FoodFash

Guest Post: The Be Nice Box

October 17, 2013 by Kristin

hey everybody!
my name is diana.
can we be friends?!
i live in minneapolis, ride my bike, talk about harry potter a lot & really love being nice to people!

see, i run a blog called ‘a year of minnesota nice.’ i started it after the boston bombings in april, with a goal to complete one random act of kindness each day, for an entire year. so far, i have completed almost 120 acts ; its been such a blast! you can see a few of my favorite days here, here, here, here & here.

last month, i left my 13-year career in education, *knowing* i wanted to do something new with my life & time. i had no idea what that was, but i knew i was ready.

since i have started the kindness blog, there have been FOUR other women who have started their own blogs about kindness {so awesome}. you can see them here, here, here & here. i have been SO incredibly inspired by the blogs, emails & tweets that others have been sharing! its been so amazing to watch strangers come together, do good deeds & make the planet better. i kept asking myself ‘how can i use this blog & this platform and turn it into a career i will love?!’

one night, i was out walking my {super naughty} pup & the idea hit me!
and the be nice box was born!

do you want to know more?!
{say yes!!}

what is it?
the be nice box is a monthly subscription service encouraging YOU to spread your own kindness!
there are 1, 3, 6, & 12-month & gift subscriptions available!

what do i get?
each month, the box will center around a theme & all contents will be a surprise until you open the box. but, each month you will receive a list of 13-15 fun, awesome & affordable ideas to practice kindness in your area. along with the list, you will also find 5-7 materials, items & handmade products to help you fulfill some of those tasks. and finally, each box will contain a cool, handmade surprise for YOU!

how much does it cost?
a one-month subscription is only $12!
you can get 3 months for $33 or 6 months for $62.
a 12-month subscription is only $120 {thats like getting two months FOR FREE!}
the best part?
$1 from EACH box sold will be donated to charity.
{each month, the theme & the charity will align. that way, we can make impact, after impact, after impact!}

also, shipping is ALWAYS FREE! there are no hidden fees or marketing tricks!
the price you see is the price you pay!

where can i sign up?
im glad you asked 😉
you can head over here to sign up!
please note : for the first few months, there will be a limited number of boxes available.
if the november boxes sell out, there will be a waiting list for the december box!

how can i stay connected?
lets be friends!
website // twitter // facebook // instagram // pinterest
i love social media & really believe that we can connect with folks we wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to meet!

other things to note :
the boxes will ship around the 25-28th of october, so they will be on your doorstep by november 1st!
at this time, boxes will only be shipped INSIDE the US {sorry, international friends}

thanks so much for reading!
i really, really believe that if we all come together & take baby steps to be better, the world will absolutely become a better place!

if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email or connect with me on twitter!

Bison Burger Topped With Grilled Guac

October 16, 2013 by Kristin

It’s been a while, guys, since I’ve been this excited about ~~anything~~ a recipe. The kind of excited where my heart gets poundy, my bangs get sweaty, and I’m consumed with this energy that makes it almost impossible to eat the food I’m so excited about. Ok, so maybe the sweaty bangs have everything to do with grilling and an extended Austin summer. But the rest, the rest of this hoopla was totally about the dinner.

After buying some bison burger patties from Trader Joe’s, I entered this massive Google/Pinterest thing – a rarely craved burger shouldn’t be ordinary, after all. I found the appropriately titled Women’s Health Mag post “Best Burger Toppings” and was immediately drawn to the grilled guacamole. “Why isn’t this being done all over the place?”, I thought.

Not knowing how to use a grill aside, everything about grilling guac was easy. Chop, skewer, grill, chop again, stir. I didn’t use any of the rations or timing in the recipe. And with the addition of some extra lime juice, I felt the salt and hot sauce unnecessary.

It was love at first tart, smoky bite. I put a dollop on the bison burger, had a holy-crap-I-made-this moment, pulled out my 100mm macro and tripod (told you I was excited!), and shot this burger in a way that it deserved.

Brussels Spout & Leek Baked Eggs

October 14, 2013 by Kristin

On the second Saturday of ACL, I headed to the new Trader Joe’s with hopes that it would be a ghost town. It ended up being the opposite of that, but thankfully I scored the last shopping cart as I headed into the madness. I was reminded of the phrase “You’re not in traffic, you are traffic” as I excused my way about.

I scooped up lots of pre-cut veggies with no recipe in mind. Sliced brussels sprouts from the prepared foods section and sliced leeks from the frozen foods section – I had no intention of using them together. And then I woke up the next morning wanting to experiment with baked eggs and I couldn’t think of a more perfect veggie combo.

I used Food 52’s “How to Make Any Baked Eggs” as my guide and got to sautéing the leeks and brussels sprouts with a bit of garlic in coconut oil. I layered an oven-safe dish with the veggies, topped with two eggs, and baked in a 400 degree oven for the suggested 12 minutes. At 12 minutes, my eggs were still super raw, so I baked them longer, keeping a not-close-enough eye on the whites.

At 20 minutes, I failed to find the perfect balance of done whites/runny yolks. But runny whites completely gross me out, so I was fine with the over-doneness of the yolks. Had the yolks been perfectly runny and the whites been perfectly cooked, the leek/brussels sprout/baked egg combo would have been A++. Now onto perfecting the whole baked egg thing!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

October 10, 2013 by Kristin

A weekend full of ACL music, best friends, duck faces, beers, more beers, sitting in the grass, and cold fronts led to lots and lots of sniffles. And lots and lots of sniffles led to making this soup, one of the best soups I’ve ever made, again.

I stopped at Whole Foods on my way home from work today, thankful for their bulk department. For a mere 40 cents, I eliminated any sort of which-spices-am-I-out-of guess work (it’s cumin by the way, I’m out of cumin). And then I got home and mindlessly dumped everything into the crock pot.

I ladled myself a bowlful and was quickly reminded how much I adore brothy soups with lime and cilantro. My roommate dug it too, “This soup is good, Kristin. Like really, really good.”.

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