Hi friends!
I can hardly believe that today marks the start of my 8th year of blogging! That’s 7 full years in the books, folks. And boy has a lot changed since I hit publish on that first post back in 2010.
The blogging world is a unique space that is constantly evolving and changing. I continue to be eternally grateful that I’ve been able to turn my passion into a career. It took hard work, dedication and sacrifice, but I’m so proud to see all that hard work paying off. I get to wake up every day and divide my time between raising my kids and sharing my love of food and nutrition with all of you – my two favorite things in the whole world!
Every time I sit down to work on this blog, I strive to stay true to my tagline – Balanced. Simple. Real.
I’m just a girl attempting to navigate the world of motherhood, on a mission to show you that healthy eating doesn’t have to be restrictive, complicated or expensive.
But when it comes right down to it, the thing I value most about my blog and my social media accounts is that they give me a platform to keep it real.
I share my life with you guys in hopes that it’ll help just one person every day. Because despite what a lot of social media today wants you to believe:
Real life isn’t perfect. It’s reheated coffee, dirty clothes, screaming kids, sleepless nights, mile long to-do lists, messy play rooms and forgotten appointments. It’s feeling immense amounts of love and pride for some of the tiniest people in your life, while simultaneously feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and hopelessly inadequate.
If me sharing everything from healthy family dinners to epic toddler meltdowns helps even one person feel like they’re not alone…then it’s worth it! And on the flip side…when I share my life with you, it gives you the opportunity to teach and help me as well…And for that, I’m eternally grateful.
So thank you so much to all of you who read this blog and choose to follow along on our crazy journey. I certainly couldn’t do it without you!
Every year I like to take a look back at all of the posts I published and share a recap with you. If you’re a new reader, here are some resources and recipes to check out. If you’re a longtime reader, perhaps it’ll remind you of a recipe or two you’ve been meaning to try!
So, here are some of my favorite posts from the past year:
MAIN DISHES
Healthy options for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
5 Minute Breakfast Hash
Turmeric Yogurt Chicken
Skillet Mediterranean Chicken Pasta
Wild Rice Power Bowl
Instant Pot Beef Stew
BBQ Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Asian Chicken
Greek Shrimp and Farro
Pesto Chicken Caprese Pasta
Instant Pot Pasta With Meat Sauce
Instant Pot Shredded Hummus Chicken
One Pot Orzo Pasta Salad With Chicken Sausage
Asian Flank Steak
Spicy Chicken Pitas
Instant Pot Thai Peanut Chicken Soup
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Quick & Easy Vegetable Recipes
SNACKS
Snacks that kids and adults alike can enjoy!
Easy Smoked Salmon Dip
Sweet Potato Waffle Nachos
Easy Banana Oat Bars
Green Smoothie Snack Bars
Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars
Nut Free Toddler Trailmix
Dessert French Toast Waffle Bites
Peanut Butter Banana Chia Pudding
Blueberry Cauliflower Smoothie
KID FOOD
Healthy food inspiration for your little ones!
Easy Toddler Meals
40 Healthy Toddler Meals
50 Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas
What My Toddler Chose To Eat
Kid-Friendly Food Prep Recipes
Kid-Friendly Vegetable Recipes
Table Talk – An ebook full of tips & tricks for feeding young kids
Life:
On my blogiversary last year, I was about 6 months pregnant so the past year has been a big one for our family. Squish turned 2 at the end of October. Little Miss was born the first week of November. I wrote a day in the life post every 3 months and monthly updates for Little Miss (click here to read those).
KID ACTIVITIES
Tips for keeping the kiddos busy!
Kitchen Tasks For Toddlers
Indoor Activities For Toddlers
How to Make a Busy Box For Toddlers
Toddler Gift Ideas {Ages 1-3}
MOMS
For my fellow mamas!
Gifts For New Moms
Make-Ahead Snacks For Breastfeeding Moms
Dairy-Free Lactation Cookies
To The Parents With The Colicky Baby
How To Handle Toddler Meltdowns
RECIPE RESHOOTS
Old blog recipes that were updated and/or republished!
Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bars
Cranberry Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Glaze
Tuna Quinoa Cakes
Sausage & Wild Rice Stuffing
Lentil Vegetable Curry
Spicy Salmon Cornmeal Cakes
Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins
Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
Blackberry Crumble Bars
Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes
Cheesy Mexican Quinoa
Cranberry Corn Muffins
Cajun Meatloaf
Easy Fish Chowder
FOOD PREP
Posts and resources to encourage you to give food prep a try!
How to Find Your Food Prep Focus Area
My Weekly Food Prep {By the Minute}
A Beginner’s Guide to Food Prep
Top 10 Foods For Sunday Food Prep
6 Months of Food Prep
15 Quick Food Prep Dinners
30+ Ways To Use Leftover Chicken
Dinner Made Easy: One month of meals, shopping lists, food prep tips and more
The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep – my ebook full of all my food prep secrets!
SPONSORED POSTS
Some of my favorite collaborations with brands I love!
Maple Cinnamon Latte
Pork and Egg Breakfast Pizza
Spicy Ranch Popcorn
Mediterranean Turkey Spinach Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato Yogurt Bowls
Chocolate Sweet Potato Mug Cake
Berry Farro Breakfast Bowl
Small Batch Cinnamon Roll Scones
Vanilla Cake Parfaits
Grilled Foil Packed Tilapia with Pesto Veggies
Sheet Pan Italian Salmon with Green Beans
Ginger Peach Turkey Tenderloin
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!
So fun to see the snapshot of a year and how much your blog has evolved but stayed true to your mission since day 1! Congratulations!
thanks liz!
I’ve loved your blog since I found it, you were about a year ahead of me in school so it was fun to read along with your recaps of your internship. You definitely inspired me to start my blog and now you continually inspire me to open up. Your courage in sharing personal things like trouble getting pregnant, colic, and toddler meltdowns helps so many people see they aren’t alone. I share those posts all the time just as much as I share your delicious recipes! Thanks for all the inspiration congrats on 7 years of blogging!
thank you so much kelly! appreciate it!
I’m only 19 and not even CLOSE to being ready to be a parent lol, but I absolutely adore all your posts (and Instastories!) about motherhood. I feel like they’re so real and genuine, and I tuck them all away into a part of my brain that is subconsciously collecting advice for a future moment. So even if I’m not the typical audience member, just know that your content is so accessible and fun to read that this doesn’t even matter. 🙂 Congrats on the blogging milestone!
thank you so much Nicole!! xo