callieblount – Page 2

EASY Blender BBQ Sauce

Loves!! It’s time for some easy, homemade, vegan, healthy blender BBQ sauce!

This week’s recipe is brought to you by one of my dear friends who is also a FANTASTIC nutritionist. Suzanne Pirkle is a gifted female- and you know how I feel about supporting the amazing creative women we have in this world- and she has BLESSED us with a month full of healthy, fun recipes to feed you and your family! So make sure you check out her site for more info!

Starting with this fantastic barbecue sauce. Oh, and you don’t EVEN have to turn on a stove to make it. YOU MAKE IT IN A BLENDER. It’s as simple as pouring your ingredients and blending. Brilliant! Plus, you may already have all of these things on hand! (Especially if you are like me and find that you can put applesauce in pretty much anything to make it taste great).

Why, might you ask, would I make this homemade? One- it tastes amazing. But two- a lot of the barbecue sauces you find in the store have sugar or high fructose corn syrup listed as one of the first ingredients (some even, according to Suzanne, have modified food starch). So this way you can make your own, it’s super simple, and it has all the good stuff in it!

Also- you guys- have you subscribed to the Luv Cooks YouTube channel yet? If you haven’t, you TOTALLY should, so you can stay up to date on all of these fantastic barbecue recipes as they are released! This month we will have a TWO ingredient slow cooker BBQ chicken, plus FIVE different ways you can eat that chicken in a week! So get ready, ’cause it’s going to be a barbecue party around these parts!

EASY Blender Barbecue Sauce (brought to you by Suzanne Pirkle!)

What You Will Need:

1 cup filtered water
6 ounces tomato paste
1/2 cup organic applesauce
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil

What You Will Do:

Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend until completely combined. Store in a glass jar in the fridge until ready to heat up and eat!

FAST Sprouted Whole Wheat Tortilla Veggie Pizzas

Y’all- can you BELIEVE it’s almost AUGUST? As in- school is starting in Tennessee, in one week.

So, this month on the blog is all about back-to-school friendly recipes that will be simple, tasty and time-efficient for YOU and for your fam. We are starting things off with sprouted tortilla veggie pizzas, only FIVE INGREDIENTS (or more, depending on what toppings you like!!) needed. Plus, these come together in about 20 minutes total!

So preheat your oven and let’s get ready to make a healthy, whole grain, veggie-tastic, kid-friendly pizza!

FAST Sprouted Whole Wheat Tortilla Veggie Pizza

Store-bought whole wheat sprouted tortillas make a perfect vehicle for your favorite cheese, sauce and veggies. Just top and bake for 10-15 minutes, voila!

What You Will Need:

2 sprouted whole wheat tortillas (I like this brand)
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 tablespoons organic pizza sauce (2 TBL per pizza)
2/3 cup shredded cheese (I like raw, grass-fed cheddar)
Sliced sweet peppers
Fresh basil, for topping

What You Will Do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place tortillas on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Smooth 2 tablespoons pizza sauce on each tortilla, leaving about 1/4 inch of “crust” on your tortilla.
Top each pizza with 1/3 cup cheese; add sliced peppers.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges of your tortillas are nice and golden brown!
Once the pizzas are out of the oven, let cool for a few minutes and serve whole or slice into quarters. Top with fresh basil and enjoy!

The Tastiest Coconut Oil Popcorn

POPCORNN!!!!!

I loooovveee popcorn and have since I was a kid. In fact, in our family we were so strict with our popcorn standards that my dad actually made the popcorn at home for movies we saw in the theater because he didn’t think it was salty (or delicious) enough.

Yes, that’s the popcorn lineage I come from. So when I say this is the simplest, tastiest coconut oil popcorn you can make for snacking- with THREE ingredients- you can trust me!

Happy snacking my luvs!

Easy Coconut Oil Popcorn

What You Will Need:

3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup organic yellow popcorn
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (plus more to taste)

What You Will Do:

Heat the coconut oil, popcorn and salt on medium heat in a large Dutch oven or nonstick pot until the coconut oil dissolves and the kernels begin to pop.
Once they start popping, put the lid on the pot.
Here’s the fun part- SHAKE IT!! Shake the pot occasionally until the kernels are only a few seconds between pops.
Once that happens, pour your popcorn into serving bowls and ENJOY! Season with additional salt, chili powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast- whatever your heart desires!

