I always enjoy pulling together a yearly Best Of post for the blog and looking back at what I’ve cooked up and done. This year was a little weird for me. I haven’t been here much and reading back to my first post of 2017 (that wasn’t until February 1) I remember how this year started – with my little one and my husband (and my dog!) recovering from surgery. I don’t open up too much here on the blog because I try to focus on food and health and it’s my happy place so I always try to keep things positive, but I have to be honest – this was a pretty tough year for me. Between lots of trips to the hospital for family members and a big fat hurricane in September, I’ve been in denial and have been just trucking along but it’s caught up with me and I’m trying to navigate through all the feelings and the exhaustion from the feelings.

On November 2, I lost my beloved grandfather. I am having trouble typing those words here because they feel so … permanent. If you have been reading my blog a while then you probably already know my relationship with my grandparents is unique and that they have always been a big part of my life. My mom is an only child and my grandparents have either lived with us, below us, 2 doors down or down the street my entire life. I moved away from home while they were 2 doors down. My parents owned a restaurant most of my life and worked very long hours so my grandparents filled in for them when they were at work which if you know restaurant life you know I was basically spending my time in the back booth of the restaurant, helping out when it got busy or home with my grandparents. Do I wish my parents were home more, of course, but while they were providing for our family my grandparents took care of us in the best possible way. I would never trade that for anything.

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If there is one thing I love, and really appreciate having in the fridge ready for me to eat, is a healthy whole grain salad. I got into whole grains about 10 years ago when I started following The South Beach Diet after having my daughter. There are so many whole grains out there, a lot of them in my pantry still waiting for me to try out. Whole grains make a great base for salads, especially in the summer, because they are so filling yet still light at the same time. They are great for grab-and-go lunches, which come in really handy when you are focusing on eating better or trying to lose weight.

Here are some of my favorites!! Hope you are inspired to try something new!

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The post 12 Healthy Whole Grain Salad Recipes To Try This Summer appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Hello friends! Something a little different today…

In June, my blog will turn 8 years old. I can’t even believe it was that long ago that I started sharing recipes online – my kids were just ages 3 and 1 at the time and baby #3 wasn’t even a conversation yet. I started this blog as a hobby, something to do to keep me creative and connected to others while I was home with my littles. It has been quite the ride, a fun and enlightening one at that, and I’m so thankful to have been able to turn it into a way for me to work from home with a flexible schedule. I couldn’t ask for anything better honestly.

So, what are we doing here today? Well, I want to hear from you. I want to learn more about the readers who visit me here at Aggie’s Kitchen. I’ve connected with some pretty awesome people over the years through this blog and I would love to get to know some more of you better too! I’ve put together a simplequestionnaire that should only take a minute to fill out.

Thank you in advance for taking the time out to complete this reader survey. Your answers are totally anonymous but will be taken to heart. I will hopefully use them to help me serve you better through my recipes and my blog.

I thank you and appreciate you for reading Aggie’s Kitchen! xo

The post 2016 Reader Survey appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel across the country to board a boat and cruise along the California Coast with friends. Pinch me right? I can’t tell you how incredibly grateful I am for opportunities like this, and that I can call it work. It is not something I imagined at all when I started this blog over 7 years ago.

I’ve partnered up with Princess Cruises over the next couple of months to share with you my 4-day getaway on the Ruby Princess along the West Coast. We boarded our ship in Los Angeles, sailed to Santa Barbara where we spent the day at Fess Creek Winery and were then off to Ensenada, Mexico where we experienced incredible local Baja California food, wine and culture.

Ahhh…take me back.

I hadn’t been on a cruise in over 11 years before this one. 11 years! Since I live in Florida, it’s pretty convenient to cruise off our coast and venture into the Caribbean even for just a few days. One of the things that excited me about this Princess Cruise itinerary was definitely the change of scenery. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beaches and the Caribbean but to experience a different part of our country like this was pretty amazing. Seeing mountains off in the distance, beyond all the water, was a such a magnificent sight – it is hard to truly share in photos.

