Chocolate cupcakes were one of the first recipes I became obsessed with perfecting.
To me, the ideal chocolate cupcake is moist with a deep chocolate flavor. The recipe also should produce exactly one dozen cupcakes in a standard muffin tin, no more and no less.
Continue reading "Double Chocolate Cupcakes" »
Soup is soul food, satisfying and warming on a cold day or night. Sometimes, though, you make a pot of soup that’s good and fine, but maybe you wish it were a little bit… better. Maybe you want to take this soup to the next level, and give it something extra to improve the taste, texture, or complexity of flavor.
Here are a few tips to take you beyond the recipe and make all your soups sing.
Continue reading "7 Easy Ways to Make Any Soup Better" »
So soft, fluffy and perfectly golden brown! These may just be the BEST dinner rolls you will ever have! And these are so much healthier than the traditional dinner rolls. Win-win situation here!
So I am currently on a crash course diet for Thailand.
The post Honey Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls appeared first on Damn Delicious.
Barley is one of those grains that your grandmother probably always had in her pantry. And like many other treasures tucked away on those shelves, barley is chic now and a star ingredient on many trendy restaurant menus.
With this modernized recipe, we’re adding barley to a pot of vegetarian soup along with both dried and fresh mushrooms, and seasoning it with a surprising combination of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.
The bowls of soup have a satisfying saltiness and an alluring sweetness—it’s an entirely new take on traditional mushroom barley soup.
Continue reading "Not Your Grandma’s Mushroom Barley Soup" »
Dad’s Creamy Cauliflower Soup was always a favorite growing up, so easy, made with just 5 ingredients!
I am re-sharing this recipe in honor of my Dad who passed away Friday. I am heartbroken to lose such a great man, but have comfort knowing he is finally resting in peace. My Dad loved to cook, making many of the dishes he cooked for us will bring back the memories of our childhood and the love we felt from him.
Being stationed in Germany for six years gave me a deep appreciation for two things: beer and bratwurst (sausages) of all kinds.
This Brats and Beer Cheese Dip was born out of my love for this German fare and for hosting Super Bowl parties. Honestly, I have no clue about how football is played—I just love any reason to have a party.
Continue reading "Slow Cooker Brats and Beer Cheese Dip" »
Learn how to build the absolute PERFECT antipasto platter! It’s unbelievably easy and sure to be a crowd-pleaser for all your guests! Served with cured meats, fresh cheeses, artichoke hearts, olives, nuts, peppers and focaccia!
I think you guys know me well enough to know that I love a cheese board.
The post Antipasto Appetizer Cheese Board appeared first on Damn Delicious.
A free 7-day flexible meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points.
Hope everyone is enjoying these meal plans! I’ve been incorporating more meal prep dishes into the meal plan, meals you can make on the weekend so they are ready for the week. If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing free, 7-day flexible meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc. You should aim for around 1500 calories* a day.
There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.
Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing!
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!
The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.
And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them!
MONDAY (1/29)
B: Sausage, Cheese and Veggie Egg Bake (4)
L: Cobb Salad in a Jar with Buttermilk Ranch (5)
D: Cream of Zucchini Soup (1) with 2 Easy Garlic Knots (4)
Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 832*
TUESDAY (1/30)
B: Sausage, Cheese and Veggie Egg Bake (4)
L: Cobb Salad in a Jar with Buttermilk Ranch (5)
D: Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (3) with 2 corn tortillas (3) and 1 ounce avocado (1)
Totals: Freestyle Points 16, Calories 919*
WEDNESDAY (1/31)
B: Sausage, Cheese and Veggie Egg Bake (4)
L: LEFTOVER Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (3) with 2 corn tortillas (3) and 1 ounce avocado (1)
D: Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu (5) with Roasted Asparagus (0)
Totals: Freestyle Points 16, Calories 832*
THURSDAY (2/1)
B: Sausage, Cheese and Veggie Egg Bake (4)
L: LEFTOVER Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (3) with 2 corn tortillas (3) and 1 ounce avocado (1)
D: Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili (0) with 1 tablespoon light sour cream (1) and 1 ounce (about 18) baked tortilla chips (3)
Totals: Freestyle Points 15, Calories 957*
FRIDAY (2/2)
B: 6 ounces nonfat Greek yogurt (0) with ½ cup blueberries (0) and 1 teaspoon honey (1)
L: LEFTOVER Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (3) with 2 corn tortillas (3) and 1 ounce avocado (1)
D: Shrimp Cakes (7) with Quick Cabbage Slaw (2)
Totals: Freestyle Points 17, Calories 836*
SATURDAY (2/3)
B: Easy Bagel (3) with 2 tablespoons light cream cheese (3) and an orange (0)
L: LEFTOVER Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili (0) with 1 tablespoon light sour cream (1)
D: Dinner Out!
Totals: Freestyle Points 7, Calories 563*
SUNDAY (2/4)
B: Easy Bagel (3) with 2 strips bacon (2), 1 egg (0) and an orange (0)
L: Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (7)
D: Cheese Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf (7) with Creamy Cauliflower Puree (1)
Totals: Freestyle Points 20, Calories 955*
*This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.
Welcome to 2018! Our contributor Summer Miller is back to share her meal plans for the month of January.
January is always a reprieve from the hectic holiday season and the one month where our family is light on sports commitments. Fall soccer has ended, spring soccer has yet to begin, and the cold weather keeps us huddled together playing card games indoors.
It’s a month of renewal as I prepare for the flurry of activities that hit our home from February through July.