Gluten Free Tropical Coconut Whip Ice Cream Sandwiches

Aloha my Luv Cooks lovelies!

I don’t know where you are in your summer vacation status, but for Jake and I it looks a lot like sticking our heads in the freezer to cool off and/or daydreaming about visiting a tropical destination.

This week’s recipe is for YOU if you are short on time but want to create an easy, gluten and dairy free version of one of my favorite summertime treats, gluten tree tropical coconut whip ICE CREAM SANDWICHES! So grab your kids and your fam and eat your way to the tropics!

Gluten Free Coconut Cream Ice Cream Sandwiches

What You Will Need

8 almond flour snickerdoodle cookies (Simple Mills brand is my favorite!)

1/2 cup So Delicious Coco Whip

1/4 cup diced dried pineapple

1/4 cup diced dried mango

1/4 cup dried cranberries (or whatever pink or red-hued dried fruit you like!)

What You Will Do

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together all of the dried fruit in a separate bowl.
Schmear an almond flour cookie with about 2 tablespoons Coco Whip; top with a second cookie and push filling out a bit on the sides.
Roll side of cookies in the dried fruit; place on parchment-lined sheet.
Repeat with all cookies! Freeze for at least 30 minutes to set the “ice cream.” Enjoy!

https://amzn.to/2udJukY

EASY Keto Dark Chocolate Milk with Ashwagandha

Loves!!

I come to you with the perfect chocolate milk recipe for summer. It’s keto, Paleo, vegan, dairy-free AND gluten-free! Plus, it’s KID FRIENDLY if you sub whole milk for the nut milk and extra cinnamon for the Ashwagandha.

All the popular titles could probably really fit in here, but the bottom line is it is super simple, and you can put the milk back in the freezer to enjoy a chocolate slushy dessert later!!

ENJOYYYYYY that frothy goodness!!

EASY Whole 30 Coconut Kale!

Ok, so confession- the Whole30 kicked my butt and I will likely NEVER do it again.

However, one ahhmazing thing did come out of this uuuuber disciplined way of eating was the recipe for the tastiest, easiest kale of your life. This recipe, recommended to me by my beautiful friend and makeup artist Kerri Bunn, for coconut kale is out-of-this-world.

It’s creamy, a tad salty and can handle most spices you decide to throw at it. Ohh and it takes FOUR key ingredients. Literally- FOUR.

Happy weekend my loves- eat some kale for me!

Chocolate Reishi Nut Butter Balls

My lovelies!!

It’s time!! I could not be more excited to share with you this week’s video- and recipe. It’s been months of brainstorming, pairing down and getting to what I feel is the best next chapter for Luv Cooks, and how I can bless YOU. You guys are the reason I write, I post, I create- and here’s the DEBUT video of what I am soo excited for us to walk into in this new summer season!

I’ve decided to move my content on YouTube to EASY and family-friendly recipes. Recipes that are healthy, quick, don’t require a ton of ingredients and will more than likely make everyone you are feeding very happy.

Also- this is my favorite brand of reishi powder and raw cacao powder if you are interested!

Let me know what you think- I can’t wait to hear your input!

Four Ways to Feel Better Without Spending a Dime

Croissants always make life rosy! — Coffee + croissant = think time

LOVES!! How are you?

To be honest, I’m feeling more excited about my work life than I have in a long time. You know that feeling, when you get to do the thing that makes you come alive? As in, you would do it probably even if you didn’t get paid? This is the season I feel like I am stepping into.

And a HUGE part of this is because of the Resilient Entrepreneur e-course Sarah and I are launching in ONE WEEK, May 3!! Ahhhh! Y’all, we are doing it! And FYI, t he early bird $35 rate ENDS SATURDAY, so sign up today!

But, if you wait until after Saturday and pay the $75, you do get a surprise goody in the mail with your registration. So there’s that!

