We are very excited to introduce you to the healthy eating website Pralines & Greens, and its owner and fellow blogger Lindsey Auerbach. Through her own experience as well as thorough research she brings a wealth of knowledge about food quality, allergens, and healthy alternatives. She also shares with us her years of experience building a well-designed, popular and informative blogging website (you can even find it on Pinterest, woohoo!).

In a few sentences, this is what my business does:

I decided to create Pralines and Greens so I can share just how easy a plant-based lifestyle can be. I started making small and sustainable steps toward a plant-based lifestyle after I developed several food sensitivities that began interfering with my daily life.

Pralines and Greens is a growing collection of delicious and nutritious plant-based recipes featuring whole food ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes. Occasionally, recipes will include sustainably sourced and wild caught fish, local eggs, and grass fed dairy. But no matter what, they will all leave you feeling your best inside and out.

My typical work environment is:

As a food blogger, I can work whenever, wherever! However, most days you can find me in my kitchen cooking!

The training or education that is required for my type of business is:

I went to school for many years and obtained a Masters and Juris Doctor degree. However, neither of those quite prepared me for blogging. The process of learning new skills and knowledge is ongoing. It involves a lot of self-initiative and taking on challenges. Both of which I like. Thankfully, the internet has a plethora of resources and I've used this to my advantage.

To me, being part of the gig economy means:

When I started Pralines and Greens, the time I devoted to it was sporadic. However, I stuck with it, and over the years have come to realize this is something I really want to continue pursuing. Although I still consider it a "side gig", I hope that it evolves into something more. Since it's something I am so passionate about, I love every minute of it.

The benefits of my type of work are:

The knowledge I have gained in the past few years is unbelievable. I just finished a plant based patisserie course with Le Cordon Bleu and everything about it was new to me. It keeps things interesting and fun. I absolutely love cooking and feel like I could spend my whole life mastering recipes. Since I'm always in the kitchen, my family benefits a lot too. Most nights there is something new to try and with two hungry kids usually a dessert is thrown in there too.

The difficulties I encountered starting a business were:

Personally, the most difficult thing about starting a business is time. There is always something I could be working on for Pralines and Greens but I have other obligations too. Balancing both is key.

The way I use/leverage social media is:

Social media is huge and trying to stay on top of it is daunting. I tend to stick with some tried and true platforms for food bloggers like Pinterest and Instagram. Since photography is a huge part of my business, these are the tools I can use the most to my advantage.

Integrating technology into my business is:

I lean hard on technology to organize myself so that I can run a blog in the limited time I have. With planning, shopping, cooking, photography, writing, etc. of course I have an arsenal of tools to facilitate my workflow. I like listening to podcasts or subscribing to other successful food blogs to see what is working for them. If it's something I'm hearing about over and over, I try it.

"Making it" and success in the gig economy to me means:

The success stories in blogging give hope to a lot of people who attempt making money in a similar manner. Turning a blog into a steady source of income requires many factors to come together. This may sound intimidating at first but I try to remember that established food bloggers have taken years to build a footprint of both content and a fan following for themselves.

The way I balance work and personal time is:

It's a struggle to balance work and personal time because the work is truly never ending but I also try to remember, this is my choice. Sharing recipes is something I love to do.

The pandemic impacted my business by:

The pandemic was my time to be a mom. Although it was an opportunity to capitalize on food trends and more people stuck at home, I also had a newborn and my son home from school. I don't beat myself up about it though because Pralines and Greens will always be there.

The way that diversity impacts my business is:

Diverse can mean a lot of things. It can mean different ethnicities, nations, cultures or backgrounds. It can mean different beliefs, world views or perspectives on different issues. Bloggers who are just starting out or bloggers who have been blogging for years, and everything in between. As bloggers, we all have a common goal to share our stories, and I think that comes with supporting each other in this diverse world.

The future of my business and/or the gig economy is:

Grow! Grow! Grow! I am constantly making small incremental steps that will hopefully lead to big changes!

One piece of useful advice I would give to others is:

Passion for your blog and consistency in efforts are the keys to achieve success in the long run.

To find out more about Pralines & Greens or to contact Lindsey:

Website: Pralines & Greens

Email: Lindsey@pralinesandgreens.com

Facebook: /PralinesandGreens

Instagram: /pralinesandgreens

Pinterest: /Pralinesandgreens