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Walking into home décor stores makes me feel simultaneously gripped by a sudden, dire need for an 18-person pumpkin-themed tablescape and as though I might have an actual epileptic fit, due to sensory overload. Of the three times I’ve ventured into a Pier 1 in the last seven months, I’ve walked out in fewer than six minutes, empty-handed and overwhelmed. The truth is, although the idea of filling my home with charming, seasonally-inspired decorative items appeals to me in theory (and in home decorating magazines), I simply don’t have enough personal interest to allocate my free time or wine budget to its end....

I originally shared this healthy blueberry muffin recipe back in 2015, and it has since become a reader favorite. Adults love that these healthy blueberry muffins are wholesome and made with whole grains. Kids from toddlers to teenagers love that they are tender, buttery, and jam PACKED with blueberries. Come to think of it, I think adults love that these healthy blueberry muffins are tender, buttery, and jam packed with blueberries too....

Made without sugar, I sweetened these beautiful cookies naturally instead. This no bake recipe is as ideal both for grownups looking for a healthy way to satisfy their sweet tooth and for after school snacks and lunchbox treats. About No Bake Cookies with Chocolate Chips Growing up, no bake cookies were a staple at every childhood sleepover. They were one of the first desserts I ever learned to make, a lesson imparted by a neighbor friend’s mother, no doubt to keep us from using the oven unsupervised after she’d gone to bed....

I’m not sure how a holiday without butter would go down, but I don’t think I want to be a part of it. If ever an ingredient deserved a holiday theme song, butter might be it! Or bourbon might be it. We can debate over our second round of this warm bourbon cocktail! This hot buttered bourbon is warm, cinnamony, buttery romance. It sips like a special occasion. The butter melts into the apple cider and spices, adding creaminess and depth to every sip, while the smooth bourbon keeps the drink from being overly sweet....

Plus, since this recipe is coming from your own kitchen, you can add as many to your flight as you like! Thanks to my extensive sampling, the carnitas taco has become my baseline for judging the overall quality of a taco joint. (I do the same thing with Instant Pot Pulled Pork when comparing BBQ establishments.) Put simply, caritas are a Mexican version of pulled pork.Pork shoulder (or pork butt) is the meat typically used for carnitas....

Every time I make stuffed peppers, I’m reminded of just how fantastic they are as their own mini recipe genre. Whether I choose to make these Stuffed Peppers, Mexican Stuffed Peppers, Spinach Artichoke Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, or Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers, I always look forward to dinner (and leftovers!). They’re so easy, tasty, and a total crowd-pleaser. I even created this delicious deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Casserole to further profess my love for all things stuffed pepper....

Perhaps it’s watching too many reruns of The Pioneer Woman. Perhaps it’s my subscription to Southern Living or the fact that I’ll never get tired of watching Sweet Home Alabama on repeat. Maybe my pot of chili looked like it needed a friend. Whatever the reason, I can’t stop coming up with excuses to make this cheesy jalapeno cornbread. My first pan of cheddar jalapeno cornbread occurred because I discovered a forgotten bag of cornmeal while cleaning out my pantry, and a cornbread craving that would register on the Richter scale struck....

This is a bowl of good, clean, healthy, happy food. Every flavorful bite makes me feel alive and nourished, and it comes together in a flash (like my favorite Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup).It’s light, bright, and packed with veggies, lean protein, and whole grains.With this array of nutritious ingredients, the lemon chicken orzo soup calories stay low without sacrificing any of the vibrant flavors.It will fill and warm you to your core, without weighing you down, and the leftovers are just as tasty as the day you make it....

Tender, flaky salmon is spiced simply but sublimely, then baked in the oven in foil, this lemon pepper salmon is exactly the kind of recipe you and I need more of in our lives. Lemon pepper salmon asks very little of you—I was not kidding about the 10 minutes of prep, fewer if you are super speedy—and rewards you richly in return. The salmon fillet is baked to perfection, and the foil packet method makes it nearly foolproof....

I’ve noticed a common denominator with many of my main dishes: I almost always recommend serving them with rice. From Chicken Tikka Masala and Poached Salmon to Garlic Butter Shrimp and Grilled Cod, all are main dishes that I suggest serving with brown rice (Instant Pot Brown Rice is an easy way to make it). To make meals more special, especially if you are looking for a healthy starch to pair alongside a simple protein (like Baked Salmon in Foil), step up your grain game with lemon rice....