But back to today. The thought life part of our e-course is (between us) my favorite section. Before I did the research and study for our mindset teaching, and living with what felt like chronic anxiety and fear about my job, I just assumed stress was normal. Ending every day feeling like your head had been put through the ringer was par for the course of entrepreneurship. Overwhelm was something you just had to get through. I believed if I worried enough, somehow the effort was going to catapult me into another financial stratosphere.

Bigbsy and I on what I call a “walk and pray” to clear my head

Wow, how wrong I was!

What I learned, PRAISE the LORD, is that pressure, overwhelm, anxiety- is a lie. We are not (literally, physically are bodies are not designed) for chronic stress. We are made to live in health! To feel good, do good, have faith, think the best possible outcomes about the future. Worry does NOT pay the bills- but positivity can.

And that’s what Sarah and I talked about last night- 4 Ways to Feel Better Without Spending a Dime. Here are our notes!

Baking is a huge stress reliever and mindset reframe for me!

Drop worry today! As in, THIS very MOMENT!

YOU control how you feel. You are not powerless!
Worry does not pay the bills. Worrying “enough” (aka the American mindset) does not earn you anything but stress and negative health outcomes!
Worry is nearly always negative speculation and self-sabatoage.
Worry takes energy away from doing the positive things you are made to do!
Identify if it’s a worry thought. Ask yourself questions like: is this within my control? Is there anything I can practically do to resolve this?

Declutter Your Space.

Overwhelm and worry can make us feel paralyzed. Check yourself before you wreck yourself and do something active instead!
It’s amazing how when your office or desk is clean, you feel your brain relax and recharge.
Clean your space every Friday, or take a 20 minute break and organize your desk.

Reframe how you think about the crappy things that happened to you.

Make a list of five things that frustrate you. Do a deep dive and journal to reframe those things!
Reverse the perspective- Why are you better, stronger, or smarter? How have these things benefited you?
Life is seasonal! As cheesy as it sounds, the sun always shines after it rains. Trust that things are working out for you.
Remind yourself that this is a work in progress but YOU have the choice on how you communicate your circumstances. Use words to add hope and life to your situation.
Choose gratitude when crappy feelings come up and you will feel empowered instead of victimized.

Lemon-Smoothie-Bowl-006 — Bonus points for taking time to treat yourself!

Stair step, don’t leap!

Appreciate emotional stepping stones as progress! Leaping isn’t genuine.
Ask yourself: what could I do to feel just a little bit better? This question is more empowering and “doable” than trying to make a dramatic shift and feeling like you can’t.

Ok guys. YOU inspire me! I hope you have the most peace and gratitude-filled weekend. Go on a walk and eat a slice of cake! Annnnddd let me know if any of these strategies help in the comments below!

Four Ways to Reclaim Your Impact!

IMPACT.

That word rings loudly in my head these days! For someone quickly rounding the corner to 33 and with five years under my belt as an entrepreneur, I’ve done a lot of thinking about this.

Like- what exactly do I want my impact to be? What do I truly care about, at my core? What makes me uniquely me?

And the same goes for you. What are your values? What’s important to you? What impact do you want to have?

APC_1225 — These are the people (and Bigbsy) that I want to impact and live life with!

Because I know, my dear Luv Cooks readers, that besides our collective love of food, there are lots of other loves in our lives too. For me, I’m realizing more everyday what I want the impact of my entrepreneurial life to be. I want people to feel loved, encouraged- like they experienced a bit more JOY in their day than they otherwise would have through encountering either myself, my videos or my recipes.

I also realize that there are LOTS of things that vie for our attention. I mean- the emails, the family events, social obligations, community or work shin digs, chores, texts, facebook messages- you get it.

But here’s the thing that Sarah and I talked about last night on our Instagram live teaching: you don’t HAVE TO allow these other things- the things you don’t really care about, I mean deeply, at your core- to ruin the impact you want to have in your life. That’s right, I said “allow those things.” We actually have a choice- to choose to pursue the things we are uniquely gifted at, to build the dreams only we can accomplish- or, we don’t. We choose other things instead. And the missing key for us to BUILD THE IMPACT that we want? One word: boundaries.

