Name: Meghan Telpner
Blog name: Meghan Telpner
Where were you born? Winnipeg!
Where are you living now? Toronto!
Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog Making Love In The Kitchen in 2008 as a means to share the goodness that was coming out of my kitchen. At the time it was syndicated with The National Post’s Appetizer blog. My blog was a way for people to get to know me, my philosophy around nutrition and health and inspire them to start creating goodness in their kitchen. It was also a way to bring an audience into my newly launched cooking class business. In 2011, I amalgamated my Making Love In The Kitchen blog with the rest of my business and it all fell under my name.
How did you decide on your blog name?
Making Love In The Kitchen came easy (no pun intended!). I have always had a sense of humour about health, nutrition and cooking and my early blog posts were full, almost obnoxiously so, with sexual innuendos. They just fit so perfectly with health and nutrition, like, for example, when people talk about “bone density”. Get it? Over the years, I’ve matured (slightly), but continue to tell it like it is and deliver the goods with a side of laughter and lightness.
Choosing the name for my business and now my current blog as my name was a no-brainer. I always encourage my students and business clients to use their own name if they are their brand. To be sought after as an expert in my field, I wanted to be known as Meghan Telpner, not Making Love In the Kitchen or one of those generic nutrition/health names like “Sunshine Health” or “Inspired Lifestyle”. Snooze fest!
What do you blog about?
I blog about health and awesome living including food, recipes, nutrition, healthwashing (those fake health claims company splash on packages), life inspiration and guidance, travel, natural beauty care, conscious business and the UnDiet life.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you?
Just one? Here are three!
Being An Introvert in an Extrovert World: I think people often assume I’m an extrovert because I work in a very public space, am very happy to get up on stage and present, and wear bright colours. The truth is, I am happiest at home and need some serious alone time to regroup from public events and appearances.
Before and After Photos of My Beach Body: We see these before and after photos on social media all the time and I wanted to share my perspective on what it means to live in the body I’ve been given.
Seven Life Lessons from Seven Years in Business: I started my business in 2008 without any clue of what I was doing or how I would achieve what I have achieved so far. More than professional success, the experience taught me a powerful lesson on how to live life.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
Popping The Top Off Coca-Cola’s Healthwashing Campaign
I think most of the time we know when foods are good for us, and when they’re an indulgent treat. The challenge is when companies twist and spin nutrition information that is absolutely false to work in their favour. I have a whole category on healthwashing, many of which are my most popular posts, but this one just never caught on. There is a lot of important information in the video that goes with this post that can help the consumer understand how companies are spinning their marketing.
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
Turmeric Tea: When you google Turmeric Tea, mine is the first post to come up. I have no idea why or how this happened. It doesn’t have the best photo and is really old but it is the most pinned, shared and visited recipe post. Turmeric tea is also a pretty random drink. It’s not the most delicious in the world, though it does have powerful benefits. I attempted to capitalize on its popularity by updating the recipe and taking better photos, but still, everyone goes for the classic.
The other one that totally blew up and is the top post on my site consistently is my review of Arbonne.
Arbonne Calling: Is Arbonne As Pure And Safe As Your Think? ()
I was tired of being approached by Arbonne consultants, a network marketing company, to sell their products. I would never use their products and rather than explain repeatedly why I couldn’t recommend them, I wrote this post. The loyal following of Arbonne had a fit. We actually had to close commenting due to the profanities being used. Arbonne ended up using my blog post in trainings on how to deal with negative propaganda which boosted its ranking in Google. I recently wrote an update outlining how Arbonne had attempted to delist my post.
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
I write on a lot of different topics which all fall into the category of lifestyle. My readers, however, often come for one specific thing- health tips, or recipes, for example. So I am always trying to balance out posts to rotate through the categories I offer.
The other challenge I have is keeping up! What started as a blog, has evolved into a much bigger company, where I now also have a second blog with my school, the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. I love Food Bloggers of Canada for reconnecting with me with a community that was such an important part of my start. I often feel, however, that since blogging isn’t what I do full time, that I fall behind on trends. Like when did everyone get SLRs and light boxes? When did everyone start having such polished videos and social media streams? Where was I that day?
Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?
SondiBruner.com: I have loved Sondi’s work for years. She interned with me here in the kitchen in 2012 and I loved watching her work. She’d come in to the kitchen with an idea she wanted to try that always sounded a little odd, but it would always work and taste amazing. When I read her blog, I get to feel like I am back in the kitchen with her, even though she’s on the other side of the country. Editor's Note: (you can check out more of Sondi's work here on FBC with her Allergy Friendly Recipe Remixes!)
YumUniverse.com: Heather Crosby is one of those people that can make anything and everything look effortless and beautiful. We share a similar food philosophy, so I love learning about the ingredients that are currently inspiring her and trust that every recipe she offers is one that will work for my lifestyle, and just simply work!
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
My favourite foods change by seasons, but currently with the chill in the air and the nutty schedule I’ve been having, I am loving the warming comfort foods. My gluten-free and dairy-free lasagna has been a staple on my meal plans for the last few months. I used gluten-free noodles and a cashew ricotta in place of cheese and it can be made with meat or beans, so everyone’s happy.
If you really want to try out what can be done as far as nut cheese goes, my absolute favourite thing currently on a restaurant menu is the Cheese Slab at Tori’s Bakeshop after hours dinners.
One of my most favourite restaurants is Shojin in LA. It’s organic, gluten-free, nut-free and vegan sushi. To most, I get that this might sound totally nuts (So you’re eating rice and seaweed?). Their gluten-free gyoza is something I dream about. Their sushi rolls are the most incredible things I’ve ever had. A mix of textures and the sweet, savoury, spicy combo is just perfect. It’s a small, unassuming spot.
What are you working on next for your blog?
As I mentioned before on falling behind- I did just buy a lightbox so I’m excited to try it out. In 2016 my work will be taking a slightly new turn, which is exciting. I have written two books and over 1,800 blog posts on food and nutrition and am now exploring where I want to go with my own learning. Food will always be part of what I share but I am looking at creating work that can offer a bigger and wider life influence. Will just have to wait and see what cooks up!
What makes your blog unique?
Me! I always advocate when I do business coaching to pour ourselves, our unique quirks, awesomeness and voice into everything we create, and I do that with my blog. I also think that I offer a unique mix of content that provides a foundation to inspire my readers to create their own uniquely awesome life.
What part of the FBC site do you find most useful?
I always keep up with the Blogger Resources. No specific sub-category, just the whole thing. Things are changing so fast and I truly appreciate how well curated these resources are and how whenever I have a question about a specific app, plugin or best practice, the answer is there!
Follow Meghan on Social Media:
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More Reading
You can read more of Meghan's writing here on FBC!
- A Behind the Scenes Look At Making a Cookbook
- The Power of Affiliate Marketing On Your Blog
- 5 Tips to Ensure a Healthy Body and a Healthy Biz
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