What’s Coming in 2023

Like most people, I get all buzzy with excitement at the start of a new year thinking about goals and plans. It’s always such a great chance to reflect on what’s going well, where I want to improve and how I can think outside the box to stay inspired and motivated to do this work I love so much.

I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want my business to go this year and how I want to scale and evolve so I thought I would share my thoughts here in the spirit of transparency (and to hold myself accountable of course).

My Most Important Priority

If you didn’t already know, I have baby #2 coming very soon so a lot of this month will be spent getting last minute things in order, resting, and making days with my 2-year old special and fun. I know adjusting to life with two kids won’t be easy and I really want to give myself grace through this challenging and short season. Most of all I want to actually help myself to enjoy it.

The first time around I felt out of control and unsure of how to change that. This time I want to do a better job of setting myself up for success, asking for support when it makes sense and pivoting when things aren’t going as planned. I think it will be easier to do now that I’ve been through it once before. Tell me this will be easier?!

To the other mamas out there, I’ll happily accept good vibes in the comments.

Blog Recipes, Writing & More

In January I plan to publish 2-3 new dinner recipes that I’ve been brainstorming, and I would love to stick to this schedule for the foreseeable future. Having just wrapped a project with Pinterest that involved short-form video, I haven’t been writing blog posts and using my camera for the last few months and I miss it!

I’m planning to post more weekday-friendly dinner recipes in general in 2023. I know this is a huge need for most people (including me) and while this type of recipe takes longer to test and photograph, I know it’s also the most helpful so stay tuned for that.

In 2022 I got really zoned in on writing recipes for Google and other search engines. For those of you who aren’t in the food blogger “bubble” this means targeting specific key words that people are already searching as a way to increase page views.

For example roasted potatoes and broccoli is something people often type into Google; rainbow quinoa salad jars with peanut miso dressing is not (but damn that recipe is good, and you should definitely make it ASAP).

I know it’s a smart business move to do keyword research, but it also means less interesting content in my opinion and personally leaves me feeling a bit uninspired at times. I want to get back to posting food I can’t wait to share with the world so moving forward I’ll be mixing in a little bit of both.

On a similar note, I want to start injecting some more of my personality into my writing again because it really helps me connect with you, which is why I started this whole thing in the first place. Yes I’ll still try to include information that’s as helpful as possible. But personally, my favorite blogs are the ones where I actually get a sense of who the author is.

This might mean more personal anecdotes in my recipe posts, or the occasional non-recipe post too. What that will look like, I’m not totally sure. Maybe it will be a monthly “meals I’m eating right now” style roundup, a travel food recap (I used to love doing these) or a kitchen tool review. I’m open to feedback on what you want to see!

My #1 Frenemy: Social Media

And hello, I can’t not talk about this one. I just wrapped up another social media hiatus to close out the year and had the same conclusion as always: I need to find a way to be more intentional with how and why I use it. Every time I “leave” and come back, I’m so optimistic that I’ll be more strategic and effective moving forward. A month later my old habits come back and I’m watching a hundred stories from a fashion influencer doing a try-on wondering, where did that half hour go?

I’m someone who finds creating content to be so fun and creative. Like I really love it. I like chatting with friends and readers in my DMs and I do find it inspiring to see what others are doing (and the music! ah!). But having such a limited amount of time for work always leaves me feeling like this is just not a good use of it. I think it would help if I came up with a more structured posting schedule and planned ahead a little bit better so that’s my goal for now. I also want to get back to sharing more of what I’m making/eating in stories because I always get so much interest when I do. What else do you love to see on social?

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To wrap up, clearly I still have some planning to do.

But I know that businesses evolve and I’m no exception to that. This blog is such a reflection me and hopefully you can relate to some of my challenges. I so appreciate you being here to read what I write, recreate my recipes in your kitchens and leave me feedback on my work. All the best to you and your family in this new year! 🎉