APC_1164 — I’m learning to say NO to distractions so I can say YES to quality time with my hubs!

Boundaries are a game-changer.

Boundaries define us. Literally- they allow us to communicate to the world where we end and others begin. They teach us to take responsibility for our decisions because WE (not other people) are the ones who have to deal with the consequences. They give us freedom to decide to do the things that make us happy and others’ lives better (it’s soo good y’all, what we are going to teach about boundaries in our course!!)

So, to help us ALL develop that boundary-setting skill a bit more (because it’s VITAL to our impact) Sarah and I came up with a list of the TOP 4 WAYS to RECLAIM your impact for GOOD!

KNOW YOUR VALUES

What’s important to you?
What annoys you? You VALUE the opposite of this!

KNOW YOUR GOALS

What do you want to accomplish this year?
What feels exciting to complete?

KNOW YOUR LIMITS

How to spot when a boundary is crossed?
Check your “emotional check engine light”- You may feel disappointed, insecure, exhausted, angry, unhappy

SET BOUNDARIES

Make a conscious rule to protect your values and goals
Start slow with small “no’s” (i.e. if a restaurant gets your order or coffee wrong, send it back)
This teaches us NOT to ultimately care what people think
These decisions build self-worth and confidence, which leads to impact!

______________________________________________________________________

Take Action Challenge:

Look at your list of goals, and pick one. Actively set a boundary around that. What will you say no to and yes to, to ensure it will happen?

*Take a goal, then turn it into a rule. Add it to your schedule!

Also, don’t miss, FOR FREE, this Reclaim Your Impact boundary-setting worksheet! We included it in our teaching last night and it is CLUTCH for making those boundary commitments LAST!

APC_0829 — Bigbsy’s future is so bright he needs shades

Also, we will both be going into much more detail on boundaries and impact during our 3-week Resilient Entrepreneur course! You can register and check out more info on the ways we are going to teach you to be an overcomer here. Happy weekend my loves!!

Top 4 Energy Drains & How To Solve Them!

Vietnamese Noodle Salad — My self-care for the week: this Vietnamese salad from The Kitchn

You guys! How are you this week? In particular- how is your energy?

To be honest- since the beginning of the year, mine has been lagging. For those of you who follow the blog, you know how much I LOVE to encourage people. In fact- it’s why I started this blog, to share the love and passion I have for food. And really that love is a love for people, to make them happy and excited about life through the things THEY can make.

But to be real, I haven’t been able to do much of that this year. I felt like my impact was getting buried in the day-to-day tasks of running a food styling/photography/recipe development business. So, my friend Sarah Deshaw and I started talking- why were we both feeling drained? Like we were out of sync, a bit burnt out and distracted? Why did I feel like I wasn’t making the financial and spiritual impact that I wanted to create?

And then, a light bulb moment. If we were feeling this way, surely other people were too. I mean, how many of us have gotten to the end of the week (or weeks, or months) and wondered what we actually accomplished? I mean, crossing of to-do lists are great, but did those things make us feel like we were coming alive? Is our life now better than it was a month ago?

We decided to do something about it, and have now spent months developing a course called The Resilient Entrepreneur. This course has been life-changing for me as a businessperson. It has become Sarah and I’s way to help us all to THRIVE despite what our businesses look like today- to actually love our lives as entrepreneurs again, to make impact on the things that matter to us, to feel better than we ever have.

Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll be sharing more details, but for now, I’d LOVE to for you to check out an Instagram Live teaching Sarah and I did last night on the Top 4 Energy Drains for Entreprenuers and How to Solve Them. This teaching is ahhhmazing, and hints and some of the content our course will center around. You can find it HERE on her story, and also download NOTES from the teaching HERE . AND because you made it all the way to the end of this post- a link to our EARLY BIRD sign up rate for the course, $35. I promise it will be worth every single penny (and I know how precious your pennies are, because mine are too!)

Alright my loves- enjoy this fantastic content, and I pray that this weekend, you get to REST. That you take a full 24 hours to simply enjoy your life and do NO work. Because you are fabulous and I want to see you succeed for the long haul.

Happy Friday!