The secret to writing an award-winning blog

The secret to writing an award-winning blog

Last month I was extremely honoured to receive the Nutramino Health & Fitness Award 2019 for Blog of the Year.  I wanted to let you in on a secret to writing an award-winning blog. The one thing that goes beyond writing brilliant content, sharing your knowledge, speaking from experience, taking great photos, being consistent and knowing your audience. Let me tell you the secret.

GUEST RECIPE: Peanut butter banana granola

GUEST RECIPE: Peanut butter banana granola

I’m excited to be able to introduce another guest recipe creator to The Flourishing Pantry this week, in the form of lawyer turned Nutritional Therapist Katie Shore. As I’m not a peanut lover I’m delighted Katie is sharing with us something for you peanut fans out there! But first, a little about Katie and her approach to wellness…

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Flourishing Entrepreneurs: #13 Nick Quinton

This week’s Flourishing Entrepreneurs interview is with coach Nick Quinton from Elemental Health. So much of what Nick and I do is very similar: we’re both helping entrepreneurs work to the best of their potential through a focus on health and mindset. Find out more about his journey and how he stays healthy.

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Dairy free savoury scones
Dairy free savoury scones

Allergy Awareness Week is running 29 April - 3 May 2019 and I’m taking it as an opportunity to challenge myself in the kitchen to make a true free-from recipe. These are amazing straight from the oven. Hot and with some melted butter you’ll get a big batch which will freeze well too if you don’t have friends round to help you eat them straight away!

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My IBS story for IBS Awareness Month 
My IBS story for IBS Awareness Month 

April is IBS Awareness Month, so I thought this was the perfect time to put my IBS story into one place, and also to share with you some of the things I have learned about IBS since starting to explore and really tackle my IBS symptoms head on.  

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Flourishing Entrepreneurs: #12 Ceri Jones, Natural Chef
Flourishing Entrepreneurs: #12 Ceri Jones, Natural Chef

This week’s Flourishing Entrepreneur is Ceri Jones, Natural Chef and the creative mind behind website and seasonal eating app Natural Kitchen Adventures. Ceri has been a friend for many years and we share a similar career path from music to wellness. I’m so excited to share with you her story and the things she’s learned along the way.

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The secret to writing an award-winning blog
The secret to writing an award-winning blog

Last month I was extremely honoured to receive the Nutramino Health & Fitness Award 2019 for Blog of the Year.  I wanted to let you in on a secret to writing an award-winning blog. The one thing that goes beyond writing brilliant content, sharing your knowledge, speaking from experience, taking great photos, being consistent and knowing your audience. Let me tell you the secret.

Read More →
Beef and lentil salad
Beef and lentil salad

It’s Great British Beef week so I’m celebrating with a quick salad recipe. Whilst I think we should all be eating more plants, a small amount of red meat is still part of my diet and I love it cooked simply. With tasty lentils, this is a perfect spring dish as the warmer weather approaches!

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Flourishing Entrepreneurs: #11 Danielle King
Flourishing Entrepreneurs: #11 Danielle King

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Flourishing Entrepreneurs: #10 Chris Pinner
Flourishing Entrepreneurs: #10 Chris Pinner

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How The Compound Effect will get you the best results for your health and business
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The Universe has been screaming again at me lately, and it’s all about The Compound Effect. We all know that things get achieved by taking small steps. But how much do you really understand and implement it in your life? I’m sharing four powerful resources that really cemented it for me.

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Flourishing Entrepreneurs #9: Ciara Lennon
Flourishing Entrepreneurs #9: Ciara Lennon

Flourishing Entrepreneurs is back! Today I’m introducing Flourishing Entrepreneur #9 Ciara Lennon, the face and name behind Bear Lemon. Ciara set up Bear Lemon in 2017 making delicious gluten free, dairy free, raw and vegan snacks and now delivers her top quality, natural treats to some of Dublin’s best independent cafes.

