It’s 2021!!!! Woo!
To celebrate the start of the new year, I wanted to share a little previous year in review with my most popular posts from 2020! This post includes only my blog posts that were published in 2020, and is based on how many views the posts received.
If you want to see my most popular posts overall (not just from 2020), check out my most viewed posts of 2019 – that post included posts published in any year, not just 2019, so it’s a sort of “greatest hits” round up!
Many of my most popular posts from this year are recipe posts (because clearly we can ALL get behind eating yummy food!), but there are some nutrition and lifestyle posts sprinkled in, too. It seems you all like the variety of topics I post about, which is good news!
Top 15 Posts From 2020
It’s been a long year, and I think most of us are ready to say goodbye to 2020. So to wrap up, here are my top 15 posts from last year (counted down from 15 to 1)!
If there are any recipes below that you haven’t yet tried, I highly recommend it. 🙂
15. Healthier Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
I think we could all use a little comfort food after this crazy year, so I’m not surprised this has been a popular recipe!
It’s creamy, cheesy, cozy, and lightened-up a bit by swapping out what’s typically used (sour cream) for tangy Greek yogurt. It makes great leftovers, so make it on the weekend and eat on it all week!
14. Fiction Books I’ve Read Recently
I love to read, and love that you all must too because my book posts are always popular! Being stuck at home this year (and spending a lot of time lying in bed during my first trimester of pregnancy…) has inspired me to read more than ever.
This roundup post includes some of the best fiction books I read over the past few months. If you’re looking for some entertaining book recommendations, definitely check it out!
13. Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
This recipe has become one of our new favorites – it’s the perfect side dish or light lunch! I can’t wait to make this again soon because it’s perfect to have on hand for busy weekdays.
I love how this pasta salad is so comforting, yet also packed with veggies and nutrients. And the homemade creamy Italian dressing makes it even more delicious!
12. Raleigh Weekend
Oh wow, remember when we could do normal stuff?!
This blog post is a recap of our trip to Raleigh to visit family in February (before Coronavirus hit). It was so fun to be back in NC, and I definitely miss being able to go out to so many restaurants!! We had a really fabulous meal out one night at a super cool spot in Raleigh that I hope is hanging in there during these tough times…
11. Are Flavored Water Enhancers Healthy?
I actually didn’t expect this one to be quite so popular, but it’s definitely an interesting nutrition topic!
If you’ve ever seen those flavored water enhancers at the store and wondered if they’re good for you, I recommend checking out this post.
10. Intuitive Eating While Working From Home
I wrote this post back in May, since so many of us were (and still are) working from home.
Sometimes, when our routines and surroundings are thrown off, we don’t know how to react. So I thought it would be helpful to share some tips for mindful eating at home!
9. 2020 Intentions + Word of the Year
This post is a reflection on my blog after over a decade (!) of being in business.
It is fun to look back at the beginning of the year and see what goals I had for my blog and how they came to fruition – including a complete re-design of my website, and hiring help behind the scenes, which has been a complete game changer!
8. Cheesy Pizza Bars
These savory sun-dried tomato pizza bars are a super tasty snack that’s easy to take on the go. They’re both cheesy and crunchy – a fabulous combo!
7. Sausage Egg Casserole
This is one of our favorite brunch recipes of all time, so I was so excited to share it with you a couple weeks ago! It’s so comforting and delicious, and flexible, too, if you want to mix up the mix-ins however you like.
Even better is you make it the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning!
6. Week at Lake Anna, Virginia
We spent a wonderful, relaxing week in Lake Anna, Virginia back in September. This is a recap of our adventures, and all the yummy food we cooked up!
Apparently reading about social distance-friendly vacations was interesting to people this year because as you can see it was a popular/highly viewed post!
5. How to Cook a Sweet Potato in the Microwave (+ Recipe Ideas!)
I’m obsessed with this easy cooking hack, and it looks like I’m not the only one! It makes cooking sweet potatoes a breeze.
The post has lots of yummy recipe inspiration for sweet taters, too, so be sure to check it out! Lots of super easy meal ideas.
4. Some Happy News
This fall, we found out that Riese is about to become a big sister! Our little spring baby is due on May 26, 2021. 🙂
This blog post shares all the details of my first trimester, plus answers some questions like whether we want more kids or not!
3. At Home Activities for Toddlers
Since we’ve all been spending so much time at home, it only makes sense this post has been popular!
Back in April, I put together a post with all of Riese’s favorite activities to do at home, including toys, games, and books. Definitely helpful if you have a toddler at home to entertain!
2. Overnight Crockpot French Toast Casserole
I can definitely see why this one’s so popular. I mean, who doesn’t love french toast?!
This recipe is especially great because it makes the whole process so simple. Just prep it ahead, let the crockpot insert sit overnight in the fridge, then turn it on in the morning to cook.
I love this with blueberries, bananas, and pecans, but it can totally be tweaked with your favorite toppings!
1. How to Roast Frozen Veggies (Asparagus, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, and Cauliflower)
And finally, VEGGIES! My most popular post series of the year. Apparently, roasting frozen veggies is a popular topic!
Technically, this main post is also separated out into four individual posts – all of which are up there in terms of my most popular/most viewed this year thanks to Google search (apparently everyone is trying to figure out how to cook frozen veggies so they actually taste good). But I wanted to include them all, so I’m listing the main post here.
If you’d like, you can check out the individual frozen veggie posts below:
- How to Cook Frozen Asparagus (+ Recipe Ideas!)
- How to Cook Frozen Cauliflower (+ Recipe Ideas!)
- How to Cook Frozen Brussels Sprouts (+ Recipe Ideas!)
- How to Roast Frozen Broccoli (+ Recipe Ideas!)
There you have it: my 15 most popular posts from 2020. Here’s to a brand new year!
What was your favorite of my blog posts/recipes from 2020? Anything different than what you see here?
I’d also love to hear if you have any recipe/blog post topic requests for 2021. Let me know!
Wishing you and your loved ones all the best as we (finally) welcome a new year!
