One of my goals in life has been to prove that’s simply not true. My Moroccan Turkey Meatballs and Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs are evidence of this! Today, these cranberry turkey meatballs only further cement their place is moist, juicy meatball land (a place I would love to visit BTW)....

When Ben and I were first married, his mom gifted me his two favorite recipes: the family heirloom chocolate chip cookies and her chicken pot pie with pie crust. After a series of failed attempts, I abandoned the cookies. I maintain that an ingredient was missing from the recipe. Or perhaps cookies are an untouchable food, one where mom (and nostalgia) always know best…at least until my cookbook comes out....

Since my full list of healthy muffin recipes (let alone my breakfast recipes), is quite, erm, extensive, in today’s post, I’m organizing these the muffins into helpful categories like low calorie healthy breakfast muffins, healthy blueberry muffin recipes, healthy muffin recipes with vegetables, and more! You can even find healthy breakfast muffin recipes without sugar (the refined kind). Whatever your muffin motivation, you’ll find just the recipe to meet your needs....

And by “A” game, I mean appetite. This zesty Italian pasta salad recipe combines whole wheat noodles, turkey pepperoni, and pizza topping-inspired additions like crunchy bell peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. It’s kid-friendly (just call it “pizza pasta”), quick and easy to pull together, and versatile.You can make it gluten free (use gluten free pasta).You can skip the pepperoni for a vegetarian Italian pasta salad.And of course, you can swap out the veggies for other additions your family enjoys (olive skeptics, I hear you)....

Lemon dessert fervor runs strong in my family, and I love sharing that tradition here too. A few seasons ago, I posted the recipe for these Lemon Cream Cheese Bars. These Lemon Thumbprint Cookies are another favorite. Recently, I found myself craving lemon dessert (as one does). As much as I adore this Lemon Cake (it’s perfection!), my lemon cravings were of the immediate nature. Translation: I needed something lemony and sweet, and I needed N-O-W....

With a buttery shortbread crust and luscious lemon cream cheese filling, these easy lemon cheesecake bars are the perfect dessert recipe that tastes like sunny afternoons spent lounging on a blanket on the grass. Warm weather cries out for refreshing lemon, and these lemon cream cheese bars are here to answer. They are: Easy-breezy and light, but still have a touch of specialness and decadence (think of them as the happy medium between Classic Lemon Bars and fancier Lemon Cake)....

Made with bell peppers of all colors, fresh herbs, crisp cucumber, and creamy feta, every bite tastes of warm, sunny moments. Eating it never fails to brighten my mood. Protein- and fiber-rich chickpeas make it a hearty vegetarian main, or you can serve it as an easy side with chicken, fish, or shrimp. Or, even pair it with Grilled Halloumi Cheese! This Mediterranean chickpea salad is a recipe I usually save for summer, but I caught myself craving it incessantly earlier this week....

When you taste a bite of this potato leek soup, first you’ll be struck by how rich and thick it is (like my favorite Vegan Potato Soup). Then, however, something will change. Flavors of dill, capers, and chives hit your taste buds and convince you that this soup must be pure bright sunshine served in a bowl. Another curve ball: this decadently textured potato leek soup recipe contains no heavy cream or milk and is vegan (!...

Just look at your gorgeous creation! W-O-W. This salmon Wellington recipes features a fillet of salmon that’s brushed with a mixture of melted butter, lemon zest, and Dijon, then placed on a bed of garlicky sautéed spinach. The salmon fillets and spinach are then wrapped up in puff pastry sheets like a present, then baked until the pastry is deeply golden, and the fish is moist and tender. The only thing better than the way this puff pastry wrapped salmon looks is how it tastes....

A simple, comforting dish of chicken thighs simmered with tomatoes, peppers, and classic Spanish ingredients like olives and raisins, this Spanish chicken stew recipe riffs on some of the traditional flavors that Ben and I enjoyed during our time in Spain. In addition to being a complete, healthy dinner packed with vegetables and lean protein, this chicken stew is also a feeling. Its simple ingredients and long simmer give it a rustic vibe that fits an intentionally relaxed vacation pace, with the everyday life benefit that you certainly don’t need all day to make it....

