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.

Does anyone actually follow the serving suggestion on a tub of hummus? Two tablespoons is the serving size on most purchased hummus. Like on one pita chip right? If you follow this serving suggestion then you have a greater will power than I do but I am just a mere mortal who loves her hummus. If I feel I have been indulging a little bit more than usual or eating a lot of takeout, hummus is one of those things that help me get back into the groove of healthful eating. I know I have food in the fridge if there is hummus and I have been known to really bunker down and eat my fill of it. Can you overdose on hummus? To me, the limit does not exist. (Still love Mean Girls)

Since starting school again I have noticed my hunger levels have gone up but my brain needs to be alert, focused and fuelled with good unrefined foods. Nothing is worse than a caffeine/sugar crash mid-test or exam so it is better to get your brainpower from whole food rather than stimulates like caffeine. Traditional store bought hummus is pretty good but uses a lot of canola oil (generally the second or third ingredient on the list) so it isn’t the best kind of fat you can eat. Store bought works in a pinch if time is not on your side and you need a snack ASAP!! I call these moments Snack-Attacks when I come home from work or school and literally tear apart the fridge on a mission to find the fastest snack I can shove in face. The hunger is animal-like and nothing can stand in my way.

Cooked dried beans make the best hummus. I don’t say this lightly but it is well worth the effort to soak and cook the beans for hummus. Cooked beans take the hummus to a freshness level that canned beans simply cannot and are way less expensive, even organic beans. I buy mine in bulk to make them even less costly and store them in large mason jars on my pantry.

Za’atar is a new spice in my pantry and I find myself eating more hummus because of it. This Middle Eastern blend consists of dried thyme, sumac, toasted sesame seeds and sea salt, making it a perfect pairing for hummus. Mark and I sprinkle it onto warm naan or pita bread drizzled with olive oil. A friend of mine who was raised in the Middle East says that at the Starbucks there they serve za’atar on warm buttered croissants. Sprinkle this spice on any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern dish that you fancy but also on roasted vegetables, hot rice with a squirt of lemon juice and with this hummus.

The post Lemony Za’atar Hummus appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Halfway there! It is kind of crazy how time flies by when you are having fun or when you are stressed out about deadlines for posts but for this first time MoFo’er it has been such a great experience. I am not sick of my kitchen just yet so it is full steam ahead in the second part of this month.

This recipe is inspired by my mother and her love for old black-and-white movies. When my sister and I were growing up, we did not have cable, just the old rabbit ears with tinfoil balls on their ends so we did not watch a lot of TV. My mother only enjoyed a select few cartoons like Animaniacs or Bugs Bunny (which I know them now to be incredibly violent!) so needless to say we did not watch a lot of kid-shows either. During my teen years when all my friends were obsessed with Dawson’s Creek, Friends and Passions (yes the soap opera) however my mother had no patience for 90’s teen TV characters complaining about how everything was just so tragic. “I will show you real tragedy,” she would say as you popped in a VHS tape. So I spent most Friday nights watching Gregory Peck in the Maycomb courtroom defending a wrongly accused man while Jem and Scout watched from the balcony, Audrey Hepburn in her trench coat, soaked and looking for Cat in the rain and of course Humphrey Bogart saying goodbye to his true love all for the greater good but meeting a friend along the way.

How I love Ilsa Lund’s (Ingrid Bergman) jewelry sparkling softly in the low lighting, the way she sipped champagne so elegantly, her large brimmed hats and her amazing capability to keep a white suit stain-free and glowing.

Rick’s Café Américain is what I thought every nightclub was like: large bandstand with talented musicians in white dinner jackets, a piano player playing beautiful love songs, fancy hats and gambling underground until I actually went to one and upon arrival some pimple-faced kid barfed near me, spattering it across my shoes. That place was no Rick’s.

Casablanca is still my favourite old movie as well my mothers. I imagine Morocco’s air to be full of warm spices, gin joints to get a stiff drink and having a grand but tragic romance with my true love. But in the meantime, I will just enjoy these Moroccan Spiced recipes with a drink in hand.

 10 recipes down, 10 more to go! Woot!

The post Moroccan Spiced Chickpeas: 3 Ways {Vegan & Gluten-Free} appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.