We know how easy it is to get sucked into food blog rabbit hole, with all of those mouthwatering photos promising a picture-perfect dinner table. To help guide the web-savvy home cook, we’ve selected 19 of our favorite food blogs–many run by parents–who offer some combination of healthy, accessible, and kid-tested recipes and tips for the home kitchen. Happy cooking!
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Against All Grain
Founder: Danielle Walker What it’s all about: Against All Grain is a grain-free, refined sugar-free, allergy-conscious, mostly paleo family food blog. Danielle discusses her family’s health challenges, parenting challenges, and offers helpful tips to families who are following restricted diets. Why we love it: Walker’s mission is to make health-supportive family meals, and to offer support for families on restricted diets. Her recipes are nutritious, delicious, and visually appealing. Notable recipe: Real-Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Photo by Danielle Walker) -
Chinese Grandma
Blog: chinesegrandma.com What it’s all about: Lillian, a mother of four, inspired by her own Chinese grandmas’ old-school food and philosophies, believes that food should be fresh, comforting, and nourishing. She focuses on fresh ingredients and practical wisdom to help her readers nourish their bodies and spirits. Why we love it: The Chinese Grandma’s home cooking philosophy is all about simple, health-supportive and satisfying dishes that the family can gather around and share at the end of a long day. Notable recipe: Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry (Photo by Chinese Grandma) -
Cool Mom Eats
Blog: eats.coolmompicks.com Founders: Stacie Billis, Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner What it's all about: The newest addition to the Cool Mom Picks network, Cool Mom Eats is a trove of delicious recipes and savvy cooking tips covering everything from spicing up school lunches to cool product finds. Why we love it: The site's collection of recipes are fun and creative, but also very accessible and practical. Notable recipe: A post on Healthy, Low-Sugar Baby Cookie Recipes That You Can Feel Good Sharing With Your Baby Or Toddler includes six recipes that, unlike packaged cookies, are low in sugar and packed with nutritious ingredients. (Cookies by Teach Eat Love pictured above) -
Dinner a Love Story
Blog: dinneralovestory.com Founder: Jenny Rosenstrach What it’s all about: Jenny’s mission is to illustrate the importance of the family unit eating dinner together every night, and describes it as a crucial part of her approach to parenting. She believes that dinner is a love story that begins at the family table. She has a lot of dinners in her family dinner rotation, and shares which ones are her kids’ favorites, as well as her advice for picky eaters. Many of her posts include concepts like how to cook dinner from pantry staples and how to turn left-overs into new meals. Her “what to cook tonight” list is full of sophisticated, but completely manageable dishes. Why we love it: Jenny’s enthusiasm is infectious! We love Jenny’s approach to dinner time as a time for family bonding. and keeps in mind the restrictions of time, space, cost, and training for family meals. Notable recipe: Vegetable Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce (Photo by Jenny Rosenstrach) -
Eating from the Ground Up
Blog: eatingfromthegroundup.com Founder: Alana Chernila What it’s all about: Alana Chernila, the author of The Homemade Pantry, focuses on basic ingredients and includes a lot of seasonable produce in her recipes. She is a mother of two, and an advocate for local eating, sharing her love for health supportive cooking and parenting advice in her blog. Her recipes are easy to replicate, while remaining very sophisticated. Why we love it: Alana is inspiring in her mission to encourage her reader to eat fresher, homemade staples of their favorite store bought foods and in including local and seasonal vegetables into their family mealtime rotations. Notable recipe: Fall Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie (Photo by Alana Chernila) -
Jeanette's Healthy Living
Blog: jeanetteshealthyliving.com Founder: Jeanette Chen What it’s all about: Chen's Asian-inspired recipes are beautiful, delicious, health supportive, and allergy-friendly. A mother of four boys, Chen's goal is to minimize the use of sugar, salt, and fat in her cooking, while focusing on whole ingredients and spices. Why we love it: Chen's goal is so promote a lifestyle that her reader can enjoy in good health through the use of delicious, fresh, whole ingredients. Readers appreciate the unexpected Asian flavors of these recipes, as great additions to the family dinnertime rotation. Notable recipe: Bacon Cauliflower Garlic Fried Rice (Photo by Jeanette Chen) -
Jenna Helwig
Blog: jennahelwig.com/blog Founder: Jenna Helwig What it's all about: On her blog, Parents magazine food editor, cookbook author, and chef Jenna Helwig shares kid-friendly recipes and culinary wisdom--such as "3 Ways to Power Up Breakfast" and "My #1 Tip for Getting Veggies on the Table." Why we love it: Helwig's tips and recipes are simple, effective, and delicious. Notable recipe: My Go-To Tomato Sauce (Photo by Lauren Volo) -
In Jennie's Kitchen
Blog: injennieskitchen.com Founder: Jennifer Perillo What it’s all about: Perillo, a mother of two girls, fuses her cooking know how of working in restaurants and as a caterer, with her passion for food. Why we love it: Jennie’s homemade recipes are perfect for feeding hungry family members and for sharing with a crowd. Notable Recipe: Chicken and Tortellini Soup (Photo by Jennifer Perillo) -
Love and Lemons
Blog: loveandlemons.com Founder: Jeanine Donofrio What it’s all about: Love and Lemons, inspired by Michael Pollan’s “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” focuses on recipes which highlight seasonal fruits and vegetables. Why we love it: Jeanine’s motto “Eat well, love food” is the perfect healthy eating attitude to bring to the dinner table when teaching children about nutrition. Her recipes are sophisticated and easy to follow, perfect both for casual family meals and for entertaining. Notable Recipe: Skillet Steamed Corn on the Cob Three Ways (Photo by Jeanine Donofrio) -
Merrill Stubbs at Food52
Blog: Merrill Stubbs at food52.com What it’s all about: Merrill Stubbs, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Food52, creates easy-to-follow, elegant recipes for the home cook. Why we love it: Based on the concept of cooking 52 weeks a year and “helping people become better, smarter, happier cooks,” this site is full of beautiful, mouth-watering recipes. Notable recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Red Onion, Lemon, and Pecorino (Photo by Food52) -
Minimalist Baker
Blog: minimalistbaker.com Founder: John and Dana Schultz What it’s all about: John and Dana, a husband and wife blogger team based in Portland, Oregon, publish recipes for baked goods which require ten or fewer ingredients, one bowl, and 30 or fewer minutes to prepare. Many of the recipes are allergy friendly and cater to restricted eating plans. Why we love it: Which busy mom or dad wouldn’t love delicious, health supportive, minimally messy, and minimally complicated baked goods to share with the kids or to prepare as a family on a rainy afternoon? Notable recipes: Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies (Photo by the Minimalist Baker) -
The Naptime Chef
Blog: thenaptimechef.com Founder: Kelsey Banfield What it’s all about: Kelsey Banfield’s mission is to fit great food into family life. The subjects of her posts range from travel tips, parenting lessons, and home improvement suggestions to a collection of recipes that could be accomplished, start to finish, during nap time. Her new cookbook, "The Family Calendar Cookbook: From Birthdays to Bake Sales, Good Food to Carry You Through the Year," promises to be a helpful and delicious addition to every busy parent’s repertoire. Why we love it: The Naptime Chef is perfect for the busy parent, hoping to feed his or her family easy-to-make, easy-to-shop-for, quick, and delicious homemade meals. Kelsey offers meal-planning suggestions, serving suggestions, and instructional videos. Notable recipe: Summer Zucchini Bites (Photo by Kelsey Banfield) -
Nourished Kitchen
Blog: nourishedkitchen.com Founder: Jennifer McGruther What it’s all about: Jennifer McGruther’s mission is to revive traditional foods and to encourage her readers to incorporate bone broths, grass-fed meat, fermented foods, and sprouted grains into their diets. The nourished kitchen is one that celebrates real food, while taking into account the impact of dinnertime on our families and our communities. Her shopping guide, meal plans, and detailed posts introduce readers to the traditional food diet. Why we love it: Jennifer McGruther’s recipes are beautiful, delicious, sophisticated, and comforting enough to make it into the dinnertime rotation of any family’s week. Her posts are informative and supportive of the home chef who hopes to incorporate more fresh and whole ingredients into the family diet. Notable Recipe: Lentil Stew with Winter Vegetables and Mustard Greens (Photo by Nourished Kitchen) -
One Hungry Mama
Blog: onehungrymama.com Founder: Stacie Billis What it’s all about: Stacey is a self described hungry mama: she can cook delicious meals quickly, shop for fresh foods on a budget, and cater to different ages and taste preferences in the same meal. She believes in the importance of mealtimes for children to support their physical, social, and emotional intelligence and hopes to inspire her busy parent readers to satisfy their hungers and to inspire healthy hungers in the people that they cook for. Why we love it: Stacie’s goal is to help the busy parents make better use of meal times. Her recipes are easy to follow, delicious, and informative. Notable recipe: Cook Quinoa Like a Pro (Photo by Stacie Billis) -
In Praise of Leftovers
Blog: inpraiseofleftovers.com Founder: Sarah Murphy-Kangas What it’s all about: Sarah’s mission is to help busy parents, novice chefs, or readers at the end of the long work day get more comfortable in the kitchen. She believes that the family meal is more about being together than making the perfect meal, and many of her recipes take advantage of traditional family pantry staples. Why we love it: Sarah’s recipes are delicious, easy to follow, and budget conscious. What more could a busy parent ask for! Notable recipe: Parchment Baked Tilapia (Photo by Sarah Murphy-Kangas) -
The Pioneer Woman
Founder: Ree Drummond What it’s all about: Ree Drummond’s presentation and step-by-step photo approach make cooking family friendly American classics a treat. She offers entertaining advice, homeschooling advice, and pioneer woman confessions to her readers, as she chronicles what is important to her and her family. Whether the busy parent wants to cook cake, kale, or cowboy food, Ree Drummond’s enthusiasm and know-how are infectious. Why we love it: There is a reason that The Pioneer Woman Cooks is the #1 food blog in the United States. Her blog is easy to navigate, her photos are mouth-watering, and her precise recipes are perfect for the busy home cook. Notable recipe: Chipotle Chicken Chili (Photo by Ree Drummond) -
The Roasted Root
Blog: theroastedroot.net Founder: Julia Mueller What it’s all about: Julia’s recipes are mostly gluten-free and paleo. Most of these include meat and (a lot of!) fresh vegetables. Why we love it: Julia puts new twists on family classics, and encourages her readers to eat their vegetables. Her recipes are perfect for introducing children to the different colors, tastes, textures, and varieties of vegetables. Notable Recipe: Harissa Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Skewers with Mango (Photo by Julia Mueller) -
Smitten Kitchen
Blog: smittenkitchen.com Founder: Deb Perelman What it’s all about: Deb Perelman understands the restricitons of a New York City kitchen: her smitten kitchen is a 42 sq-ft, circa-1935 “sort of half-galley.” Her cooking philosophy is that food should be accessible and she steers clear of fussy foods, favoring comfort foods and traditional family staples. The mother of a toddler uses largely seasonal and fresh produce to create your family’s favorite meals. Why we love it: Deb Perelman’s approach is simple but creative, as she keeps in mind the very realistic cooking limitations of space, time, and budget for the busy New York City parent and home cook. Notable Recipe: Brownies (Photo by Deb Perelman) -
Weelicious
Blog: weelicious.com Founder: Catherine McCord What it’s all about: In her super user-friendly blog, Catherine McCord offers a “healthy eating club membership,” meal plans, and recipes that take family meals “out of the lunchbox.” She focuses on nutritionally dense fresh fruits and vegetables in almost every recipe, and her use of instructional videos takes the guesswork out of cooking. Why we love it: Busy parents revel in McCord's mission to create “happier meals.” She categorizes her recipes by first foods, toddler recipes, school lunches, and family meals, and offers vegetarian options. Notable recipe: Easy Chicken Nuggets (Photo by Weelicious)
