My anxiety has always got the best of me. It took years of encouragement from family and friends to start a food blog. Back in October I saw a post on Instagram that Area Woman Magazine was looking for recipes to be published in their Holiday 2020 issue. For those of you who don't know, Area Woman magazine is based out of Fargo, North Dakota. This is where I am from. Each month they have amazing local woman who share their passions and dreams. The magazine also has information about local charities, shelters and recipes. I was like this is it! I am going to take a step towards making my dream come true. What is my dream?
My dream is to create recipes for those with gluten and dairy sensitivities and/or allergies. I can't even count on my fingers how many times I have had to plan ahead to eat or prepare for a family gathering, birthday party or an event in general. I have IBS and my son is lactose intolerant. So going to one of his small human friends birthday parties can be difficult. He's a five year old boy. Pizza, cake and ice cream are very appealing to his young eyes. Telling him no he can't eat any of the fun stuff has been hard over the years.
Many times I have asked ahead if it was ok if we brought our own small treat so he can enjoy the birthday. Most of the moms are very generous and will make sure to get special pizza and cupcakes for us. Bless their hearts! Not to sound snotty or rude but shouldn't that be a requirement when feeding people? Asking if anyone has allergies or sensitive's? Food can be a friend or enemy to many. Why should I or my son have to feel uncomfortable or not included because we weren't provided with the proper food? This is just my opinion and I'm sticking to it!
So I submitted recipes to the email that was provided and I stated my thoughts about how everyone should feel included and not afraid to eat. A month later I got an email back saying they wanted to publish my stuffing recipe! They also wanted a 30-40 bio and picture! To me I felt like I had just won a million dollars! Fast forward to a few more weeks later. My son and I were walking into the local grocery store and I notice the Holiday 2020 Area Woman magazine was out. I may or may not of freaked out a small amount. I flipped through those pages so fast and when I got to page 72 I started jumping up and down!
At this point my son was impatient and wanting to grab a cart and get going. I showed him what was making me so excited. My sweet boy says, "WOW MOM!!! That is so cool! You are a rock star and you look beautiful in your picture. Can we go now?" I started laughing and realized the whole store was looking at me like I was drunk. So naturally the next thing I did was call my mom to share the news. I am so proud of myself I can't even stand it. Saying "I am proud of myself" is major for me. And I realized I have never felt this way before. I know I and strive for more and do more with my recipes! Believing in yourself is so key most people don't even know it! Dream on.