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The Votes Are In for the 2025 Readers Choice Awards

A vibrant collage featuring a variety of healthy and delicious lightened-up comfort food recipes from Emily Bites, showcasing dishes like creamy soups, hearty baked meals, flavorful salads, and sweet baked goods from 2025.

Your Voice, Your Favorites: Vote for the Best Emily Bites Recipes of the Year!

Hello, cherished members of the Emily Bites community! It’s that eagerly anticipated time of year again when we invite you to participate in one of our most beloved traditions: casting your vote for your favorite Emily Bites recipes from the past year. This annual poll isn’t just a survey; it’s a vibrant celebration of our shared culinary journey, a chance to reflect on all the delicious, lightened-up comfort food we’ve created together. Every year, the anticipation builds, and I genuinely get anxious wondering if anyone will participate (even though you always, without fail, deliver!), so each vote that comes through brings a wave of relief and immense excitement. Discovering which dishes resonated most with you fills my heart with joy.

Once all your invaluable votes are tallied, I always conclude the year with a special “Best of” post, proudly featuring all the winning recipes. This post serves multiple crucial purposes. For my loyal, long-time readers, it’s a fantastic opportunity to rediscover hidden gems they might have missed throughout the year or to revisit beloved recipes that deserve another spot on their meal plan. For first-time visitors who discover Emily Bites in the new year, it acts as a curated gateway, directing them straight to our most popular and highly-rated recipes. This ensures they get the very best introduction to the world of delicious, lightened-up eating and know exactly where to begin their own culinary adventures with us.

I sincerely hope that the past year brought you many opportunities to create and enjoy some truly tasty, lightened-up comfort food recipes from the Emily Bites kitchen. If you find that some of your all-time favorites aren’t listed among this year’s nominees, it’s likely because they were featured in previous years’ collections. But fear not! The timeless appeal of delicious, healthy comfort food never fades. Many of these past winners remain incredibly popular and continue to be some of the most frequently visited recipes on the blog. I encourage you to explore these evergreen classics through the links below. They are a testament to how fantastic eating well can be, year after year:

  • 2024 Winners: Your Top Picks for Healthy Delights
  • 2023 Winners: Relive the Best of Last Year’s Flavor
  • 2022 Winners: Discover Enduring Emily Bites Favorites
  • 2021 Winners: A Collection of Beloved Lightened-Up Meals
  • 2020 Winners: Timeless Recipes That Stood Out
  • 2019 Winners: Culinary Gems from Years Past
  • 2018 Winners: Revisit Your All-Time Healthy Favorites
  • 2017 Winners: Delicious Recipes That Never Go Out of Style
  • 2016 Winners: A Look Back at Popular Healthier Choices
  • 2015 Winners: Celebrating Years of Healthy & Delicious Cooking
  • 2014 Winners: Top-Rated Recipes from Emily Bites Archives
  • 2013 Winners: The Community’s Favorite Recipes Revealed
  • 2012 Winners: Pioneering Lightened-Up Comfort Food
  • 2011 Winners: Our Very First Reader Favorites

This Christmas Eve marks an incredible milestone: I will have been blogging for FIFTEEN years! It’s truly humbling to think that some of you have been following Emily Bites for that entire journey. I honestly can’t quite grasp how many years it’s been, but Emily Bites has woven itself so deeply into the fabric of my life that it’s hard to imagine a time without it. What began as a simple, fun hobby—a creative outlet to share my passion for lightened-up cooking—gradually blossomed over the years into my absolute dream job. This incredible transformation, however, would never have been possible without you, my dedicated readers. Your willingness to cook along with me, to engage with my posts, and to share Emily Bites with your friends and family is the very fuel that keeps this blog thriving. Words can barely express the profound gratitude I feel knowing you are here, enabling me to pursue what I love more than anything. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

Your involvement extends far beyond simply visiting the website. Thank you for meticulously cooking my recipes and then generously sharing your beautiful photos on Instagram or Facebook. It’s an absolute thrill to see my creations come to life in your kitchens! Thank you for opening up and sharing your personal stories with me through comments and emails – whether it’s letting me know that you, your children, or even your notoriously picky husband adored a particular recipe, or sharing the inspiring details of your weight loss journey successes. Every single message brightens my day and reinforces the incredible community we’ve built. I truly appreciate each and every one of you, and I want you to understand just how much you motivate and inspire me to keep creating new and exciting content. Your thoughtful comments, heartfelt emails, enthusiastic social shares, and your unwavering support truly mean the world to me and consistently bring a genuine smile to my face. Thank you, again and again.