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IBS AWARENESS MONTH 💗 Did you know April is IBS Awareness Month? I’ve realised that increasingly on the blog I’ve moved away from talking food health and more towards blogging about mind health as I’ve become fascinated with this area myself, particularly through coaching. ⁣ ⁣ But because of IBS Awareness Month I wanted to get back to my roots and share a blog post all about my story. Because IBS is the reason I started blogging in the first place and where my whole adventure into the world of wellness began 🌎⁣ ⁣ The blog post tells my story struggling with my IBS symptoms and how I eventually hit a point where something had to change. It also details the three things I’ve learned since tackling my IBS symptoms, looking at what my triggers really are and perhaps more importantly what they aren’t. Link in my bio 👆🏼👆🏼⁣ ⁣ One thing I know for sure is that a high fibre diet really suits me and my IBS. I was lucky enough to be #gifted some Sylliflor products from @rocahealthcare which I found incredibly helpful in keeping everything in my digestion ticking over nicely. Unlike unappetising gel-like products, Sylliflor comes in lovely flavours as well as plain and can be stirred into things like porridge and smoothies to get the benefits. If you think they might help you then drop the lovely Roisin a line @rocahealthcare for more details. ⁣ ⁣ Do you suffer with IBS? What’s your journey and how are you overcoming your symptoms?
HOW DOES CHANGE FEEL? 💘 I was talking to a client recently about pushing out of the comfort zone. Doing things that we’ve never done before can be really hard. It can feel emotional, painful and maybe makes us want to cry and run away and hide 😭 ⁣ ⁣ But does that mean we shouldn’t do it? I mean I’m all for a comfortable life 😄 I think that there is an element of chasing your dreams that involves following your passion and doing the things that come naturally and easily to you. That’s the sweet spot and that feeling of doing what is innate often helps you overcome what is difficult 👊🏼⁣ ⁣ However if we really want to achieve things and do something new, I think we have to accept that is going to come with a level of discomfort. And sometimes if we’re really aiming for the stars that level might be really quite high. You know, slightly nauseating, highly questioning, cringy, run away type discomfort 😫⁣ ⁣ I’m not sure I have a definitive answer here to the right amount of discomfort and would love to know what you think. Is it right to feel discomfort when you’re going through change? Or should it all feel easy? And if it should feel uncomfortable, how much is too much? 👇🏼
DO THE PINTEREST DANCE 🕺🏽 Hello! There’s me! Doing to Pinterest pointy dance! 😆 A little snapshot captured by @cleanleanbakes of me sharing the love about Pinterest @hbloggerscom Summit last month, explaining what a powerful tool it is for getting eyes on your content. ⁣ ⁣ I had such a lot of fun running my 5 Day Pinterest Challenge over the last couple of months with two groups of lovely people that I can now safely say I’ve turned into Pinterest enthusiasts! I’ve now turned the Challenge into an access anytime mini-course on my website. If you have a website or blog and want more people to see the content you spend hours creating, this is the Challenge for you 👊🏼 You can find the link in my bio 👆🏼 ⁣ ⁣ I don’t think I’ve ever asked you guys here on my feed - do you use Pinterest much? 📌⁣ ⁣ I was listening on the radio yesterday and it’s just floated on the stock exchange. Pinterest’s shares were priced at $19 and began trading at $23.75, a 25% increase that valued the company at more than $15bn. They ended the day up 28%. And Pinterest doesn’t even make money yet! 😱 That’s the faith people have that it’s the next big platform to watch.... 🤩🤩
SUPPER CLUB IS COMING 🍽 I can’t believe how fast time flies, but next Friday I will be serving up a three course meal to our Dublin guests of Creative in Residence Supper Club. ⁣ ⁣ Charlotte @craftist_in_residence and I started this series of events to be an evening of fantastic food in the fabulous company of entrepreneurs from across the creative industries. Our aim is to support ambitious women striving for independent business success, by promoting positive mental health, a strong community and emphasising the importance of great food. ⁣ ⁣ The main course is going to be a pearled spelt risotto served with lots of seasonal veggies - mushrooms, asparagus and purple sprouting broccoli (or PSB as it’s known apparently! 😆). I’ll be practising it again this weekend but this first attempt didn’t taste too bad at all 👌🏼👌🏼⁣ ⁣ Are you a risotto fan? It’s one of my favourite show-off meals because you can pack so much flavour in to basically a one-pan dish! 🥄
