Since February, I’ve been working hard at the gym to transform my body. Sounds extreme, I know, but really I’m just focused on building muscle and losing fat so honestly it’s not just about weight loss but more about inches and how my clothes are feeling. I experienced my first “success” last weekend that caught me off guard when I begrudgingly put on a pair of jeans (I hate wearing jeans, they make me cranky) and they surprisingly fit very well. It was a bit of a shock to me because although I have lost 8 pounds on the scale since the beginning of the year (it goes up and down after each weekend, weekends are tough for me), I haven’t really noticed since I typically wear workout clothes or leggings most days. Wearing jeans comfortably has always been a goal of mine and I call this major progress!

One of the most important things I’m working on right now in addition to my gym workouts is nutrition. I’m dedicated to using My Fitness Pal every day to track what I’m eating. I’ve been doing this 50 days now and I have to say, it really has trained me to stop before mindlessly eating or making a food choice I know I’ll regret later. Do I still eat pizza with my family on Saturday night? Yes, but less. I also drink a beer and eat tacos with my husband at lunch on Sunday, but just one beer (and too many tacos) and I try to walk extra later so my Fitbit can tell me how many exercise calories I burned to make me feel a little better. Or I just lay around on the couch and work extra hard at the gym the next day. I’m living a good, balanced life right now and seeing changes in my body and myself when it comes to food and I do think it has to do with being so much more mindful than I was before. It is not extreme weight loss and body transformation, it’s slow and steady and habit forming and that’s encouraging.

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I am desperately trying to change up the easy weeknight dinner game these last few weeks. I’m looking through cookbooks and magazines for ideas and something new to try. My friend Robyn of the popular blog Add A Pinch just released her new cookbook and it couldn’t have arrived at my doorstep at a better time.

Robyn is one of those friends I’ve known since my very early days of blogging, yet have never met in person. I think we have to change that this year Robyn!!! Her cookbook, the Add A Pinch Cookbook is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve seen, filled with gorgeous photos of recipes that have a Southern flair using fresh, seasonal ingredients. I’m all about those fresh seasonal ingredients, as you know.

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I love the week that falls between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I am a reflective person so it brings me a lot of joy to look back at my year of personal experiences, my family, and my blog. I have to admit, having a blog makes it much easier to remember since it’s all documented and stamped with a date…makes me appreciate what this blog means to me even more, although due to the evolution of the (sometimes big, bad, scary) internet I find myself sharing more about food and less about personal & family over the years. It’s all good.

2016 was interesting. I turned 40. I went back to college. I embraced fitness and got strong (surprised myself). My oldest started middle school. We survived a scary hurricane. My daughter was a guest judge for a recipe contest at a produce conference. My baby turned 3 and became a little person, not really a baby anymore. I went out of my comfort zone and was a speaker at a dietician/healthy blogger conference (and loved it). I traveled to Vermont, Savannah and the Florida Panhandle. My friend Kristen came to visit me and we went to see Justin Bieber and Mickey Mouse. My family & I went to Disney – a lot. I withdrew from college. My husband & I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. I watched family members go through some health problems. We attended the most epic Indian wedding celebration. My daughter and I volunteered for the 2016 presidential campaign. I grew personally and professionally.

2016 was interesting, and good. As always, I’m ready and looking forward to a fresh start from starting a new year.

As for food…I shared a lot of recipes! I’m so grateful for all of you who visit me here, I wish you a very healthy and happy New Year.

Here are your favorites:

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The post Top 12 Most Popular Recipes From 2016 {plus my personal favorites!} appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

If you asked my family what they want to eat on Game Day, they will more than likely answer burgers. We tend to grill burgers at least once a week, especially in the fall when the weather in Florida is actually comfortable to grill out in. I love playing around with burger creations, and these Italian Turkey Sausage Sliders were most definitely a hit and will be making a regular appearance on the burger rotation at our house.

What’s great about these burgers are that they are lighter than your typical burger, for a few reasons. For one, they are smaller (hence the term sliders). They are also made with a blend of leaner ground turkey sausage and chopped mushrooms using the Blend method. The Blend method adds chopped mushrooms to the meat mixture, enhancing the texture and flavor while lightening them up and adding nutrients. Read more about how blending mushrooms into your meals makes them better here.

Grab my recipe for these juicy Italian Turkey Sausage Sliders over on The Mushroom Channel blog today!

You still have time until the end of the month to share your own blended burger creations on Instagram by tagging your photo with #GameDayBlend for a chance to win a pretty sweet Tailgate Prize Pack! See details here.

(Disclosure:  I am in a partnership with The Mushroom Council and am compensated for my time in creating recipes for their blog. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Aggie’s Kitchen!)

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We have been lucky to know a few people with hens over the years, one being a friend who once came over with an incredible box. This box full of eggs. Apparently his hens were happy hens.

More recently, we got these from a neighbor…they have been supplying us with a good amount of fresh eggs for the last few years and I am ever so grateful!

How gorgeous are those eggs??

