This post is contributed by Sharon Harrod:

I’m a spicy girl who loves spicy creations! I was never really a meatloaf person until I created this gem. Now, it’s a favorite! And, a leftover sandwich the next day is awesome on toast with tomato, red onion, arugula and mayo. All the veggies in the recipe and oatmeal as added fiber is a big bonus! This is not your plain ol’ meatloaf and it does require some extra steps. But, I promise this is well worth the effort.

(Photography courtesy of Sharon Harrod)

Chipotle Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 pound chopped sirloin ( I grind my own in the Cuisinart, but you just buy ground sirloin)
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
3 baby bells
1/2 grated red onion
1 clove garlic grated
One roasted poblano pepper
2 tablespoons banana peppers
1/4 cup roasted butternut squash
Three eggs
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Taco blend cheese
1  24-ounce bottle of ketchup
1 small can chipotle sauce or 3 Chipotle peppers pureed

Directions:

First, let me say my Cuisinart is one of my three favorite kitchen tools. If you don’t have one, a little mini chopper or chopping finely by hand works just as well. It just takes longer!

Step 1
Roast a poblano pepper and a butternut squash in the oven at 400 degrees with olive oil and salt until softened.

Step 2
Cut the sirloin steak  in large 1 inch chunks and process in small batches in the Cuisinart. Do a course chop so the meatloaf will have more of a steak texture and flavor.  Place the chopped sirloin in a large mixing bowl.

Step 3
Individually mince the carrot, celery,  and baby bells in the same manner.  Place them in the bowl along with the sirloin.

Step 4
Using a microplane grater, grate the red onion and garlic. Place in the bowl with the other ingredients.

Step 5
Peel the skin from both the roasted poblano and the roasted butternut squash . Chop the pablano and scoop out 1/4 cup of squash. Place them in the bowl alongside the other ingredients.

Step 6
Mix meat and vegetable ingredients together.

Step 7
In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, oatmeal, the two cheeses and salt and pepper.

Step 8
Mix the egg and meat mixture together.

Step 9
Mix the bottle of ketchup together with the chipotle sauce.

Step 10
Place the meatloaf in a loaf pan and cover with 1/2 of the Chipotle ketchup ( I save the remaining Chipotle ketchup to use for many other things, so I always have a bottle in my refrigerator. It’s delish!)

Step 11
Bake @ 400° for 45 minutes let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into slices.

You can serve the remaining butternut squash as a side dish along with the meatloaf.

Let me know how yours turns out in the comments! Enjoy!

–Sharon

My neighbor, Sharon, is a wonderful friend and a wonderful cook. She is also a great conversationalist, creative, and has a very interesting life. Basically, she is made to write a blog. And it’s on her bucket list to have one someday soon! Until then, she has agreed to contribute to mine. Lucky me! Starting today, you will see regularly featured “From Sharon’s Kitchen” posts with my neighbor’s tasty creations.

In Sharon’s words:

Hello, Modern Day Fox readers! My name is Sharon and I’m so happy to be able to share my love for cooking with all of you. I’m very passionate about food, especially gluten-free creations. Since the weather has taken a turn for the cold this week, I was longing for a warm cup of soup. I thought it would be great to kick off my first featured post with my Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

I wait every year for red bell peppers to go on sale so that I can make batches of this delicious soup. I had it for the first time many years ago on Thanksgiving Day and it has become a favorite amongst all my friends and family. I hope you love it as much as we do!

ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

Ingredients:

6 red bell peppers 

2 Bartlett pears

2 shallots

4 carrots 

1 clove garlic 

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon 

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 box organic chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 jar roasted red peppers (save for last)

Directions:

Chop shallot and garlic into small minced pieces and place in a Dutch oven with olive oil. Cook until translucent.

Chop all vegetables and pears into big chunks. Place in Dutch oven along with chicken broth, salt and pepper, crushed red pepper and 1 tablespoon tarragon. Cook on medium-high heat until veggies are tender. Remove from heat and puree with immersion blender or vitamix. If you have neither, you can do small batches in regular blender.

Remove the skins from the jarred roasted red peppers and cut into tiny chunks. Mix into the soup along with a second tablespoon of tarragon. ENJOY!

Oh, and by the way, I served this with my famous newly created Gluten Free Cornbread. To die for! Recipe coming soon.

See you next time! 

— Sharon

I admit it. I have a bit of a girl crush on PaleOMG, blogger Juli Bauer. She is that girl you just want to hang out with because not only is she creative and quirky, she is also athletic, a great cook and not afraid to drop the F bomb at any given moment. Her engaging blog has definitely inspired me to pursue my own! She expanded from mainly Paleo recipes into celebrating many other topics about which she is passionate. And, you know I love that!

