Category Archives: Health & Well-Being, Introspection

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

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Hi, friends!  It’s been a while since I’ve posted….  sorry about that!  Mr. Allie and I took the kiddos to Disney for a week!  It was so much fun and so exhausting!  Lol.  We had four days just outside of Orlando (one day per park: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), and then two days were dedicated to travel.  It was a fabulous trip and we did it on a tight budget.  I’m thinking about maybe devoting a post to it if you think that’d be interesting???  We know lots of people who do Disney pretty frequently, and they plan everything to the nth degree, but the idea of that just totally freaked us out!  This was only my second time there since I was a kid, and I just had no idea where to begin.  Mr. Allie and I kept remarking to each other that it felt like such a rite of passage for us to be there with our children.  I think we may have been more excited about it than the kids were!  After having been there, and experienced what it was all about, we now know how we’d maybe do things differently, that is, plan it a little more.  Not that we had a bad time or anything!  It was truly a blast and the only possible improvement would have been to do less backtracking around/walking and riding more rides!

I had every intention of coming home and jumping right back on the blog train, but once we settled back in and unpacked/washed everything, I decided to take a little time just to recharge my batteries.  I think I really needed it!  Just before we left I was feeling like I was spinning my wheels, but over the last week I’ve gained a lot of clarity and a lot of inspiration.

One of the main sources of inspiration came from the folks at Chobani.  Shortly after we arrived home, we received a shipment that contained mass quantities of Chobani Greek Style Yogurt!  I’ve loved Chobani for a while now, and have used in it lots of recipes.  But now that my fridge is bursting with the stuff, I knew I needed to come up with some more great ways to use it.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

I make oven fries all the time, and I especially love to do them with sweet potatoes!  They are super-nutritious (read more about that here) but I particularly love them for their flavor.  I always prefer to pair them with more savory flavors, to contrast with their natural sweetness.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

If you toss the sweet potato fries with some heart-healthy extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle them with sea salt, and roast them on a lined baking sheet, they come out so crispy-caramelized and roasty!

Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

They are perfect for dunking in this flavorful horseradish dijon dipping sauce!  I also add a little garlic powder and agave nectar, to fat-free Greek-style yogurt, along with a big bunch of fresh chives.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

I just love how that sharp flavor plays against the caramelly sweet potato!

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

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Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce
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Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • 4 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup fat-free Greek-style yogurt
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon agave nectar
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Cut the sweet potatoes into ¼” sticks and toss in olive oil and sea salt to coat.
  3. Arrange in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes.
  4. Flip with a spatula, and roast for another 15 minutes, or until evenly browned and crisp.
  5. In a medium bowl, combine the Greek-style yogurt, chives, horseradish, Dijon, agave, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  6. Serve the sweet potato fries alongside the horseradish Dijon sauce, for dipping.

 

Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Skinny Horseradish Dijon Dipping Sauce

These make a great low-fat snack, especially at this time of year, when we are all looking for a way to slim down for the summer!

**Disclosure:  Although I was gifted Greek-style yogurt by Chobani, the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.**

 

Tandoori Chicken Salad

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Do you guys remember a whiiiiiiiiiiile back when I posted a two-fer recipe for roast chicken? Both of those recipes are phenomenal, btw, and if you are looking for a great way to gather friends and/or family around the supper table, roast chicken is IT!

A-henny-who, at this time of year I am always in the market for something light, cool, and refreshing, and kinda healthy, for lunch or for a light dinner.  With my oldest now in tee-ball, it’s nice to have something we can pack up and eat at the game, or just quickly stuff in our faces after we get home.

So, I thought it might be nice to share a kind of offshoot recipe, inspired by my “Faraway Place” chicken, in cold salad form!

Tandoori Chicken Salad

If you’ve ever enjoyed curried chicken salad, then you’d probably like this one too.  It’s similar in that it has that earthy spice flavor, but in this preparation it’s even more pronounced.  Rather than using a pre-made spice blend (such as curry powder), this dressing relies on a mixture of individual dried spices and fresh herbs.  And, it’s lower in fat and calories, with mayonnaise being replaced by low fat, high protien Greek-style yogurt.

