How Pinterest Has Made Me a Better Person (Spoiler Alert: It Hasn’t, But Here Are Some of My Favourite Food Pins Ever)

Guys, I love Pinterest. I know that there are so many articles and blog posts out there about how we don’t need to live up to the impossible Pinterest Standard of Motherhood/Womanhood/Personhood and I totally agree with them. There is something to be said about the benefit of living in a time where we were naive to all the different ways that one could use a mason jar. Life was simpler when a wood pallet was just a wood pallet and a child’s birthday party needed only to consist of items that could be purchased at the dollar store. I think we can all agree that having a few basic recipes in your repertoire is great, and having a go-to cookbook (like one of my faves – Gwenyth Paltrow’s It’s All Good) is essential. But Pinterest. Ohhhh, sweet Pinterest. I love you for so many reasons.

I’ve found so many awesome recipes, DIYs, baby hacks, funny memes, and classroom ideas that I could spend an entire day just searching through them all. Today I thought it might be fun to share my top 10 life-altering pins from my number one favourite category in the world. Another day, we may venture into  different territory, but for now, let your mouth water as we explore my favourite pins from the land of…

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

1. MICHAEL SMITH’S THAI COCONUT CURRY SOUP

Ok, this is hands down, one of my favourite things I have ever found on Pinterest. I make this soup probably once a week. I alter the recipe pretty much every time I make it – if I don’t have lemongrass on hand, I just leave it out. Sometimes I add brown sugar and peanut butter to add that lil’ something extra. I always leave the noodles on the side so that I can eat it for leftovers the next day!

2. GWENYTH PALTROW’S CHICKEN BURGERS, THAI STYLE 

You may be noticing a theme in my food choices. I love the flavours of Thailand – not sure how authentic these two recipes really are, but they are so, so delicious. These burgers are incredibly easy to make and super juicy and flavorful. I make a sauce with mayo, Sriacha, and olive oil to put on top and skip the bun!

3. DAMN DELICIOUS’ CAULIFLOWER CHOWDER

This soup is so good that Stuart, the man who hates cauliflower above all other foods, goes for seconds (as long as I puree the cauliflower). I switch out Bacon for Spolumbo’s Spicy Italian Sausage and sometimes add corn at the end.

4. GWENYTH PALTROW’S TURKEY MEATBALLS 

I love eating these guys with polenta or spaghetti. You can make whatever sauce you like to eat them with, but they’re so juicy and flavourful that you can eat them alone, too! P.S. Gwenyth has not asked me to endorse her cookbook, but seriously, it’s amazing. So amazing, in fact, that my next favourite pin is one of her recipes, too.

5. GWENYTH PALTROW’S MEXICAN GREEN GODDESS DRESSING 

My best friend, Laine, recently wrote about the beautiful, life-changing condiment that is Green Goddess dressing on her blog, Guliash Girl. There are many variations of this recipe, but the Mexican Green Goddess version is my favourite. It’s spicy, packed with flavour, and tastes good on almost anything. I eat it with quesadillas, stuffed peppers, raw veggies, and sometimes just right off the spoon – yeah, it’s that good.

6. DAMN DELICIOUS’ QUINOA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Go ahead and pour that Mexican Green Goddess Dressing allllllll over these babies. You’ll be in Heaven.

7. FOOD.COM’S CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

Another chowder because I loooooove soups so very much. I don’t use the chicken fingers as suggested in the recipe – instead, I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Bonus points that this is a crockpot recipe, so I just throw everything in, head off to work or to do whatever other activities are planned for the day, and come home to this amazing soup! Beginner’s crockpot tip: Always turn the crockpot on before leaving the house or, as I recently learned the hard way, “No soup for you”.

8. THE WICKED NOODLE’S CHOPPED THAI SALAD WITH COCONUT CURRY DRESSING

I have to be honest with you. Normally, I find salads very boring and not very filling or exciting to eat. This one, however, is a definite exception to that rule. The sauce is amazing and it’s full of veggies so it’s pretty healthy, too!

9. BUDGET BYTES’ COCONUT CHICKEN WITH SWEET CHILI DIPPING SAUCE

Who doesn’t love chicken fingers? Yeah. I thought so.

10. GWENYTH PALTROW’S WHITE BEAN AND KALE SOUP 

I have such a special place in my heart for Kale, not only because it’s so versatile, but also because it was one of the only things that actually grew for me in my very first attempt at a garden. So thank, you, Kale, for being the perfect ingredient raw, cooked, or baked, and being strong enough to survive the trials of my beginner gardening skills. This soup is another one of my favourites because it’s cheap and easy to make. I also like to throw some Spicy Italian Splumbo’s sausage into this recipe if I’m feeling like I need some meat.

There you have it! My 10 favourite Pinterest recipes that may not have necessarily made me a better person, but definitely have made me a better cook. Have you tried any of these already? Are you going to try any of them now? Either way, let me know in the comments section! I’d also love to hear your go-to Pinterest meals, since some of these guys are making the rounds on a weekly basis and it’s time for something new!

xox k