Sides

These Simple Roasted Green Beans are an easy vegetable side dish using just a few ingredients, making healthy living delicious! I don’t garden. In fact, I have proven my black thumb many with many (many) dead basil plants. Basil is supposed to be the easiest thing ever to grow, so I’m pretty sure I’m sunk …

This Instant Pot Brown Rice recipe gives you perfectly cooked brown rice in your pressure cooker, saving you time in your healthy meal prep. One of my favorite healthy substitutions that I started making in my 100-pound weight loss journey was using brown rice instead of white rice. It’s one of those things that seems …

These Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes are made so much quicker than the oven, making it the perfect healthy recipe for your weekly meal prep. Sweet Potato Benefits Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin C and vitamin A. They bring a powerful punch of antioxidants (great for fighting disease and the effects of aging!). …

This Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash recipe is a fast and easy vegetable dish that is low calorie and low carb, making it a great food for weight loss! How to Cut Spaghetti Squash These squashes can be tough to cut apart. I usually don’t use a microwave when I cut mine, but it definitely helps …

Save time and money with Instant Pot healthy refried beans! This Instant Pot recipe is easy, quick, healthy, satisfying, and perfect for busy weeknights. The more I use my Instant Pot, the more I love the things it allows me to do that, in turn, simplify my life. I was slightly skeptical, but also pretty …

It is no secret that I’m slightly obsessed with quinoa. A dear friend of mine (Sara from Will Run for Pasta) actually sent me a package once addressed to “The Quinoa Queen”. I’ve made a gazillion quinoa bite variations and I fully stand behind the health benefits of this particular trendy superfood, so I make …

This Cilantro Lime Quinoa is a healthy, light, and fresh side dish full of protein, perfect for burrito bowls, taco salads, fajitas, and burritos. Pin This Recipe For Later! “Fresh” is my absolute favorite word this time of year (most of the year it’s “spatula”…what can I say? It’s a funny word!). But during the …

This Grilled Vegetable Medley, full of carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, is the perfect healthy side dish for summer meals.  The back story behind this recipe is actually kind of hilarious. See, my brother-in-law is a nurse and his schedule is pretty crazy. He switches between working nights and days, so it’s hard to find a …

These simple Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes are an easy, healthy, and flavorful side that goes great with any main dish. My border collie, Boots, has a long list of irrational fears. He’s afraid of the things you would expect a dog to be fearful of – thunder, fireworks, etc. But his list of wacky fears …

These Roasted Baby Carrots are an incredibly simple way to add vegetables to any meal. Roasting the carrots brings out their natural sweetness, making them especially delicious! My best friend recently brought her sweet baby boy here to meet everyone from her hometown. It was a pretty wonderful excuse to throw a party and her …

This crowd-pleasing Healthier Jalapeno Popper Dip is still just as creamy and cheesy as the original but made lighter with Greek yogurt and Neufchatel.  Have I mentioned that I have the best small group ever? Because I do. These are the most gracious, thoughtful, generous, kind people and I am beyond honored to be a part …

These Healthier Pretzel Rolls are soft, chewy, and delicious – perfect for dipping into soup or filling with your favorite sandwich fixings.   You guys, I am kind of obsessed with pretzel rolls right now. I really love food and I want to taste all of the wonderful flavors out there in the world, so …

This easy roasted spaghetti squash makes pasta-like strands that make for a perfect and versatile healthy winter vegetable side dish. My mom introduced us to all kinds of foods as we were growing up. I’ve been eating artichokes, jicama, and spaghetti squash for as long as I can remember! Spaghetti squash is all the rage …

This Harvest Quinoa Salad is full of butternut squash, walnuts, cranberries, and Parmesan for a healthy side dish, great for a party. Some friends of mine from church just threw their annual harvest party. Their story behind the party is actually pretty awesome! They just are really grateful for everything God has blessed them with, …

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FeedYourFoodie#CollectiveBias This Mexican Vegetable Skillet, full of veggies and flavor, is a healthy vegetable side dish and the perfect side dish for any Mexican meal! I am all about home cooked dinners (obviously! I have a food blog …

This lighter macaroni salad is made healthier by using whole wheat pasta, Greek yogurt, & lots of fresh veggies. The perfect healthy side dish for a picnic! “Pasta” is pretty much a magic word around my niece and nephew (6 and 4) these days. They are still in the stage where they are fairly picky …

These deliciously tender roasted zucchini spears make a healthy vegetable side dish that is so easy to make with just a few minutes of prep. I am leaving Tucson to officially move to Colorado in T minus 5 days! As long as I don’t think about the people I am leaving behind here (which instantly …

The ultimate holiday comfort food – sweet and creamy mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup, cinnamon, and a hint of nutmeg. The perfect Thanksgiving side! It’s November! I know, I know, thanks for the announcement, Captain Obvious! It just seems like the last time I blinked it was summer, and now we’re already past Halloween …

A friend and I were talking recently about kale (because who doesn’t talk about kale regularly with their friends?) and she was telling me that she just isn’t a fan. I get it. I didn’t used to like the stuff either! And then I discovered the secret – the kale massage. Start with your bowl …

I’m still holding onto the last bits of summer as much as I can, which is much easier to do in Tucson since it feels like summer here long after school has been back in sessions! We’re still frequenting triple digit temperatures, which has been a fabulous excuse for eating bowls of watermelon, frozen blueberries, …

Break out of your salad rut with this healthy southwestern barley salad recipe. It’s an antioxidant-rich, nutty grain mixed with southwestern flair. Barley is a newer food to me. I think the only meal I had ever heard barley used in consistently was beef and barley stew (which I want to make once it cools …

This mango jicama salad recipe is a simple & healthy summer salad combining the protein pack of quinoa with crunchy jicama and juicy mango. One of the most common questions I get when I tell people I live in Tucson is, “How on earth do you deal with the summer heat?!” I’m not going to …

This flavorful Indio Salad is topped with tangy goat cheese, crunchy cornbread croutons, sweet dates, & creamy avocado for a satisfying and healthy meal. On my recent visit to Colorado, I met up with one of my college roommates for lunch. First of all, when the heck did 10 years pass by since college?! Second …

Growing up, like many families, we used holidays as a time to gather together. My parents, two sisters, and I would almost always drive to my aunt’s house to spend the day with my aunt, uncle, and cousins catching up on each others’ lives, telling stories, playing games, watching sports, doing puzzles, and, of course, …