That being said, again I must now give a disclaimer:  I am not Indian.  I am no expert on Indian cooking.  I did not grow up eating Indian food.  Even now, as an adult, I do not eat much Indian food (there just aren’t a whole lot of Indian restaurants in my neck of the woods;)).  I first discovered what I’ve titled “Faraway Place” chicken in a local publication a few years back.  Unfortunately, the author was not cited, so I am unable to credit him or her.  It was not titled “Tandoori Chicken.”  I did not know what it was, or where in the world it was from, until I googled the ingredients!  So, as you can see, I make no claims that this recipe is authentic in any way.  I just know it’s really tasty, and different, and the flavors are super exciting!

Start with some cooked chicken.  You could use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, or just some leftover cooked chicken, or, I just poached up a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in simmering, salted water, for about 30 minutes, or until no longer pink inside. You can dice the chicken, or try this fabulous method, which works perfectly and I am totally in love with.

Shred Chicken In A Mixer

source

Today I decided just to dice, because I wanted big, meaty chunks.

Now whip up the dressing!  I love Chobani because it is so high in protein, low in fat, and it gives such a gorgeous, creamy texture and subtle tang.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

The “Tandoori Spice” comes from lemon, garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon.  It is complex and totally delish.

Toss the chickeny chunks in that fragrant dressing, along with some crunchy, toasted almond slivers, and some sweet, golden raisins.

You can also add in some fresh, chopped flat-leaf parsley for an herbal note.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

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Tandoori Chicken Salad
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Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients
  • 2 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 cup plain 2% Greek-style yogurt
  • ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • ⅓ cup golden raisins
  • 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • zest of half a lemon
  • juice of half a lemon
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, agave, lemon juice & zest, ginger, and spices.
  2. Add in the chicken, almonds, raisins, and parsley, and toss to coat.
  3. Serve in lettuce cups, whole wheat wraps, or on a croissant.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

There are any number of ways this can be served: on a croissant, in a lettuce wrap, in a whole wheat tortilla wrap, or straight outta the ol’ mason jar if you are on the go.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

Garlicky yogurt, spiked with bright citrus, warm paprika and ginger, and earthy cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric, contrasted with crunchy almonds and sweet raisins, with a fresh hit of verdant parsley!  No matter how you slice it, this chicken salad is like no other!  So light and healthy, and full of such interesting and complex flavor!

What’s Cookin?

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I have not faded away, I am still here, remember me?

mixin

Oh my gosh you guys. It’s been a strange couple of months. Strange, wonderful, and eye opening. Turns out, starting a new business, when you’re already working full time, takes up a lot of your energy. Who knew? It’s been really wonderful though, and it feels good to be challenged by new things.

So, what’s new? Well, the Etsy shop is steady. I’ve done a few local events as a vendor, and it was amazing to get out into the world (away from the computer, whah?) and talk to real people. People who are interested in the same things as I am. People…who want to give me money! Wow! What a concept…

So, this is a short and sweet post. But I just wanted to say hi, and also welcome all the people who are taking part in Allie’s link parties. I am so excited to be getting a chance to know all of these other talented bloggers. Life is good!

Also I wanted to mention, there are going to be a few giveaways from a couple of different vendors coming up in the next month, so stay tuned, this is stuff you will LOVE!

xoxo,
Mere

So… Frankincense.

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frankincense

Last week I was in Pennsylvania to be on Good Day Fox Philly with Allie, which was surreal, and more on that another day. In between filming segments, I was going on and on about Frankincense essential oil, which I’ve been doing a lot of lately, and yes, I was getting some eye rolls because my claims are a little out there. When I’m in PA, everyone thinks I’m this big hippie, which is funny, because my hippie friends in CT think I’m the most mainstream person in their lives.

But, I don’t care, the stuff has literally been life changing for me, and I don’t claim to be sane.

So, what’s so great about this stuff? Let me tell you a little story…

As an entrepreneurial-type, I get hit up a lot to sell stuff. Mary Kay, Market America, that kind of thing. I always kind of roll my eyes, because it’s just never felt right to me. I know a lot of people make a good living selling that stuff, and I don’t judge, it’s just not stuff that I feel comfortable pushing people to buy, so I always politely decline.

When I got a message from my cousin recently, that he’s selling essential oils (doTerra), and that he thought I’d be a good candidate to be a reseller as well, I gave him my typical response, and said I’d take the samples, because I’ve always liked essential oils (clary sage really helped me get through natural childbirth), but I have no interest in being a reseller.

So, he sent the samples.