Can we talk about the food and wine now?

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Remember how I mentioned I got a second dinner out of the pork I cooked for Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Pork Tostadas that included brown rice and vegetables? Well, these Sautéed Cilantro Lime Vegetables are the veggies that landed onto that dinner plate.

This vegetable medley of zucchini, yellow squash and red onion is the perfect side dish for so many meals from simple oven baked black bean and cheese quesadillas to Mexican baked pasta (both go-to dinners in my house). One of my favorite ways to cook veggies is by sautéing them over medium high heat with a tiny bit of oil and finishing them off with a squeeze of lemon or lime and fresh herbs.

Super quick and easy – not to mention, healthy and delicious. This is how to get your family to eat their vegetables!

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If you looked inside my refrigerator, you would find a small section of salad dressing bottles that are a third to half empty. I have a salad dressing buying problem. I buy them thinking it will make my salad a day habit easier and more interesting, but in reality, even if I love the dressing I bought (there are a couple I really love) I tend to get tired of them real quick. Unless I get through the bottle in a week, I pretty much shun the dressing because it doesn’t taste “fresh” anymore. Such a waste. I probably should just limit myself to buying one bottle at a time…or just continue to make my own. 🙂

There really is nothing more fresh or better tasting than healthy homemade salad dressings. I do reserve the right to pick one up at the store to change things up or if I’m feeling lazy, but it’s so easy to make your own salad dressing it’s a shame not to. The combinations are endless and you can’t question any of the ingredients. Here are a few of my personal favorites I’ve posted over the years. Grab a little jar and get ready to make your own!

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I may have said this before…but my friend Kristen is my Oprah when it comes to finding new books to read. She has quite the collection of book reviews over on her blog and is one of the first people I think to ask when I am looking for a new book to read.

She’s not the only one I look to for new book recs…Sheila posts what her book club is reading, Jenna shares what she’s reading frequently and Julie hosts a monthly book club on her blog.

I love that these girls share a love for reading like I do and they are my go-to bloggers when it comes to finding my next read. I wish we could actually get together in real life every now and then and talk books over a glass of wine. Wouldn’t that be nice?!

Whistling Past The Graveyard by Susan Crandall was the last book I finished (recommended by Kristen) and I LOVED this book. I saw Kristen post a picture of it on Facebook one morning and I was lucky enough to find it at the library the same day, that never happens! I finished it in less than a week and that hasn’t happened in a while. I found myself staying up later than usual and sneaking in a page or two during the day. I think it was Kristen who said – “if you liked The Help you would like this book”, and she was right. It had the same tone, as far as racial and segregation references in the South during the civil rights movement era. It highlights a special friendship between two people that society wouldn’t approve of during that time. It’s definitely a “love conquers all” coming of age story and will tug at your heart, although it’s not always all warm and fuzzy. You will find yourself becoming attached to the characters and to me those are the best reads.

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Get to know Liz better! You can follow her on her blog The Lemon Bowl, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

1. Ready-To-Eat Fruits and Vegetables: On the weekend after my husband does our grocery shopping, I like to wash and chop produce so that it is ready to grab and eat all week long. My son loves carrots and hummus plus it helps buy me time while I’m cooking dinner.

2.Yogurt: We are a huge yogurt family. Growing up, my mom always served plain yogurt as a condiment on savory dishes such as chili or as a cucumber sauce over meat and fish. My husband always packs Greek yogurt for work, my older son loves whole milk vanilla stirred into oatmeal and I always add it to my morning smoothie. Yogurt is also a great tenderizer in meat marinades like Beef or Chicken Shawarma or Tandoori Chicken.

3. Asian Condiments: I am a huge fan of Asian inspired food. From homemade pho soup to brown fried rice and everything in between, I always keep a fully stocked Asian pantry. As you can see, I like to keep Sriracha, fish sauce, sambal oelek, curry paste and hoisin in the fridge at all times in case mood strikes!

