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: 

Photo Source

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. 

The post Day 18: Blogger Inspiration + Resources appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day! I am sure all you couples are making plans, dinner reservations and the whole lot. Mark and I work in the service industry so we dread every February 14th on our calendar. We rarely do anything for the occasion since we are both fairly sick of it post-Valentines madness but I wanted to make us a special little something to share.

Sometimes I don’t give him enough credit and I can be a real gump with him when he tries to be kind when I am in a bad mood and I just blow him off, a real dick move. I am trying to be more patient, more relaxed when things don’t go my way and appreciate him for all the very sweet, wonderful, and loving things he does for me. He gave me the extra shove I needed to get up the courage to make this site and stick with it despite many failed recipes. When recipes don’t go as planned, we have a little dance party in the kitchen to some good/bad music (favourites include Shake It Off and Miami which he knows all the words to both) just to keep in check that I don’t take myself too seriously. This recipe had a downfall before it was published.

Now Mark “says” he doesn’t love chocolate but once I made Chocolate Chip Brownies from Kristy Turner’s “But I Could Never Go Vegan!” Cookbook he was ringing a very different tune. I wanted to adapt her recipe for this Valentine’s Day post and make it gluten-free. My first batch tasted great: rich, chocolately and with dots of nutty pecans but I couldn’t get them to stand up on their own; the batter was way too soft. Mark and I ate them straight from the baking pan so I knew I had the flavour bang-on. The chocolate was still melted in the middle and the batter was still a little undercooked. This recipe loosely reminds me of a Molten Chocolate Lava Cake from chain restaurants but vegan, gluten-free and not pre-baked then microwaved. I halved the adapted recipe and baked the batter in these gorgeous ramekins I got for Christmas. Chocolate heaven came out of the oven. Though these brownies did not turn out as those fudgey squares I had expected, you just got to make it work and go with it.

For this chocolate sauce, I used Fork and Beans Raw Chocolate Sauce and I topped this dessert with Coconut Bliss Salted Caramel and Chocolate Ice Cream, which are both gluten-free.

There is still time to enter my giveaway for a copy of Kristy Turner’s But I Could Never Go Vegan! 125 Recipes, Zero Excuses. Current fav recipe: BBQ Cauliflower Salad with Zesty Ranch Dressing. An awesome gift for your Valentine?? xoxo

The post Chocolate Lovers’ Brownie Cups { Vegan & Gluten Free} appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.