At that time, I was thisclose to launching my online store for my graphic design business. I’ve been talking about it and working on it for about a year. It was taking me forever to finish. I was my own worst enemy. I kept revising and re-revising. My head felt clouded and stressed. I was worried that once I launched, my life was going to change for the worst. I worried that I’d be so busy running that business that I wouldn’t have time for anything else. I’ve been a designer for 11 years now, so I’m kind of not that wowed by it anymore. BUT, ultimately, it’s good money, and I have a family to provide for, so I felt I needed to grow up and just do it, fulfillment be damned.

Being a pretty crazy meditator, I kept focusing on gaining clarity. Clarity, clarity clarity. Just unfog my brain so I can think clearly and ultimately run my life/career from a balanced perspective. It was coming here and there a little bit, but mostly I felt like I just couldn’t quite find what I was looking for. I didn’t even know what I was looking for, but I knew there was something in the back of my mind, waiting for me to find it. It was pretty frustrating, to be honest.

The essential oil samples arrived. I liked them. A lot. At home, alone every day, I would just sit there and breath the frankincense, non-stop. There was just something about that smell that just seemed to reach into my core and grab me. I was like an addict, it was crazy.

One morning, sitting on the floor meditating, breathing it in, I was overcome with something similar to a vision. Thoughts suddenly just filled my entire brain, it was like a voice telling me, “you don’t have to launch that graphic design website. You don’t want to, and why should you? You’ve been working as a business owner for 10 years, you know how to do it right, and you can do anything you want. You can do it on your own terms. There’s plenty of room for another successful entrepreneur in any field you choose”. It was staggering. THERE WAS MY CLARITY!!!! It was something I was so certain of, immediately, all my wishy-washiness was GONE! I became ecstatic, and honestly, a lot of that ecstasy is still running through me. It was an epiphany, and those are awesome, and should be listened to.

SO, (not to brag or anything) after working conflictedly for a year on a website that was never finished, I dove in, made skincare products (which I’ve been dabbling with and giving away to friends over the past few months), and opened my Etsy shop. It took me two weeks to design all the packaging, make all the products, and set up the website. Two weeks. I was like a girl en fuego. Now, a little over 4 weeks later, I’ve made 57 online sales, and 15 in-person sales. I’m set up to sell at several local shows/events in town here, and have 5 offers to sell in retail establishments. This is the kind of turn-around I’ve been wishing for my whole life.

All in all, after reading about the benefits of frankincense, I am convinced that all of this positive change was a result using it. I think it would have taken me at least another year of hard core reflection to even come close to the decisions that I came to in a few days. So, I don’t mind if people roll their eyes at me, because I feel like the proof is clear.

There’s my frankincense story. And to be honest, since trying out some other oils, I’ve had similar results. Patchouli gets rid of my nervous stomach. Rosemary gives me confidence and gets rid of self destructive thoughts and guilt. Grapefruit makes me feel like life’s just one big party. Seriously. It’s pretty awesome. I’ve successfully fought off several colds that went around my house, without Airborne. I could go on and on.

I did end up signing up as a reseller as well. The investment to do so is very low, compared to a lot of the multi-level marketing programs I’ve researched in the past, and the discounts you get on the oils are substantial, so at the very least, that’s enough for me. (I am in no way being paid by doTerra to write about any of this stuff, although that would be nice. Anyone want to pay me?)

So, if you’d like to learn more about frankincense, here are some interesting links.

http://doterralife.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/fabulous-frankincense-the-king-of-essential-oils/

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-frankincense-essential-oil.html

http://www.naturalhealth365.com/natural_healing/frankincense.html

If you’d be interested in checking out doTerra, which are super high quality, can safely be ingested, applied directly to skin with no adverse reactions, here’s that:

http://doterra.com

And for the science-minded: http://modernessentialoils.com/Resources/SAB_Compendium.pdf (particularly interesting is the part on page 3 about Vanderbilt University Medical Center).

And if you have any questions, or want to share a similar experience, please chime in!

xo,
Mere

Easter Cocktails, and Our TV Debut

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Yesterday marked a major milestone in the life of YinMomYangMom.com…  We were given a tremendous opportunity (by my dear, dear friend and soul-sister; thank you Jess!) to demo several cute and easy Easter ideas on Fox WTXF’s Good Day program.

So far we have one web link to share with you (while Mere was completely at ease, please try to ignore my wobbly knees!):

YinMom YangMom Easter Cocktails, on Fox Good Day

We love cocktails!  Especially the festive and seasonal kind…

Two Fabulous Cocktails for Easter Entertaining!