As I divulged when sharing this Pumpkin Pecan Pie recipe, regular Libby’s pumpkin pie just doesn’t do it for me. I want to like it, but it just seems…bland. Give me Sweet Potato Pie any day! Fortunately, my family agrees which is why we long ago saw the light and switched to the most decadent pumpkin cheesecake (the original recipe is from Southern Living). I adore that cheesecake but it is…a lot....

I call it my mushroom “journey,” but it was more like an emergency crash course. At my first-ever dinner with my French host family, they set a giant plate heaped with citrus mushrooms at the table. FOR OUR DINNER. I thought I might die. Fearing their disappointment more than death, I took a forkful and…DELICIOUS. Maybe it was the pressure of the moment or maybe my taste buds had changed, but I have been a loyal mushroom lover ever since....

This recipe is sponsored by Stella. Eggplant that’s oven roasted until caramelized and tender, then piled high with a bright blue cheese arugula salad and crunchy chickpeas, this dinner-for-one recipe makes for an evening to savor. This dish is tender, meaty (without the meat), bright, creamy, and crunchy. The ingredients are simple, but they combine to become so much more. While I am certainly no stranger to the crackers/cheese/wine dinner plan, I never feel as satisfied at the end of the “meal” as when I take a few extra minutes to prepare something warm and nourishing for myself....

A lightened-up version of the Japanese teriyaki chicken stir fry that was my high school takeout love—and let’s be honest, my post-high-school takeout love, because who doesn’t love juicy chicken and vegetables bathed in sweet and sticky teriyaki sauce?—this one-pan dinner is one of those magical meals that manages to: Just like with my Healthy Orange Chicken, it pleases every member of your household, even the picky ones.Include every food group....

This chicken and Thai peanut stir fry sauce recipe is both the reason one of the reasons Ben married me—the first time I made it, he demolished the entire pot, collapsed into a food coma, then proposed two weeks later—and my way of sharing my appreciation for Ben. Regular readers have gathered a few pieces of dirt on Ben: He eats an amount appropriate only for a baby elephant.He has a bizarre and infuriating ability to resist most sweets (including addictive salty-sweet pretzel chocolate chip cookies)....

It was a difficult task, but someone needed to take command. Let perfect raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries go to waste? Or make Triple Berry Crisp? I think you know where this is going. Perfect Reasons to Make Triple Berry Crisp in a Slow Cooker There are so many reasons to make crock pot fruit crisp. Slow Cooker Triple Berry Crisp (and Crock Pot Apple Crisp too!) is for a time when a standard 8×8-inch pan of fruit crisp simply will not do....

A tuna pasta salad with veggies, a duo of fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a lemony Greek yogurt dressing, this creamy tuna pasta salad (like this Shrimp Pasta Salad) punches above its weight. Standard pasta salads fill me with dread. I’ve had enough bland, goopy, and ho-hum piles of mayo-slicked pastas at potlucks to last me the rest of this life and into the next (same with all but this spectacular Healthy Potato Salad)....

While we usually think of cabbage as bland or a part of a heavy spread (St. Patrick’s Day; German cuisine), this vibrant salad proves that cabbage can be bright and even fun. Asian cabbage salad is playful. It’s got crunch and zip and layers of texture from ingredients like red bell peppers, edamame, and almonds. You’ll feel happy after you eat it. It might even make you think about cabbage in an entirely new way....

As much as I love the idea of spending an entire weekend in sweatpants watching Netflix, judging by how this Tuesday night went down, I don’t think I’d feel relaxed by the end of it. I feel most relaxed when I’m productive, so it’s not unheard of for me to spend a Friday night in the kitchen prepping a new recipe for the upcoming week (hello, Buttermilk Cake). However, I realize the importance of balance in life, so I think it’s time I find activities aside from crossing off my to-do list (or making a batch of Banana Bread Brownies)....

This healthy blueberry zucchini bread recipe uses grated zucchini and Greek yogurt to bring natural moisture to the bread without the need to add extra sugar or fat. A “vegetable” that makes bread healthier AND taste better at the same time? SOLD! And yes, my fellow science nerds: I see you, and I recognize that zucchini is often mistaken as a vegetable but is actually a fruit. Regardless, let’s give ourselves credit for squeezing in a serving before 10 a....