DO YOU WANT A BLOG? 👩🏽‍💻 I just finished a great chat with @cerikitchen on Instagram Live. We’ve both changed our careers completely in the last few years, moving from working in the music industry to now following new passions in food, health and wellness 💚 Watch back for the next 24hrs on Stories👆🏼 A blog can open up so many possibilities and help you explore interests. A blog also really helps support any future business you might want to explore, even if you don’t know it when you start: just like me and Ceri when we started our blogging journeys! Who knew two blogs would lead on to totally new careers...?! 😆 If you’re interested in writing a blog to share your wellness passion but don’t know where to start I’ve got you covered! I’m going to run a 2hr online masterclass at the end of this month sharing EVERYTHING I’ve learned from writing The Flourishing Pantry in the last three years. If you want to find out more and book yourself a place head to the link in my bio 👆🏼👆🏼
#ad HAPPY WORLD LIQUORICE DAY! 💖 Liquorice really takes me back to being a child and getting a pick ‘n’ mix selection at Woolies 😆 I love a little sweet treat in the afternoon at the desk, which is usually when I’m hitting my stride and getting into a flow with work, so these @pandaliquoriceuk bars are perfect. Panda is the only liquorice which tastes of the real liquorice, and is soft and chewy too, just how you remember it 💖 Made from only natural ingredients, I grabbed a few bars to get me through the week and they’ve got me reminiscing. What memories do you have of liquorice from your childhood? 🍬#WorldLiquoriceDay Don’t forget, you can pick yours up from Morrisons, Grapetree Foods and all good independent health stores. #WorldLiquoriceDay #PandaLiquorice #Candy #Sweets #Liquorice #Licorice #SweetTreat #Raspberry #Mint #Delicious
POST FOR THE SOUL, NOT FOR THE SELF 💖 I heard this lovely quote from @pipstewart @thrivefestival.ie the other weekend and it really resonated. I have a lot of clients that really worry about what to post on Instagram and what other people will think of them. Pip relayed how when she was doing one of her epic adventures in South America, experiencing and looking at all the incredible nature around her, she noticed her Instagram feed was just a series of selfies. It didn’t reflect her true experience and what was really going on in her life, and in her heart 💖⁣ ⁣ Since reading Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now I’m really aware of this difference between the self and the soul. The ego and your true being. There’s lots of ways of putting it. All that noise that your mind creates - the negativity, the doubt, the questioning, the beating yourself up, the fear - those thoughts aren’t actually YOU. ⁣ ⁣ We don’t really tap into or listen to the true ‘us’ very often. We’re too tuned in to this other frequency because it’s usually so loud. Mindfulness and meditation, awareness and management of the mind is the only way really to cut through the noise and get back in touch with what’s really going on and what we really want 💫⁣ ⁣ This morning I walked to the gym and my brain was busy telling me this is all going to fail. It’s been a fun experiment but obviously it’s never going to work out and sustain me. Writing this has helped me remember to hear and observe those thoughts, but not to accept them as the truth. That’s not what my soul thinks. It’s time to listen to her more 👊🏼⁣ ⁣ Are you ever aware of this difference within yourself between self and soul? Mind and heart? Tell me how you tune in to what really matters 👇🏼👇🏼
HELLO IT’S ME! 🙋🏽‍♀️ There are some new faces around here lately so I thought this was a good chance to say hello and show one of my new photos on the feed and let you know where I’m at right now. Because you know... it’s always changing... 😆⁣ ⁣ My name is Vicky Shilling and I am a wellness business coach, helping entrepreneurs set up and grow their health and wellness businesses 💚 I do that through one-to-one coaching, a big friendly online community of like-minded business owners and by sharing lots of free resources showing you how to grow your brand online and build the right mindset for growth and success. Those resources and more are all available on my website www.vickyshilling.com which I launched last month! 🙌🏼⁣ ⁣ If you are a wellness business owner, existing or just getting started, and you want some support, advice and practical tools to help your work get out into the world, get in touch. I work with Nutritional Therapists, chefs, health coaches, photographers, therapists and more. I’m so excited to help people just like you. In fact, I think it might just be why I was put here and why I’ve spent the last 3 years learning everything I can to grow my own brand. So I can show you how to do the same 🌟⁣ ⁣ Massive thank you to @donnafordography for my photos. I love them! 💖 What do you think?!