As I mentioned, I always get a little nervous about voter turnout, so if you’re currently on the fence about participating, please do take a moment to vote! Your input is invaluable. Last year, I finally streamlined the voting process by transitioning from asking for comments to utilizing a user-friendly Google Form, and it proved to be a resounding success! It seemed to make participation easier for everyone, leading to a record number of votes. So, without further delay, it’s time to empower you to choose your favorite recipes from the past year. I am genuinely excited and can’t wait to see which delicious creations you’ve picked as your top contenders!

How to Cast Your Vote: A Simple Guide

Participating in the Emily Bites Readers’ Choice Awards is incredibly straightforward this year! I’ve created a dedicated Google Form for the survey, making it super easy to cast your votes. Simply click on the link provided below, and you’ll be directed to the form where you can select your preferred recipes in each category. I understand that it’s unlikely everyone will have tried a recipe from every single category, and that’s perfectly fine! Feel free to vote for whichever recipe looks most appealing to you, or if you’d prefer to leave certain categories blank, that works too. There are no strict rules here – your honest preferences are what matter most! Just click the link below and complete the survey at your leisure.

CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE EMILY BITES RECIPES!

For your convenience and reference, especially if you wish to revisit the original recipe posts before making your selections, I’ve listed all the deserving nominees within each category below. Happy voting!

Best Appetizer Recipe: Kickstart Your Meal or Party!

These delightful bites are perfect for entertaining, a lighter snack, or to simply get those taste buds tingling before the main course.

Mini Loaded Tater Tot Cups

Bisquick Chicken Sausage Balls

Whipped Feta Bruschetta Dip

Best Baking Recipe: Sweet & Savory Baked Delights

From comforting breakfasts to sweet treats, these baking recipes prove that lightened-up can still mean utterly delicious and satisfying.

Chai Spiced Pear Baked Oatmeal Singles

Orange Cranberry Bread

Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal Singles

Peach Blueberry Muffins

Orange Chocolate Baked Oatmeal Singles

Cherry Apple Crisp

Best Side Dish Recipe: The Perfect Companions to Any Meal

These vibrant and flavorful side dishes are far from an afterthought, enhancing your main courses with their delicious additions.

Bacon Broccoli Side Skillet

Greek Roasted Potatoes with Feta

Maple Bacon Butternut Squash Apple Bake

Skillet Breakfast Potatoes

Loaded Potato Salad

Best Soup or Salad Recipe: Light, Fresh, and Comforting Bowls

Whether you crave something warm and soothing or crisp and refreshing, this category offers a delicious array of bowls for any occasion.

Black and Blue Steak Salad

Chicken and Stars Soup

Beef Taco Salad with Salsa-Ranch Dressing

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Creamy Loaded Potato Soup

Mediterranean Chopped Chicken Salad

Best Sandwich/Handheld Recipe: Perfectly Portable & Delicious

From quick lunches to satisfying dinners, these handheld recipes are packed with flavor and make mealtime exciting and convenient.

Bruschetta Chicken Sandwiches

Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

Buffalo Chicken Smashed Tacos

BLT Sandwiches with Garlic Aioli

Best Mexican-Inspired Recipe: A Fiesta of Flavors

Spice up your meal rotation with these vibrant and zesty Mexican-inspired dishes, bringing bold flavors to your table.

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

Chori Pollo

Quesadilla Burgers

Baked Beef and Bean Tacos

Mexi Chicken Bites

Best Beef Recipe: Hearty, Satisfying, and Delicious

For those who love a robust and filling meal, these beef recipes deliver incredible flavor while keeping things lightened up.

Stuffed Balsamic Flank Steak Pinwheels

Weeknight Bolognese Sauce

Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Best Chicken Recipe: Versatile & Flavorful Main Courses

Chicken is a staple for a reason, and these recipes showcase its incredible versatility in delicious and healthier preparations.

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Baked Chicken

Honey Turmeric Chicken and Green Beans Skillet

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Chicken and Stuffing with Gravy

Cajun Chicken Orzo Skillet

Brown Sugar Mustard Rubbed Chicken Bites

Italian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Bake

Don’t Miss Out! Click Here to Vote for Your Favorite Emily Bites Recipes!

Thank you so incredibly much in advance for taking the time to participate in this cherished annual tradition. Your votes not only help celebrate the year’s best recipes but also guide the future of Emily Bites, ensuring we continue to create the lightened-up comfort food you adore. You truly are the best readers a blogger could ask for!