Hello, my name is Leah and I really really like reading blogs. In fact, about 95% of my motivation to branch out in the kitchen comes from my blog reading/Pinterest-ing. (You can follow me on Pinterest here!) However, like pretty much every single other Pinterest addict out there, I do not make the vast majority of the things I pin. Of the recipes I do attempt, I attempt most of them only once–usually because they were either too much work or I just didn’t love them enough to incorporate them into my eating plan (I’m a bit of a creature of food habit, especially when I’m busy!)

So without further ado, here are top five favorite recipes from the land of the internets! I’ve made all of these many, many times and they are incredibly delicious and (for the most part) simple to make.

Breakfast: I absolutely adore these no-bake chocolate peanut butter breakfast bars from 86 Lemons. They are easy to make, super adaptable (try subbing out the nuts/seeds/fruit for your favorites), and healthy. They’re gluten free (duh), vegan, refined sugar free, AND they have both the whole grains and protein you need to keep you full until lunch. My big tip here is to store these in the freezer–it helps them keep their chewy texture.

Healthy lunch: Salads are my go-to for lunch, and this yummy kale salad from my friend Jennie’s amazing nutrition blog is one of the very best. I add some protein to the basic recipe and it’s a full meal. I’ll be writing a longer ode to my love affair with kale in a future post, so stay tuned.

Hearty dinner: This is probably the most time-consuming recipe on the list, but it’s worth it. The Cookin Canuck’s Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa is healthy comfort food at it’s very finest. It has veggies, whole grains, and protein galore, and the way the flavors all blend together is just magical. A bowl of this on a chilly evening is the best!

Dessert for one: If you haven’t tried mug cake yet, you really should. These little single-serve cakes that you make in a mug in the microwave are absolutely necessary when you need to satisfy a craving without wolfing down half a pan of brownies. This chocolate chip cookie mug cake recipe is pretty foolproof, and relatively healthy for a dessert. I usually tend to have the ingredients hanging around, so it’s a perfect last-minute treat. Plus it’s gluten/dairy/soy/corn/potato/egg/coconut free. I promise it still tastes great 🙂

Treats for your besties: I think everyone needs a go-to “wow” recipe to bring to a party–something that you know everyone will love. These Cookie Dough Truffles from Chocolate & Carrots do the trick for me every time. The recipe is a little time consuming (as you have to dip each truffle in chocolate), but they’re well worth it. I usually sacrifice aesthetics and melt the chocolate in the microwave rather than tempering it. They are gluten-free and grain-free but they taste exactly like chocolate covered balls of raw cookie dough, since they use a cashew meal base (easy to find at Trader Joe’s).

What are your go-to recipes? How often do you make things from Pinterest/the blogosphere more than once?