It’s that time of year again! The the beginning of a new year is always when I like to take a look back over the past year and examine my analytics behind the scenes to see what you guys liked, didn’t like and what content was most popular on my blog so I can hopefully bring you more of what you DO like in the coming year.
First up: A dive into my most popular recipes and my most popular blog posts!
Recipes are always an interesting one for me to examine because they undoubtedly make up the “bread and butter” of this blog. They’re the blog posts people come back to over and over again and help keep the blog afloat even though they’re a slow burn without a lot of comments or ratings at first. A large handful of the most popular recipes from 2024 are past favorites you guys continue to make and love. It truly makes me smile to see all of you enjoying recipes we’ve loved in our house for years as well! If there are any recipes you’d like to see me share or certain types of recipe you’d like to see more of on the blog in 2024, please feel free to let me know in the comments section of this post. As always, thank you for making my recipes and trusting me in your kitchens!
As for my most popular blog posts this year, I was surprised to see most of them are travel-related but I’m assuming this is due to SEO and people searching for reviews or real-life accounts of visits to certain places. A few random blog posts cracked the top ten as well — a roundup of kid breakfasts, a random “Currently” blog post and some motherhood related content — and you know I’m always thrilled when I see any book-related blog posts do well!
So let’s check ’em all out, shall we?
Top Recipes of 2024
A naturally sweet and savory marinade, this easy orange juice chicken marinade is a simple family-approved recipe perfect for busy school weeknights and I love that you’re all still loving this one more than four years after I initially shared it on the blog!
This roundup-style blog post was a fun one to put together, as it includes a handful of the breakfast recipes I turn to when I’m feeling motivated in the kitchen and want to meal prep breakfast for our family for the week ahead.
I was surprised to see this recipe for salmon bites become as popular as it did but, honestly, I get it! I love these simple salmon bites and their versatility lends them to use in a variety of recipes, though poke-style bowls made with rice, edamame, cucumber and a drizzle of spicy mayo or poke sauce is my personal favorite.
Another throwback recipe, this recipe for egg white and oatmeal protein pancakes is an easy and delicious one and I love that it’s a protein-packed pancake recipe that doesn’t require the use of protein powder.
If large, voluminous portions are your jam and you haven’t tried my three minute egg white oatmeal, give it a shot this year! It’s fluffy, naturally sweet and very filling!
This was another roundup-style blog post I shared over the summer to answer the question, “What sides should we make for our summer BBQ?” It includes a lot of our favorites, the vast majority of which come together quickly and include nutrient-dense ingredients.
Ya know it, ya love it! This paleo chicken thigh marinade is, hands down, the blog recipe we make most often for dinner in our house. It’s easy enough that you won’t have to measure a thing after you make it one time and it’s always, always a crowd pleaser that will have any guests you serve it to in your home asking you for the recipe.
Hooray for these whole wheat pumpkin muffins! I adore this recipe so, so much because it’s one every single person in our house eats and loves. (A rarity in our house with some pickier eaters among us!) It’s also a recipe I feel good about making for our kids and they love these muffins for breakfast, snack time or even included in their school lunches.
Attention anyone with toddlers on your hands: Give these banana bread protein pancakes a shot if you’re looking for a protein-packed breakfast option for your little one! The texture makes them a little more substantial than your typical fluffy pancake and the banana incorporated into the batter makes them naturally sweet and kid-approved. (They’re delicious for grownups, too!)
I experimented with this cottage cheese zucchini casserole quite a bit last year when we had so much zucchini on our hands from our garden. I’m glad I poured a lot of time into getting this recipe *just right* because it quickly became a favorite for all of you, too!
Top Blog Posts of 2024
I spent a lot of time writing our Magic Kingdom recap because I wanted to make it as a helpful as possible for all of you, especially those who may feel overwhelmed by tackling Disney World with young kids, which was exactly how I felt heading into our trip. It ended up being magical (stereotypical, but true) and we’re dying to go back!
Hosting and making sure your guests are well-fed can be overwhelming and, as a family who seems to have a revolving door of guests visiting during much of the year, I’ve found some recipes I know are sure-fire hits I turn to again and again to serve to friends and family that make me feel confident they’ll receive good reviews. This blog post highlights many of them!
I shared this blog post when I was in the thick of the transition from life with two kids to life with three kids. Choosing to have a third child was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made, but it was not without a lot of thought and it came along with a hefty dose of chaos… and love!
Burn Boot Camp is my favorite workout I’ve ever done in my entire life (hence why I’ve gone regularly since 2015) and this Burn Boot Camp Review blog post is my attempt at a deep dive into what you can expect during a Burn workout, pros and cons and examples of various workouts from each day of a Burn Boot Camp protocol.
Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, North Carolina is one of our boys’ favorite places in the entire world (no exaggeration) and we’ve taken them during the holiday season for the past 4 (maybe 5?) years. They adore this place so much and my Great Wolf Lodge Review breaks down what you might be able to expect from a visit to this little slice of (chaotic) kid heaven.
I owe you guys a lunch and dinner edition of this post, but I’m glad to see this post of real-time pics of a week of our boys’ breakfasts (all of which were prepared in 5 minutes or less) was of interest to so many of you!
Take me baaack! I had the best time reuniting with some of my very best friends of 30+ years in Scottsdale, Arizona last year and this blog post recaps our time together.
Ryan and I took a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas in February and had a wonderful time together as a couple and dancing our faces off at the U2 concert in the Sphere! It was a blast and this blog post is a recap of our quick trip!
I love occasionally sharing Currently-style blog posts in this space as they’re more or less a brain dump and a great way to catch up with you guys. They allow me to share a little bit about what’s going on behind the scenes or a little bit about random things that have been on my mind in an often lighthearted way.
Hooray for a book-related blog post cracking the top 10 blog posts of 2024! I love it when my fellow bookworms show up in the space because your comments often lead me to my next great read! Here’s to more great reads in 2025!!
Question of the Day
Any recipe requests for 2025?
And blog post topic requests for 2025? Or any specific content you’d like to see more of in this space in the new year?
