October: Behind The Scenes at Slimming Violet

Hi there! I’ve poured myself a hot coffee and sat down to write this post where I’ll be sharing a little more about what’s been happening behind the scenes lately at Slimming Violet, the projects I’ve been working on, and some general content-creator-&-mum-life kind of stuff. I hope to be able to write a post like this every month or so and bring you up to speed on what’s been happening, and have a bit of a chat with you! 

You see, when I publish recipes here, I try to keep the chit chat to a minimum. I’ve very aware that my readers are busy people, that they just want to get on and cook dinner without a load of fuss, and of course I know that food bloggers often get a bit of flak for sharing their cousin’s step-sister’s goldfish’s life story before we cut to the chase and just give you the damn recipe!! 

But as the blog grows and I hear more and more from regular readers, I do often get questions about what being a blogger really looks like, what my plans are for the site, and what I’ve been up to. I love reading this kind of content from other creators too, so if it’s your kind of thing, I hope you’ll enjoy these new updates. 

– My dog, Jax, on one of the many autumn walks we’ve been on lately. 

Blog Update

These past 6 months, I’ve worked harder and longer than ever before on the recipes that I share here, and making the site the best that it can possibly be.

This is partly because it’s been made possible as my toddler is now in kindergarten 3 days a week, and it gives me some much-needed uninterrupted time to get my head down and do some work! 

It’s also been a tumultuous year in the content creation industry, with lots of uncertainty being created by algorithmic updates, and I’ve been very aware that this is a season in which I need to focus on growing and adapting and learning if I’m committed to making this my long term career. I feel extremely lucky that this is my job, and it’s both a joy and a privilege that I’ll never take for granted. 

Slimming Violet always feels like a work in progress to me, and at any given time, I could easily name half a dozen things that I want to improve on or refine or add into the mix. I’m proud of the work I’ve done so far this year though, and I’m 

Here are some highlights from October: 

• I’ve finally published my free cookbook! This had been a work in progress from quite some time, and it includes easy, family friendly dinner ideas that are perfect for busy weeknights! If you grab a copy, do let me know what you think! 
• I’ve been working on creating an area for video creation in my kitchen, and I’m super excited at the prospect of adding video tutorials for some of my most popular recipes. It’s been quite a steep learning curve as I’ve planned everything from lighting, to scripting, to editing, and though there’s still a lot of work to be done, I’m super excited to start sharing the results in the next few months. Honestly, I’ve found the process a little overwhelming at times. I’m a real introvert and being on camera doesn’t come naturally to me,  but I’ve enjoyed pushing myself out of my comfort zone and I’m embracing the challenge
• I’ve loved the recipe testing process for the autumn content I’ve shared recently! From sprouts to squash, I love cooking with seasonal produce and it’s been such a fun experience

Life This Month

Being a mum is my favorite thing in the entire world, and we’ve had so much fall-based fun together as a family this month. Highlights have included:

• Wrapping up warm for long walks on chilly, sunny days. Well, the walks are never exactly long in distance when you’ve got a toddler and they want to inspect every leaf they pass, but we’ve had some lovely days just enjoying being outside and in nature
• Pumpkin picking!
• Lots of autumn crafting, from painting Halloween themed sun catchers, to decorating spooky biscuits

Hosting a Halloween Party

Every year, my kids host a Halloween party at home for their cousins, and it’s one of my highlights of the season. I make a buffet, put together a few simple activities for the kids (this year it was face painting and glow sticks!), and everyone crams into our living room that’s definitely a bit too small for hosting a crowd. It’s chaos, but it’s beautiful chaos and I’ll treasure the memories for years to come. 

 

– A quick snap I took of the buffet table while I was putting it together. It might not be very Instagram friendly (and honestly, please let’s normalize kids’ parties not being Instagram friendly) but the food went down a real treat! 

That filo pie you can see is BBC Good Food’s Bombay Spinach Pie, and I LOVE it! It’s one of my go-to recipes if I’m hosting vegetarian guests.  

– I wanted to show you what the pie filling looks like. It’s so fresh and  flavorsome and packed with colorful veggies, and every time I make it, I say I need to serve it up a lot more often! 

More Food I’ve Been Loving This Month

This deconstructed burger bowl deserves its own post on the blog and I’ll get round to that sometime soon, but for now, here’s how to make it: mix ground beef with some seasoning (I never add breadcrumbs or egg), and form into patties. Cook in a pan until slightly charred and cook through. Serve in a bowl with lots of your favorite salad veggies, crispy bacon, pickles, cheese, and a good drizzle of sriracha. So easy and so satisfying! 

So, that’s all for this month. Thank you so much for being here. It’s a real honour to be able to share my recipes and a chat with you.