In the spirit of full disclosure, these weren’t my favorite dessert bars. WAIT—before you click out of the site, hear me out. They may not have been my favorite, but only because my expectations were in the wrong place. In my mind, dessert is always caloric and indulgent, full of (for better or worse) butter and sugar. These definitely err on the side of ‘healthy desserts’ in that they make use of whole wheat flour and slightly less butter than what you’ll usually find in a pan of blondies. If you’re expecting dense, gooey dessert bars, make these instead. However, if you want something a little heartier with a firmer texture, you’ll like these. They’re actually great dipped in milk or crumbled atop ice cream, but they’d also be a great healthy-ish dessert to throw into your kid’s lunchbox.

It’s like going to the movies expecting to see a comedy and finding out it’s a drama instead. It’s not bad, it’s just different than what you were going for so you were a little thrown off. In this case, I’m telling you ahead of time that you’re seeing the drama, not the comedy, so you know exactly what you’re getting and should be totally satisfied! Or, for a dramatic comedy, scrap the whole wheat flour in favor of white flour or toss in a few extra tablespoons of butter!

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Two Years Ago: Chicken, Apple, and Sage Pesto Sandwiches and Black Bean and Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado

Three Years Ago: Whole Wheat Jam Filled Ebelskivers and Snack Bars

Four Years Ago: Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with POM Syrup and Maine & Boston Foodie Recap

Five Years Ago: Cinnamon Cranberry Almond Oat Pancakes and Double Oat Breakfast Cookies

We’ve had a lot of fun introducing Brecken to solid foods. Starting at six months, we started giving her bits of food…both mashed up pieces of things for her to gnaw on and also purees that she took from (her favorite part!) a spoon. Unsurprisingly, I’ve been making her food. From the day people heard I was pregnant, they’d be commenting on how the food blogger must be so excited to start making baby food for her (then future) baby. That actually wasn’t the case! We held off on solids in part because we didn’t see a nutritional need to begin before six months, but also because the thought of adding one more thing to my plate (pun intended) left me overwhelmed. Thankfully baby food is insanely easy and can be made and frozen in large batches, so the task hasn’t been nearly as daunting as I had originally worried.

Sweet potatoes were one of the first purees I made, and a huge hit with Lady B. We have pictures of her covered in sweet potato and it’s not unheard of to find a bit of orange goop stuck in one of her neck or thigh rolls…even post-bath! Turns out as great as sweet potato puree is for chunky babies, it’s also good for moms and dads—especially in the form of this quick bread! Shredded zucchini and sweet potato puree make for an incredibly moist (sorry) bread that’s reminiscent of pumpkin bread but without the pumpkin flavor (for you—crazy!!!—pumpkin haters). Even better, it’s relatively healthy on the spectrum of baked goods. I loved all of the fall spices in this—nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon—normally I like to add chocolate chips to quick breads for a little extra pizzazz, but with all of the flavor from the spices and the crunch from the walnuts, this was perfect as is! Whether you’re baking sweet potatoes for baby food or your own food, make a few extra to puree and throw into this bread.

One Year Ago: Odds & Ends
Two Years Ago: Chicken Vegetable Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce 
Three Years Ago: Artichoke Stuffed Turkey Burgers and Pineapple Ginger Granola Bars
Four Years Ago: Greek Turkey Burgers and Fruited Bulgur Salad
Five Years Ago: Eggplant Lasagna and Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

When I menu plan for the week ahead, I always try to incorporate a fair amount of variety into dinner each night. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge proponent of leftovers and they appear on our table at least once or twice a week. However, on the nights I’m cooking, I try to mix up the cuisine / genre, protein source, and even the texture or temperature of a dish (unless it’s January and then I’m okay eating soup every night for a week!).

Usually at least once a week I plan for a lighter entrée, typically in the form of a giant salad. We have a few of our favorites that we return to again and again (like this grilled vegetable salad, this sweet potato, kale, apple salad, and this shredded vegetable detox salad), but I’m always on the lookout for new ones to add to the list. This kale waldorf salad, from Whole Foods, is unique in that it relies on pureed walnuts and apple in the dressing instead of oil. I was skeptical, but didn’t miss the oil one bit, especially since you’re still getting healthy fats from the nuts. I did add a bit of water to thin the dressing to my liking, but I liked how the dressing clung to the kale leaves, softening the salad and helping to bulk up your usual kale salad. Because kale is so hardy, this is a great make-ahead salad…the leftovers I took for my lunch the next day weren’t soggy or unappetizing in the slightest! Next time you’re looking for a salad to round out your meal plan (just add some crusty bread to finish it off), give this one a try.

One Year Ago: Grilled Salmon with Avocado Tomato Salsa
Two Years Ago: Mixed Berries with Mascarpone Limoncello Cream and Kale Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette
Three Years Ago: Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats and Sweet Potato Chorizo Empanadas with Avocado Cream
Four Years Ago: Chocolate Fudge Drops and Creamy Vegetable and Edamame Risotto
Five Years Ago: German Chocolate Cookies

I know, more brownies? I told you I’m surprising even myself with all these brownies coming out of my kitchen (first the oatmeal brownie bars, then the chilecinnamon brownies), but apparently it’s the dessert of the moment. What’s next? Time will tell, although I will say my ice cream maker has been far too neglected lately…

I’m not disappointed in this brownie fixation, especially since I’m 3/3 now. These amaretto brownies are great when you’re craving a rich brownie, but want something a little different. With amaretto in both the brownie and the frosting, you definitely taste something special. Almond lovers won’t be able to resist these! For even more of an almond flavor, top them with slivered or sliced almonds. Like my other recent brownie recipes, these keep well for several days, but can also be frozen and saved for a brownie-craving day!