#ad FEEL GLORIOUS 💖 Spring is definitely on its way and I am loving how it’s making everyone come out of hibernation and embrace the world again! 🌎 I’m getting into fresh flavours with @glorious_foods coconut, lime and chilli soup to really warm me through and get me thinking of more sunny times to come 🙌🏼 High in protein, fibre and Vitamin A, plus being 2 of your 5 a day veggie count, this soup is the perfect boost of spring flavour 🌿 What’s making you #FeelGlorious with this new season? Food related or not, I want to hear about it!👇🏼 #GloriousSoup
I DON’T HAVE TIME ⏰ I talked about the phrase ‘I don’t have time’ on my Insta Stories last week and it prompted such an interesting debate. My argument is that if you say “I don’t have time” you’re lying 😳 Before you get angry and tell me I don’t understand hear me out...⁣ ⁣ We all have 24hrs in a day. We all have a list of things we want to do, should do and need to do. And some of those things are important and have consequences if we don’t do them - looking after kids, paying taxes, doing the day job. I get that 💪🏼⁣ ⁣ BUT. As humans we also have free will. We get to choose how to spend our time and what is important to us. How often do you step back and assess your to-do list and decide what’s important right now? Rather than just going through the motions, with what you think you ‘should’ be doing? ⁣ ⁣ If we’re doing tasks mindlessly, I feel like we start to build up resentment about what we spend our time doing. We feel it’s getting in the way of what we really ‘want’ to do and so that dangerous phrase pops out and says to the Universe “I don’t value myself and what I want.” ⁣ ⁣ I actually think a really important replacement phrase for “I don’t have time” should be “that’s not a priority for me right now.” Because you are making a CHOICE as to how you spend your time. No-one forced you. ⁣ ⁣ Can you start this week really assessing all the things you’d like to do, want to do and should do and prioritising what you want? Trust me, there IS time. If you broke down something you REALLY wanted to achieve into small steps you would totally be able to schedule them in and move towards your goal. ⁣ ⁣ What do you think? Am I out of line?! Is “I don’t have time” a lie? ⏰
YOU CAN’T COMPARE YOUR INSIDE TO SOMEONE ELSE’S OUTSIDE 👊🏼 I picked up this wonderful quote from a lady we met @thrivefestival.ie last weekend and just loved it. ⁣ ⁣ How often do we look at other people - be it in their businesses, their relationships, their looks or their personal lives, and think we’ll never be that sorted? They’ve got it all sorted out. They know what they’re doing. We are just a pretender by comparison. We’re faking it until we make it while THEY are the real deal 😩⁣ ⁣ Because we’re living with that constant inner dialogue, listening and often battling with our inner critic, we know intimately all the things that AREN’T great about our lives. We know all the dark whisperings, we know the things we don’t share, we know the truths and the difficulties we face every day. ⁣ ⁣ But the thing is - those other people whose exteriors we are viewing: they have those things too! Their inner critic might also be going haywire, they won’t be giving you the whole picture and there are probably mindsets and obstacles they’re battling with too. ⁣ ⁣ In fact, it might just be that someone else is looking at you thinking YOU’RE the one with all your sh*t together! Maybe it’s YOUR exterior they’re comparing themselves to. Imagine that! ⁣ ⁣ Does this resonate with you? Do you find yourself comparing what’s happening in your mind to what you see around you? How do you stop it in its tracks? Tips welcome 👇🏼
GREAT BRITISH BEEF 💖 It’s #greatbritishbeefweek this week and so I thought I’d celebrate with a simple salad to welcome the spring 🌱 I really enjoy eating lots of plant based meals where I can, but personally I do have an omnivorous diet that occasionally includes red meat too. I cooked sirloin steaks for just 1 minute on either side to keep the meat pink in the middle for this dish and served it up with warm lentils, a red wine vinegar dressing and a little mixed leaf salad 🌿 No fuss, no frills! I’m actually not much of a salad fan (hilariously, for someone encouraging a ‘healthy’ diet! 🤪) but if it’s got hot ingredients like this it passes the test 👍🏼 I’ve popped the very easy recipe for this in the link in my bio 👆🏼 Are you a salad lover?