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Well, there it went! One decade comes to a close and another spreads wide open for us all. Happy New Year, everyone! There’s gratitude in that, am I right? My year has been full of wonderful things and I feel pretty good coming into the new year. Through gratitude, I have learned how to celebrate the present, block negative emotions and cultivate a higher sense of self-worth. For you all who have continued to follow me into the new year (except you, KAREN…I noticed you unsubscribed), I thank you! For YOU, I am grateful! So with that, here is the End of 2019 Wrap Up for Black Fig Food! Let’s start with Instagram, shall we?
In all honesty, the nine Instagram photos above were not my top nine most liked photos…the ones below were
This past year, I have learned most people like to see the faces behind a product, a glimpse into their personal lives, and sinful desserts. Hey, I get it! I’m nosy too! That is why I prefer autobiographies over fictional reads. Maybe there will be more of me in front of the camera this year…who knows! That aside, I decided to choose MY top nine photos that summed up my year.
These photos are my work, my passion, and what makes me oh so happy to create. Whether it was a granola breakfast or a buddha bowl, I loved preparing and sharing them with you. I have wanted you to love cooking and pushing yourselves to create cool things in the kitchen. Hopefully, I have helped you a little bit.
My end of 2019 wrap up…
I enjoyed the little things that were huge within my heart: Silver Dollar City with the family, my mother-in-law’s famous beans and cornbread. I enjoyed thrift shopping with Bennie Irene, getting a recipe published within a cookbook, and witnessing snowfall back home before Spring arrived. Even more special moments came by way of seeing Bennie experiencing Europe, Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones finales…fucking Cersei..(insert eye-roll). Watching Brandon enjoy touring, paying off some debt, introducing Max and Izzy to Silence of the Lambs, and reveling in a beautiful Christmas at home with my tribe was the top of my cupcake.
But there were low spots…
By the end of winter, I had fallen into an emotional breakdown which landed me at the doctor for lab work and evaluation. After realizing I didn’t need electric shock therapy (do they even do that anymore?), I got back on my feet and got it together. Then, my sister fell ill and needed toe amputation surgery. She moved in with me for a few months and our patience and anger thresholds with one another were tested. She has since moved back home and we are back to normal. And, just recently, I found out I have moderate osteoarthritis in the knees. I’m wayyyyy too young for that shit! It was just one hell of a year but, as we all go through ebb and flow, I am so ready to embrace what 2020 has in store for me!
My top 3 favorite cookbooks…
- Wicked Healthy Cookbook by Chad and Derek Sarno- two cool brothers making the most incredible vegetable dishes I have come across in a long while.
- Vegan Comfort Classics by Lauren Toyota- whatever your comfort food craving may be, it is in this book!
- Plant Lab by Matthew Kenny- this was a gorgeous visual source of inspiration on food presentation for me. It pushed me to think outside of the box with how I plate my food.
My top 3 favorite podcasts…
- Rich Roll-his guests ranging from Edward Norton to Mark Manson and other heavy hitter plant-based athletes/doctors/activists, I impatiently wait every week for the next episode.
- The Minimalists-Ahhh, these two dudes get it completely. “Love people and use things because the opposite never works”
- Time Suck with Dan Cummins-This one is my strange addiction of devouring true crime at its finest. His breakdown of infamous serial killers’ lives of crime have me laughing out loud at times..and other moments of “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!”
So that is my End of 2019 Wrap Up in a nutshell! All in all, I cannot and will not complain about my 2019. There is so much for us to be grateful for and I am hopeful for all the wonderful things we will experience and accomplish in 2020. And if there is anyone who you are truly grateful for, let them know!
This year, there will be much more great content coming at you as well as a few surprises down the line. Please say you’ll stay with me…because I kinda love you!