Mere likes to add her favorite essential oils to any and everything, and they truly do make a delicious drink!  If you are nervous about entertaining a crowd, the lavender is so soothing, while the grapefruit is super refreshing and Spring-y!  Add therapeutic-grade essential oils (available here: http://www.mydoterra.com/meresallnatural) to agave nectar for a quick and easy take on an infused simple syrup.  Using pureed peaches from a baby food pouch is another great shortcut!

Lavender Grapefruit Bellini

The Marshmallow Peep-tini was my idea, and of course, for me it’s all about the presentation…  Marshmallow vodka and white chocolate liqueur get shaken up with ice, and poured into a colored-sugar rimmed martini glass.  A peep stuck onto the end of a festive paper straw makes an adorable garnish!  If you aren’t a cocktail person, or you want to give your kids a fun drink, this same idea works perfectly with vanilla milk!

Marshmallow Peep Martini

We hope you enjoy our ideas!  And our tv appearance too!  It was truly an exhilarating experience!  We demonstrated a bunch of other fun Easter stuff too, and we’re hoping to share those links with you soon…

Great big thank you’s go out to everyone for showing us such love and support on our Facebook pages… we felt so uplifted by all the positive energy!!!

Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus by YinMomYangMom.com

Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus

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Howdy folks!  How’s about we talk about beans?  And legumes?

Yes, beans.  The musical fruit.

I love them.  I love how hearty they are, and how they have that smooth, creamy texture.  In chili, they are so comforting.  With crumbled up sausage, a drizzle of balsamic, and some crusty bread, they are so satisfying.  And in a lovely dip, with pita chips, they are so delicious you’d think you were being naughty…

Yet they are so healthy!  So full of protein, and fiber, and folate!  They are even thought to be helpful in preventing cancer!  

Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus by YinMomYangMom.com

Many types of dried beans are time consuming to cook, and require soaking first, but lentils are so quick and easy, you can whip this dip up in no time.

It’s adaptable to all sorts of flavors, but for this recipe, I chose to go in the Greek direction, with lemon, oregano, and garlic.

Just simmer the lentils in water and vegetable stock until soft.  I also added the garlic into the cooking liquid, so it could soften and mellow out.

Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus by YinMomYangMom.com

Into the food processor they go, along with a few roasted red peppers, some dried oregano, and the juice of a lemon.

Salt and pepper to taste, and a drizzle of good quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus by YinMomYangMom.com

I especially love this dip on multi-grain pita chips, but if you really wanted to be virtuous, it would be equally delish on crudites.

Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus

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Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus
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Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6-8
 

Ingredients
  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • ¾ cup water
  • ¾ cup vegetable stock
  • 3 whole cloves peeled garlic
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • about 3 roasted red peppers, seeded
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • feta crumbles (optional), for garnish
  • fresh mint (optional), for garnish

Instructions
  1. Simmer the lentils and garlic with the stock and water, until softened (about 20 minutes).
  2. Place the lentils in the bowl of a food processor, along with the olive oil, roasted red peppers, lemon juice, oregano, and salt, and process until smooth.
  3. Garnish with feta crumbles and fresh mint.
  4. Serve with multi-grain pita chips or crudites.

 

Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Hummus by YinMomYangMom.com

I could literally sit with this platter in my lap and make a meal out of it!

I’ll be linking up today on whipperberry.com!  Can I get an amen from all my blogging peeps that we’re finally getting more than two hours of decent light for our photos?!?  Holla!

 

Success is more than what we've been taught.

Thursday Randoms

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Yesterday was one of the best days of my life.  I’ve been working on my Etsy store for 2 and a half weeks, and yesterday I finished, and launched it!  I felt so amazing after I launched it, and then it got better, I made 11 sales.

I’m telling you, the feeling that comes over you when you get an unexpected email saying you’ve got MONEY, is purely a joyful one.  I love it.  Love it, love it, love it.

Then, it got better.  I had a night out, getting mani/pedi’s with a bunch of amazing working mamas, some of whom purchased some of my products on the spot.  Cash is nice.

I want to tell you a little bit about this group.  A few months ago, a fellow entrepreneurial mama-friend and I set it up, and named it the As-Yet Unnamed Self Starting Moms Networking Group, because we didn’t feel like arguing over a name.

We did this because we have businesses to promote, networking is critical, but were tired of going to stuffy networking meetings, filled with lawyers and insurance salespeople (not that there’s anything wrong with those jobs, they’re just different than what we’re into, and those were the types who were dominating the meetings, so it just wasn’t a perfect fit) who sit around and drink wine and hope something good will come of it. We wanted to do something a little different, and limited it to self-starting mothers.  My husband jokes that it’s a little sexist, and he would probably be right, but I wanted it to be a place where women could come together and talk about our deepest fears and dreams, and sometimes it can be intimidating to do that around the opposite sex.  We will have specific events that men are invited to, because we really do value their perspective and input, but mainly it’s just us girls.

The reason I’m telling you about all of this is two-fold.  I wanted to tell you that it’s completely do-able to chase a business venture without spending a ton of money,  Etsy’s just one of the ways, there’s probably a million other great ways to do it, but this one’s good for me right now. It’s making me feel very happy and fulfilled, and I highly recommend checking it out.  Also, I want to encourage you to join our networking group on Facebook, because it’s a safe place to connect with other working women and promote your business.

Lastly, I want to leave you with this little piece of graphical wisdom, because it’s something that has been a little difficult for me to grasp over the last year, because I’ve (we’ve) been conditioned to think that money=success and that’s that, but once I practiced, I did grasp it, and it’s been making me very happy, and making me feel very successful ever since.

Success is more than what we've been taught.

Chase those dreams, they’re more attainable than you may realize (I’m aware that I sound like a cheeseball, and I don’t care).

xoxo, Mere

LTB – Never Stop Trying

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For today’s episode of Let’s Talk Business, I’d like to tell you a story about epic fails!

When I was five, I was gifted with a beautiful, plastic self-inking stamp.  The image was a strawberry with a happy face, and the ink was strawberry scented.  I was pleased.  I realized that I really enjoyed the important, business-like feeling it gave me to powerfully stamp it all over a manilla folder.  Then I had an idea.

I would go door-to-door, soliciting my neighbors to purchase a hand made candy dish (which I would later figure out how to make out of cut up manilla folders and glue).  If they desired to purchase a dish, I would smartly and professionally smack a stamp on my folder, then on a little card, and give it to them as a receipt.

Every single person ordered a dish.  Thankfully, I wasn’t smart enough at the time to ask for payment, because I completely failed get around to making the dishes, therefore my only loss was maybe a little credibility, meh.

Clearly, I understand the importance of shoulder pads in business at a young age.

Clearly, I understand the importance of shoulder pads in business at an early age.

I just really enjoyed pretending to be a professional, and the thrill of a sale was all the reward I needed.  That, and some pretty sassy office supplies.  The success for me at that tender age, was the experience of the task, not the money.

Since then, I’ve had a lot of major epiphanies for new business ideas. Unfortunately, my epiphanies have not resulted in creating 50+ jobs for people, have not landed me on the cover of Forbes, and have not allowed me to finally trade-in my 96 Geo Prizm for my dream car…YET.

The businesses I’ve started (and ended) are:
- Online store selling handmade baby clothes and silk baby slings
- A service similar to SpaBoom for spa owners to sell gift cards online
- A shared workspace/child care co-op

These businesses failed, for various reasons, despite my initial passion for them.  I lost money.  I lost friends.  I lost faith in myself, and most importantly, I lost the ability to enjoy the successes that are in addition to money. In each of these failures was a common thread.  I was crippled with fear of losing money.  It consumed me, and eventually I wasn’t able to enjoy them, so I closed the doors, one by one.

What I learned, is that if I had been capable of figuring out smarter ways to keep my investments within my means, giving myself the time and patience to think things through carefully, and overall, staying like that wide eyed five year old, focused on feeling fulfilled by my trust in the process, I think things would have been different.

I had to fail in order to learn those lessons.

So, with those lessons simmering on the back burner or my mind, for 1 year I put aside any thoughts of making money in new ventures.

I allowed myself to enjoy writing for this blog, and plug away in my graphic design business, which is the only thing in my career that has withstood the test of time.

Anything else had to be purely hobby, when there was time and money.

It was liberating to be free from the pressure to make money from those wonderful, hobby-ish things, and just enjoy the process of being creative.  It’s been teaching me SO MUCH.  It allowed me to make mistakes, which eventually turned into happy accidents (ie, innovations).  Without the pressure to make things quickly and efficiently, with the expectation of making money, I was able to create things that I was extremely proud of. Things that I used on myself, and gifted to my loves ones, instead of rushing them out the door to the public in hopes to turn a profit.