One Year Ago: Mustardy Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple

Two Years Ago: Easy Meals for College Students and Cinnamon French Toast Ice Cream

Three Years Ago: Portobello Mushroom and Goat Cheese Sliders and Toffee Cappuccino Muffins

Four Years Ago: Copycat Egg McMuffin and Peach and Brie Panini

Five Years Ago: Homemade Kettle Corn

With a freezer full of main dishes, thanks to the marathon freezer cooking day I had with friends, I’m taking the time to get a little creative with our side dishes rather than just roasting some vegetables or steaming some broccoli. To be fair, Ryan made this bell pepper salad one evening to eat alongside some shredded Italian beef we pulled from the freezer. We returned home from work one evening to a happy baby who suddenly transformed into a lethargic, feverish baby with temperatures reaching 103F.

We’d witnessed a few minor fevers with Brecken before, but nothing that high and I was too busy cuddling her and trying to keep her comfortable to even think about this salad I’d planned to make. Thankfully super dad/husband stepped in and started throwing this together. For as pretty as it looks arranged on the plate, you’d never guess how simple it is. Slice some peppers, chop some herbs, toss in the dressing, and after a little rest it’s ready for the table. Leftovers kept well, so I’d guess you could make this up to a day ahead of time to make getting dinner ready even easier!

I wasn’t kidding when I told you I had other versions of the lemon layered cheesecake up my sleeve! My mind immediately went to the chocolate strawberry combination…it’s essentially a perfect combination of the cheesecake-stuffed strawberries and the ever-famous chocolate-covered strawberries.

Just like I said with the other version, this dessert is about as easy as it gets. I will admit that spreading the cheesecake mixture can be a little difficult, but once you get the first layer down, it’s smooth sailing!  I love how pretty this looks on a platter and I would argue that it’s much easier to slice than a traditional cheesecake (plus you get 3x the ‘crust’!!!). Next I’m dreaming up some sort of peanut butter version! You can expect that sometime in the future...

One Year Ago: Marinated Summer Vegetables
Two Years Ago: Tomato Cucumber Feta Salad and Green Bean, Grape, and Bacon Pasta Salad
Three Years Ago: Pappardelle with Vegetables, Basil, and Asiago and Chocolate Liqueur Brownies
Four Years Ago: Banana Oatmeal Date Cookies and Blushing POM Holiday Cheesecake
Five Years Ago: Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels and Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

Every night around 8:30 pm, a snack monster creeps into our house and invades my body! It's been a few hours since dinner and it's not quite bedtime and suddenly ALL.THE.SNACKS. sound good to me! It's often a battle between sweet vs. salty, and when savory wins out, the chips and crackers in our house disappear with alarming speed. I'm not really looking to curb the snacking...as an exercising, nursing mom, I figure I probably need the calories, but I am trying to have healthy options on hand to balance the less healthy options from time to time!

This cilantro chickpea dip is just what I need. I've packed it in my lunch to motivate me to eat my veggies (I find it's particularly good with bell peppers and broccoli!) and I've pulled it out in the evening to satiate the snack monster, usually eaten atop pita chips or Triscuits. It takes five minutes to toss the ingredients in the food processor and make a batch. I find the combo bright and refreshing and I actually have plans to double my batch next time so that I can use the leftovers in some sort of a Southwestern-style wrap or sandwich. Stay tuned!

One Year Ago: Lighter Broccoli Salad
Two Years Ago: NYC Eats Part II and Tomato Bacon Basil Pizza Rolls
Three Years Ago: Red Onion and Kalamata Olive Tuna Salad and Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread
Four Years Ago: Tandoori Grilled Vegetable Kabobs and Chicken & Artichokes in White Wine Sauce
Five Years Ago: Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I’m sure many of you, like me, have a handful of grocery staples. You buy whatever you need for your meal plan or maybe grab a few impulse purchases each week, but more often than not you have your basics that are always in your cart. For us this includes Greek yogurt, kale, bananas, and zucchini. Okay, and chocolate chips.

I like always having zucchini on hand because it’s easy to slice and eat with hummus, we absolutely love zucchini bread (with chocolate chips of course), and it’s a versatile vegetable that can be added to just about any meal. Take this pasta, for instance. Pasta often gets a bad reputation, especially in today’s age of “fear the carb” and “avoid gluten like the plague”, but this dish is fairly healthy and not oozing with cream or cheese. It only takes a few basic ingredients that you likely have on hand (especially if zucchini is one of your staples!) and you aren’t going to have to slave away in the kitchen for hours to get dinner on the table!

Two Years Ago: Maple Whiskey Ice Cream with Candied Bacon 
Three Years Ago: Blueberry Flan and Individual Peach Cobblers
Four Years Ago: Caprese Tart with Basil-Garlic Crust and Lemon Tart
Five Years Ago: Blue Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers and Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake