30 of the Best Recipes of 2016

What a year it has been! I’m thrilled and exhausted at the same time, I’m incredibly proud of what The Bewitchin’ Kitchen has become. I wanted to share the best recipes that showed up on the blog this year.

30 of the best recipes of 2016 from The Bewitchin' Kitchen. Healthy dinners, delicious desserts and more meal ideas! (Includes Paleo and Whole30 meals.)

As I was going through my analytics, along with counting posts and was surprised to see I wrote 197 posts this year. That’s not including a few resources pages created, including the new blogging resources area and the free recipe binder download.

Out of those 198 blog posts were 93 recipes. I used my Google Analytics to find out what “new” recipes did the best and cut it to 30. Naturally, that took a few pages as I have a few a lot of older, successful posts (like the highly popular greek vinaigrette recipe or this homemade detox bath).

Best Recipes of 2016

Starting with the most popular (as of December 26th).

Crockpot Beef Stew - this classic beef stew is what I grew up on. It's made in the slow cooker so it's not only healthy, but easy too!

  1. Crockpot Beef Stew This post was first published in 2009, but I only had the recipe – no photos, no story, nothing. So I revamped it and had instant traffic success this past September. 
  2. One Pot Perogie Casserole
  3. Rainbow Swirl Buttercream
  4. Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana 
  5. Homemade Stuffing Another recipe from the early days of 2009, I had the same issue as the previous recipe and jazzed it up with some updates.
  6. BBQ Tex-Mex Chicken Breasts
  7. Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
  8. Mediterranean VinaigretteSweet Sriracha Chicken Stir Fry - This easy chicken stir fry recipe takes minutes to make and it tastes so good! Add this to your healthy dinner recipes. |thebewitchinkitchen.com
  9. Sweet Sriracha Easy Chicken Stir Fry
  10. Tomato Pesto Spaghetti Squash Bake
  11. Nanaimo Balls
  12. Sweet n Smoky Rib Rub
  13. Bailey’s Buttercream FrostingSpicy Thai Chicken Wings - a sweet twist on hot wings using thai chili sauce, limes, sriracha and a few other secret ingredients. A new favorite appetizer for the game, tailgating or a party.
  14. Spicy Thai Chicken Wings
  15. Chicken Breakfast Muffins
  16. Southwestern Chicken Stuffed Peppers
  17. Clean Eating Chicken Chili
  18. Healthy Chicken Vegetable Soup
  19. Christmas Meringues with Eggnog Buttercream FillingGluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes. You will not believe that these fluffy buttermilk pancakes are gluten free. This classic breakfast recipe leaves your tummy's full and your home smelling amazing. | thebewitchinkitchen.com
  20. Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes
  21. Easy Apple Turnovers
  22. Almond Butter Balls
  23. Healthy Steak Stirfry
  24. Irish Onion Soup
  25. Slow Cooker Honey Sriracha Chicken (Gluten Free)Pesto Pasta Salad - this tangy twist on a macaroni salad is my new favorite summer salad recipe. Sundried tomatoes, smart veggie pasta, spinach, feta cheese, red pepper, and olives tossed in a homemade honey pesto vinaigrette. Also makes a delicious and nutritious addition to a school lunch.
  26. Pesto Pasta Salad One of my favorites of the year
  27. Gluten Free Lasagne Soup
  28. Penne Jambalaya This was another recipe that I revamped. It was originally shared on TBK in 2009 and the photo was awful (I think I kept it on there if you want to take a peak).
  29. Avocado Ranch Dip
  30. Coconut Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

What This Tells Me

The last two months I’ve been doing some “blog soul searching” and after going through my top 2016 posts (along with all of TBK’s popular posts) I hear you loud and clear: you like recipes to be on the healthier side the majority of the time with some treats here and there (just like how life should be). The second half of 2016, I switched to include more indulgent recipes on the blog and although I enjoyed them, I felt as though it wasn’t what I should be doing. My gut was telling me that I was doing too much of that (and so were my pants – they don’t fit haha).

So you can expect more everyday, healthy recipes on The Bewitchin’ Kitchen in 2017 and I’m so excited about it. The excitement is what tells me this is the right choice. Don’t get me wrong, there will still be sugar and the odd decadent recipe showing up. I firmly believe life is short and we should eat the odd cupcake, just not the whole batch 😘

Thank you for an incredible year <3

30 of the best recipes of 2016 from The Bewitchin' Kitchen. Healthy dinners, delicious desserts and more meal ideas! (Includes Paleo and Whole30 meals.)

11 comments on “30 of the Best Recipes of 2016”

  1. I’ve bookmarked over half of these already, with plans to make them! I love your recipes — they are always delicious and often made with a concern for health, which is right up my alley! Hope 2017 brings you just as much success!

  2. Too funny. I was searching for a beef stew recipe for my slow cooker and what pops up as your number one recipe? One just for me!

  3. I actually made your Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes this morning and OMG, so delicious!!!!! Loved them!

  4. Haven’t had beef stew in so long. That PESTO pasta salad looks bomb. What a great idea!

  5. What a great list you’ve done. I can’t believe you’ve cooked or made so many great recipes

    • I can’t believe it either, cooking is one thing but blogging them? I’m a little bit proud. When I do a recipe it takes me roughly 4 hours (with photos, writing), sometimes more depending if its sponsored and if there are certain things I need to include. It’s worth the time and effort though 🙂

  6. Thanks for the list!! I so need to refresh my “menu” for the family and the new year is a great time to do that!! 🙂

    • We all get stuck in those humps where we only know one flavour for dinner haha. I checked my meal plan for next week and it looks like we’re having a lot of curry haha.

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