Continue reading "Meal Plan for January Week 5" »
This is just like everyone’s favorite cozy, comforting homemade chicken noodle soup except made even better with chicken meatballs! You’ll only want this version of chicken noodle soup after trying this! Promise!
I know I just experienced -1 degree F weather in Indianapolis during the holidays but I will still say this.
The post Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup appeared first on Damn Delicious.
There’s a lot to love here with these sweet, sour, spicy nuggets of chicken on a skewer — barbecued when the weather cooperates, or broiled in the oven when it does not.
They’re real crowd-pleasers (watch out, Super Bowl food competitors, this one’s in the running!), but they’re so good that you’ll want to put them on the menu every week!
Continue reading "Vietnamese-Style Sticky Chicken Skewers" »
Confession: I am a trip hog. I try to play it cool, but I LOVE trips. I love vacation. I love travel.
And I love vacation pictures. I love my vacation pictures and I love your vacation pictures and I love your best friend’s cousin’s sister-in-law’s vacation pictures. I wish there was a way for you to upload your best vacation pictures in the comments. The Great 2018 Vacation Picture Swap. Bjork, can we work on that?
This wasn’t our first time to Kauai. We actually came last year. I don’t think I ever really talked about that on the blog. It was just three weeks after we lost our son Afton, and it was with my parents, and we had already purchased our tickets when our whole world fell apart. I should have been traveling to Hawaii just shy of 30 weeks pregnant, but instead, I was recovering from major surgery and carrying a lifelong, unfixable heartbreak.
I always hesitate to use the word “healing”, because while that trip did help me to find some color in life again, a trip to Hawaii can never fix what – who – will always be missing from our lives. But those six days spent admiring the sunsets and feeling the calm of the ocean were special, and, I guess, healing.
“Let’s come back again,” we said. “When we’re less fragile. When we can experience this differently.”
I was thinking more like 5-10 years, but then this year, on Christmas Eve, in the midst of the painful first-holiday season and one year anniversary, we made an impulse buy. I found the cheapest flight I could manage (back of the plane FTW!) and booked us a trip back to Kauai.
When we came to the island in 2017, we were so incredibly fragile. It’s hard to even think about what it was like. I remember the airport being so daunting. It was the first time we had really gone out in public. We were like exposed nerves, walking around, bumping up against the most mundane of things that would jolt us with pain.
This year, we’re more solidly on our feet. We’re not so exposed. The airport isn’t scary. We always carry that grief with us, but it’s been absorbed. It lives in a deeper place. We are able to do normal things without wondering if we will shatter. And as a result, we were ready to adventure around the island and see some of the best of Kauai – the island of my dreams. It was lovely and awe-inspiring.
SO LET’S GET GOING WITH THE PICS ALREADY.
The beach at the St. Regis. 
We did a decent amount of driving, exploring, and beach-hopping. Winter in Kauai is not super swim-friendly because the waves are huge and scary-dangerous, so when I say beach-hopping, I really just mean “driving to a beach and walking around, exploring, maybe laying out in the sun, watching the ocean, taking a few pictures and then continuing on our way.”
This was probably my favorite thing about Kauai – the north side of the island especially. Just driving was an adventure in and of itself. It is a JUNGLE PARADISE, not to mention that pretty much the entire coast is beautiful, isolated white sand beaches. There are views around every corner and the natural beauty is incredibly pristine, raw, and untouched.
My Beach Picks:
In order to get to most of these beaches, we would use a combination of GPS on our phones and a deeper Google or Trip Advisor search to find out how to access the beaches directly. Most of them don’t have a parking lot – you’ll just be parking on a side street and then finding the hiking path down to the beach.
Oh, I forgot to mention Poipu Beach! We drove to the southern part of the island for a day of calmer waters, marine sealife sightings (whales and sea turtles and monk seals), and sunset-watching. Poipu Beach is a busier beach and there were people everywhere, but we can deal for a day. 🤪
Annnnd my signature Kauai Look.
This was the number one thing I wanted to do in Kauai. I was on a mission to get myself to the Na Pali Coast. And after having hiked the 4-mile trail to the beach and back, I mostly I want to say that this was one of the most intensely beautiful places my eyes have ever seen. UN-BE-LIEVABLE.
A close second is that if you hike, you need to be very careful. Here are some notes about the hike.
View from Ke’e Beach, which is at the Kalalua trailhead. Zero hiking required to get this view of the Na Pali Coast. ♡
You guys, most of the food we had was medium-good and overpriced. Is that the norm on small islands? It was a little sad, but not too sad, because I’m only a 50% food snob and I can be happy with a can of convenience store Cheddar Cheese Pringles. I don’t have a ton of dinner places to recommend because a) we actually skipped dinner most nights due to extreme tiredness and laziness (I KNOW) and b) what we did eat just wasn’t super awesome. That being said, here are the places we would go back to.
In general, I’d recommend the shacks or food trucks over the super-fancy restaurants in terms of finding the yummiest food. Casual island living at its best!
Okay. One more thing that needs to be mentioned.
On the first day, we got an emergency alert on our phones during breakfast that there was an inbound ballistic missile to Hawaii and we needed to take shelter immediately. Not a drill, it said. So… we hid in the restaurant kitchen and contemplated what it would be like to die in a restaurant kitchen on our first day in paradise.
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HECK.
There was no inbound ballistic missile. Someone somewhere pressed the wrong button.
So, yeah. Always a special memory of our time in Hawaii. Xo
Have you been to Hawaii? Kauai? Na Pali? Another island? What did you love?
LET’S NOT DO WORK AND TALK ABOUT THE ISLANDS!
More Travel Pictures and Posts:
The post The Island of My Dreams appeared first on Pinch of Yum.
