Site Redesign
If you are a returning visitor of my site, first of all:
Thank you! So happy to see you come back!
In which case you probably also noticed the brand new look and feel of it. That is owed to a complete site re-design I worked on in the last few weeks. I figured I tell you a little about what I did and how it will help you.
But first:
Happy New Year!
It has been a snowy one, hasn’t it?
Even in Ireland, where we see snow very rarely, we’ve had some. I bet that tiny bit of snow is ridiculous to many of you, but it’s huge here. Much to the joy of Wookie and Lilly, which you can see here in my forever muddy and unkempt garden (because…well…big dogs!) enthusiastically telling me about the white stuff they found.
Pushing the frozen tops off their water bowls gave Wookie a brand new toy: Ice!
He very quickly discovered that one targeted stomp in the middle of the disk would break it into a few large pieces, which he could pick up, excitedly run away with and munch on. So much better than just drinking apparently.
Anyway, back to the Site Redesign!
I completely changed the look, which is now based on a new Restored 136 child theme I installed and customized over the last 3 weeks.
And while I was going through everything, I wanted to also update pretty much every post, adding easier navigation and (hopefully) making them a little easier to read. That’s 110 recipe posts updated! Phew.
I’m still learning (aren’t we always?), so I bet it wasn’t the last update. But I feel the basics are working so much better now.
My main reason for this was to improve the site speed for you, but while I was at it, I changed a whole range of things.
Updated Categories
Since I also noticed I had a LOT of recipes with protein, I added 2 new categories for breakfast and dessert with protein, giving you an easy way to search for new ideas.
Another new category is 5-a-day In One Meal, giving you the one-button and one-meal stop for all the recipes on this blog containing at least 5 different vegetables and fruits, often more, meaning you won’t have to wonder how to get to the recommended amount per day.
You’ll spot a few more like Plant Centred, Vegetarian and Vegan, which all focus on plant based dishes, but some contain various degrees of animal products, so I figured it would be useful to add a distinction that fits your diet.
I switched “Condiments” to “Flavor Boosts”, feeling it fits the content better.
And finally added “Sourdough Discard” as there are many recipes to use up your discard and I wanted you to be able to find them easier when looking for ideas.
Full Nutrition Calculation in (almost) all Recipes
Going through all those recipes, I finally found the time to get all the nutrition caluculation neatly integrated into the recipe. At least where it made sense to include.
The ones I left it out for and went with a rough estimation, where those with a lot of moving and interchangeable parts like the Vegetarian Mezze Feast and Grand Aioli, that are more templates for building a whole feast than precise recipes.
Subscribers List
Another thing I finally got around to while having more time, as I shared in my News Post, was the long planned “Best Recipes” ebook I created for you when you subscribe.
I know, I know, 11 recipes is just weird, but you’ll see why when you get it. 😉
This also means I can keep you updated about new recipes and other interesting things about the blog. Of course you can unsubscribe at any point. I promise though I won’t spam you!
Affiliate Links
The last change I made was to include affiliate links. This will allow me to show you the tools and occasionally hard to find ingredients I use in my kitchen and long term hopefully cover some of the running costs for this blog like said nutrition calculation, hosting, equipment and of course ingredients for testing.
Using those links will be of no cost to you and earn me a small commission. I’ve done my best to mark every single affiliate link in the posts with an asterisk* for transparency. If a link has no asterisk, chances are it’s not an affiliate link. A typical example for that is “MyProtein” powders, which I use and love in many of my recipes but am not part of their program. (I’d love to be though!).
The Future
Apart from many new recipes I have coming up, I plan to finally start adding videos soon(ish). I know, I’m late to the party, but frankly, being on camera entirely freaks me out. No worries…I’ll get there. *Takes a deep breath. And another one*. Ok…no avail…aaaahhhhh!
I mean I’ll probably just start with the hands, what could possibly go wrong, right?
Though, would you believe it, my man suggested to get on camera in “That red dress because it’s hot”.
To which I responded: “Not my target audience!” (Sorry guys. I appreciate you being here, I do. But you know what I mean. Right? God I hope you do!)
And you will probably read a bit more about me in separate blog posts (to not spam those that just want the food. I get you, I really do!). Hence an extra “Blog” category that you can click on.
Ok, I think that’s it with changes from the site redesign!
It was a ton of work and no time off during the holidays for me. (Not to worry, I’m a Grinch anyway!)
I really hope you enjoy them and find them helpful.
And, as always, I’d love to know about your thoughts in the comments!
And, because I love how Lilly looks like a tiny Jack Russell beside Wookie, when really, she is Labrador sized:
