Voting Closed: Best of 2013 Reader’s Choice Awards!
It’s almost my 3 year blogiversary! I can’t believe it – on one hand it feels like I’ve been doing this forever and on the other it has flown by. On Christmas Eve 2010 I started this blog to prove that recipes could be both healthy and delicious and to keep myself cooking new fun recipes. I knew there had to be a way to still eat all the comfort foods I love and still lose weight. Back then I never dreamed my little blog would come so far and I can’t say enough how grateful and thrilled I feel that so many of you follow my blog, read my thoughts, make my recipes and share them with friends. Your comments and messages motivate and inspire me and often make my day. I hope you all know how much I appreciate every single one of you reading this, but if you don’t then I’ll say it: you’re AWESOME and I am so thankful for you!
In following with the tradition of year’s past, I am asking you, my beloved readers, to choose your favorite recipes from the past year. A lot of food bloggers make their own lists but I’m too indecisive, so I always pass it off to you all. Plus I love finding out what your favorites are – sometimes I’m really surprised and it’s not what I think!
If you want to see the winning recipes you chose in past years, check out the 2012 Reader’s Choice Award Winners and/or the 2011 Reader’s Choice Award Winners.
Here’s how the voting will work: There are 11 categories. To vote, leave a comment below with the numbers 1-11 and next to each number fill in the letter corresponding to your choice for the winner for that category. I realize almost no one will have made a recipe from every single category, so feel free to vote for whichever recipe looks best to you, or if you’d rather leave some categories blank that works too. Here’s what a sample vote should look like (I chose the letters arbitrarily):
1.A
2.C
3.E
4.B
(etc)
And the nominees are…
1. Best Appetizer
a)Sausage Stuffed Balsamic Mushrooms
c)Bacon Cheeseburger Mini Puffs
e)Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
2. Best Dip (I did so many this year I decided to separate them out from appetizers)
3. Best Breakfast Recipe
a)Chocolate Cherry Baked Oatmeal Singles
e)Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Singles
4. Best Dessert
a)Dark Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
f)Berries & Cream Cinnamon Cups
5. Best Soup
a)Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
6. Best Pasta Recipe
b)Mediterranean Pasta in Creamy Feta Sauce
d)Zucchini Chicken Pasta in Tomato Parmesan Sauce
7. Best Slow Cooker Entree
a)Slow Cooker Meatballs & Marinara
b)Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
c)Slow Cooker Sweet & Tangy Chicken
8. Best Side Dish Recipe
9. Best Chicken Recipe
c)Thai Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce
e)Pretzel Coated Chicken Nuggets
10. Best “American” Recipe
g)Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole
11. Best “Ethnic-Inspired” Recipe
b) Roasted Pork with Ginger Peach Sauce
Voting will remain open through December 29th. Thanks in advance for voting! I always get nervous that no one will vote, so if you’re thinking about it please do! 🙂
1. B
2 D
3 B
4 H
5 C
6 A
7 B
8 E
9 D
10 D
11 C
1. e
2.
3. a
4. b
5.
6. a
9. c
10. b
11. d
1.d
2.d
3.f
4.g
5.b
6.e
7.b
8.e
9.b
10.b
11.c
11 . C
1. b
2. d
3.
4.
5. a
6. d
7.
8. a
9.
10. b
11. a
1. C
2. A
3. D
4. E
5. A
6. E
7. E
8. A
9. D
10. A
11. C
1. d
2. d
3. c
4. h
5. a
6. e
7. c
8. c
9. a
10. a
11. d
1. E
2. B
3. E
4. G
5. A
6. E
7. C
8. E
9. C!!!!!!!!!!!
10. G!!!
11. C
1 d
2 a
3 a
4 b
5 b
6 a
7 d
8 e
9 b
10 g
11 c
1 – b
2 – a
3 – e
4 – b
5 – b
6 – a
7 – d
8 – d
9 – c
10 – b
11 – c
1. C
2. A
3. E
4. H
5. C
6. E
7. D
8. E
9. E
10. G
11. A
1. B
2. D
3. E
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. C
8. C
9. E
10. B
11. A
1e 2b 3c 4a 5b 6b 7d 8e 9c 10a 11e
1. B
2. C
3.
4.
