When I set a goal just about a year ago to do something beyond just occasional writing with The Healthy Home Economist blog, I had not a clue what I was in for (and I really mean it when I say, “not a clue”).  This past year has brought into my life so many new friendships and greatly deepened existing ones.   At times, I’ve gotten so far outside of the box that I questioned whether a box even existed!
My quest to stay outside the box of conventional thought on health and wellness explains my stupefaction and occasional crankiness with readers who ask hostile questions from wayyyyy inside that box (and who seem to have no desire whatsoever to ever get out)!
One can’t be expected to have the patience of Mother Teresa every single day, right?
Such is this adventure called blogging.  It takes you where you never dreamed you would ever go!   For these amazing experiences, I am incredibly thankful.
As 2011 dawns, I am very excited about the many new experiences that blogging promises to continue to bring our way!
Of course, none of this would be possible or even worth it without you, dear readers, as well as my fellow blogging pals.
With that, here are The Healthy Home Economist top ten posts for this past year along with the top ten blogs that sent new readers my way (and hopefully I sent a few their way as well!):
10. No Grain Pizza Crust (This recipe gets the most repeat visitors .. probably from Moms like me who make pizza about once a week and can never seem to remember the recipe!)
9.   Headaches? A Most Likely Cause (Hopefully this post helped a few folks ditch the meds for good.)
8.   Antifreeze in Your Ice Cream (I remember being shocked at learning this for the first time back in 2002.  Such a nasty little secret that the ice cream manufacturers will do anything to hide from consumers.)
7.   Think Raw Veggies Are Best?  Think Again (This post really got the green smoothie aficionados all riled up.)
6.   Veganism Almost Killed Angelina Jolie (This was a shocker .. I only wrote this post 2 weeks ago.)
5.   The Right Way to Feed Babies (This post by far sent the most positive emails my way .. . from Moms having an “aha” moment!)
4.    How to Make Sprouted Flour (This is one of my very early posts but it still gets quite a few visitors every month.)
2.    Five Fats You MUST Have in Your Kitchen (This is the post I send folks to who are examining the Real Food Lifestyle for the very first time.)
And, with a whopping 2,278 Facebook shares, the #1 Healthy Home Economist post for 2010 is:
1.    Why Skim Milk Will Make You Fat
Thank You To My Blogging Peeps
What would blog posts be without folks to read them?   Just words on a screen!
Thanks to my blogging friends who sent a lot of new readers my way this past year.   Linking up blog posts with each of you is an absolute privilege. There is no doubt that by working together we are INDEED making a difference!
10.  HartkeisOnline.com (Kimberly is responsible for unleashing my blogging creativity late last year when I posted my very first guest blog for her.   Kimberly, thank you for taking a chance on me!)
9.    ModernAlternativeMama.com (Kate also just might be the top commenter on my blog this past year!  Thanks Kate for sharing your wisdom!)
8.    MarksDailyApple.com (I was thrilled when some primal folks started dropping by courtesy of Mark’s awesome blog)
7.    TenderGrassfedMeat.com (My good friend Stanley is the author of this sensational blog. He also writes the most thought provoking comments on some of my most controversial posts.  Thanks for watching my back Stanley!)
6.    KitchenStewardship.com (I did my very first guest videoblog for Katie this past July!  What fun!!)
5.    Cheeseslave.com (what can I say about Ann Marie of Cheeseslave?  Mentor, trailblazer, the brains behind Real Food Media!  The girl is making waves everywhere!)
4.    NaturalNews.com (it was such fun to participate in the Natural News video recipe contest back in October!  I earned $500 for the WAPF by taking home first prize!    Thanks to all of you for your support in that crazy project that seemed to never end!)
3.    FoodRenegade.com (Kristen’s Fight Back Friday blog carnival is one of my very favorites to participate in each week.)
2.    TheNourishingGourmet.com (Kimi’s Pennywise Platter Thursday blog carnival is another fave.)
1.    KellyTheKitchenKop.com (Kelly, my good friend and the one that never fails to make me smile and laugh.  You are the BEST girlfriend!)
Happy New Year Everyone!
Superb. My thanks for posting this. I’ll definitely come again to read more and tell my neighbors about your writing
Thank you, Sarah. I am so honored! And thank you so much for your magnificent blog, which has taught me so much.
he he he- get it? those “inside the box”, as in box of macaroni & cheese, box of hamburger helper, box of instant cake mix… 😀 by the way, I saw the comment the other day about people saying your remarks about orange juice were “shaming” people who could not afford organic- ridiculous! People who make remarks like that are defensive because they don’t want to accept truth which forces them to change.
Lisa, that is so funny! “In the box” – literally! I love it!
Thanks Sarah, so awesome! 🙂 And great recap!
Awww, how sweet you are! I still can’t believe how fun it was that you were able to come for a sleepover last summer when we met for the first time, what a blast!!! We hit it off immediately and I’m so thankful. 🙂
Love, Kel
Dear Sarah,
Congratulations on your successes in pushing the envelope, challenging us to open our minds and hearts, and trailblazing for the greater good. Your spunk and dedication are always evident. Thank you for encouraging everyone to question the status quo and for cultivating an appetite for truth. One reader at a time, one person at a time, one family at a time, we can heal and nourish ourselves and our communities.
Best wishes to you and your family in 2011 and beyond!
Sarah,
I absolutely love your blog and I am so sorry that you received hate mail from anyone! You can consider my mail, lots of love and friendship mail! Maybe that will offset the negative stuff!
Keep up the absolutely first rate information for us real foodies!
Jean
Thanks Jean. I take the hate emails as a compliment believe it or not .. it tells me that I am challenging the status quo and making waves with conventional (and usually wrong) thought about health and wellness that is dominated by for profit mentalities that is not in people’s best interest. This is one of my blogging goals! 😉 I have a pretty thick skin, so no worries.
I so appreciate your kind comment, though. The vast majority of readers are well mannered and kind with their comments, so the few nasty folks who pass through are quickly forgotten.
Great post Sarah – I’m gonna check a lot of those links out!
Thanks for your wonderful work – I was introduced to the work of Weston Price this past year after spending a full year searching for the best way to eat – from raw foodist, raw vegan, macrobiotic, gluten free, Paleo, sugar free, caffeine free & who knows what I else. I had an incredible sense of elation when I discovered Dr. Price’s work and could understand what to eat to be healthy! I’m just on the beginning of learning this way of life and appreciate your blog posts to learn more each way. To a happy and healthy 2011!
Hi Noelle, I felt the exact same way the first time I came across Dr. Price’s work. It was like “at last .. a way of eating that is proven by history and doesn’t have a profit motive!” I feel the same way about it nearly 10 years later. Dr. Price was so far ahead of his time back in the 1920’s. Thank goodness for the WAPF getting this information out to the masses via grassroots activism.
Happy New Year! I love this sum up of favored posts. And yes, I shared the skim milk post :). I look forward to a new year of continued learning and having the foundations of what I was taught was right shaken by you and all my other favorite real food bloggers!
Thanks Carla! Facebook is such an amazing tool for activism as is Twitter. It allows the blogger and the readers to pull together to share the message to an ever widening audience! Thanks so much for being part of the Movement back to Real Foods!