Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Mustard

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Hello! My name is Niki. Welcome to Clean Plate Clb! I am so happy you are here!! I grew up a picky picky kid only to turn into a slightly less picky adult. I mostly survived on a diet of chicken fingers, buttered noodles, and hot dogs until I was in college at Penn State.

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What desserts are you making for your Thanksgiving table?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I'm thinking of bringing back these cream puffs stuffed with cranberry buttercream, but I could be persuaded to try something new :D⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Grab the recipe at cleanplateclb.com in the archives under dessert!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#cleanplateclb #cranberryorange #falldesserts #fallbaking #cranberrydessert #thanksgivingdesserts #thebakefeed #thefeedfeedbaking #seasonalfruit #eatcaptureshare #foodphotographymagazine #foodphotoshoot #foodphotographers #beautifulfood #eatprettythings #bakingfromscratch #bakinggoals #buttercreamicing #saveurmag #foodtographyschool

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How do you balance quality vs quantity?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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One of the things that led to burn out for me was a disconnect between quality and quantity. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’ve always valued quality content and taking the time (I thought) to put my best work out there. But somewhere along the way, I got caught up in creating more content to keep pace with other food photographers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’ve heard so many times over this past year that posting content consistently and frequently is crucial; I let that define my success.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I ended up with images that I liked but didn’t love. I saw my style starting to narrow because I knew I could produce a certain image in a short period of time. I was frustrated because I wasn’t progressing, but I wasn’t progressing because I was focused on the wrong thing!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The only way for me to move forward and continue to grow in this space is to put quantity aside and focus on the quality of my content. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This means I can’t keep pace with other food photographers. I may not be able to get out 3 posts per week or even 1 sometimes. But when I do post new content, it will be content that makes me proud. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The important thing to remember is your balance of quality and quantity needs to based on your own values and goals; not the values or goals of someone else. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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My cauliflower mash got a facelift and a recipe update! The recipe is in the blog archives under side dishes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#cleanplateclb #cauliflowermash #mashedcauliflower #easysidedish #thanksgivingsides #roastedcauliflower #falldinner #makeitdelicious #shareyourtable #recipesharing #scratchmade #simpleingredients #foodbloggerlife #beautifulfood #foodphotography101 #foodstylefeed #foodstylingandphotography #phillyfoodphotographer #bonappetitmag #saveurmag #nytcooking #tastemakerconf2020

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I am BURNT OUT.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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How many times have you uttered that phrase, shoved it aside, and pushed through your to-do list?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’ve been dodging burnout for the better part of 2019, but it finally caught up to me in early October in the form of a single thought - “I don’t like doing this anymore.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I was shooting a recipe and that thought left me instantly terrified. Food photography has always been my happy place; so when those feelings of disinterest snuck in, I knew I had hit the bottom of burnout. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Since that moment, I’ve been struggling to get motivated and focus on my goals. I disappeared from social media and my blog, and my to-do list has a nice layer of dust.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I wondered if I had made a mistake in throwing all my energy into food photography.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I had to make a conscious effort to slow down. I work full-time and I run my own business, so I need to cut myself some slack. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’ve been tiptoeing slowly back into photography and blogging; working on tasks that interest me the most and not adhering to a strict schedule. Going back to basics! Reconnecting with my “why”, returning to my values, and brushing up on my skills. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’ve been treading lightly and listening closely to my feelings because I want to be sustainable in this business for the long run. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This last month has sucked, but I’ve learned so many things! I’m excited to start sharing what I’ve been exploring. Burnout is real, but I think it’s avoidable. The way forward is to talk about it openly, honestly, and reframe the default definition of success. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#cleanplateclb #roastedbrusselsprouts #brusselsprouts #roastedveggies #brusselsproutswithbacon #firstweeat #foodbloggerpro #thefeedfeed #foodtographyschool #thebiteshot #bonappetitmag #saveurmag #learnfoodphotography #foodartblog #eatprettythings #foodphotographymagazine #moodyfood #darkfoodphoto #wellandgoodeats #seasonalproduce #eatseasonal

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I've been away from Instagram for a bit, and I plan to share more about why in another post. But first I want to introduce myself, because I realized I've never stopped to share my story.
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Hi there! I'm Niki & I'm the face behind Clean Plate Clb. I'm a self-taught home cook focused on scratch made recipes using real ingredients. .
When I say scratch made, I mean it! I make my own ricotta cheese, pasta, and sauces among other things. It's easier than you think and tastes so damn good!
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I fell in love with cooking in college while binge watching every cooking show the Food Network could throw at me. I'm a picky eater, so I dove into learning how to cook so I could make dishes with flavors I love. .
I live in the Philly suburbs with my husband, Zac. We have a labradoodle named Charlie, who is a complete goober, and a parrotlet named Stu. .
I hate sun showers and love street sweepers. I have an obsession with notebooks and I'm constantly getting a new one (even if the old one isn't finished..).
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There was a time when I was young that I wanted to be a photographer but I pushed it aside for a more "practical path" in analytics.
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I'm a natural introvert and I struggle to put myself out there for fear of rejection. But I'm tired of trying to be polished so I'm working on being more myself and letting my quirky personality shine 😃
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📷: @thebutterhalf_

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Happy 1 year anniversary @zac.cutchall !! I love you so much!
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You will forever be my always 🙂
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📷: @christiegreenphotography

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roasted brussel sprouts

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