Mixing up the breakfast routine with a favorite smoothie can be a truly satisfying and nourishing way to begin the day. But like anything, ruts can happen easily and the time may come when you find yourself reaching for the same bag of frozen berries and soy milk. Day after day after day. Here are a few ways to break through the boredom and amp up your smoothies with flavor (and nutrition). 

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I am always hunting for new warm weather recipes, whether I am hosting a barbecue, attending a potluck, or just filling my fridge with a simple salad for the week. Pasta salad is a particular favorite of mine (you can never have too many in your arsenal), so when a reader requested "copycat" recipes from the Whole Food's salad bar, I jumped at the chance. This version — with smoked gouda, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts — is rich, creamy, and one of the best I've made yet.

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If you're feeling a little uninspired lately, you aren't alone — we call it the springtime slump. It seems to peak around dinnertime, when the contents of our fridges and pantries just look so...boring. Injecting a new recipe or two into the repertoire just doesn't seem to cut it. Instead, we're here with a whole week of weeknight-friendly dinner menus, with options for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free eaters, too. Ready to shake up your weekly dinner rotation?

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One of the most exciting sections of the upcoming Kitchn Cookbook is the up-close-and-personal tours of ten kitchens. This week I revisited several of our subjects to do follow-up interviews. Bridget, who lives on New York's Upper West Side, has been an empty nester for over ten years and she's great at cooking for one. I asked her for some of her favorite homemade-for-one dishes and she immediately told me about a chicken dish with red onions and lemon that her daughter Zoe taught her. "There's something about red onions," she said, "I think they have drugs in them."

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I purchased a doughnut pan a few years back for a recipe testing project I was working on, but after two or three uses, it got squirreled away to my laundry room along with plenty of other unitaskers left quietly to die. I decided recently to brush off the pan and give it another go, and I am so glad I did. l will be the first to admit that these "faux-nuts" will never be as good as a warm batch of Krispy Kremes, but they are definitely delicious enough to satisfy a hankering when there's no glowing 'Hot Now!' sign in sight.

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Yesterday Emma and I shared a little peek into my new cookbook, Bakeless Sweets, and today I'm going to give you the goods: a recipe! I had a hard time choosing which one to share with you (Pistachio pudding? No-bake creme brûlée? Raspberry yogurt squares? Tiramisu?) but I settled on this tart lemon icebox cake for a very particular reason. 

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Last summer, the kids and I spent a month in Italy, ensconced in a farmhouse with dear friends near the coast in Marche, with plenty of day trips to gorgeous beaches, amazing restaurants and mad legit medieval festivals. (Yes, this is going to be a tough act to follow. This summer will be a great time to teach the boys that life isn't always crazy perfect. See you at the neighborhood park!) Every morning, I woke up before everyone. (This only happens in a perfect Summer-in-Italy world, thanks to time zone changes.) My friends' son Guido Jack, another early riser, was often waiting on the sofa patiently, curious to see what I would make for breakfast. I felt the need to perform. With limited trips to the grocery store, my surprise options were few. But what about popovers? More

Chia seed puddings are all the rage these days, and for good reason. When stirred with water, juice, or milk, the seeds gel up and thicken, creating the most delightful tapioca-like texture. It's easy (no heat required!) and contains all the nutrition of chia seeds, which taste neutral enough that you can play with your favorite flavors. In my case, that means a sweet spring combo of strawberries, coconut, and lime. 

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Come springtime and warmer weather, I get positively giddy when I hear the first chimes of the ice cream truck. But now I don't have to wait for the truck to make its rounds — I can make my favorite chilled treat, the Drumstick, whenever a craving hits. Seriously, this version is easy, fast, and a million times better than the original!!

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There are a few reasons I rarely make cheesecake. First and most important, there are just the two of us at home and I can't think of any occasion that would warrant us needing a whole cheesecake sitting around the house. Second, it's not the simplest dessert to make with the fuss of hot water baths and inevitable cracking. That's why I was excited to stumble upon these individual, no-bake cheesecakes last week. 

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