Hello & Happy New Year 🥂

It’s been awhile…and quite a while it’s been.

First and foremost, we hope with all our might, that this email finds you and your family safe and well. And that the New Year ahead has you feeling some sense of hope, progress, and maybe a little positivity. These have been some of the craziest times for us all. We can only hope for brighter days ahead.

We’re sending this note today to give a little update on the business happenings of your old gal pals, Danielle & Jennifer…

AND… we thought we’d share our Leek & Cheddar Savory Muffin Recipe since so many of you loved them and have asked (just scroll to the bottom for it). Plus, it’s leek season and we could all use a savory treat after the holiday sugar splurge.

So… after what seems like a lifetime, we’re so excited to be launching our next venture, Superfine Social – Social Media Marketing Courses & Coaching for local small business owners.

If you find yourself scratching your head wondering “wait, what’s happening…what happened to the food?!” Here’s a little back story to the Danielle and Jen show…

As many of you may remember, in December of 2016, we simultaneously closed the Natural Contents Kitchen and released our Cookbook (and Blog), Good Food for Everyone: Farm Fresh Clean Eating.

Fortunately, we had been recipients of the USDA Local Food Promotions Grant which allowed the creation of the cookbook. Unfortunately, in August of that same year, our biggest wholesale account closed its doors with 24 hours’ notice and we lost over 50% of our revenue.

After racking our brains (and the financials), it was clear our time as foodprenuers had come to an end. There were too many hurdles we no longer wanted to endure.

When I asked myself, “what next?” – I knew I was ready to go back to marketing.

If you don’t already know, marketing and sales have always been my jam. I’ve been in the field practically my whole life with over 23 years of experience helping 100s of small businesses in print, radio, and in most recent times, digital and social media marketing.

We started Natural Contents to live out a life passion. And though the struggle was real, it gave us invaluable insight and experience in understanding the mindset of a small business entrepreneur just trying to live out their dream.

So in January 2017, we launched True Food Collective, a boutique marketing agency dedicated to farm, food, lifestyle, and destination brands.

Wow, did we build a business! With very little marketing and lots of word of mouth referrals, I had accomplished my goal of building a six-figure agency. It was great – amazing in fact. But… as we grew, so did our rates.

It wasn’t long before we priced out the local small business owner. “Small business Sally” could no longer afford our services. And, given we only had so many hours in a day to “sell,” we knew we had to come up with another way to exponentially grow.

So, I started playing with the idea of creating online courses. DIY training and support – that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. And with that, we did a 6-week Superfine Social beta launch back in early 2019 with a group of incredible small business owners that are near and dear to our hearts (you know who you are 😘

After that, I knew – Superfine Social was the way to help small business owners who will never be able to hire an amazing agency – simply because the financials don’t make sense.

Our original plan was to move Superfine Social forward as a Master Social Media Marketing Course with a $1000 price tag. Our launch date was April 1, 2020 – but then COVID hit, and that plan went right out the window. How could we expect small business owners to commit this kind of money now when the world around us was shutting down.

So, I took (another) step back, a deep breath, and reflected – how could I show up and support small business owners now when they need it the most? How could I help others while essentially building a new business for myself and my family?

Fast forward (only slightly spiraling from the winds of COVID change) to the start of 2021 launching Superfine Social: Social Media Marketing Courses & Coaching for local small business owners.

Even if you don’t own a business, check out what we’re up to. And, should you feel compelled, feel free to tell your favorite locally owned businesses and professionals about us.

Our first step-by-step, self-paced course, Optimize My Social, is all about getting better results from the time and energy already being invested in social media with a launch price tag of $27 (that’s right, you read it correctly – $27)… with a series of courses to follow over the next few months.

We’ve also created $97 Social Media Audits that provide a personalized video of a business’s social accounts providing actionable tips that can be implemented immediately to optimize their social media presence so they can start seeing better results.

And if that wasn’t enough, we’re also offering 1:1 Coaching Sessions with yours truly 😉 Now businesses can schedule a one-hour session and receive my undivided attention and 23 years of local small business marketing experience to discuss and implement social media and digital marketing strategies and practices that work.

Ultimately, we want to help businesses build and expand that connection to their customer via social media… because now more than ever (and you likely know this as a customer), crystal-clear communication is of most importance. And now, more than ever, if a small business wants to survive and thrive, they need to embrace and implement digital marketing strategies that work.

So that’s our business update in a nutshell, folks…

As for us personally? We’re doing fine. And are very thankful for all that we have in life. As no matter what the struggle, we always seem to find our way.

We are very thankful for our Natural Contents days as that health and wellness journey still carries us forward – and is the exact reason why we’re able to survive such chaos. The struggle is real yet our desire to survive and thrive is even more real.

So, we wake up on most days to online yoga and meditation with Brett Larkin (our online yogi), a little bit of exercise on the rebounder and treadmill, and of course, we still mainly eat and live a gluten-free, farm-fresh, organic lifestyle.

We took this odd time in history to restructure and revalue almost everything in our life…

Jen spent most of the summer acting retired (which she loved), tending to all those house and life things that had been neglected for over a decade. We now sleep the correct amount of hours and haven’t felt overworked in a really long time. AND we’ve spent so much extra time with the kids, it’s been wonderful and unexpected as they will turn 20 and 18 this year (omg, where did the time go!?!)

We reimagined a brand-new day… and a new brand too… cause apparently, that’s what we like to do 😂

May this year shine brighter than the last for you and yours.

Peace, love, and all that jazz ❤️ Take care, all…

– Danielle & Jennifer

PS. Just an FYI… the Natural Contents website will stay live for now given all the recipe activity that still exists and we still have a very limited amount of Cookbooks left (less than 80). So if you don’t have one, grab one before they’re gone forever…

PPS. We’re loosely “playing” with the idea of what “Natural Contents 3.0” could turn into… Not food – that ship has sailed but something… No promises though, and don’t get your hopes up lol. It’s just an idea that pops into our heads from time to time. Anyways, if you have any ideas or want to share your struggles when it comes to healthy eating and living, we’re all ears and would love to hear your feedback. Click here to send us a message.

Leek & Cheddar Savory Mini Muffins

Gluten & Grain-Free, Paleo Friendly | Yields 30 mini muffins

Savory mini muffins perfect for snacking or served alongside piping hot chili or soup. Some folks have used these to make mini burger sliders too – so get creative in your kitchen.

Use This

• 2½ cups almond flour (we’ve been using Anthony’s brand and love it)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 eggs
• ½ cup (4oz) butter, melted
• ¼ cup (2oz) cheddar cheese, shredded
• ½ cup (6oz) leeks, chopped fine

Do This

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Line mini muffin baking pan with liners.
• In a medium-sized bowl (or stand mixer), combine almond flour, salt and baking powder; mix to combine.
• Add eggs, butter, cheese and leeks to dry mixture; mix to combine.
• Bake 10-12 minutes (or until toothpick clean). Let cool before enjoying. Keep leftover muffins in a container in the fridge (or freeze).

Recipe Notes

• You can make this into large muffins or an 8×8 pan BUT the mini muffins are the best version and the tastiest – no idea why but trust me on this.
• Line your muffin pan – another “trust me”. We’ve used non-stick pans and clean-up is still ridiculous.
• You can swap cheddar for any kind of shredded cheese.
• You can also swap the leeks for scallions. Use 4oz instead of 6oz.
• I’ve also made a Rosemary Honey version (divine) taking the cheese out, and adding 1 tablespoon local honey and 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary.