A big THANK YOU goes to you, yes you, the one with eyeballs on this blog right now.
Thank you for coming back and reading my rambling thoughts week after week. In the coming year, I hope to bring you more deliciously wholesome recipes that will make you burp with joy, healthy desserts, not-so-healthy desserts, and—duh—lots of pancakes! And now before I get too rambly, I’m going to share my five most popular posts from 2013:
- Banana Buckwheat Pancakes: Possibly the most delicious and healthy pancakes I’ve developed–an entire stack for under 300 delicious vegan (optional) and gluten-free calories.
- Vegan Chocolate Mini Muffins (no sugar): Dates might be my personal discovery of 2013: finding out that you can cook down naturally sweet dates into a puree that can replace sugar in baked goods was a total game changer—as were these luscious chocolate muffins.
- Pumpkin Banana Breakfast Cake: This banana and pumpkin-studded recipe blew up on Pinterest! Because it’s so low in sugar, I was worried people might think it wasn’t quite sweet enough, but you all seemed to like it! I’ll definitely be making again when pumpkin season comes around this year.
- Soft No-Bake Chocolate Granola Bars: Chewy. Chocolatey. No bake. No explanation necessary.
- Cherry Pie Larabars: Even though I thought there were already 4976938450292 million recipes for DIY larabars out there, it appears that you all are always willing to read one more recipe for uber delicious bars made out of nuts and dried fruit. So thanks.
And, of course, I can’t leave out my personal favorite recipes from 2013. With exactly one savory dish in this entire round-up, I bet you can guess what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks (hint: eating vegetables).
- Vegan Spinach & Artichoke Dip
- (Vegan) Cupcake Mixology
- Chia Icebox Cake
- Best Black Bean Chocolate Cake
- Peanut Butter Quinoa Oat Muffins
- Oat Flour Banana Bread
- Date Newton Bites
- Baking level layer cakes
I can’t even believe we’re here, really. I remember when hitting 20 views a day on my blog was exciting. Then when a spike of 78 views in a day had me squealing. And then when daily hit stats became more like 500, then 1,000.
Without you, I wouldn’t have made it out of the prenatal years of this blog when I posted about 10 gazillion awful pictures in each post and then abandoned the blog for an entire school year. I would have schlumped half-heartedly into the sort of actual birth of this blog once I graduated from college and made it my mission to find the ultimate banana bread recipe. And I certainly wouldn’t have made it to this year, when I finally switched over to self-hosted blogging, got a DSLR camera and sorted of started to hit my groove. So thank you.
And of course, thank you for the thoughtful comments you always leave me:
No, but really. Siblings aside, you guys really do give me the best feedback, comments, and thoughts. You are the best bunch of readers.
Happy 2014!
vic@cakebook
Happy New Year – you rock! keep posting! 😀
yummychunklet
Great post recap!
Kelly
What a great year and round up, so many wonderful recipes here. Hehe, awesome comments too 🙂 They all look awesome but some of my faves were your banana buckwheat pancakes, chia icebox cake and vegan cupcake mixology too 🙂 Can’t wait to follow along and see what 2014 brings girl!
erika
Thanks Kelly! Those were definitely some tasty eats I wish I could have shared with all of you awesome readers and blog friends! So glad to have you as a blog friend 🙂
Lianna
Happy New Year!!!!! haha omg your siblings are amazing. And I am amazed at how good everything looks and sounds on your top posts list. I seriously want to try them all. I love how much you’ve improved with your photography, you actually have the ability to make ugly food look stunning. I don’t normally make new years resolutions but I do want to make healthier but still indulgent goodies so I’m going to keep letting you inspire me in the kitchen and with my camera and I think this year will be just rad. I can’t wait for all of your 2014 posts!!! xoxo
erika
Loll I’m so glad people are appreciating that screenshot as much as I did. I literally burst out laughing at work. #inappropriate
And thank you!!!! As another blogger said, it’s a myopic process trying to determine if your own work is improving, so thanks for the kind words about my photography. I can’t wait for all of YOUR 2014 posts! So happy to hear you’re planning to get back in the kitchen! 😀
laurasmess
This is a gorgeous post Erika! So much goodness over the past year! I can understand why that pumpkin breakfast cake would’ve taken off… who doesn’t get excited over the idea of cake for breakfast!? Plus, your gorgeous photography = instant love. I look forward to seeing the goodness that 2014 brings… you’re amazingly talented and it’s awesome to have you as an inspiration and blogging friend. Hugs! xx
P.S that screenshot. Heeeeeeelarious!!!
erika
Thanks Laura! You understand me! (I just ate cheesecake for breakfast this morning.) And awww! YOU are amazingly talented and one of the best virtual friends/commenters a blogger could ask for. Seriously. Not to mention an inspiration with all your healthy, elaborate, gorgeous food!!
Shikha @ Shikha la mode
Happy new Year! I can’t how many hits you get on your blog – you are truly so amazing and such an inspiration! I hope I can reach 1k hits this year too! Can’t wait to cook more with you 🙂
erika
Happy New Year friend! Thanks thanks and yes cooking with you is always the most fun!! 🙂
The Vegan 8
I love that Nichole left you so many comments about poopoo, LOL! Everything looks so delicious, I’m just salivating…..especially all the mini cupcakes. I really need to try the chocolate muffins, I am NOT a big date fan at all, but if they are pureed into a muffin and then baked, then I think I would love it. I can only handle it in small doses, so a muffin would be perfect. Are the muffins nice and sweet? I also love the look of that black bean cake!
It’s exciting to see our blogs grow, huh! I had good steady stats on The Healthy Flavor, but once I created The Vegan 8 just a few months ago, it has exploded and I’ve never been more thankful I took the plunge!
erika
Hahaha yes my siblings are something special…and yes I’d say the muffins are sweet. Not overly sweet, but definitely not undersweetened in my opinion! And I’m sure your stats must have exploded on The Vegan 8–it’s looking so so good!! Kudos to you and all your hard work that made it happen!
cynthia
LOL I died at that screenshot (especially with me right above it, bahaha). Loved reading this post — I feel just the same as you. It wasn’t that long ago when I was freaking out over ANY views on my blog that weren’t my own! haha. This blog journey is so surreal yet gratifying. So glad that I met you through it, Erika! Happy new year! 🙂
erika
Hahaha yeah I considered cutting you out so you wouldn’t be associated with my siblings (and also because you actually DO leave the best, most thoughtful comments)…but then I didn’t. Lol glad you didn’t mind. I’m so glad I met you too! I want to meet IRL someday when I come to NY next (or you come to Houston…?! Ha!)!
Natasha @ The Cake Merchant
I think my favorites are the single slice of cake and the vegan cupcake mixology. Both are genius!
erika
Thanks Natasha! 🙂
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Those cherry pie larabars look so good! Checking those out asap. And that artichoke dip will always be one of my favorites. Congrats on 2013 and looking forward to 2014! Oh, and those Facebook comments made my day! So funny!
erika
The cherry pie larabars are so easy!!! Hope you get a chance to try em. And my siblings…sigh. What can you do 🙂
janet @ the taste space
It is funny what the masses like the most, eh? I hope you share more of your savoury eats because I’ve already tried your #1 favourite and it was delicious. 🙂
erika
Oh yay!!!! Honestly, that is so good I don’t even know how I’m going to come up with recipes that can rival it in terms of health and taste. Glad you liked it!!!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
<3 <3 <3!!!