Face feasts

Have you heard of the viral Jennifer Aniston Salad? It’s a nutritional powerhouse packed with chickpeas, quinoa, cucumbers, herbs, feta, pistachios, and a lemon-garlic dressing. This one-bowl Mediterranean salad is so healthy and delicious, and holds up for days so it’s great to make ahead of time or to bring to a friend’s house. It’s a perfect light vegetarian meal on its own or served as a healthy side dish. I’m always late to food trends! The Jennifer Aniston salad was originally shared by the famous actor herself in 2015 in a People Magazine, and resurfaced on TikTok in 2022 causing it to go viral. Since then, there have been lots of different versions created. And did you know Jennifer Aniston is of Greek descent? It’s no wonder why I loved this recipe – it screams of Greek flavor inspiration! I stumbled upon Jessica in the Kitchen’s recipe for a vegan version of Jennifer Aniston Salad a few weeks ago, and made my own version of it many times since then. It’s even a favorite for my daughter – she has named it “the best salad ever!” and polished off three helpings of it last night! ...GET THE RECIPE for The Jennifer Aniston Salad!

It’s so easy to use your Dutch Oven to make pot roast with carrots and potatoes – a complete one pot meal! Everything cooks in the one pot, and you only need about 20 minutes of easy prep work. This pot roast recipe uses a lean bottom round cut and cooks in the Dutch Oven low and slow for hours to shreddable, tender perfection. This is a great thing to make on a weekend or on a work from home day. Most pot roast recipes use a chuck roast, but I opted instead for a bottom round roast. A bottom round is incredibly lean and flavorful, and often cheaper than other cuts. You won’t end up with too much fat in the juices, so they’ll be ready to go without skimming anything off. And the meat won’t shrink as much either. Plus, this is a great option for anyone looking to add lean protein to their diets, or those that need to watch their saturated fat intake. Around midday or in the early afternoon, you’ll want to begin to prep this meal, as it takes about 4 hours to cook in the oven. Halfway through cooking, you’ll add carrots and potatoes so they cook well but don’t get mushy. ...GET THE RECIPE for Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes!

This easy 20-minute chickpea soup is made with canned chickpeas for an incredibly quick, cheap, and healthy soup! It’s velvety smooth, puréed with carrots, celery, and onion, along with garlic and spices. The lemon juice stirred in at the end finishes the whole thing off in the best way – don’t skip it. Grab a loaf of crusty bread to go with and you have yourself the easiest, coziest dinner ever! This chickpea soup recipe is my friend Mallory’s and is absolutely delicious and so incredibly easy and healthy. When she told me about it, I immediately knew I needed to share it with you all! This recipe couldn’t be easier, and it’s extra easy if you have an immersion blender (but don’t fret if you don’t have one). Just sauté some veggies, add garlic, spices, chickpeas, and broth, blend together and thicken, and stir in lemon juice! I’ll also explain how to make some roasted chickpeas to top the soup with, if you want. They’re great for munching, soup and salad topping, and as a side dish. Totally optional, but it’s easy to stick them in the oven while the soup cooks! ...GET THE RECIPE for Quick & Easy Chickpea Soup!

An open-faced omelette is a large omelette that feeds multiple people, no folding or flipping required. It’s quickly become a favorite go-to easy, fast, high protein breakfast (or brinner) option. Essentially a stovetop frittata, an open-faced omelette is super fast (it only takes 10 minutes!) with no baking required. This version is topped with dollops of melty cream cheese and smoked salmon, served with all your favorite bagel and lox accoutrements like capers, dill, and red onion (minus the bagel!). Eggs are my go-to for quick and easy meals at any time of day. They’re relatively cheap compared to other proteins, healthy, and cook up incredibly fast! Lately I’ve been making a lot of omelettes for dinner (my kids love them) but I’ve grown tired of cooking them one by one, as well as folding them and flipping them. Enter: the open-faced omelette! You can serve an entire family with one of these – no flipping required. And I supposed I could just call this a stovetop frittata. But it feels more omelette-like to me because the “fillings” are placed on top rather than mixed into the eggs. ...GET THE RECIPE for Open-Faced Omelette with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese!

Allow me to introduce you to an actually delicious healthy pumpkin bread, made with 100% whole wheat flour, sweetened with only maple syrup, and baked with extra-virgin olive oil. Don’t be fooled; it’s not what you think. This loaf cooks up incredibly moist and fluffy. It’s just sweet enough! The pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice (a whole tablespoon!) are complemented, not overpowered, by the subtly sweet maple syrup. And it’s so easy and fast to prep with one bowl – no mixers required! My entire family was surprised to realize we prefer this not-too-sweet, healthy pumpkin bread to the more traditional, sweet, cake-like treat you usually find! And I feel good about serving it as a healthy option for breakfast or snacks to my children (and myself!). I mean, it even has vegetables in it, right? If you know me, you know I love olive oil in almost anything, and that includes baked goods. From banana bread to lemon cake to blueberry muffins, extra-virgin olive oil can add an earthy depth to the flavor of your favorite treats. And we all know it can be a healthier option, low in saturated fats and unrefined! ...GET THE RECIPE for Healthy Pumpkin Bread (made with whole wheat, olive oil, and maple syrup)!