Healthy eating does not come easy to me. I never had to work hard to be thin when I was growing up (turned out I had an over active thyroid silently helping me on this) but in my late 20s and early 30s I’ve had a real rollercoaster of experiences with food and dieting. I’ve been gluten free for 11 months before, I’ve tried to cut out sugar numerous times (failed miserably) and I’ve learned that I have really limited willpower when it comes to choosing a healthier option on a menu.

Since I had my thyroid removed several years ago I’ve had to work really hard to lose + maintain my weight. Currently I am about 5-7 pounds more than I’d like to be so following my recent vacation, I set out to reset, detox and get back on track with health*ier* eating.

I know that I’m never going to be the girl that goes vegan or vegetarian. Or juices all the time. Or who champions the latest and greatest food fad. But, what I’ve come to realize is that I can improve how I look and more importantly how I feel by giving myself some boundaries. What’s worked best for me has been limiting my gluten, sugar + alcohol intakes Monday through Friday. Weekends are fair game but I generally keep it in check and don’t go too crazy once I’ve been on that path of healthier choices for a few weeks. I of course make certain exceptions through the week for birthday dinners or special occasions but I try to sub back in a day on the weekend to make up for it. Trust me, it doesn’t always happen this way. (Case in point this week while I’ve been laid up with a cold all I’ve wanted is mac + cheese!)

Anyhow, from time to time I share what I’m eating at home on InstaStories and I always am overwhelmed with the response I get requesting recipes which got me to thinking about sharing this post of my go-to recipes for when I’m cooking at home. I decided to make a GoogleDoc after discussing the idea with a few girlfriends because we decided it would be fun to make this document COLLABORATIVE! Meaning it is open for you guys to drop in your favorites, too! Since it seems we are all always looking to each other for inspiration, I thought this document could come in handy.  I have always loved sharing recipes with girlfriends and think this will be a fun way to expand the options when you’re looking for some kitchen inspo.

So, below you can click to access my favorite go-to recipes and if you’re inclined to share a few of your favorites you can do so under the section entitled “w&w Reader Submissions”!

wit & whimsy go-to recipes & reader favorites

I ask that you try and keep the formatting somewhat similar to what is already in there (vs. copying and pasting a webpage with a bunch of photos.) I hope you guys will join in and I already can’t wait to see what some of your favorites are to make so that I can try my hand at them. I find cooking for one to be really lackluster sometimes so I thought this would be fun way to inspire each other – no matter what your current cooking habits may be.

I’m going to do my best to keep this a living document and continue to drop in those recipes that get into heavy rotation for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am such a creature of habit so when I find something I like…I make it A LOT. You’ll note some of the recipes included are not too detailed or specific because truthfully I just hodgepodge them together. For some, I linked to the recipe I originally started with but within the document I have the recipe with edits I typically make when cooking. None included are overly complicated as they truly are go-to ones that don’t feel intimidating or like a lot of work to make on a regular basis.

If you’re looking for more healthy cooking inspo, I pin lots to this Pinterest board and often go there when I’m looking for new recipes to mix things up.

I hope you guys enjoy this post & would love any feedback! I also can’t wait to see what you contribute!

p.s. how I practice self care and my 2018 goals.