A Wild Calendar Week - LFN#034
Easy recipes + Carving out time in busy schedules, About Anonymous Recipe Star Ratings, and A Favor to Ask ... (Right here, keep scrolling 👇)
Welcome to this week’s installment of Living Fully Nourished, where I’m sharing two new, easy, quick recipes you won’t want to miss! I’m back from an unplanned Spring (email) break. I’ll also be letting you in on an across-the-board update about anonymous recipe star ratings, which is improving everyone’s integrity in ratings, comments, and reviews. And along those lines, I have a small favor to ask. So, let’s get to it!
A wild calendar week, easy recipes, and carving out time in busy schedules
Last week was one of those wild Spring calendar weeks when it felt like my regular schedule barely got started when it came to a whirlwind close, all in the same breath. So, I was glad I had some leftovers to make the best vintage meatloaf sandwich, which is also one of the newest recipes on the website.
As with many of my recipes, when writing them up, my mind revisits the different ways I’ve made and served whatever I’m writing about. This time, it took me down memory lane with condiments like our favorite dipping sauce, a copycat Chic-fil-A Sauce (my other new recipe on the website), and even bottled horseradish with ketchup, which gave it kind of a cocktail sauce-type vibe that (really) didn’t do it for me.
An unplanned Spring (email) break
Then, I overwhelmed myself wanting to post yet another new recipe that I’ve been working on for gluten-free homemade Texas Toast that I love using for meatloaf sandwiches, and that’s when I decided it was time for a Spring break (of a sort) to do something else that’s fun outside of the kitchen.
It’s not that I don’t love the excitement of springtime weeks filled with things to do from sun up to sun down. These days, my full daily schedule includes everything from tidying up outside after the winter months to planning flower and vegetable gardens. I love all my projects, but sometimes they can seem like they heap up, piling on more than I’m ready to commit to after the more dormant winter months.
Do you have this problem too?
For whatever reason, this Spring, I must admit that a slower and steadier percolator drip of activities lining up my week is more my style these days. 🤪
Then it dawned on me: I’ve been (almost unconsciously) tweaking my hours, arranging and blocking my daily schedule to allow for more free time—deliberate slower times to enjoy the other things I’ve worked hard for, like doing projects in my sewing and art studio, which I recently facelifted.
And that’s not a bad thing.
Taking the time to break occasionally and engage in calming activities like reading my Bible, yoga, meditation, sewing, hobbies, and journaling helps me feel more centered and connected.
Resisting the urge to focus on a to-do list or endlessly scroll through social media accounts can be challenging. I know. However, when you consciously pause and immerse yourself in slower-paced living, I find that you can experience more peace and calm.
“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” ― Deepak Chopra
It’s so easy to get caught up in our busy schedules and endless to-do lists, neglecting our own mental and emotional well-being.
Slowing down allows us to recharge, refocus, and realign with ourselves. It enables us to experience fully and appreciate the world around us- being grateful and present for the people and places that make us whole.
So, if you missed my email last week, now you know that I was only briefly lured away by an unplanned Spring (email) break, that’s all. In the future, I may take some short breaks even more now that the weather is warmer outside and summer nears.
After all, I’m still trying to find that workable life balance between everything I love to do.
About Anonymous Recipe Star Ratings
First, a huge thank you to everyone who has left recipe star ratings over on the main site for the recipes you’ve tried. Without your help, those recipes wouldn’t rank as high in Google and other search engines, resulting in more people discovering my recipes. So, it’s super helpful for others (and me) when you take the time to leave comments and rate them.
Recipe Star Rating Changes
With these recipes’ star ratings in mind, I also wanted to let you know that Google no longer considers anonymous ratings trustworthy. That is why, as of recent updates now in place, when you click to leave a recipe star rating, because of those changes, all ratings now require a comment, name, and email alongside any rating.
About what you can do:
Of course, you can use a nickname instead of your real name when you leave your rating, and the email address you provide WILL NOT be published for anyone else to see. However, since comments now accompany ratings, anyone can see who gave the rating and what they “really” thought.
Full transparency:
As in the past, as the website owner, I can reply and clarify things where needed. Because of this transparency, the recipe rating is no longer just a number that looks like [somebody] could have grabbed it out of thin air.
So, while I might get fewer votes now, the ones I do get will provide you (my readers and recipe makers) with actual feedback, and you’ll know there is a “real” person on the other end providing it.
Since most recipe websites commonly use recipe plugins (software for posting recipes), they have also taken this actionable step. This new requirement will be the same for most food blogs you may come across, leveling the playing field and improving everyone’s integrity in recipe ratings.
I’ve Got a Favor to Ask:
Therefore, while I’ve always loved getting a rating, a review or comment about my recipes would be even better! If you’re a fan and you like a recipe, please consider leaving a comment on any of the recipes you try (or might want to try in the future) to help me out. I truly appreciate your thoughtful comments and feedback.
-Kymberley
💭Before we go
Asparagus, chives, and fresh rhubarb are popping up in the garden with the full vim and vigor of springtime excitement. As the green grass begins to grow tall, garden seeds start sprouting, and the outdoors around Lac du Nibiinaabe bursts fully into bloom-Now more than ever, it feels good to take a deep breath of deliberate time carved out to sit back and enjoy a Springtime moment with some mellow music and a cup of tea.
I hope you can find time for a Spring break as well. If only for an hour or two.
🌱🪻Feel free to reply to this email with any additional questions! Or you can always comment below. 🌞🤌🏻😌🙏
Have a wonderful weekend ahead. ‘Till next time…
XOXO,
Coach | Cook | Creator | Publisher of GfreeDeliciously.com.
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