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Click here to pin these Vegetarian Enchilada Stuffed Peppers!

If you’ve been reading my blog a while, then you may remember when vegetarian meals were more of the norm here. There was a good couple of years that I cut a lot of meat out of my diet (sticking with mostly seafood and whole grains for protein). I have always enjoyed eating meatless meals but I’ve learned it’s not always easy to pull those off with the entire family. I still try, though not as often as I used to…and honestly, sometimes I end up eating most by myself (makes lunch during the week extra easy this way!).

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One of the keys to keeping my weight under control is to have grab and go options ready for me in my fridge. Right now, my family’s schedule is jam packed and I’m finding myself constantly in need of something quick, filling and healthy to grab for lunch or a snack. Quinoa salads (or grain salads in general) have always been a great option for me and this Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad has particularly been one of my favorites for years. You can pretty much always feel good about eating a protein rich salad like this when you are hungry and don’t want to sabotage all of your efforts at the gym (if you know what I mean!).

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Click here to pin this Beef and Spinach Stuffed Peppers recipe!

I grew up eating Italian style stuffed peppers like these I posted waaaaay back in 2008. That is my standard family recipe that my grandfather always made and still makes to this day (well, my version at least). Those do take a little more time to cook since I typically stuff the whole pepper, time that I haven’t wanted to invest in cooking a meal lately. The last year or so I finally caught on and started making stuffed pepper “halves” and hello, they cook up so much faster!

I have made these simple Beef and Spinach Stuffed Peppers a few times now and I love how quickly they come together, making them a weekly meal plan regular.

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My parents have owned a pizzeria since I was 4 years old. I have so many memories of sitting in a booth in our pizza shop in New York coloring on white paper plates and playing with pizza dough (our version of play-dough) for hours. My kids have no idea how good they have it, ha ha! I don’t ever remember complaining about being there (though my mom might have a different memory) and looking back I would never change a thing.

The best part of your parents owning a pizzeria or restaurant? Obviously, the access to the food. That’s a no brainer. I can’t tell you how many slices of (good, NY style) pizza I’ve had as my after school snack.

Peppers and eggs has always been an item on my family’s restauarant menus for as long as I remember (we have owned 3 over a span of over 30 years). I think it’s definitely a NY Italian thing because I recently saw it on the menu of our local pizza shop and it brought a smile to my face. My husband actually ordered it and it was so so good. Peppers and eggs is traditionally served on a long toasted Italian roll, loaded with mozzarella cheese. The combination of soft, toasted Italian bread and the peppers, eggs and cheese is just perfection.

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Somehow, I’ve avoided the “winter blues” this year. I know a lot of it has to do with the truly beautiful weather we’ve been getting here in Florida, a blue sky and bright sun never hurt anyone that’s for sure.  I’ve been staying active, getting my workouts in, as well as spending the month of January really getting my house in order…lots of decluttering, deep cleaning and freshening up. I’ve kept myself so busy that I haven’t really had time to settle into that funk that I tend to settle into after the holidays.

I think what I’ve been eating and cooking has also played into it too. Lately I’ve been finding myself cooking up a huge pot of soup or chili on Sunday or Monday, and having it for dinner and lunches throughout the week. When I think of soup or chili, I think of big bowls of comfort, especially during the cooler months. Once it’s cooked up, it can last for days as leftovers and right now, for me, that’s a really good thing.

When I make soup, it’s all about nutrition. I try to pack in as many vegetables, beans and sometimes lean protein as possible. I don’t like to feel gross after eating soup or chili, I like to feel good. This Two-Bean Turkey and Vegetable Chili makes me feel good. It truly hits the spot when you don’t have time to make lunch or you need a dinner that pulls a double duty. I enjoyed this chili as is for days, but my husband and kids loved it over whole wheat macaroni. However it’s eaten, I know you’ll enjoy it.

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Bush’s Two-Bean Turkey and Vegetable Chili

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Ground Turkey
• Method: Stove

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Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 bell peppers (any color), chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• big pinch salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 15 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can Bush’s Red Kidney Beans, drained
• 1 can Bush’s Pinto Beans, drained
• 3 cans of water (I use tomato cans to use all the leftover flavor)

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Instructions

1. In a large heavy bottomed soup pot, cook ground turkey and onion until browned. Add carrots, bell peppers and seasonings and cook for 5-8 minutes until veggies are softened. Add tomatoes, beans and water to pot. Bring to a slow boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 20-25 minutes until chili starts to thicken. Taste for salt and pepper, most likely it will need salt. Adjust to taste.

**Stay tuned for the Bush’s Beans Winter Comfort Foods Virtual Recipe Exchange and Linkup hosted here and on Real Mom Kitchen on February 4th. You’ll have a chance to link up your favorite Winter Comfort Food recipes that include beans for a chance to win a pretty nice giveaway (that may or may not include a big and pretty heavy pot 😉 ). Get your recipes ready!!

(I am in a paid partnership with Bush’s Beans. All opinions are my own)

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