In addition to her booming blog, a fun social media presence, and a brand new podcast, Juli also has three cookbooks under her belt. And, I happily own all three! One of her recipes, Buffalo Chicken Casserole, was a lifesaver when I was eating Paleo and has become a staple in my house. (On and off, I will eat Paleo throughout the year. We can talk about that another time!) This recipe, along with many other delicious dishes, can be found in her latest cookbook, Juli Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook. I made it last weekend and my husband said it should stay in rotation. Always a good sign! Fair warning, the buffalo sauce does make it pretty spicy. If you are sensitive to spice, I recommend starting with a half cup the first time you make it and then adding additional hot sauce in your single serving.  I have found that 3/4 cup of hot sauce is the right temperature for yours truly. I served this dish with some sprigs of cilantro and a drizzle of Greek Yogurt Dill Ranch Dressing. Delicious!

Here is the ingredient list as shown on Juli’s PaleOMG website:

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Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash (about 21⁄2 pounds)

4 tablespoons butter, ghee, or coconut oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1⁄2 medium yellow onion, minced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 pound ground chicken

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup hot sauce

1⁄4 cup Super Simple Mayonnaise (page 274 in Juli’s book) or store bought mayo

3 large eggs, whisked chopped scallions, for garnish

sliced avocado, for garnish

Click here to get the instructions for this recipe from Juli’s blog!

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I tried to take some photos for you off my iPhone. This dish is not very photogenic so I didn’t bother with trying in vain to use my professional camera. The photos are crappy, but all you need to know is it tastes better than it looks! Juli’s photos in the cookbook and on the link back to this recipe on her blog are absolutely gorgeous, however. The photography work was another reason I bought the book.

Let me know if you give this recipe a try! And, more importantly,check out PaleOMG! Even if you don’t eat Paleo, you will make a new friend out of Juli Bauer!

xo Jaime

Because I’m so incredibly interested in hearing about the dreams that burn inside others, I often find myself giving encouragement and advice to people who have a dream but no plan. I get much joy out of helping others brainstorm, and then watching them light up as they realize the possibility of bringing these dreams to fruition. But, I have found too often when I cross paths with that same person a few months later, absolutely no action has been taken. Man, I just want to shake that person and say, “But, we made a plan! Remember? You were excited! You had a first step! WHY didn’t you take action?”

Even though I don’t actually physically shake anyone, sometimes I do confront them with those questions. Their answers are usually just a series of excuses. “Oh, you know, I’ve just been too busy.” Or, “Shoot, I just don’t have the money right now.” Or, “Ummm, I’m scared.” (This last one is also the translation of “I don’t know.”) Do any of these statements hit home with you? Let’s talk about each one:

“I have just been too busy.” Friends, if you are too busy to take the steps to achieve your goal, then you are not ready, or you simply do not want it bad enough. When you have a real fire in your heart for something, there is nothing that can stand in your way. You will stay up later, and you will wake up earlier. You will cut out an hour of social media scrolling. You will cut out your three Starbucks trip for the week and instead hire a babysitter for a couple hours to devote time to your goal. If you are truly passionate to make something happen, you will rearrange, sacrifice, beg, borrow, and steal to get it going. (Alright, don’t really steal anything, unless of course you are stealing time.) I say it all the time – you make time for what you want to make time for. If you are not ready, that’s OK! But, own it. Don’t make excuses.

“I don’t have the money right now.” I get it. Financial stress is tough. Your primary financial responsibilities are most likely putting food on the table every night and keeping a roof over your head. Sometimes it’s hard to see how you are even going to meet those most basic needs from one month to another. Chances are, however, whatever goal you are working toward has a “first step” that barely costs a thing. Can you create a business page on social media? Can you set up a couple meetings with mentors that are doing what you want to do? Can you come up with $15 and find a Staples promo code and print some business cards?  Read a freakin’ book? There is something that you can do that you can also afford, trust me. Also, remember that your financial situation is not going to change one bit if you don’t make a move towards something new, and potentially better. If you want to experience change, then make a change.

“I’m scared.” If you are truly honest with yourself, fear is likely the root cause of all your other excuses for not executing. Force yourself to figure out what it is that are you actually afraid of happening. Is it facing the criticism of others? Is it fear of failure? Going completely broke? Write out every single thing you are scared of related to taking the first step to achieve your goal. Then, write out what the consequences of each of those things actually happening. What really happens if people make fun of you, or if you fail miserably? Look over that list and have a “come to Jesus” talk with yourself. Are you truly unable to handle these consequences? If someone chooses to laugh at you, is their opinion really of value to you anyway? If you fail, will your heart still be beating when it’s all said and done? Will you lose the love of your friends and family if you bomb this endeavor? Chances are, when you sit down and weigh the consequences, you are probably blowing things way out of proportion. You are a strong person and you can handle much more than you are giving yourself credit. Confront your fears, and then kick them out of your way.

Martin Luther King, Jr. has a famous quote that rings true for every dreamer, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” If you can pinpoint virtually any first step that brings you closer to the goal you want to accomplish, then it is time to become a person of action.

You’ve envisioned it. You’ve wished for it. You’ve talked about it. You’ve planned for it. Now, act on it.