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. E
9. D
10. B
11. A
1. B
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. B
6. E
7. B
8. E
9. E
10. G
11. D
1.B
2.D
3.C
4.C
5.C
6.C
7.A
8.A
9.B
10.G
11.A
Congrats on an amazing year! Can’t wait to see what next year brings!
1. B
2. D
3. E
4. F
5. A
6. B
7. C
8. A
9. D
10. F
11. C
1. C
2. B (but D was a close second!)
3. E
4. H
5. A
6. B
7. E
8. A
9. B
10. C
11. B
1) B
2) D
3) D
4) G
5) C
6) C
7) C
8) E
9) E
10) B
11) D
1 – a
2 – c
3 – a
4 – h
5 – a
6 – e
7 – c
8 – a
9 – e
10 – a
11 – c
1) A
2) A
3) C
4) B
5) B
6) E
7) B
8) E
9) F
10) B
11) A
1. E…so delicious!
2. D…was great for Thanksgiving
3. D…love smoothies!
4. G…cannoli cups rock!
5. A…can’t wait to try this one
6. A…man approved, my BF loved this one
7. B…I am loving the Thai recipes w/PB2
8. B…also a Thanksgiving winner
9. E…this was a hard category…can I pick them all?
10. F…great flavor combinations
11. D…was the only one I tried, will definitely try more of these
Yay, I love the commentary! Haha 🙂
Here are my votes…I do miss more new “cup cake”/”muffin recipes”…I just LOVE those pre portioned yummies.
1–e
2–b
3
4–g
5–c
6–e
7–a
8–b
9–d
10–e
11
I hear ya! I got a rude comment on my FB saying they were sick of them and I got burnt out on them for a while, but I miss them too! I have a bunch of “cupcakes” planned in my upcoming plans, so stay tuned! 🙂
Love, love, love your blog. My husband will ask, “Is this an Emily recipe?” We haven’t tried anything that wasn’t delicious, and to date we’ve lost 60 pounds together! Thank you!
1.e
2.b
3.f
4.g
5.b
6.e
7.d
8.a
9.c
10.f
11.a
Wow, congrats, that’s awesome!!! Thanks for the sweet comment – I’m so glad you’re both loving the recipes! 🙂
Just so you know, your muffin cupcakes are genius! I’m glad you realized that you can’t please everyone…the fact that they are pre-portioned and delicious makes them perfect for people trying to count points. The fact that they are so healthy and adorable makes them perfect for people with kids. Who wouldn’t LOVE them????
1.b
2.d
3.e
4.h
5.a
6.e
7.c
8.c
9.d
10.c
11.a
1. d
5. b
6. a
8. e
6. C
1 e
2 a
3 d
4 g
5 a
6 d
7 e
8 a
9 b
10 g
11c
Even though it’s not from this year, your Post-Makeover Turkey Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole is my favorite. All my WW friends have made it and LOVED it too.
Yay, I’m so glad that has been such a hit with you 🙂
I agree and my kids love it too.
1.D
2.D
3.C
4.D
5.A
6.B
7.A
8.C
9.E
10.C
11.C
1. B
2. D
3. F
4. G
5. A
6. A
7. C
8. A
9. D
10. G
11. C
1. B
2. C
3. B
4. B
5. B
6. B
7. A
8. C
9. E
10. B
11. C
1. d
2. b
3. e
4. e
5. a
6. d
7. b
8. e
9. b
10. a
11. c
2. B
5. C
6. A
8. A
10. G
1. c
2. b
3. d
4. a
5. c
6. e
7. b
8. c
9. a
10. b
11. a
I adore your blog! As many others would agree, your “cupcakes” are the bomb! More please 🙂
You have been heard! I got a rude comment earlier this year on my FB saying they were sick of them and I got burnt out on them for a while, but I miss them too! I have a bunch of “cupcakes” planned in my upcoming plans, so stay tuned! 🙂
Yay!! More “cupcakes”! Can’t wait!
1. B
2. A
3. E
4. G
5. A
6. A
7. C
8. B
9. C
10. C
11. A
1. c
2. d
3. a
4. c
5. c
6. b
7. b
8. b
9. e
10. f
11. d
1) B
2) B
3)
4) G
5) B
6) C
7) E
8) A
9) A
10) G
11)
1) E
2) B
6) C
8) E
9) E
10) B
11) A
1) B
2) C
3) A
4) H
5) A
6) D
7) A
8) A
9) A
10) A
11) D
1) B
2)D
3)E
4)H
5)B
6)B
7)E
8)C
9)B
10)C
11)C
OK …here goes! I love so many of them that it’s hard to choose, but I’ll do my best!