4. Corn Tortillas: I was born in Tucson, just a short drive from Mexico, so I have been eating authentic Mexican food my entire life. We like our tacos prepared simply with grilled meat, fresh cilantro and minced onion on a corn tortilla. And if I can get my hands on a ripe avocado, that makes an appearance as well.

5. Eggs: We eat eggs in one form or another every single day. They are an affordable, nutritious and delicious source of protein but more importantly, they only take a minute or so to prepare which is key with a 3 month old and a 2 year old at home!

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I honestly didn’t think I was going to be able to pull off one of these posts this year, because let’s face it – my time these days has been definitely not been my own. My sweet baby boy and children are keeping me quite busy and I’ve been struggling with finding the time to be online. The truth is, I hope to find a balance soon because I miss being here. I miss cooking and sharing what I’m cooking with you. But I am also realizing how much time I spend online – unproductively – and my goal this next year is to be more intentional with my time, with my family, my home and with blogging.

It was fun to look back at the food I cooked up this past year. Since I was pregnant most of 2013 and didn’t enjoy food as much as I wanted to I was actually surprised to find so many recipes I really loved! I’m happy I took the time to look back month-by-month, it inspired me to get back into the kitchen and put together fresh, simple meals for me and my family – something I haven’t been doing much of the last few months (and boy am I feeling it!).

Here are my favorites month-by-month of 2013:

January – Asian Chopped Cabbage Salad with Panfried Wonton Crisps (a fun recipe created during a cooking session with my friend Julie!)

February – Kale and Chard Green Power Salad with Maple Vinaigrette (this salad was inspired by a huge amount of chard my grandpa sent home with me from his garden)

March – Grapefruit and Pistachio Crusted Baked Salmon (inspired by my friend Sandy’s salmon dish, made with fresh picked grapefruit from my grandpa’s tree!)

April – Refreshing Cantaloupe Smoothie (this smoothie brings back memories of the early days of my pregnancy, it was so cool and refreshing and definitely helped during those “not feeling so well” moments)

May – Mexican Black Bean Pizza (a huge hit with my husband!)

June – Shaved Fennel and Arugula Salad (inspired after getting pizza out while on vacation, one of my favorite salads ever!!)

July – Garden Farro Salad with Feta (I ate this one for days at a time, it was a perfect summer grain salad – filling yet light)

August – Easy Cheesesteak Sandwiches (a pregnancy craving satisfied 🙂 )

September – Skillet Zucchini and Feta Tortilla Pizza (I got hooked on these after the kids went back to school and I had my treasured lunch dates with myself again)

October – Kalamata Olive and Feta Dip with Baked Lemon Pepper Pita Chips (a special dip created for my friend Liz’s virtual baby shower – I could eat massive amounts of this!)

November – Rotisserie Chicken Cuban Sandwiches (another craving satisfied – this one turned out to be a regular Saturday afternoon football watching meal that my husband put together for us – especially during the late days of my pregnancy!)

December – Spinach and Feta Quinoa Bites (mark my words, 2014 is going to be the year of quinoa bites on this blog, I can’t stop eating these and can’t wait to play with more combinations!)

I would make (and have made) each of these recipes over and over again. They are truly my favorites and I’m getting hungry just looking at them!

Some other honorable mentions:

Cherry Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad

Herbed Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

Crockpot Creamy Chicken Spaghetti with Broccoli

Some of your favorites? Here they are:

Fruity Greek Yogurt Smoothie

Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt

Mini Cheedar-BBQ Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Melts

Whole Grain Orange-Vanilla Greek Yogurt Pancakes

(Apparently this was the year of Greek yogurt!!)

Goodman Family Holiday 2013

Thank you all for being here, you definitely made my year that much better.

Here’s to a Happy and Healthy New Year!!

See you in 2014!

Woof!

The post Best of 2013 – My Favorites (and yours)! appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Say hello to Micah!!

(PS…I’ll be taking some time off the blog to spend some time with my new little cutie, but I worked ahead on a few projects and recipes so you’ll be seeing some posts popping up over the next couple of weeks. Talk with you soon!)

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