Once upon a time, I ran a vegetarian restaurant in a college town, and one of its signature dishes was the “Big Veg.” The Big Veg was a scratch-made soy veggie burger.
As such, it was pretty good for its time, but it needed some serious updating. These days, I want something better than “pretty good.”
Continue reading "Black Bean Burgers with Spicy Mayonnaise" »
Made with the most perfectly tender, juicy, chicken meatballs! So hearty and flavorful. Not to mention, it’s simple, quick and easy!
I know. I really need to stop eating soup when it’s 100+ degrees outside.
But I can’t help it. I can’t.
I love soup 365 degrees out of the year, but I particularly love it during the summer.
With all the summer harvest and the perfectly juicy chicken meatballs, you won’t care about the heat outside.
You’ll just keep refilling your bowl, with extra meatballs and extra Parmesan, of course.
Oh, and the crusty bread to soak up all that hearty goodness. Nope, You can’t forget about that. It’s just as important as the soup.
Made with the most perfectly tender, juicy, chicken meatballs! So hearty and flavorful. Not to mention, it’s simple, quick and easy!
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious.
The post Italian Wedding Soup appeared first on Damn Delicious.
This spicy and slightly sweet grilled salmon is bound to become a favorite this summer. Smoked paprika, garlic, and onion powders in the rub create a savory, smoky flavor, while a touch of sugar adds a hint of sweetness and helps the skin become unbelievably crispy.
Continue reading "Grilled Salmon with Peach Salsa" »
Warm weather conjures images of nights spent outdoors, sitting around a campfire surrounded by friends. And with that image usually comes s’mores.
The combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and gooey marshmallows is a classic summertime treat for a reason. With this recipe, we have transformed the dessert into pie form, ideal for serving a crowd of people a summer dinner party or as part of a BBQ dessert spread.
Continue reading "S’mores Pie" »
The crispiest potato wedges ever! And it is completely BAKED!!! Served with the most amazing, garlicky-herb mixture!
How wrong is it that this was my dinner for a few nights?
And when I say few, I mean 4 nights. In a row.
What? Carbs on carbs make for an excellent dinner.
Especially when it involves the crispiest little bites of potatoes drizzled with a fresh garlicky-herb mixture made in 3 minutes right in the food processor.
And you don’t feel an ounce of guilt about it since these bad boys are baked. Not fried.
See? Perfect dinner.
The crispiest potato wedges ever! And it is completely BAKED!!! Served with the most amazing, garlicky-herb mixture!
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious.
The post Baked Garlic Herb Potato Wedges 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™ SmartPoints®.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend, if you have any suggestions for recipes you want to see next week, let me know! I included the famous Bagel Recipe and Chickpea Egg Salad to make ahead on Sunday so you’ll be ready for the week.
If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy 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 or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. You should aim for around 1500 calories* per 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 (7/30)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe* (3) with 1 egg (0), 1 ounce avocado (1) and 2 slices tomato (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad* (2)
D: Veggie Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (6) with a green salad** (2)
Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 950***
TUESDAY (7/31)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe (3) with 1 egg (0), 1 ounce avocado (1) and 2 slices tomato (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Southwest Chicken Skillet (5)
Totals: Freestyle Points 11, Calories 957***
WEDNESDAY (8/1)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe (3) with 2 tablespoons light cream cheese (3), 2 slices each: tomato (0), red onion (0) and cucumber (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Unstuffed Cabbage Bowls (8)
Totals: Freestyle Points 16, Calories 950***
THURSDAY (8/2)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe (3) with 2 tablespoons light cream cheese (3), 2 slices each: tomato (0), red onion (0) and cucumber (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce (6) and corn on the cob (0)
Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 969***
FRIDAY (8/3)
B: Skinny Green Monster Smoothie (7)
L: LEFTOVER Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce (6) and an apple (0)
D: Grilled Salmon Kebabs (0) with Corn Tomato Avocado Salad (3)
Totals: Freestyle Points 16, Calories 1,002***
SATURDAY (8/4)
B: Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread (3) with 1 cup fruit salad** (0)
L: Greek Nachos (5) (Recipe x 2)
D: DINNER OUT!
Totals: Freestyle Points 8, Calories 353***
SUNDAY (8/5)
B: LEFTOVER Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread (3) with 1 cup fruit salad** (0)
L: Lentil Bowls with Avocado, Eggs and Cholula (2) (Recipe x 2)
D: One Skillet Chicken with Bacon and Green Beans (2) with ¾ cup brown rice (5)
Totals: Freestyle Points 12, Calories 905***
*Make Easy Bagels and Chickpea Egg Salad on Sunday
**Green salad includes 4 cups romaine ½ cup each: tomatoes, cucumber and light vinaigrette. Fruit salad includes 2 peaches, 1 pound sliced strawberries, 2 mangos, 6-ounces blueberries
***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.
It’s summertime, and the livin’ should be easy! And easy it is with these make-ahead foil packs that you can throw on the grill after a long hike or a day at the beach.