Essentially, it’s teaching me to care for myself, which might just be the most important thing to be able to understand, in order to create a successful career, and life in general.  It taught me that success isn’t just money, it’s an overall picture of your life, and how comfortable and joyful you feel. Frequent, regular comfort and joy are true successes.

Now that I’m at the one-year mark of being safe, figuring out what I really love to do, without the pressure of making money at it, I’m releasing myself from these restrictions, forgiving my 5 year old self for never fulfilling those candy dish orders, harnessing that wide-eyed wonderment that I relished at that age, and THEN revisiting the money questions with a clear head, and asking friends for advice. I am now ready to gear up, and start Entrepreneurial Venture #725 – the Etsy Shop.  I’ll be keeping y’all in the loop on that project, stay tuned!

If you’re interested in exploring the notion of starting your own business (but maybe feeling a little crippled with fears related to past failures), here are some excellent books to get you going:

The E-Myth
$100 Startup
The Four Agreements
Think and Grow Rich
The Circle

But most of all, just enjoy the process and try not to psych yourself out.

I’d love to hear your experiences and lessons learned from successes and failures alike, please feel free to chime in here!

xoxo, Mere

 

Happy Valentine’s Day

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All Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes with No Artificial Coloring

Wishing all our readers a very Happy Valentine’s Day today!

Click here for All-Natural Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
Click here for Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

…and, if you haven’t already seen this brilliant idea all over Pinterest, here’s one for your Tip Jar!  Chinet Crystal Cups are a great way to keep your beautifully iced and decorated cupcakes intact during travel.  It’s a perfect fit, and placing them in a Wilton Treat Bag makes them even more portable!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with No Artificial Food Coloring

**I’ve not been compensated by any of the companies mentioned in this post and have no affiliation with these products.**

:D

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Five Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Mr. Allie has been on a serious dinner-cooking streak lately!  He’s on fire!  Every night a fabulous meal materializes before my eyes…

This chick is not complaining, I assure you.  Much as I love to cook, it’s soooo nice to have the pressure off!  And, I still get plenty of opportunities to putter in my kitchen.  The kiddies still need to eat, breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.  (Many of Mr. Allie’s meals are not-so-kid-friendly.  They are, however, extremely Mama-friendly, as evidenced by the extra few pounds I’ve packed on.)

So lately, my five-year-old has been way into soups.  (How could anyone not be, at this time of year?)  I’m so happy about this!  It’s a great way for me to sneak in lots of good nutrition.

He recently got turned on to broccoli-cheese soup by my mom.  HA-lelujah!  He’s finally opened his mind to green foods!

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is not my mom’s recipe, so hopefully he’ll still go for it.  It is super easy and comes together in minutes!  I whipped it up for him while he was at half-day kindergarten!  I’m really hoping he likes it, as it’s full of healthy veggies, protein, and calcium-rich dairy!  Three things I always struggle to get into him.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

Empty a carton of chicken (or vegetable) stock into a big pot, and dump a big bag of frozen broccoli florets into it.  Get that on a medium-high heat to simmer.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

While that is going, get a good quality cheese all shredded up.  My son (and I!) really enjoy a good, extra-sharp cheddar.

When the broccoli is nice and tender, add the milk and cream.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

Puree until you get the texture you are after.  I like mostly smooth, with a few chunks of broccoli still remaining.

Place the pot back on the stove, and add in the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring gently after each addition, until all the cheese is melted and incorporated.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

If you like a little extra protein and smokey flavor, you can make this Six-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup, by adding a few handfuls of chopped, cooked ham, or crispy bacon.

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients
  • 1 32-ounce carton chicken stock
  • 1 14-ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
  • ¾ cup lowfat milk
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • ¼ pound cooked ham or bacon, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions
  1. In a large pot, simmer the chicken stock and broccoli until tender.
  2. Add the milk and cream, and puree to desired consistency.
  3. Add the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring after each addition, until melted and incorporated.
  4. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  5. Garnish with ham or bacon, if desired.

 

Five-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup

Are you into soups lately too?  I swear I could eat soup every day at this time of year…  What’s your favorite kind?  How about your kiddos?  Has it taken them more than five years to take a bite of something green?