Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2020

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

From our cozy little kitchen to yours: Happy New Year!

I agree with Nietzsche’s quote and come up with some of my best ideas when I am simply putting one foot in front of the other. I talk to my creative writing students about what we are doing when the best story ideas are born. For me, my creativity peeks when I am walking, snowshoeing, pulling weeds in the garden, chopping vegetables, driving to work, taking a shower, or floating in our pool. I keep a journal that I jot down my ideas and musings in so I do not forget about them. I like to call this place a seedbed for future blog posts, recipes, stories, poems, and lesson plans.

My 11th grade students just finished reading Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” and we discussed the unhealthy hold that technology often has on our lives (ironic, I acknowledge, since I am typing this on a computer on my blog… 😉 ) I shared with my students several articles that discussed cell phone addiction and how our digital devices take away boredom and do not allow us to daydream and come up with “big ideas”. Instead of just allowing our minds to wander, we fill our quiet time with checking our social media accounts and email.

Therefore, as we head into 2021, I need to more mindful of how I am filling my down time. While I will continue to fill my Pinterest boards with decorating ideas for the new addition on our house and share ideas and learn new tips on the Homesteading and Crazy-Chicken-Lady groups that I am member of – I will also remember to walk laps in our pasture, spend more time outside with our dogs and birds, and stare at the star studded sky and draw inspiration from the beauty around me.

In 2020, between this blog, Produce with Amy, and my sister blog, Glitter and Dog Hair, I shared 26 new blog posts. That’s a number that I am proud of since I have been trying to create more content. My goal for 2021 is to surpass that number.

As I reflect on 2020, I decided that I would look back at the traffic on Produce with Amy and share the top 10 most popular recipes from 2020. I thought it was interesting that the top two recipes were not new ones – but ones that I created when I first started blogging. I love that people find my posts helpful and enjoy the recipes that I create.

Here they are (click on the blue links to find the recipes):

#1: Paradise in a Jar Salad with Blueberry Lemon Dressing

We are what we eat, after all. I do not know about you, but I want to be vibrant, unique, and bursting with energy.

#2 Glowing Green Mason Jar Salads with Avocado Vinaigrette Dressing

My Glowing Green Mason Jar salads are stuffed with both sweet and savory ingredients and the dressing is equally delicious and nutritious.

#3 Tuna Fish – a 70’s Kitchen Staple & Beyond

While this tuna salad is great on a bed of lettuce, it also makes a phenomenal sandwich filler. I especially enjoy it in a pita pocket or stuffed into a tomato or hollowed out cucumber rounds.

#4 Old Fashioned Sweet Pickled Beets

While beets are an acquired taste, many people who do not enjoy beets as a side vegetables seem to like them pickled. Many people that I have talked to reminisce fondly about a grandmother who was known for her pickled beets.

#5 Harvest Rainbow Mason Jar Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

Eat the rainbow and your body will thank you!

#6 Spaghetti Squash & Tomato Soup

The spaghetti squash bulks up this soup and makes it filling.

#7 Sunshine Salad in a Jar with Kicky Mango Vinaigrette

When you see a salad this bright and vibrant, you know it has to be healthy!

#8 Cabin Fever Salad – Greek Pasta

Perfect for a potluck, your workday lunch, or as a side to your dinner.

#9 Low Carb Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup with Cauliflower Rice

My stepson and husband both thought it smelled amazing and after taking a taste they both agreed that it was soup that they both would eat. The cauliflower adds body and gives it the consistency that rice would.

#10 Mushroom Swiss Burger Soup – A Simple Pleasure

My inspiration for the soup is in the name: a mushroom swiss burger. However, I wanted to create a recipe that was not as calorie laden as a greasy burger and the side of obligatory French fries that usually accompanies it.

Well, there they are – the Top 10 Most Popular Recipes from 2020! I hope that you have tried them and that you enjoyed them as well. Make sure you check out all of my recipes that are organized in the tabs at the top of this page. Please leave a comment or like this post to let me know that you have been here.

I wish you best wishes for a healthy, happy, and productive 2021! While making homemade meals may take extra time – remember, we are worth it. ❤

*Note – Now that this post is finished, I think I will head outside for a walk. Perhaps it will help me come up with a new recipe to share with you!