It’s no secret that the field of dietetics is full of (okay, dominated by) Type A women. I often feel that the food blog world is similar in that respect. Though I’ve tried to deny it in the past, in more recent years, I’ve made peace with some of the Type-A aspects of my personality: my reliance on routine and structure, my need to stay organized, and even my workaholic and overachiever tendencies. Though I may not be super-competitive with others, I can be competitive with myself, which occasionally leads to a bit of the perfectionism blues.

Case in point: several years ago, when my life was a little different (understatement of the century), I made a lot of foods from scratch that I now buy pre-made. One glaring example that nags at me every time I throw it in my shopping basket is hummus. And remember that time I made my own falafel basically just to piss off show my then-boyfriend that he didn’t own me?

Chickpeas 3 ways

Well, the times-a-changed a long time ago. Overall, no complaints, but sometimes I get down on myself about the fact that this blog used to be a lot more recipe-driven. However, part of why I started writing it back in 2009 was to find my “voice,” so to speak, and as we grow and change, so do our voices, but my apologies for any of you out there who are, like, “Jess, can’t you just post a freaking dip or crackers recipe or something?”

The way I feel at this point is that there are so many people out there posting wonderful recipes on the regular (complete with beautiful photos), that I don’t need to be a go-to recipe guru. It feels more natural for me to do my own thing and contribute a dish when I have something to share.

I realize I’m the only person I really have to blame for occasionally feeling pressured to write posts where it’s, like, “So, I had a craving for crackers in between night-shift personal training sessions and tending to the chickens in my backyard, so I took this here juice pulp, mixed it with this unicorn colostrum, added some vegan rainbows, and left it in the dehydrator for 6 hours while I went and saved the world in my organic cotton cape.” I’m being hyperbolic, of course—I don’t have a backyard. Or a dehydrator. And if unicorn colostrum exists, I might have to try it, just to say I did. Do you think it would give me magic powers?

Anyway.

Perfectionism, like guilt, can be toxic. As I’ve learned the hard way (repeatedly), trying to “do it all” is exhausting, and sometimes letting go of certain things is crucial to finding your balance. So basically, all this post is really about is this: thank you for your patience and your support and your feedback over the past 4 years. I’m not going anywhere, and I hope you have fun hanging around.

Oh, and I highly recommend the Trader Joe’s hummus if you want to grab something and go.

Do you struggle with perfectionism? What’s your favorite hummus (homemade or store-bought)? Would you drink unicorn colostrum if given the chance?