Day 18: Honor a human or non-human that inspires your veganism.
There is no one particular person that inspires my plant based life but it is the community of bloggers. I look to their sites not only for food but for motivation, inspiration, and guidance. Without these things I learn from other bloggers, I wouldn’t have started my own site. If you wanted to start your own site or have started one, I highly suggest looking at these sites. They speak blog fluently and they make some pretty food too.
I thought the food would be the most difficult part of starting a website, however, I was wrong. Creating great content is my #1 priority but how do I get that content out there? Thankfully, that is where these bloggers come to save the day!
Without….
Pickles and Honey’s eBook on SEO, I wouldn’t even know what those initials stood for or how important it is to get your photos and content out there. A long but highly recommended read. Amanda from Pickles and Honey is a former SEO Manager so take her word for it and it is worth the $29.
Minimalist Baker’s Foodie Pro Genesis Child Theme Master Set Up, my site wouldn’t look this good! I love my redesign and it is thanks to John. They do receive a commission from Genesis when you purchase this WordPress Theme through their site however it does not increase the cost to you and consider the commission your way of saying thanks for making the BEST videos on how to set it up. With John’s guidance, I was able to set up the redesign in an afternoon and he covers everything from the recipe index to that little icon on the URL bar. The rest of their Blogger Resources made me feel empowered and confident, like “I could really do this!” Also if you ever want to publish your own eBook, I used their course on how to do that as well. Again, soo worth it if you are as tech-illiterate as I am.
Eat Your Beets’ eBook, Eat Pretty Things, my photography would not have evolved into what it is today. Trisha taught me how to fully utilize a program I was already using, Adobe Lightroom (a must in my books!), and how to transform my photos from plain Janes to capturing a story through photography. Plus when you subscribe to her site, you get some real-deal, no nonsense emails about the power of Instagram and how to back up your website (something I didn’t know existed!).
Pinch of Yum also have a great list of blogger resources that you can start using to grow your site or how to start your own. Plus at the bottom of the page for starting your own blog, they have a great (and free!) eBook on 10 Mistakes that Bloggers Make and How to Fix Them. It is always kind of nice to see that even the best of the best made all the crazy mistakes I did (and still do sometimes).
Love and Olive Oil’s tutorial on how to make a distressed backdrop, my photos would look rustic or polished. I was using white paper from the Dollar Store (a fine choice, don’t get my wrong) but I wanted to make it look a little more fancy.
I hope that these resources help you in your journey. No blogger listed above has compensated me for this post. These are all tools I have used personally to create and evolve my site.
Now for the food, my favourite part.
I wanted to share some photos of the recipes I have made from other sites since they are a source of inspiration to me. Most of these can be found on my Instagram, my favourite social media outlet.
Minimalist Baker’s 30 Minute Cheesy Kale Chips
Minimalist Baker’s Roasted Jalapeño Hummus with roasted sweet potatoes, tomatoes, hemp hearts, and cilantro leaves on a bed of green with lime + olive oil dressing.
The Big Kahuna Burger, which Laura from The First Mess allowed me to adapt from her “veggie burger of my dreams” post.
Salted Coconut Caramel Brownies from The First Mess. I made this recipe recently and oh.em.gee they are chocolately, gooey, perfectly salted, and gluten free. Mark, who “claims” not to love chocolate, ate these with no hesitation. The photo is mine but to find the recipe, click on the link above.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by blogging, it is ok. Every blogger does. I had the misconception that blogging would be this nice little hobby that did not take so much of my time but in reality, I spend a lot of time at my desk and in my kitchen but it is all worth it. By making my blog, I was able to find my passion, something I thought did not exist for a while. If you are unsure or feeling that all of this is too much, just take it one step at a time. I will leave you with this positive message:
18 posts down, 12 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 19: Lunch on the Go. Missed Day 17? Check it out here.
Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Made a recipe from this post? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media.
