May 7, 2019

Tips from a content creator - lauryncakes

Salt Lake City, UT, USA


Here is the thing, up until now I have interviewed several people for my podcast show. Every single one of them brings me a new perspective. Their passions, hopes, and dreams ignite the fire in me. I leave every studio session inspired and ready to take on the World! Today's guest was no different.
Lauryn took a chance on me. She was one of the first people I reached out to while in the process of re-launching the Nina Talks Podcast. I remember sitting on my phone one-night scrolling through Instagram and thinking: 

"Who will take me seriously? This is a completely new direction and I don't have a lot of work to show for it. I'm going into it blind with just my words as well as hopes for the future."



I scroll past @lauryncakes on Instagram and add her to my list of "must haves" for the podcast. I have followed Lauryn long enough to know how much of a badass she is and that she is also kind, knowledgable in her craft, and just puts out so much positivity that I thought to myself: My listeners will LOVE her!


So I slid into her DM's I fangirled big time and went about my day... I honestly wasn't expecting her to respond to me right away because she is such a big influencer that probably gets many messages a day, but much to my surprise she responded and was all in! I had to take a double take because someone that I look up to was actually coming on my little show and was going to give my listeners her tips? what? I immediately froze and was elated with joy! 

Here are some of my favorite blog posts from Lauryn's blog: How to get invited to Events

Now onto today's episode: 




Until next Tuesday, 
XO
Nina 



May 6, 2019

RAINBOW CHIA PUDDING RECIPE

Utah, USA


                                                                   RAINBOW CHIA PUDDING
Talk about a colorful and happy way to start the day!  Who wouldn't have a smile on their face when this was in front of them.  These pudding cups make a fabulous breakfast, or snack, and young and old alike will appreciate the colors and flavors of this really pretty, really healthy pudding.  This should make even the picky eaters happy.  Try it and see, you're going to love this.








Chia seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, rich in antioxidants, and they provide fiberiron, and calciumOmega-3 fatty acids help raise HDL cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol that protects against heart attack and stroke.



HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pint of fresh ripe Strawberries
1 16 ounces can of organic mandarin oranges
2 large Kiwi's
1 pint of fresh blueberries
2 Tablespoons of Matcha powder
2 cups of Chia seeds
4 cups of Soy milk (you can use almond or whole milk if preferred)
Stevia
Honey
8 - 10 small glass containers (or containers of your choice)

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

In a medium bowl, mix the Chia seeds with the milk, and a Tablespoon of honey, cover and place in the refrigerator (NOTE - if the Chia pudding is too thick, add a little more Milk to thin). 
Wash the strawberries, remove the stems, and slice them into a bowl, reserving the juice in the bowl as you slice.  Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of Stevia, cover and set aside. Rinse the Kiwi's, dry with a paper towel, and slice the Kiwi's into a bowl, and set aside. Wash the Blueberries, and place on paper towels to dry.   Assemble the cups of pudding:  Remove the pudding from the refrigerator, and add a couple of Tablespoons to the bottom of the containers.  Spoon the strawberry juice evenly into the cups, over the pudding, and stir to make the pudding pink. Place three or four slices of strawberries on top of the pudding.  In a small dish, add about 1 cup of pudding and place half of the Mandarin oranges in the bowl, along with the juice from the can.  Smash the oranges into the pudding, which will turn the pudding a light orange color. Place even amounts of the pudding and mashed oranges into the containers, and top evenly with the remaining oranges.  In a small bowl, place 1 - 2 cups of the Chia pudding, and several slices of the Kiwi, and mash them into the pudding.  Add the Matcha powder, and mix well, turning the pudding green.  Place the pudding evenly in the containers, on top of the orange layer, and place remaining Kiwi - chopped, evenly in containers on top of the green layer of pudding.  Place half of the blueberries in the remaining pudding, and mash them into the pudding, creating the blue/purple color for the final layer of the pudding cup.  Place the blue/purple pudding evenly in the containers, and top with remaining blueberries.  Drizzle with honey, and serve.  Enjoy!


NOTE:  We used 6 - 8-ounce containers for the pudding cups.  Depending on the size of your containers, you may want to divide the pudding evenly into separate bowls before you add the fruits, and juices to make sure the same amount is mixed.  If you find you'll need more pudding, simply make 3 cups of Chia seeds, with 6 cups of milk, and 2 Tablespoons of Honey.   You will need larger quantities of fruit, and juices to color the pudding, but you can adjust accordingly, as you make the pudding layers.  If you want a brighter color, simply add more mashed fruit and fruit juice to the pudding.  You can also add natural food coloring found at your local health food store if you prefer really bright colors.  If you prefer, you can mix the pudding and the fruits to be mashed along with the fruit juice in a blender or food processor, instead of mashing the pudding/fruit by hand.


Makes approximately  8 - 10 six to eight-ounce servings. Larger containers will make 6 - 8 pudding cups, smaller containers will make 10 - 12 pudding cups.







Don't forget that fruit is natures candy and you should be enjoying it daily!
xo, 
Nina


May 2, 2019

How to Pinterest with Annette Barney - Pinconcierge

Utah, USA
Have you been wanting to learn more about Pinterest and how you can use it to drive traffic to your site? Well, you're in for a treat!




I had Pinterest expert Annette Barney stop by the studio and share all of her tips and tricks to help you succeed. It was a very detailed conversation and she didn't hold anything back. I asked everything that needs to be known about how to use Pinterest successfully for your business and how to truly drive traffic! She has a great Pinterest Strategies Business named " Pin Concierge" that does the following:

"We help influencers concentrate their time on content creation by managing their Pinterest presence online.  Adjusting to the changing platform, tracking analytic results and advising you on trends,  we can keep the power of Pinterest referral traffic coming to your business. "



Also, can you count how many times I say the word Interesting? Because I say it a lot! ha

Here are some good reads I found on her site: 

https://www.pinconcierge.com/podcast/healthy-food-bloggers-on-pinterest

https://www.pinconcierge.com/podcast/promoted-pins-website-prep

Annette also "fun blogs" and it is known as the Origami Foodie on the internet, check out this awesome blog: 



Find Annette online:  
Business: https://www.pinconcierge.com/
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/pinconcierge/ 
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/pinconcierge/ 


Listen to her episode below and let us know what you think! Don't forget to rate and subscribe if you really enjoyed it!