Learn from yesterday, live for today…My Blog Celebrates One Year on April 12th!

By Jodee Weiland

One year ago on April 12th, 2013, I decided to make it official and took my blog, Learn from yesterday, live for today…, to the next level. I had actually been blogging for about a year before that on my previous site, but mostly only for family and friends. The goal was to share my recipes, travels, and thoughts with my targeted readers. Very few people outside of my immediate inner circle ever visited that site. There were a few visitors, who happened upon my site, but not nearly as many as there are today. I really did very little to promote my blog before that time, and any traffic other than family and friends was coming from search engines.

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That all changed when I finally admitted to myself that I actually had something to share with other people, outside of my family and friends, that might be of value to them. And so it began…I took everything off the old site, and began reviewing and rewriting it all one piece at a time…eliminating any pieces I felt weren’t good enough. From there, I went forward with my plans and began writing new ones. I started researching and learning about what I would need to do to make my blog more professional. I even began looking into how to create a blog environment for my readers that would be more user-friendly and make it easier for them to navigate my blog. But it didn’t stop there because I continue to do all of this and more every day!

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I just attended my first conference for bloggers this past weekend in St. Louis, Missouri, the Bloggy Boot Camp with The SITS Girls. This wonderful group of young women not only taught all of us some great things about blogging, but were inspiring and left everyone in attendance motivated to do more! Mirassou Winery gave a lovely reception for all of us at the end of the day and gave us an opportunity to connect with them as a possible sponsor. All of this was a wonderful experience and opportunity to learn more about the blogging process, while being able to connect with other bloggers. The bloggers who attended would become an invaluable source of support and information as well, but most importantly, they would become new friends!

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Improving my blog, Learn from yesterday, live for today…, doesn’t stop there though, because I am also taking various online courses to improve different aspects of my blog, such as photography and artisan bread making. While attending the conference, I purchased the book, Social Media Engagement for Dummies to help improve my skills in that area of blogging. I want my readers to love coming to my blog to visit and to know how important each and every one of them is to me, so I want to make it the best I can in every way! How will I do this? As I approach the one year anniversary of my blog on April 12th of this year, I will be celebrating, while I continue working hard to make it even better in the coming year ahead! So what do you think? Is this a blog you want to come back to often?  If not, what can I do to make it more appealing to you? Hopefully, all of you will continue to come back and share your thoughts with me as I move forward with my blog, and always remember to enjoy!

 

Awesome Green Smoothie with Spinach, Asparagus, and Fruit

By Jodee Weiland

Having a lot of extra baby spinach, asparagus, and fruit in the house is always great, unless you’re about to go away for an extended weekend trip for several days! That’s when I start making more green smoothies for my husband and me, and in this case, An Awesome Green Smoothie with Spinach, Asparagus, and Fruit.

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I knew that I would be gone for the weekend, so there was no problem anticipated with being gone for that short time. It was when I decided to extend that weekend to visit with family that I decided I needed to use up the fresh fruit and vegetables I had just purchased. Of course, I cleaned and froze some of them whole and used others in recipes that I froze for later, but I still had some that needed to be used before leaving. Rather than let any of them go to waste, I chose to make us some very healthy green smoothies.

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An Awesome Green Smoothie with Spinach, Asparagus, and Fruit

1 cup fresh baby spinach
4 asparagus spears, trimmed
1 cup cantaloupe, cut up
1 Granny Smith apple with skin, cored and cut up
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon organic honey
1 cup ice cubed

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Prepare and place all of the above ingredients into a blender. Blend the ingredients together until smooth. Pour the smoothie into a glass and serve. The recipe makes one serving.

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This Awesome Green Smoothie with Spinach, Asparagus, and Fruit is both delicious and healthy. It has only 204 calories and 7 grams of fiber, plus numerous vitamins and nutrients. It is a healthy drink to have before or after working out, or just as a light snack during your day. This smoothie has some unexpected items in it, I’m sure, but I believe that you can put anything healthy in a smoothie as long as you make sure it tastes good. After all, who wants to drink something that tastes bad? Not me, that’s for sure and not most people. So give this smoothie a try to boost your health and energy, and enjoy!

 

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Prosciutto, Cantaloupe, and Veggie Wrap with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

By Jodee Weiland

Inspired by a breakfast wrap I recently ordered in one of my favorite restaurants, I decided to create a wrap of my own. Only my wrap would be a lunch or dinner wrap. My Prosciutto, Cantaloupe, and Veggie Wrap with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. This multi-grain wrap has prosciutto, cantaloupe, goat cheese, fresh spinach, and asparagus topped with my homemade Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. It not only tastes delicious, but it’s easy to make as well.

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The wrap I had at the restaurant was for breakfast, so of course it had scrambled egg whites, fresh veggies, some shredded cheese, and a mustard vinaigrette. It was in a wheat tortilla and tasted delicious. I especially liked the use of fresh vegetables in this particular wrap. Thinking about how good it was, I decided to use that wrap for inspiration in making my dinner wrap. I used creamy goat cheese topped with prosciutto and baby spinach, and then I added a thinly sliced melorange, or what most of us would call cantaloupe. Melorange is actually slightly smaller, firmer, and sweeter than a cantaloupe, but it is still a melon and probably the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a cantaloupe. So when making this wrap, you can use either one, whichever you prefer for this wrap.

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I added fresh veggies to this wrap, baby spinach and lightly steamed asparagus. Last of all, I lightly drizzled my Honey Mustard Vinaigrette over it all, and then folded my multi-grain tortilla wrap around this delicious blend of ingredients. It was an immediate hit for us, because the rich flavors all came together so well creating a light and absolutely wonderful meal! You’ll love it!

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Prosciutto, Cantaloupe, and Veggie Wrap with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

4 to 6 large multi-grain tortillas
About 8 to 12 ounces goat cheese (this will vary according to taste)
6 to 7 ounces prosciutto
2 to 3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 (more or less) cantaloupe or melorange sliced thinly about 1/8 inch
12 fresh asparagus
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Recipe for Homemade Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons organic honey
5 drops hot sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sea salt to taste

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Lay your tortilla on your preparation surface. Spread the goat cheese down the middle in a two-inch wide strip. Put two to three strips of prosciutto on top of the goat cheese. Next, cover the prosciutto with baby spinach. Place thin slices of the cantaloupe over the spinach and two slightly steamed asparagus on the top. Then drizzle lightly the Honey Mustard Vinaigrette over everything. Be careful not put on too much vinaigrette in order to avoid making your wrap soggy. Fold in both ends of the tortilla and then fold over the side to close your wrap. Use a toothpick to hold it together and serve.

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For the vinaigrette, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or handheld blender. Then put it in a container for dressing that will make it easier to drizzle on to your wrap or spoon it on carefully.

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Once done, serve your Prosciutto, Cantaloupe, and Veggie Wrap with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. I decided to cut it in half to make it easier to eat and then served it with a side of fresh fruit, including any extra cantaloupe I had left. One thing I feel certain about is that this light and tasty meal will be enjoyed by everyone in the family. We loved it, so enjoy!