As the year draws to a close, let’s step into our time machine and revisit my top posts of 2013. I dug through our site metrics, and learned that of the roughly 200 (non-cookbook-related!) posts I published on Nom Nom Paleo over the past 12 months, these 15 were the most popular, as judged by traffic, notes, comments, and dissemination on social media:
15. Orange Sriracha Chicken (October 27)
I don’t know if it’s the sweet, citrusy notes in the sauce or the spicy sriracha kick—or if readers were just freaked out that the Huy Fong Sriracha plant in southern California was seemingly under constant threat of shutdown—but my recipe for Orange Sriracha Chicken was a fan favorite. (It’s one of mine, too.)
14. Forky Friday: Thanksgiving Smorgasbord (November 22)
Every November, we’re faced with a conundrum: How do we prepare a Turkey Day feast for a house full of Paleo eaters? This year, I posted a series of Thanksgiving recipes, ranging from Spatchcocked Turkey and Warm Brussels Sprouts Slaw to Cran-Cherry Sauce and Umami Gravy. And in advance of the big dinner, I posted a rundown of all the recipes—and added a bunch more, too. Wanna see?
13. Kelly Brozyna’s Chocolate Pie + Raw Graham Cracker Crust (September 30)
I adore Kelly and her family. And when I received an advance review copy of her latest book, The Paleo Chocolate Lover’s Cookbook, I couldn’t wait to get cooking. Everything looked incredible, but Kelly’s Chocolate Pie recipe jumped off the page at me. See what I mean?
12. Round-up: Another Week of Paleo Lunches (August 23)
For the second year in a row, I partnered with Jackie Linder of Lunchbots—the best and most stylish stainless steel lunch containers in the known universe!—to present a week’s worth of Paleo-friendly packed lunch ideas. We had a great time putting these lunches together, and happily, it looks like you guys enjoyed reading about them, too!
11. Asian Meatballs & The Importance of Umami (January 6)
I’m all about umami, so it’s a little shocking to me that I didn’t bother to dive into the details of what the “fifth sense” is all about until January of this year. (Bad Michelle!) But I tried to make it up to you not only by laying out the history of umami, but also by offering a recipe for my Asian Meatballs, too. So am I forgiven?
10. Yummy Mummies (October 20)
Because Halloweenies are scary good.
9. Swiss Chard with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Porkitos (June 30)
Porkitos make everything better, and this dish of deliciously savory swiss chard and sweet golden raisins is no exception.
8. Chunky Monkey “Ice Cream” Bon Bons (July 8)
As soon as I taste-tested my first batch of these treats, I had a sneaking suspicion that this drop-dead-simple recipe was going to be a crowd-pleaser…
7. Paleo Sausage Egg “McMuffin” (June 16)
I concocted this recipe—a tasty, Paleo-friendly alternative to fast food breakfast sandwiches—for Father’s Day. It made for a better gift than a tie, don’t you think?
6. Thai Curry Chicken (May 20)
My recipe for Thai Curry Chicken was a product of necessity: I had a container of Thai yellow curry paste, and not enough time (or energy) to make anything complicated for dinner. The enduring popularity of this recipe goes to show that dinner entrées don’t need to be fussy or complex to be delicious.
5. Asian Chicken Thighs (April 17)
Is there something about Asian chicken recipes that lend themselves to quick, satisfying weeknight meals? This simple dish is savory, sweet, tangy, and packed with umami, with a marinade that can be made in just minutes—and yet it’s totally different from the Thai Curry Chicken recipe above.
4. Surviving the Night Shift (July 11)
It’s true: as a hospital night-shift worker for well over a decade, I’d be a shambling mess if I didn’t eat according to a Paleo template—but food is only part of the equation. In this post, I laid out in detail what my work schedule looks like, and how I’ve managed to cope.
3. Mexican Chocolate Pot de Crème (February 28)
I can’t blame you. Chocolate is my weakness, too.
2. Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry Barbecue Sauce (March 3)
That’s right: I said SMASH. No wonder this one stands out.
(I was so enamored of this recipe that I put it in my cookbook!)
1. Round-up: 30 Days of Whole 30 Recipes (February 1)
The most popular post of 2013 on Nom Nom Paleo? My rundown of 30 days of Whole30-friendly recipes! The popularity of this post is a testament to how many readers have committed to a month-long nutritional reset—and I hope that by re-posting it, those of you who are starting a new Whole30 on New Year’s Day will find it useful, too.
This year has been an action-packed one for our family, and we’re happy to report that we’re still smiling through it all. On top of parenting and working (and cooking and blogging), Henry and I launched an update to our iPad app and finished our very first cookbook, and got to travel extensively around the country and abroad. For this, I’m grateful to all of my readers; your support has allowed us to branch out this year and do things that we never thought possible.
Thank you all for tuning in to my little corner of the Internet, and I’ll see you next year! (And by “next year,” I mean tomorrow.) I look forward to meeting many of you on my upcoming book tour!
Happy New Year!