#1 B
#2 D
#3 C
#4 B
#5 A
#6 C
#7 B
#8 B
#9 A
#10 B
#11 D
1D
10B
I just discovered your blog so I haven’t got to try most recipes but keep up the great work!
1. b
2. c
3. a
4. h
5. a
6. c
7. c
8. d
9. d
10. g
11. a
I haven’t gotten to try all of these favorites, so I chose some that I remember really wanting to try! LOVE your site! Thanks so much for all the inspiration!
3. f
8. d
10. g
11. a
Everything I’ve tried so far has been delicious!!!
1.E
2.D
3.C
4.H
5.A
6.D
7.E
8.A
9.A
10.C
1. B
2. D
3. E
4. H
5. A
6. E
7. B
8. A
9. A
10. G
11. A
1 b
2 b
3 e
4 h
5 c
6 a
7 a
8 c
9 d
10 e
11 a
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. C
6. E
7. B
8. C
9. D
10. D
11. D
1. B
2. A
3. F
4. E
5. B
6. A
7.
8. C
9. A
10. A
11. A
1. b
2. a
3. c
4. h
5. c
6. a
7. c
8. c
9. a
10. b
11. c
1.) b
2.) a
3.)
4.) d
5.) a
6.) a – this has become our go-to pasta recipe! Love it!
7.) d
8.) a – absolutely loved this! So yummy
9.) b
10.) g
11.) c
1. b
2. a)
3. a)
4. b)
5. a)
6. c)
7. d)
8. c)
9.e)
10. a)
11. c)
1. E
2. B
3. E
4. H
5. A NO C NO A NO C OK, I’M STAYING WITH A!!
6. E
7. B
8. A
9. C
10. F
11. C
Love your blog, thots and all you do. Thanks for the motivation!
1. B
2. A
3. F
4. H
5. C
6. A
7. C
8. E
9. A
10. G
11. D
6. D
7. D
11. E
Haven’t cooked anything from the other categories yet, just new to your blog.
1. B
2. E
3. C
4. B
5. B
6. E
7. C
8. E
9. D
10. B
11. A
I love love love your blog! I don’t often comment on blogs but this warrants a comment. I am so thankful for people like you who make healthy cooking and experimenting with different flavors so much easier for people like me! Happy Holidays to you and I can’t wait to see what you’ve got up your sleeve for 2014 🙂
Thank you so much Jamie! I’m thankful for you right back – so glad to hear the recipes have been a hit. Thanks for your nice comments! 🙂
1. C
2. B
3. oatmeal banana chocolate chip muffins have changed my life
4. H
5. B
6. D
7. A
8. D
9. E
10. B
11. C
Your site has truly impacted my life! Along with my sister who provided suggestions for how to go about losing weight and keeping it off without spending $$ (which included sending me a link to my site), your recipes have made it possible for me to lose 40 pounds since February. I’m over 50, so it’s even more impressive what your recipes and my sister’s oversight (she scares me) have done. I NEVER comment on blogs, but I needed you to know what a difference your site has made. Thank you!
WOW, congratulations on losing 40 pounds!! That’s a huge accomplishment, you must feel so proud :). That’s amazing. I’m so happy to heat that the recipes have been helpful. Thank you for your sweet comment – you rock!
1-C
2-A
3-A
4-B
5-C
6-A
7-B
8-E
9-F
10-G
11-D
1. B
2. D
3. E
4. C
5. C
6. A
7. D
8. E
9. E
10. A
11. A
1. c
2. a
3. c
4. g
5. c
6. e
7. b
8. c
9. d
10. c
11. a
1. B – so simple but soooo delicous
2. A
3. E
4. G – those cannoli cups are TDF but F is such a close second – those berries in the cups are genius
5. B or C – i really can’t decide – they are both SOO good. Now that im thinking about them, I’m making one of them tonight for dinner