I have been waiting for the right time to share my photos of my trip to New Orleans in August. Honestly, I just wanted to take some time to fully digest it before even posting about it. It was one of the best trips of my life, mainly because I got to share it with seven of the most important women in my life. I am the consummate planner and I read every review possible before I created a complete itinerary for my friends. When you are traveling with eight people, it is essential to be organized and intentional with the plans. If not, you will spend a lot of time waiting on someone to make a decision. My friends were quite impressed by planning and it paid off in the end. Everyone agreed that it was a complete success.

I took a ton of photos which I’ll share them over five posts so I can give a good overview of the trip without overwhelming everyone. Here is a recap of Day One:

My friends and I arrived together in New Orleans on Thursday afternoon and were greeted at the Country Inn and Suites French Quarter. We immediately cozied up to the bar with our new favorite bartender, Ricardo.

The rest of the evening was spent in a progressive dining experience. We started at Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone for drinks and appetizers. Although we didn’t get a seat at the spinning bar (see second photo below of the bar in motion), we found seats at the back bar and listened to the jazz band while enjoying gorgeous cocktails. The highlight appetizer was the Crawfish Beignets. Wow, was it good!

Next, it was on to Sylvain which was recommended as one of the best restaurants in the Quarter. It was very dark in there, but had a cool vibe! We were all pretty happy with our meals, but Crystal picked the winner when she ordered the Beef Cheeks. A couple of the ladies ordered the scallops (picture below) and thought it was an excellent dish as well.

After that, we headed to Sucré New Orleans (French Quarter location) for sweet treats. The place was very charming and full of delectable treats. The staff was very entertaining. The guy that was helping me dropped my dessert on the floor, so he gave me another choice for free. It was heavenly! After that, we were thoroughly stuffed and headed back to the hotel.

On the way back, we stopped by one of the touristy junk shops and modeled some freaky masks for each other! Much laughter ensured.

Once we hit the hotel, we visited Ricardo again at the bar and then we hit the hay to prepare for a very full Day Two.

Check out tomorrow’s post to see our Day Two adventures!

KT Tunstall

When I was just getting started, I was still shooting and shooting and shooting, hoping to get at least one good picture. I found a way and here is one of my favorites of KT.

Gaëlle Buswel & Michaal Benjelloun 

These two people are certainly two of the artists I like to photograph the most. There is a connection between them on stage that I have rarely seen.

(The following is a transcript from a speech I gave my fitness accountability group on the fly! My apologies if it feels like it rambles as it was completely off the cuff! The message is so important that I wanted to share  with you here.)

Each week, I have a Monday motivational call. This week’s message was so inspiring that I just had to share it. It was powerful and so pertinent in all of our lives. The message was “Reject Hopelessness.” I can’t express to you how much the way you talk to yourself absolutely controls your thoughts and your actions.

You HAVE to reject hopelessness.

If you think that you are going to fail, or that you aren’t worth it, or that you are stuck where you are, or that your financial situation is not going to change, or that your weight is not going to change, or that your relationships at home are destined to be fruitless and painful, or that the way that your kids are acting is never going to change, or that you will be stuck in your current job forever… if you tell yourself everyday that none of these things are ever going to change, then guess what? Nothing’s going to change.

It is up to you to reject this kind of hopelessness!

Only YOU have the power to change your thoughts and your mind. and to start believing in yourself. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, and again. YOU ARE YOUR ONLY ADVOCATE. Nobody else can stand up and change YOUR life except for you. Other people can inspire you or provide inspirational messages just like the one you’re reading now. But ultimately, you are the one who has to change your own thoughts. You must believe that you are worth investing in yourself.

Here’s how you do it:

Give yourself the gift of 30 minutes a day to work on your physical health no matter what else is going on. Even if you have to get up early, or stay up late, you deserve 30 minutes of fitness and giving back to yourself. Take the time each week to plan out a healthy diet so that you can feel better in your body and in your mind. Carve out even just five minutes a day to be alone where you reflect on the things in your life going right no matter how small they may seem. Lock yourself in your closet if you have to! You have to make yourself a priority. Start with those three things – physical fitness, nutrition, and daily positive self talk – and you will begin to feel real change.

Think of all the massive goals people have achieved over the years- big and small. For instance, NASA put a man on the moon. Surely the team that made this happen were told time and again that this mission was a waste of time and there was no way it could be done. If these scientists and astronauts had taken this hopelessness to heart, the “moon walk” would have never happened! It’s the same thing for you on a smaller scale. If you are telling yourself everyday that you cannot change your life, then you are not going to do it.
So put up your armor, and reject hopelessness!

You are worth it and you CAN change starting RIGHT NOW!

Some of you had the worst week of your life last week and you are thinking, “Thank God I have a new week.” You are right! Today is your Day One. Today is your chance to reject hopelessness and to change the path of your life. Go out and do it. Smart small. Do your thirty. Choose a salad instead of a donut. Tell yourself all day long that you are worth it. Make your goals and your dream non-negotiable. Don’t let anyone, especially yourself, stand in your way! You are not hopeless!

XO Jaime