Welcome to the first Monthly Scoop post of 2020! January 2020 had a lot going on in it and was sure one for the books! Coming out of the holiday season, January is always an odd food month, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have some deliciously yummy recipes here on KJ & Company. Talking about blog traffic (hello Pinterest!), health updates and all things food, The Monthly Scoop – January 2020 is loaded full of goodies!

Whew, January is officially over! Doesn’t it seem like it’s one of those months that never ends? For me, it’s January and March – they seem to carry on forever! That’s ok though, I quite enjoyed all the January memes floating around about it.

For me personally, coming off of the holidays is hard! I’m also not one that drastically changes my diet on January 1st, so it can be difficult to get back into the groove of “normal” inspiration (holiday inspiration is a real thing!) and photography. One of the things that helped me get back into the swing of things was experimenting with different lighting situations! I had fun working with a warm, direct sunlight and altering it with my blinds. Check out the pictures below to see how it turned out! Definitely something that I’m going to keep playing with.

Pinterest

Pinterest is just the greatest, isn’t it? Well, it’s also one of my top traffic drivers to my website! There’s quite a few different Pinterest tactics to increase your traffic (I did the Jenna Kutcher Pinterest Lab and it was SO good!), and this past month in January I actually had a pin go a little viral! One pin ended up getting that recipe 37,095 page views from Pinterest – that was an awesome result for me to see! Now, I’m not sharing this to show off or anything, but just want to be open and honest about it – because this blogging thing is a lot of work! Hard work does pay off, though. Keep in mind, Pinterest is only one traffic avenue and there’s always other ways to increase traffic to your site. Keep rockin’ what you’re doing!

And guess what? The pin that got all the attention and traffic? Not even one that I picked as my “top” picture for that recipe – how typical is that? (insert allll the laughing/crying faced emojis here). Check it out below! PS: want to follow along with me on Pinterest? Follow me here! 

Endometriosis

If you follow along with me on Instagram, you may know that I shared some of my health story and what I’ve been dealing with. You may have also heard about the little ambulance episode that happened (lol). I’m planning on sharing a whole post after my surgeries about it, but in the meantime, you can head over to my Instagram profile and watch my “Endo” highlight to learn more about what’s been going on. Needless to say, my first surgery date got moved up and will now be on February 28th!

January Recipes:

Recipes this January were centered around comfort. Cold temperatures and the post-holiday blues, you sometimes just need something warm and comforting in front of you! There was also some candied bacon which I am ALL about! Click on your favorite recipe below and get to cookin’! If you make any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you! Shoot me an email, post a comment or share on social media tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany!

Monthly Favorites:

1. The Harry Potter Books – John and I are finally on the last book! We have been loving reading through the books together and having that special time set aside for the two of us. PS: there’s SO much more info in the books than the movies! Definiately worth it!
2. Another book that I started reading and have been loving so far is Own Your Everyday – it’s a good one to snag!
3. Living Proof Hair Products – I’ve been obsessed with their dry shampoo and finally tried their actual shampoo and conditioner and have been loving it! Definitely going to become a new staple for me.
4. Hair crimping is back in style and I’ve been loving experimenting with it! I got my crimper from my hair dresser, but have heard great things about this one!
5. Butter Gloss – I was totally influenced by a fashion blogger to try this stuff out and I’m so glad I did! I don’t wear much makeup, and this is just the right amount of tint for my lips!
6. Costco finds – John and I became obsessed with the frozen ramen bowls that Costco carries thanks to their tasting stands they have set up. Great for having something warm and delicious in your freezer!
7. Trader Joe’s finds – did you know that TJ’s makes a Cookie Butter Ice Cream??!!! Found that one out this past month! Definitely a must try! We’ve also been hooked on their frozen vegetable fried rice – I like to mix it with their riced cauliflower and cruciferous crunch for a little extra veggie!
8. The Chocolate Season – if you’re in Lincoln, NE, you gotta check out this new place! Not only do they sell decadent looking chocolates, but have delicious breakfast, lunch and coffee options! 

Next Month:

February may be a little bit of an odd month for me with my upcoming procedure, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be loaded full of goodies! I’m so looking forward to hosting a baby shower for my bestie, Valentine’s Day treats and all other sorts of yummy things. Bring on all the chocolate!

KJ