6. A – hands down
7. E
8. C – yum
9. E
10.G but that bbq meatloaf is a close second 🙂 we make them both all the time
11. A – we love your ‘cupcakes’!
1. Best Appetizer
d) Chicken Egg Rolls
2. Best Dip
d) Spinach Artichoke Dip
3. Best Breakfast Recipe
c) Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes
4. Best Dessert
h) Carrot Cake Cupcakes
5. Best Soup
c) Cheeseburger Soup
6. Best Pasta Recipe
a) Spicy Sausage Pasta
7. Best Slow Cooker Entree
e) Slow Cooker Beef Braciole
8. Best Side Dish Recipe
c) Buffalo Cheese Bread
9. Best Chicken Recipe
b) Spinach Artichoke Chicken
10. Best “American” Recipe
g) Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole
11. Best “Ethnic-Inspired” Recipe
a) Enchilada “Cupcakes”
1. c
2. b
3. a
4. g
5. b
6. c
7. e
8. d
9. a
10. e
11. e
1. d
6. c
8. c
9. a
10. f
1. B
2. C
3. B
4. B
5. A
6. A
7. C
8. E
9. A
10. G
11. D
This was tough because I LOVE all your recipes, I have yet to find one that I don’t enjoy!
Thanks for sharing your recipes with us all and Merry Christmas! 🙂
Best Dip
C. Hot Cheesy Bean Dip!
1 E
2 B
3 A
4 G
5 A
6 E
7 C
8 A
9 D
10 F
11 C
6 C
9 C
Thanks for all the yummy food ideas!
1) B
2) A
3) E
4) D
5) A
6) D
7) –
8) E
9) –
10) –
11) –
1.
2. A
3. C
4. C
5.
6.
7. D
8.
9. C
10.
11.
I guess this shows that I haven’t made many of your newer recipes! However, I make probably 1-2 of your recipes a week! The beef and broccoli has been one of our go to meals for several months now. We also love the thai chicken skewers, bubble up enchiladas and chicken tortilla soup. After seeing this list I need to make the cheeseburger soup ASAP looks so good! Keep up the good work! I’ve never tried a recipe we didn’t like!
Thanks Lauren! 🙂
They are all great
1 C
2 B
3 A
4 E
5B
6 C
7 E – I make this beef every month!!!
8 E
9 D
10 C
11E
1 B
2 C
3 A
4 H
5 C
6 E
7 B
8 E
9 D
10 A
11 A
I love your recipes SO MUCH. I am voting and also wondering if you are up for a challenge! What about a skinny Chile Rellenos Casserolle or Cupcake?
1. b
5. c
9.d
10.g
1 a
2 d
3 d
4 d
5 c
6 a
7 b
8 e
9 d
10 e
11 d
LOVE YOUR SITE! Stacey
1D
2D
3E
4H
5A
6A (all time fav is your lasagna but since it’s not a choice….)
7D
8E
9C
10A
11A
1 a
2b
3e
4d
5b
6e
7b
8e
9d
10a
11b
1a
2d
3d
4c
5a
6e
7c
8e
9d
10g
11a
1. B
2. C
3. E
4. D
5. B
6. D
7. C
8. D
9. E
10. C
11. A
I have loved making so many of these recipes this year!! I love your blog and the fact that I can “sneak” in WW friendly recipes as dinner with my fiance and he never knows the difference!! 🙂
1d) Chicken eggrolls
2b) Caprese dip
3f) pumpkin smoothie (bonus points for mason glass photo!)
4e) chocolate pistachio cookies (I love sweet & salty together, too! Just ask the empty bag of chocolate peppermint coated pretzels)
5b) spaghetti and meatball soup
6a) spicy sausage pasta
7b) slow cooker thai peanut chicken
8b) slow cooker cranberry sauce (homemade >> canned)
9d) buffalo chicken enchiladas
10d) turkey cranberry quesadilla
11a) enchilada cupcakes (in case you couldn’t tell, I’m in the pro-cupcake-ify every recipe camp!)
1. B
2. D
3. E
4. G
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. D
9. E
10. E
11. A
Love trying your recipes! A favorite was definitely Spaghetti and Meatball Soup!
Emily, I LOVE your recipes! Unfortunately I’m not much help because I only ever do main dishes (and serve with veggies or salad), so here’s what I can give you:
6. a)
7. d)
9. e)
10. e)
11. c) (with several exclamation points!)