My Top 25 Favorite Meals & Snacks (from the past year)

This past year, I’ve poured my heart into creating and sharing our family’s favorite home-cooked meals over on YouTube. It’s been such a joy to bring you along as I cook for my hungry crew—and now I’m rounding up some of the most-loved recipes from the year (yours and mine!). These meals are nourishing, made-from-scratch, and perfect for feeding your family well. You’ll find all the links and details below so you can revisit (or try for the first time) some of my go-to dinners!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast, White Chicken Chili, and Lentil Stew

Three cozy, comforting slow cooker recipes that are full of flavor and perfect for busy days. Find all the recipes in this post.

Homemade Granola Bars & Healthy Fudgy Snacks Bars

These are always gone in a flash! Perfect for on-the-go or after-school snacks. Grab the recipes here.

Homemade Pizza

I love to use this sourdough pizza dough recipe or any yeasted pizza dough recipe! Add your favorite toppings and enjoy a pizza night at home!

My Favorite Lasagna

For when you want something super comforting! Here’s my recipe.

Loaded Sourdough Toast

Top a slice of homemade sourdough with smashed avocado, hard-boiled eggs, and a sprinkle of Everything But the Bagel seasoning for a quick and satisfying meal.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Creamy, flavorful, and secretly packed with veggies. Get the recipe here.

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

A delicious way to use up sourdough starter. I use freshly milled grains and love this go-to muffin recipe.

Instant Pot Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

A budget-friendly classic made extra special with homemade bread. Perfect for a cozy night in. Recipe here.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

SO easy. Mouth watering delicious. I make this again and again. Find it here.

Chicken Enchiladas

Here is our tried and true enchilada recipe!

Nourishing Breakfast Cookies

Perfect for busy mornings or an afternoon pick-me-up. Here’s my recipe.

Amish Breakfast Casserole

A fun, simple dinner or breakfast! This recipe is from Scratch Pantry.

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Roast your potatoes and load them with ground beef, bacon, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes for a customizable meal everyone loves.

Easy Salmon ‘Sushi’ Bowls

Cook some salmon in the air fryer, cook up some rice, chop up some cucumbers, avocados, and drizzle with a spicy mayo by mixing homemade mayo and chili crunch or sriracha! I also like to add in salty seaweed snacks.

Fish Tacos

We love any fish taco but Josh Weissman has a great recipe in his cookbook : ) This one is similar! I stick with grilled chicken to keep things simple.

Chuck Roast Tacos

Season and slow cook a chuck roast in a dutch oven, shred it, and then broil it to crispy perfection. Serve it up with tortillas, salsa, sour cream, whatever you have!

Beef Stew & Homemade Bread

I love this tried and true recipe by Pioneer Woman. I sub out the beer for bone broth or anything else that gives it a little punch. Homemade bread takes it up a notch!

Summer Salad with Roasted Veggies

Cook some meat on the grill, and toss your veggies in a green goddess dressing. Add in some seeds like pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds for crunch! Roast carrots with salt, pepper, cumin, and olive oil. Roast at 400 for about 20 minutes then toss with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley and a pinch more of salt. Roast potatoes at the same time with lots of olive oil and salt until crispy. Toss in the salad bowl!

Simple Chicken Salad

For this meal, I cook some chicken and cube it up. Then add some homemade mayo, honey, dijon, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. You can add other ingredients to make different flavor combos like curry powder for curry chicken salad! I usually keep it traditional with grapes or craisins, walnuts, celery, and parsley.

Poor Man’s Soup

This one is all about using what you have. You don’t need much of a recipe for this. The idea is to cook a whole chicken, shred the meat off for the soup, and make bone broth with the chicken bones. When you make your soup, saute veggies, add in some flavors boosts with seasonings and miso paste for a punch or a can of tomatoes, then add in your chicken, broth, and finish it off with a splash of something acidic depending on what flavor profile you decided on. I like to do miso paste and a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar. Serve with homemade bread.

Pulled Pork & Brussels Over Smashed Sweet Potatoes

I didn’t expect to like this dish as much as I did! First I seasoned, seared, and slow cooked a pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Shred it up and keep it in the fridge as this can last for several meals. Then take some of that shredded pork and cook it up on a skillet with olive oil and oregano. This renders out the fat and crisps up the pork really nicely. Then add in roasted brussel sprouts. Meanwhile, coat thick slices of sweet potatoes in olive oil and roast in the oven at 425 for about 40 minutes. When it’s dones, use the back of a measuring cup to smash the sweet potatoes down and then brush with melted butter. Broil for a few minutes until it develops some crispiness. Load up your bowls with the sweet potatoes, meat mixture, and top with a homemade dressing like this avocado caesar.

Final Thoughts

Feeding a family takes effort, creativity, and a whole lot of love. I hope this list of easy, nourishing dinner ideas gives you some fresh inspiration in the kitchen. Whether you’re trying something new or revisiting an old favorite, these meals are here to help you care for your home and your people with joy.

Make sure to check out the recipe links and leave a comment with your family’s favorite go-to dinner—I’d love to hear what you’re making in your kitchen!

With love,
Christine

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