A jazzy blend of southwest spices, shredded sweet potatoes (which in a pro-level veggie sneak all but disappear into the filling), and a zip of fresh lime juice give these tacos bold flavor. They’re a bit of a sneak attack and will surprise you. Tempeh is a mild-tasting, plant-based protein made of fermented soybeans. It’s often lumped with tofu, which is also soy-based, but the process of making the two, their textures, and their flavors are different—see below for more....

Yes friends, assuming the TSA let me through security with my big bag of snacks, as this post goes to press we are in the Cinque Terre, our first stop en route to Tuscany. Remember two weeks ago when I cryptically mentioned that I have a few Big Exciting Things in the works? This trip is one of them! I hope we are enjoying an ocean view, full glasses of wine, and a meal like these white bean toasts with garlic and tomato....

Let’s take a recipe that we know, love, and have had many a delicious moment enjoying on this website and at Mexican restaurants around the country—enchiladas—and give them an entirely fresh twist. Where many enchilada recipes score their signature comfort factor from creamy filling and cheese (Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, I’m looking at you with love) and their fill-you-up factor from meat, I wanted to challenge myself to come up with a recipe for vegan enchiladas that, while unquestionably cozy and satisfying, didn’t rely on either....

Seasoned outside and tender inside, this juicy chicken breast defies the (often justified) stereotypes that come along with boneless, skinless chicken breast—namely that it is rubbery, dry, bland, and something to be eaten out of an obligation to be “healthy,” versus actual craving. As I shared with my go-to, melt-in-your-mouth tender Baked Chicken Breast, Grilled Chicken Breast, and Baked Bone In Chicken Breast, it doesn’t have to be this way!...

Unlike tough, fatty cuts of meat that need time to break down (like Slow Cooker Pulled Pork) lean cuts like pork tenderloin benefit from either: Fast, high cook temperatures, like the ones you’ll see in Baked Pork Tenderloin and Grilled Pork Tenderloin.Or, you need a method that adds juiciness to the pork like Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin and Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. Since the air fryer is essentially a high-powered convection oven, its intense heat makes it perfect for the hot-and-fast method of cooking juicy pork tenderloin....

Also, did I mention it’s wrapped in bacon? Boneless, skinless chicken breasts have the (often justified) reputation for being mouth-suckingly dry and bland. I’ve even had ones that are weirdly rubbery! It’s a shame because chicken breasts are inexpensive, widely available, and a healthy source of protein. They are also mild enough to appeal to picky eaters and versatile enough to take on just about any flavor profile. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been on Mission Chicken Redemption....

Fast cooking, amenable to whatever vegetables are lurking in your fridge, and ultra family-friendly (Beef! Noodles! Yummy sauce!), this simple noodle stir fry is dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow… assuming you don’t polish it all off in one sitting. It’s easy to do. Healthy stir fry recipes make an appearance at least once a week around these parts. Keep a few staples like garlic and soy sauce on hand, along with instant flavor-makers like hoisin (the rough equivalent of Asian barbecue sauce) and sesame oil, and a nutritious dinner is never more than 30 minutes away, fewer if you are super speedy or use frozen vegetables....

It feels fitting to be sharing this maple bacon Breakfast Burger in honor of Father’s Day, because the two meals I most remember my own dad cooking are lazy weekend breakfasts and grilled hamburgers. Father’s Day is bittersweet for me. I lost my dad in a tragic accident 10 years ago, and this weekend is one of the times when I miss him most. I’d give anything to have him here to fire up the grill with me on Sunday, but since that cannot be, I’ve found other ways to feel close to him....

Yes, I miss the croissants and the macarons and stopping into fine cheese shops just because we could, but what fills me with the greatest nostalgia is the long, leisurely café lunch. Every afternoon, Ben and I would pick a different Paris neighborhood, wander into whichever cozy café caught our eye, then settle in for a two-hour meal with glasses of wine and our books. We’d chat, people watch, and marvel at just how fabulous doing absolutely nothing can be....