With 2016 coming to a close, it’s been fun for me to look back and see what exactly I did all year on this blog. Some of my recipes became immediate reader favorites (to my surprise, many times!) and some totally flopped (eek!) Some are MY OWN favorites, some are my kids’, and others are favorites for my entire family.
Rather than simple rattle off the list, I decided to “count down” (the New Year is all about countdowns!) and share a little tidbit about how the recipe came to be, plus its initial reception in my house.
Additionally, because I really like eating and talking about eating (YAY!) I decided to include my own top 5 favorites at the end of the post. You know, those recipes I actually make for myself A LOT, sometimes multiple times per week.
Hope you enjoy! And maybe find of new favorite of your own!
Top 10 Recipes of 2016 {Reader Favorites}
10.) Chocolate Almond Butter Sandwich Cookies
These were the first sandwich cookies I made, and remain the “base recipe” for many other almond flour based cookies. I was so excited about these, embarrassingly I thought I had reinvented the Oreo after making them. They were also one of the first recipes I shot with a real camera, not an iPhone!
9.) Paleo Key Lime Pie with Coconut Pecan Crust
This recipe nearly killed me – I do not lie. The decisions about the crust, the filling, and THE PHOTOS had me feeling like I wanted to quit blogging altogether (..maybe a slight exaggeration, but still.) Still, I was happy with the recipe enough to post it and it quickly became a favorite. Lesson learned? I don’t know, this still happens to me all the time with recipe creation!
8.) Caramelized Sweet Potato Apple Hash Browns {Whole30}
This is one of those super simple recipes that I almost never posted, simply because it seemed too basic. Apparently basic can be very good! I think people like this one because it’s simple, really yummy, and appeals even to those who don’t eat meat (I skipped the bacon!) I have to admit, more often than not when I make this for myself, I put bacon in it!
7.) Simple Paleo Pumpkin Bread
This is my family’s favorite pumpkin recipethat I made this past fall, hands down! Between the recipe creation, photos, and then making it as the base for 2 other recipes (pumpkin bread french toast and pumpkin bread stuffing) I made this loaf probably 10 times this fall. It never disappoints! Apparently you guys are quite happy with it, too 🙂
6.) Paleo Breakfast Casserole {Whole30}
This breakfast casserole was actually a spinoff on an older recipethat I decided to turn into a casserole, then addedcaramelized onions and nutritional yeast. It’s a classic, very simple to put together (though time consuming) but perfect to make ahead of time. I’ll be making this one on Sundays when Adam does his January Whole30!
5.) Chorizo Sausage Sweet Potato Frittata with Caramelized Onions {Whole30}
This is my favorite frittata, period. A VERY old recipe that I redid pictures for, if you haven’t tried it, you need to! I think this was my first time caramelizing onions properly, too. This recipe has been a reader favorite since 2014!
4.)
I heartfudge big time, you guys know that. THIS fudge might be a reader favorite, but, I actually had my doubts after I initially made it, plus the pictures totally killed me for some reason. I LOVE the idea of a layered fudge though, and chocolate and coconut is such a yummy combo thatyou can’t really go wrong.
3.) Chicken Salad with Bacon and Green Onions {Whole30}
This was one of the first recipes ever created for the blog back in 2014, and I’m SO HAPPY I redid the photos, because the initial ones did this simple classic recipe no justice. This is one of Adam and Diana’s favorite recipes too, and one they both want me to make a whole lot more often.
2.) Sausage Pizza Egg Muffins {Whole30}
I remember first tasting these egg muffins and surprising EVEN MYSELF that they legitimately DO taste like sausage pizza, in egg muffin form. The Italian sausage + sun-dried tomatoes + seasoning blend does the trick.
1.) Banana Blueberry Breakfast Bread
This is my family’s favorite banana bread, hands down. It’s also overwhelmingly the favorite recipe on the blog! True story – my old desktop computer died right after I had imported these photos and I was scared everything was lost (luckily I hadn’t deleted any from my camera.) The first thing I did when I got my new laptop was edit these pictures and write the post. And THAT will always be what I remember about it!
My Personal Top 5 Favorites {In no order}
Sweet Potato Bacon Kale Hash {Whole30}
I eat this hash at least 3 times per week. Totally a favorite!
Butternut Chorizo Pizza Hash {Whole30}
I love pizza sauce and this completely satisfies my “pizza for breakfast” craving. I eat this (sometimes with sweet potatoes instead of butternut) maybe once per week.
Caramelized Onion, Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash {Whole30}
I would eat this everyday if I could remember to roast acorn squash! The stuffing is insanely addicting.
Paleo Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies
I made this on my birthday this year in October, and, since then I’ve made it probably 5 more times. Yikes! I love it with coconut ice cream!
Simple Paleo Blueberry Muffins
To me, these taste as close to a classic blueberry muffin as I’ve ever gotten. They also happen to be super simple to make, and you don’t have to wait for anything to ripen since they are banana-less. Plus, you can use frozen blueberries which makes them an anytime treat 🙂
Top 10 reader favorite #recipes of 2016 plus my top 5 #paleo
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Tell Me!
What would you like to see more of in 2017?
