Best of the Bean – Year 6

Hi Friends!

Well, I can hardly believe it, but 6 years ago today I started this little blog! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it would last this long or grow and evolve into what it is today:

• It’s allowed me to connect with so many people, some of whom are now my closest friends, employers and fellow RDs.
• It’s given me the freedom to work from home and raise my son while still earning an income.
• It’s challenged me to improve my writing, photography and social media skills.
• It’s connected me with wonderful companies, inspired me to create delicious recipes and given me a platform to share things I’ve created.

And so much more. This blog has changed a lot since its early days. It started on a whim, where I just posted about whatever I wanted to, complete with terrible photos. Then there were a few years where I went on my journey to become a Registered Dietitian and started sharing more nutrition-related content. Next, I enjoyed my first couple of years as an RD, worked in nutrition communications and started to focus more on making blogging part of my career. And then, over the past two years,  I’ve become a full-time work-from-home & stay-at-home mama, continued to improve my photography, started to really focus on quality over quantity and learned to give myself some grace when things don’t get done as planned.

So from the bottom of my heart: thank you! I’m so grateful to each and every one of you who has read my posts, shared my content and supported me on this journey! I quite literally couldn’t do it without you.

Let’s take a quick look back at year 6 of my blogging adventures in case you missed anything!

Here are the recipes I created this year:

Breakfast
Pumpkin Apple Baked Mini Pancakes
Avocado Bacon Hash with Eggs
Breakfast Pasta Bake
Dinner Roll French Toast Bake
Microwave Egg Oatmeal
Gingerbread Granola
Paleo Breakfast Casserole with Chicken
Savory Vegetable Pancakes
Baked Scotch Eggs
Green Smoothie Pancakes
Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Sweet Potato Protein Cookies
Maple Apple Breakfast Sausage
Spring Vegetable Frittata
Spring Breakfast Salad
Easy Egg Wraps
Whole Wheat Yogurt Waffles
Egg-In-A-Hole Breakfast Sandwich
Cherry Almond Smoothie Bowl

Main Dishes
Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork
Thai Chicken Meatballs
Almond Crusted Salmon Nuggets
Steak Cobb Salad
Avocado Chicken Burgers
Baked Chicken Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Sauce
Warm Spinach Bacon Salad with Chicken
Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage and Peas
Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Chicken
White Chicken Chili
One Pot Shrimp and Orzo
Apple Pecan Chicken
One Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Cranberry Meatballs
Maple Mustard Chicken Skillet
Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Potatoes
Ranch Chicken Tenders
Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala
Braciole
Salsa Verde Pork Enchilada Casserole
Skillet Chicken and Dumplings
Easy Chicken Pad Thai
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Skillet
Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
Pesto Shrimp and Potato Kebabs
Bourbon Chicken Marinade and Glaze
Chicken Sausage Skillet With Zoodles

Appetizers & Sides
Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups
Cranberry Clementine Salsa
Easy Spinach Balls
Pesto Chicken Pizza Rolls
Guacamole Waffle Bites 
Ginger Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries
Maple Bacon Roasted Carrots
Green Bean Fries
Pea Salad with Sweet Potatoes

Snacks
Sweet Potato Protein Bars
Pumpkin Yogurt Dip
Lemon Energy Balls
Sweet and Spicy Popcorn Snack Mix
Peanut Butter and Chia Jam Oat Bites
Wild Blueberry Kefir Smoothie
Healthy Brownie Bites
No-Bake Cereal Bites
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars 
4 Kid-Friendly Dips

Dessert
Microwave Sweet Potato Mug Cake
No-Bake Peppermint Chocolate Bites
Pumpkin Skillet Cake
Pear Gingerbread
5 Ingredient Frozen Turtle Bars
Small Batch Raspberry Lemon Bars
Peanut Butter Bread Pudding with Smashed Raspberries
Strawberry Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Lemon Berry Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ginger Peach Oat Bars 

You can find all my baby-related posts from the past year here, including:

• Dear Chase letters for months 10-21
• A Day In The Life at 12, 15 & 18 months
• My second pregnancy announcement
• Baby’s first year gift guide
• 5 Articles That Made Me A Better Mom

I also wrote about blogging:
When Blogging Gets Hard

If you like round-up posts, be sure to check out the ones I put together this year:
30 Go-To Easy Dinner Recipes
10 Healthy Ways to Eat Apples For Breakfasts
10 Healthy After School Snacks For Kids
20 Most Popular Blogger Dessert Recipes
10 Healthy Cauliflower Recipes
Easy Slow Cooker Recipes For the Single Guy
12 Kid-Friendly Energy Ball Recipes
10 Ways To Eat More Beans
Healthy Five Minute Breakfasts
Healthy Five Ingredient Snacks
Healthy Packable Lunches For Kids
20 Nut-Free Snacks For Kids
Healthy Fats For Kids

And I had some stellar guest posters help me out while I was sick, pregnant and moving all at once: 
7 Tips For a Healthy Relationship with Food
Gluten-Free Paleo Meatloaf
Chocolate Almond Butter Popcorn
Cookie Dough Stuffed Chocolate Cupcake
Broccoli Pesto Pasta Salad
Mushroom Quinoa Meatball Sandwich
Carmelized Peach Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Finally, I published an ebook! Be sure to check it out here if you haven’t already gotten your copy!

And also grab your FREE 50+ Toddler Meal Ideas PDF and stay tuned for our Table Talk: Tips & Tricks For Feeding Young Kids Ebook coming next week!

Thanks so much for reading!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–