My Favorite Spices - DAK'S Spices
AHHHH...Y’All I have been wanting to do this blog post for a long time, but you know life, other work commitments, and all the things, but now I can, now I have the time to share another amazing woman who inspires me as an entrepreneur, wife, mom, and, of course, a friend (even though we have never met in person)! Welcome to working in social media, because it happens all the time...LOL!
If you know, you know how much I LOVE DAK’S Spices! It has been a year since I have been doing their social media management for them and what a year it has been. We have been through a lot and the #2020shitshow added a whole new level of craziness, just like it has to everyone else.
We kept trucking through and we are still trucking, but I love it and I love working with them and I love their spices. I use them every single day and their KABOOM spice is probably the hottest thing around, that actually makes me sweat and I have a high tolerance for heat.
It is salt-free, paleo, vegan, keto, loved by the WW community, and chefs all over the country. Their followers are some of the kindest and most generous people I have worked with. Their passion for cooking healthy meals and supporting DAK’S is pretty amazing and it is the energy that I like to be a part of.
When and why did you start DAK'S SPICES?
Both of my parents had heart problems and hypertension. Growing up, I saw how difficult it was for them to find salt free options for seasoning their food. The salt-free blend options out there were not very flavorful. A light bulb literally went off, I could do better. So, I started making salt free blends myself.
When I met Drew, he was amazed by how delicious my cooking was and how easy the dishes were to make with these blends. He also could not believe that the dishes were salt-free. Let’s be honest Drew didn’t have the best diet when we met, he was on a first-name basis with the pizza delivery person. He thought more people could really benefit from having these salt free spice blends in their kitchen. And that was the idea to start DAK’s.
When Drew and I met, we were inseparable, so everyone started referring to use as DAK’s (Drew and Karen). So, it was sort of no brainer to name our company DAK’s. We started off by making the blends for Christmas presents for our friends and family and the business just grew from there. First at farmer’s markets and craft shows, then to local grocery stores and now our own online store and Amazon store. It’s really amazing how this idea has turned into a booming business over the past 9 years.
Our mission has remained the same over the years, to offer salt-free spice blends which make healthy cooking easy and delicious. Healthy cooking doesn’t need to be boring, bland or complicated when you have DAK’s in your cabinet.
What is your favorite spice and what do you make with it?
I love the Original Red. It was the very first blend that I created, hence the name “Original” and you can literally use it on anything. It’s the perfect replacement for salt. I love using it to make a fruit salsa that I can pair with grilled chicken, pork, fish, or seafood. Here are the ingredients. I also love switching up the fruit depending on what’s in season.
INGREDIENTS:
1 mango, peeled and diced (you could also use peaches or nectarines whichever fruit is in season)
1 red sweet pepper diced
¼ cup of red onion diced
2 tablespoons of cilantro chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon of DAK’s ORIGINAL RED
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir well. You can prepare several hours in advance and keep in the refrigerator prior to serving.
How do you live a healthy lifestyle?
Having such a strong family history of heart problems and actually losing both of my parents to cardiac problems, I am very mindful of the food I put in my body. Lots of veggies, fruits, and lean meats. However, I do believe in balance, or else you might go off the deep end LOL! So I usually have 1-2 indulgent meals a week, I mean who doesn't love a good cheeseburger. I also try to get some kind of movement in each day whether it's walking, spin class, weights, or yoga. Movement truly is medicine in so many ways. Health is also so much more than exercise or diet. Mental health is huge, keeping stress manageable (haha easier said than done), and doing some type of meditation/deep breathing during the day is also a goal of mine.
What has been the hardest part of running a business during the #2020shitshow?
Balance has been the hardest thing. I wear many hats, mom, wife, business owner. I felt like I had all of them under control, well maybe. But with the pandemic, these roles shifted and started to ask more of me. Suddenly as a mom, I was being able to homeschool our daughter and provide 100% childcare all while trying to figure out how to make DAK’s thrive during the pandemic. It felt like some days I was totally rocking the mom role, but was falling short on my other duties. Other days, I would be crushing the business owner role but struggling with the mom role. I just felt like I was never winning. I realized my strive for perfection in all roles was really causing the issue. Adjusting my expectations of myself has really helped, as well as wine lol.
What does self-care look like to you?
Haha, that is easier said than done. Balance is also key to self-care. Working hard but still taking time for yourself. The weekdays are super busy so I am true to “schedule” some downtime on the weekends. Spending time with family even if it’s just hanging out at the house cooking a meal together is perfect. EXERCISE for me is self-care. It helps me both physically and mentally. If I am off, it’s usually because something is unbalanced. I try to reflect if my actions/tasks I am doing are in line with what I value. I usually find that it’s not so I try to adjust. I think that is huge for self-care!
And I’m hosting a GIVEAWAY with them on Instagram so make sure you follow, enter, and get inspired with great recipes, good energy, and good people! GOOD LUCK and HAPPY COOKING!