Continue reading "Foil Packs with Sausage, Corn, Zucchini and Potatoes" »
This month, Summer Miller is back, sharing her meal plans for July. Summer is a mom, a full-time food writer, and also helps test the fabulous recipes we bring you every week at Simply Recipes.
And just like that we are finishing off the month of July! The official end of summer is still a couple of months way, but the back to school sales are everywhere reminding us the end is near. Soon fall sports and homework will replace swimsuits and sprinklers.
With that in mind I want to make the most of these final carefree days. My garden is packed with tomatoes, basil and cucumbers at this point in the season, and this week’s meal plan puts them all to good use.
Continue reading "Meal Plan for July Week 5" »
This post brought to you in partnership with American Pecans.
We love any excuse to try a new chicken recipe, especially Hot Chicken! A few months ago, our friends at American Pecans hosted the #NotJustPie contest on Instagram and Twitter, asking fans to break pecans out of the pie shell and show off their best non-pie pecan recipes, and it’s clear why this Pecan-Crusted Nashville Hot Chicken came out on top.
Continue reading "Award-Winning Pecan-Crusted Nashville Hot Chicken" »
Hello, hello! I am sneaking in at the end of the week for a coffee date because I just looked at the calendar and it is the end of July! Like, who is in charge of time around here?
It has been a month of sun, and outdoor lunches and dinners, and walks around the lake, and book reading (maybe we’ll hit that topic next time)! And in the drink department, things have stayed pretty consistent:
I still love lemonade.
I still love green smoothies.
I still love decaf iced coffees, lately with a pinch of sugar AND salt. I know.
One small development that you should know about, since this IS a coffee date post, is that we got a new bubble tea shop in by our house this month, and it has some of that really good Thai tea or Royal Milk Tea that is kind of milkshake-level sweet and creamy. Know what I’m talking about? It’s just kind of ridiculous and so very good. I’m just drinking water at the moment (sad) but I’m going to PRETEND it’s a dreamy Thai tea with those big fat chewy pearls.
One other development is my newfound obsession with the Smitten Kitchen blueberry pancakes (pictured). You must make them, and SOON.
What about you guys? Drinks of choice today? Whatever it is, grab a coaster and settle in. Coffee date starts now.
Drink-obsessed much? I’ve been making cold brew for the last month or so, and the short story is that it’s awesome.
Okay, I know there are rules about “grind your own coffee” and stuff, but honestly, I am scrappy. I have a bunch of pre-ground coffee right now, so that’s what I’m using. I mix 4 cups of water with about 1 cup of ground coffee and let it sit overnight (12 hours). Then I run it through a paper filter (or a tea filter, or lately, a filtering pitcher) in the morning and voila! Cold brew ready for the week.
I do one batch of decaf or half caf and one batch of regular, and honestly, having it waiting for me in the fridge makes waking up feel like a small party. I love it.
Cold Brew Tools (not essential, just some of my faves):
Do you guys make cold brew? Am I criminal for using pre-ground coffee?
I’m sorry in advance for a foot pic – I just need you to know that this month I spent $25 on a pedicure.
I probably haven’t had a pedicure for, like, 2 years, but WHY WHY WHY do I not do this every month. It was so wonderful. I sat and read my book in a massaging chair while my feet got beautified. This needs to become a new ritual. Absolutely worth $25.
Are you Team DIY nails or do you go get them done?
This month Bjork and I took two days off of work to try to celebrate summer… even though we can’t go anywhere (pregnancy / travel restrictions) or do anything (pregnancy / activity restrictions).
Staycation, we said! It’ll be so fun, we said!
And then it rained both days, and we ended up doing semi-sad things like eating Jimmy John’s for lunch while watching Parks and Rec at home instead of going on scenic drives and lakeside picnics.
Spending time with Bjork is always a win for me, and I’m more than happy not to push any of my travel or activity restrictions to have a healthy pregnancy, so I really can’t complain at all. I guess I just felt like maybe I’d come away from the experience loving staycation, and I think I more came away from the experience loving vay-cation a little more.
Are you guys staycationers? Maybe you can teach me how to do it better next time.
Ooh, classy! Love a raw meat pic.
Okay, here’s the deal. I’m kind of thinking about prepping some freezer meals for maternity leave, but, uhh, I don’t really DO freezer meals. Or I haven’t before. I’m trying to learn, and so far I feel pretty proud of my stash, but there are so many things I still don’t know.
