| There comes a time in every person’s life when you realize you’ve found your niche. There are things we are each good at, and things we each like to do but areless good at. And, try as we may, we can’t always force-fit the things we want to be good at into the forefront and actually be good at them! Trust me, this one I know all too well. If I had my way, I’d run a 24-minute 5K. As it happens, 29 minutes is my reality. But, what I lack in athletic ability, I make up for in other areas that someone who can run that 24-minute 5K probably lacks in.
It’s the way of the world. |
When you accept who you are and your reality, life gets infinitely easier, as you are not always struggling to be a different vision of you. This doesn’t mean you stop doing things you are “less good” at that you enjoy. It just means you learn to appreciate your place in the world.
As it turns out, my place in the world – or at least on the internet — revolves around a blender. The Ninja Professional Blender, to be exact. Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of asking myself if that is who I want to be. There is only so much one person can write about blending, and, I have somewhat written myself into a corner where blending is pretty much the only thing people want to read about from me!
I certainly didn’t set out to become the “Ninja Blender blog.” I simply had an accident where I broke my glass jar blender and sought to replace it. The Ninja Professional Blender was the best replacement I could find with my budget of about $100, and, I liked it! So, I wrote a review. And then, I wrote a few recipes. Then, those few recipes turned into a LOT of recipes and other tips for getting the most out of your Ninja Blender. Now, my humble little blog is staring down the lens of half a million page views. If you search Google or Bing for “Ninja Blender Recipes,” this blog is the number one organic listing – meaning the first non-ad listing – you’ll get. TKT ranks higher than the official Ninja Blender website, which baffles my mind. In fact, if you’re reading this now, that’s probably how you got here!
I originally created TKT as an outlet to talk about new recipes I was trying as we took on a more healthy eating lifestyle and moved off the Standard American Diet. It was a time of exciting life changes, and I thought I’d reach a few people, but it was really more of a diary for me. I was happy if anyone else wanted to read.
When I realized things were picking up steam with more and more people visiting, I switched the original Test Kitchen Tuesday over to WordPress self-hosting from the WordPress free-hosting so I could have more control over the look and feel of my site.That was in mid-April of 2011. In about two weeks time, someone will be the 500,000 th page viewer to my self-hosted site.
That, my friends, is humbling.
But the truth is, I have been battling internally about whether or not to keep this blog going or let it go into self-sustaining mode. I have questioned my purpose in the blogosphere quite a lot. You see, there are much better food blogs with much more adventurous and creative recipes. There are wittier and more clever writers. There are fantastic bloggers who have formal training it diet and nutrition. Against the backdrop of other people’s reality, I shouldn’t be successful at food blogging. But amongst my uncertainty and questions about what I want this blog to be, the answer to my deepest question keeps coming to me daily – in the form of comments, questions, praise, and even some criticism, as there will always be people you can’t please. The answer has become clear that for now, the blog must go on. I just enjoy you all way too much to hang up my keyboard!
In the meantime, we have a celebration to do. Much like a grocery store celebrates its milestone visits with a big giveaway, I decided to say thank you for all of your support with an apropos giveaway – a Ninja Pulse blending system!
This giveaway is not sponsored or funded by a large company. It is just me, saying to you, thanks. Whenever you click an ad or follow my Amazon link and make a purchase, you support this site and help pay the hosting fees it takes for me to keep it running. And, whenever you send in a comment or question that drives a topic for a post or simply just lets me know you are enjoying the site, it makes me smile.
Since I reckon we have about two weeks until that magical 500,000th person swings on by, I’m going to run this contest for about two weeks. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below and tell me the first thing you would make with a new Ninja Pulse. Or, why you want it. Or, what you want me to write about in future posts. Or, your favorite recipe you have created for your blender…or, anything you really want to tell me – just leave a comment with some substance.
That’s it! It’s just that simple. On June 15, I will decide who wins. In lieu of a random drawing, I’m going down the road of “style matters.” Meaning, make it convincing and you could be the owner of a snazzy new Ninja Pulse.
And with that, I wish you good luck!
View Comments (17)
Good Morning, at least it is morning for me, about 7:04 to be exact and I am at work, doing a quick check of my personal emails while I have a moment to myself. I found your site while I was doing some research on the Ninja Kitchen System 1100. I originally requested the Vitamix for Mother’s Day and my husband quickly said, “I’m not spending that much on a blender” I made sure he understood everything I could make with it, including his beloved Snickers and Reeses Ice Cream Shakes and his response was, maybe for your birthday. However, my birthday is in November, and I really wanted it for summer. So I set out to find a high powered blender that fit in our budget and I came across the Ninja KS 1200. I read about 25 reviews, including of course your site, I bought it and I have tried several of your recipes. I love them all so far and was planning on giving you my rendition of almond milk, I use 1 cup raw almonds, 4 cups water, 1/4 cup flaked coconut; let them all soak over night and after blending and straining add about 1/8 tsp of vanilla. It’s wonderful, if you try it, let me know what you think! I have used my Ninja KS 1200 everyday since I bought it. Now on to why I would love to win the Ninja Pulse. My oldest daughter is getting a list ready for her studio apartment when she goes back to college in August, and I know the the Ninja Pulse is on her list. I would love to win the Ninja Pulse so I can give it to her and help her with the healthy eating she is planning for next year!
Thanks Shelli, I will give your almond milk a try – I like your take on it! To me, coconut and vanilla make everything better. ?
Glad you are enjoying the recipes and your blender!
Wow, that coconut almond milk recipe sounds yummy, Shelli!
Anyway, Angela, I am not even sure how I found you, it might have been a search for Ninja reviews, but I can’t be certain. I do remember that I was thrilled to find your site, because I just LOVE reading kitchen tool reviews from REAL people.
I think through your site, I might have found the Project Budget site…or was it the other way around.
hmm, I wish I could remember how I found you… but my point is, I’ve found you, and have learned a lot about the wonderful world of Ninja PLUS found support and friendship! I’m really glad you are continuing your blog!
And congratulations on 500K, wow, a half million! Pretty impressive, along with your google placement! hurray!
So, before this turns into a 100 page novel, what would I make with a snazzy new Ninja Pulse??
Well, you know I’ve been longing for one of these contraptions, dying to make ALL your yummy recipes, but the thing I would really love to make is ICE CREAM. Every time I see the Ninja showcased on QVC or an infomercial, the ice cream just calls to me. It looks so easy and so healthy. it would be soo soo yummy, especially now that summer is here.
So, again, congratulations, Angela! Keep on blogging, I’ll be reading! huggggs
Oh, Debbie T, thank you! I definitely think we connected through Project: Food Budget, but I don’t know if that was really how we found each other! Thank you for your continued support and encouragement and for just being so much fun! Also, I want to tell you, I’ve been trying out Food to Table and it is super cool so far, thanks for the tip!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooooo thrilled and proud for you!!!!!
Really enjoy reading your blog posts. Its interesting when we worked together we did not get an opportunity to interact that often .. but reading your posts is like having a conversation with you. Looking forward to many more such celebrations!
You are quite an inspiration with the way you have adopted such a healthy eating lifestyle. It is not easy :). Anyway .. bye for now and Good Luck!!
Chandana, you always make me smile. ? I didn’t hear back on how you liked that Jay Robb Fruit Flush – let me know how it went!
yay! keep it going!!! You have inspired me to blog myself as well as try out these amazing ninja recipes. I’m glad you kept on trek’s. I wrote that Dr. Oz review too…
JoAnn, thank you so much! ? And, now that I have your review, I will do that Dr. Oz cleanse the next time 2Chili is out of town and see how it goes!
That is wonderful! Good luck to all your readers. Keep it up. I enjoy reading your blog.
Angela,
(I am so not a commenter on blogs, feels strange!)
I just bought a Ninja blender and I was so excited to look at the cookbook it came with it! Yeah, it took one look to realize that those recipes would not fly in my mission to understand food and my relationship to food. I am working on losing weight, but more importantly working on changing how I view food; getting rid of emotional, social eating and really loving some new awesome foods that are not addicting. Anywho, I found you blog and stayed up most the night reading it (don’t tell my husband, he thinks I am tired because the baby woke up ? So, I just wanted to say, I love you! In the uncreepiest, power to you, you rock, sorta way! Your recipes look amazing and I can’t wait to try them, but I was also so impressed with who you are and your confidence! My husband and I do triathlons (as much as you can with four little kids:) and I really love ALL your stuff! So thanks!! Congrats on 500,000! BTW, I am still working on the courage to try anything in my Ninja, so I am not sure what I would do with a Pulse. I was really just commenting to say….you go girl. I am right behind ya!
Hi Brook,
First of all, thank you for stepping out of your zone and leaving a comment. I cannot tell you enough how much your words totally made my day! And from a fellow triathlete, well, that is even better! ?
Secondly, good on you for making positive and healthy changes in your life. When I started changing the way we eat, it was definitely information overload for a while, but then, almost overnight, everything just sort of “clicked” and making the right choices became second nature. You have a great opportunity to teach your kids to eat right from the start, and that is pretty powerful stuff!
Thank you for reading, commenting, and for your positive vibe!
Congratulations! How exciting! I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now and as someone who doesn’t have a Ninja blender I’ve been dying to try about a million recipes you’ve posted on here!
That is wonderful about your blog! If I won the blender I would try making my own hummus. I would just love to have one!
I have to admit I found your site only recently when I searched for Ninja reviews. I sat and read almost all of your recipes and went out and bought the Ninja KS 1200 because of you. It was the DIY Larabars recipe that got me. I have somewhat an addiction to the peanut butter cookie bars and when I saw yours I knew I had to have one. Everyday I make something new from your recipes, my husband walks in the house and says “I knew you’d be blending something!” I love that you do healthy versions of everyday foods. Since I have the smaller bowl that comes with the blender it tworks as a food processor-I’d love to know more about it and have some recipes (used it to mix ground turkey, feta & mushrooms for awesome burgers). As for why I want a Ninja pulse- I’m trying to eat healthier and get my husband to also. We both love smoothies and I think if we had one I could get him to make a healthy breakfast (or meal) on the go, instead of stopping at the local fast food joint. Congrats on your blog, thank you for giving me a reason to do something good for my family and making it so much fun!
Melissa, I had to read part of your comment to my husband, who is very simpatico with your husband. We have a running joke that when he leaves the house, I break out the blender. Ha!
I am so happy to hear you are getting good use out of the recipes and are enjoying making healthy foods for your family. Thank you so much for your nice comment and suggestions! I don’t have the full KS yet (it came out after I got my Ninja Professional Blender), but the smaller jar of the Pulse is very similar in size to the smaller 40 oz jar for the KS and has similar accessories, so I will keep that in mind when writing recipes and think about things that are more food-processor material than full on blending.
Thanks again and keep on keeping on!
Congrats on finding/following your niche! I might be a day too late for the contest (I thought I saw 6/16 on another post?) but just in case… I’d make a gluten-free vegan pancake mix. My blender broke last week and I miss my pancakes!
Hi Yvonne,
Thanks for stopping by and the note. You’re right, it was one day late, sorry, but I did enjoy learning what you would make!
I hope you get a new blender soon!