Three steps for creating purpose and life design. Inspired by a summertime beach trip, learn 3 simple ways to navigate your big-picture destination, fueled of course - by a tasty meal. Join us as we explore together.
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Episode Transcript:
Hello and welcome to feature fire. I’m Kim Baker, founder of Kim Baker Foods, and in today's episode, we are going on a road trip. I'm taking you with me as I enjoy a few days at the beach. As I was packing up all of my podcast equipment and loads of other beach gear, it got me thinking about the idea of readying ourselves for our journey and the shifts, detours or purposeful redirections that happen along the way. Think of this episode as your Waze app, an algorithm helping you navigate whatever comes your way. So join me for this little day trip as we navigate new pathways and the idea of finding our way. And along the way, we'll prepare a delicious summertime meal.
There's so much readying that goes into trips, right? We prepare, we plan. We are packing up that suitcase, getting our clothes ready, our sunscreen, our snacks, our entertainment, our music. There's so much that we do, we're making lists and scratching them off and making sure that we have everything we need. And as I packed up for this trip, I thought, why is it that I'm readying for a four-day trip to the beach, but I'm not actively readying for the 365 days of the year that I'm also on a journey for.
What would that even look like? How would I ready for the journey in front of me, the big picture journey that's in front of me? Well, what do you do when you start planning a trip? I bet you ask around. I bet you reach out to your friends and say, “hey, have you ever been to whatever the destination is?” And say, “tell me about it. Do you like it? What's good to do there?” You’d start asking questions and looking beyond what we know inside of us. We're seeking out the expertise and experience of other people. And I think that in life, we can often isolate thinking that we have to have all of the answers within ourselves.
So the first step of readying for our big picture journey is to connect, is to engage, is to get curious and ask questions, to broaden what we know and to learn from people who've already been there and done that. It goes without saying then that for this exercise to be successful, we have to know where we want to arrive. Do you have a clear vision of where you want to go in your big picture journey?
I've often had one vision for myself, and as I learned more and grew in my own capacity, that vision evolved. So often we can get stuck based on what we originally conceived for ourselves that we could pursue it to the demise of our joy and our satisfaction. And other times, we can kind of move aimlessly without that clarity and commitment.
When we plan for a destination, we have to take things into account, the weather, traffic, you know, we zig and zag a bit to actually arrive where we want to be. That is different than just going for a drive where you listen to music and have the wind in your hair, but ultimately you go right back home. A destination, by definition, is a new landing place.
I also believe in setting a vision that is grounded in an emotion, this helps us push past shaping a future that's informed by our past. Our experiences can help us, but they can also be a limitation. They can make us think that that's all there is so to break beyond that think about who you want to become, where you want to be. Right? And how do you want to feel when you get there? That emotion can act as your compass.
That brings us to the third thing that we need when we set out for a destination of any kind, we need tools and resources, just like we need a car and gas to get to where we're going. Maybe it's that degree you're going to school for, or someone that's a mentor to you, that could kind of show you the ropes, teach you where you're planning to go will dictate the tools and resources that you need.
And no matter where you're headed, you need a certain amount of faith. You need something to keep you going when you're five hours in to a 10 hour drive
No road trip is complete without some really good food, right? We need snacks, we need lunch. We need stuff to keep us fueled. So we're going to make a summertime favorite of mine, it's grilled fish with a miso barbecue sauce, and we're going to top it with a corn salsa.
Now if you don't like fish, you can put this miso glaze and this corn salsa on just about anything. You could put it on chicken or pork or tofu. So get creative. These journeys in our lives, these road trips, they are fun, so enjoy it and make it your own.
We're going to start by making the corn salsa. And what I love about this is that you can use leftover corn on the cob. I love using leftovers. I hate wasting things. And I really get excited by the idea of efficiency, because I'm a nerd. So if you have leftover corn, feel free to use it.
I've got some corn cobs here that I'm just going to boil really quickly and let them cool off, and then I'm going to cut the corn from the cobs, combine that corn with a little bit of finely chopped red onions, some diced avocado, a little bit of chopped parsley, lime juice and a drizzle of honey. Feel free to sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pop it in the refrigerator while we make our barbecue sauce.
Miso paste may not be something that you keep on hand, but it is a really useful ingredient. I'm using red miso paste here. It also comes in as a white paste. Gonna combine about a tablespoon with about a quarter cup of soy sauce, add in about equal parts of water, some rice wine, vinegar, lime juice, a bit of brown sugar, a few drops of sesame oil and a sprinkle of ginger. Whisk that up and just set it aside.
We don't need to do much to the fish, because we have these lovely accouterments, so just put a little bit of oil that could withstand the high temperatures of a grill, like an avocado oil, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Since it's summertime and a beautiful evening, we are going to cook this fish outside on a hot grill. I'm using halibut today, but any type of white flaky fish is wonderful.
With this recipe, I'm going to let it cook on the grill for a few minutes, and as it's cooking, I'm going to brush it with that miso barbecue sauce. I usually brush it maybe twice during the cooking process. Fish doesn't take that long to cook. In less than 10 minutes, you'll have beautiful filets that you can take right off the grill and then top with that beautiful corn salsa that we made.
What's interesting about this recipe is that the stars are really the sides, if you will—the toppings. The fish is simply the foundation, and it's the companions to the fish that really make this whole meal shine. And doesn't that sort of say it all.
A key part of this beach trip is being with my son. It's not the location that makes the entire experience valuable. The destination is not a place, it's a purpose.
At the beach, they have these bike paths that essentially you can just follow and go from end to end, reaching just about any destination. But in life, we don't have that kind of singular pathway. There's diversions and choices that we make along the way. While sometimes those diversions and detours can actually lead us to really exciting places, it helps still to have a roadmap—something that if you choose, you can follow to keep you grounded, knowing that at any point you can decide to take a leap of faith.
I hope that this summer brings you adventure and exploration, and that you find yourself on a purposeful journey where the company you keep makes it all shine. And with that, I say, so long.
Feed Your Fire, where food nourishes growth.