Questions that linger:
Thank you in advance!
Hey! Speaking of.
I’m planning to take a maternity leave this fall, and I am so excited.
I really want to protect what I think will be a really special and disorienting and un-showered time. As a result, I’ve decided not to post during my maternity leave. I’ve also decided not to stress myself out in between now and then by drafting 900 posts in advance.
I’m just keeping it simple – working like normal till baby comes, taking a leave, and coming back in January.
So here’s my question: What would feel good to see on the blog during that time?
Currently we have a few post series in the works that continue to bring valuable content to YOU, except instead of being written by me, it’d be coming from others on our team and in our community. What are your feelings on that? Are you excited / not excited to see new photos, new voices, and new types of content here? Sometimes I feel like my role here is not only content creator but “protector of POY,” which really means “protector of POY readers,” and making sure that everything that gets shared here is valuable and interesting and REAL and fun for you.
Gimme whatcha got!
Sage has one more thing to add.
She would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the value of a nice rest.
There’s only so much pushing forward, hustling, getting-it-done-ing that a person can do from day to day and week to week. We have limits. I mean, look at her. This is a girl who KNOWS her limits. She is straight goals with her limits.
She wants to remind you to take a rest when you need one. You’ll probably come back to your job, your kids, your stress and your difficult situation with a renewed energy to be awesome. We can’t all go, go, go forever. Breathe, close your eyes for a second (or a month), and watch a dumb TV show just because.
Rest is good.
Oh, hey! PS. We’re hiring! Sage wanted you to know in case you wanted to apply OR send the job posting to someone you know who should apply.
This is a remote, part-time position for Food Blogger Pro (our awesome membership community for food bloggers) and it involves helping people and being friendly on the internet! Fun stuff. You need to be a good writer because we do all our communication online, and, obviously, you need to be a nice person because you’ll be supporting lots of FBP-ers.
You can check out the official job posting here!
That’s all for today! See you next month for the last coffee date of the summer months umm SAY WHAT?! I can’t even talk about that right now.
Live your life! Eat that popsicle! Enjoy the sun!
The post July Coffee Date appeared first on Pinch of Yum.
Meatless potstickers that taste even better than the meat-filled ones! PROMISE! And these taste 10000x better than the freezer-kind!
When I first made these, we recipe tested three kinds of potstickers.
A veggie one. A pork one. And a shrimp one.
And I have to say. I actually liked the veggie one the best.
Now you guys know I’m not a vegetarian – I’ll eat anything and everything. But these veggie potstickers have so much going on – from the garlicky mushrooms to the crunchy water chestnuts (best secret ingredient in a potsticker btw).
To be honest, I didn’t even notice that this was actually meatless!
So if you need a change in your potsticker rotation, or if you don’t consume much veggies in your daily diet like Mr. Ben does, these potstickers are definitely the way to go.
I’ve already frozen about 5 batches so far! For Mr. Ben’s sake. Not mine.
Meatless potstickers that taste even better than the meat-filled ones! PROMISE! And these taste 10000x better than the freezer-kind!
*To freeze, place uncooked potstickers in a single layer on a baking sheet overnight. Transfer to freezer bags.
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious.
The post Vegetable Potstickers appeared first on Damn Delicious.
This refreshing Thai-style salad with greens, herbs, veggies and shrimp, all tossed in a delicious cashew dressing, is the perfect one-dish summer dinner.
Making pizza on the grill takes a little bit of courage the first time. Tossing uncooked dough directly onto the grate over live fire? Topping the pizza while it’s on the grill? Seems a bit daunting.
But once you try it and see how delicious it is, you’ll go back for more.
Continue reading "Grilled Pizza with Red Peppers, Broccoli, and Onions" »
Those of us who love tuna salad, LOVE tuna salad.
And while plain tuna salad with a bit of mayo and some salt and pepper is delicious, it can get a little bit same-old, same-old. Luckily it couldn’t be simpler to add interest to that little can of fish, and the options for changing it up are pretty endless.
Continue reading "4 Great Add-Ins for Tuna Salad" »
The easiest and quickest BBQ ribs made right in your pressure cooker! So saucy, sticky, and tender, it just falls off-the-bone!
I’ll be completely honest with you.
The post Easy Instant Pot BBQ Ribs appeared first on Damn Delicious.
This Corn Tomato Avocado Salad is summer in a bowl! The perfect side dish with anything you’re grilling, or double the portion as a main dish.
I am taking advantage of summer corn, tomatoes and cucumber and tossed them altogether with avocado for a fresh summer side dish! Other summer salads you may enjoy, this Grilled Corn Salad with Feta or this Corn Salsa with Lime!
As a vegetarian during my late teens and twenties, I ate my fair share of veggie burgers. After college I started making my own, improving on the store-bought burgers I’d come to rely on by making my own zesty bean burger packed with herbs and subtle spices.
The recipe has come a long way since those days, and the latest version is this tender white bean number with double pesto—some goes in the burgers and some goes into a creamy sauce over top.
These veggie burgers cook up like a dream. They’re sure to be a winner for meat eaters and vegetarians alike.
Continue reading "Pesto White Bean Burgers" »
When I was growing up in New Jersey, my dad enlisted us kids to dig up clams down at the shore. It was usually a multi-family affair. The grownups built a fire on the beach and filled a new aluminum garbage can with seawater. They set the can over the fire, and once the water was at a boil, the clams went in.
Continue reading "How to Have a New England Clambake at Home" »
An easy peasy summertime staple! The zucchini comes out perfectly garlicky, fresh, and crisp-tender – so simple yet so good!
I’ve had so many grilled goodies this season. Like this gorgeous flank steak platter, my favorite maple rosemary chicken, and the stickiest bbq pineapple chicken kabobs.
But this grilled zucchini really takes the cake.
I know. It’s weird. You’d think the chicken kabobs would be my fave.
And they certainly were…until I had this.
These perfectly grilled zucchini slices drizzled with the most amazing, garlicky herb mixture.
It keeps everything so fresh, and it takes just minutes to whip up. And if you don’t have fresh rosemary on hand, dried rosemary or your favorite dried herbs will do the trick.
Just grab those abundant zucchini you have in your garden right now!
An easy peasy summertime staple! The zucchini comes out perfectly garlicky, fresh, and crisp-tender – so simple yet so good!
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious.
The post Grilled Garlic Herb Zucchini 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™ SmartPoints®.
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer, it’s going so fast which makes me sad because I am a summer girl, but also excited because it’s getting closer to the release of my new cookbook, Skinnytaste One and Done which comes out Oct 9! For those of you who pre-ordered, you can get 4 free recipes from the book now, with your pre-order. More details here! And just a friendly reminder, to receive my new recipes or meal plans via email, make sure you’re signed up for my email subscription (it’s free!). It’s also my wedding anniversary Sunday, we are celebrating by spending a night in the city at the Lotte New York Palace (gorgeous hotel!) and dinner with friends at Il Mulino (first time!).
If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy 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 or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. You should aim for around 1500 calories* per 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 (7/23)
B: Overnight Oats in a Jar (5)
L: Orange and Arugula Salad with Red Onion and Gorgonzola (4) and 2 ounces multigrain baguette* (3)
D: Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls (6) with Sauteed Julienned Summer Vegetables (1)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 19, Calories 875**
TUESDAY (7/24)
B: Overnight Oats in a Jar (5)
L: LEFTOVER Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls (6) with an apple (0)
D: Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps (5) with 2 tablespoons reduced fat cheddar (1) and 2 ounces avocado (3)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 21, Calories 967**
WEDNESDAY (7/25)
B: Greek Yogurt with Berries, Nuts and Honey (5)
L: LEFTOVER Three Cheese Zucchini Stuffed Lasagna Rolls (6) with an apple (0)
D: Broiled or Grilled Pollo Sabroso (3) with 2 tablespoons Peruvian Green Sauce (2) and 2 ounces avocado (3)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 19, Calories 896**
THURSDAY (7/26)
B: Scrambled eggs (0), 1 ounce avocado (1), 2 tablespoons reduced fat cheddar (1) and sliced tomatoes (0)
L: LEFTOVER Broiled or Grilled Pollo Sabroso (3) with 2 tablespoons Peruvian Green Sauce (2) and 2 ounces avocado (3)
D: Za’atar Lamb Chops (4) with Chopped Feta Salad (5)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 19, Calories 950**
FRIDAY (7/27)
B: Overnight Oats in a Jar (5)
L: Spiralized Greek Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Feta (7)
D: Grilled Clams in Foil ***(2) (Recipe x 2) and Heirloom Tomato Salad (2)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 16, Calories 798**
SATURDAY (7/28)
B: Insanely Good Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (4) with a peach (0)
L: Grilled Chicken and Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (3)
D: DINNER OUT!
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 7 Calories 368**
SUNDAY (7/29)
B: LEFTOVER Insanely Good Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (4) with a banana (0)
L: French Bread Pizza Caprese (7)
D: Sweet ‘n Spicy Asian Glazed Grilled Drumsticks (7) with Summer Squash and Chive Pancakes (3)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 21, Calories 895**
* Freeze remaining 8 ounces baguette and defrost on Sunday for pizza.
**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.
***Grill chicken for Saturday’s salad, if desired
