Build Your Business Like an Artist: A Creative Leadership Mindset
The best leaders don't just manage—they create. Here's how Rick Rubin's The Creative Act changed the way I think about leadership, company culture, and building Apple Spice.
Embracing Enough: Welcome to Lou LaMedica’s Personal Blog
"Embracing Enough" is my exploration of a life well-lived—where gratitude meets growth. From mindset and parenting to small business insights, easy family recipes, and personal finance, this blog shares practical wisdom on appreciating what we have and finding fulfillment in the everyday.
Featured Posts
The Two Circles That Changed My Life
A difficult baseball game became the perfect opportunity to teach my son one of the most valuable Stoic lessons: focus your energy on what matters and what you can control.
Why Everyone Needs a North Star (More Than Goals)
Looking back at old journals, I discovered the difference between goals and a North Star—and how life can move in the right direction even when plans don't.
Starting Classical Guitar at 48 — Why I’m Learning Something New (and Hard)
At 48 years old, I decided to learn classical guitar — not because I needed another hobby, but because I missed the feeling of being a beginner again.
Posts
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Summer Recipes
Apple Spice Behind the Scenes
Asian-Inspired
Beans
Books
Breakfast
Business
Grilling
Chautauquas
Coaching
Comfort Food
Communication
Cooking
Emotional Health
Fall Recipes
Family
Gratitude
Grief
Habits
Health
Holiday Traditions
Italian Inspired
Kid Friendly
Kool Collectibles
Leadership
Leftovers Remix
Light Vibes
Meal Prep
Mindset
Music
My Story
Nature
nature
Nostalgia
Parenting
Patience
Personal Finance
Process
Purpose
Quick Meals
Reflections
Sales & Strategy
Sandwiches
Seafood
Seeing People
Slammin’ Sides
Slow Living
Soups
Sports
Sunday Funday
Sweets
Vegetarian
Winter Recipes
Hoppin’ John Remix with King City Beans & Kielbasa
A bold, one-pot take on Hoppin’ John with King City Pink Beans, Polska kielbasa, garlic paste, and hot sauce. Served over rice, full of Southern swagger.
Rancho Gordo King City Pink Bean Stew with Bacon & Cornbread
A cozy, one-pot stew featuring Rancho Gordo King City Pink Beans, smoky bacon, roasted garlic, and a surprise slaw topping. Cornbread required.
Tomato Butter Pasta – Soul-Satisfying Comfort Food
This tomato butter pasta is the ultimate post-hike comfort food—simple, rich, and satisfying. Make it with homemade sauce or Rao’s in a pinch. Kid-approved and pantry-friendly.
Post-Hike Italian Salad – Fast, Fresh, and Family-Friendly
This Post-Hike Italian Salad is crisp, cool, and loaded with fresh flavor—perfect after a long day of travel. Quick to make, kid-approved, and ideal for balancing out a hearty pasta dinner.
Butter-Glazed French Beans with Toasted Pine Nuts
These butter-glazed French green beans with toasted pine nuts come together in 10 minutes using Better Than Bouillon for rich flavor. An easy, elegant side dish for any meal.
Broccoli Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic Oil & Crispy Breadcrumbs
This weeknight broccoli spaghetti is tossed with roasted garlic oil, lemon, Pecorino Romano, and crispy golden breadcrumbs. A pantry-friendly pasta full of flavor and texture.
Roasted Garlic Black Bean Soup with Lime – Cozy, Hearty, and Vegetarian
This roasted garlic black bean soup is rich, smoky, and finished with a bright squeeze of lime. A cozy vegetarian recipe that’s perfect for meal prep, freezer-friendly, and even better with toppings like crema, avocado, and crispy tortilla strips.
Crispy Quesadillas with Purple Rain Slaw & Pickled Jalapeños
These crispy quesadillas are filled with melty cheese, tangy purple cabbage slaw, and diced pickled jalapeños for the perfect balance of crunch, heat, and creaminess. A bold vegetarian side or main that pairs perfectly with black bean soup.
Leah Stayed: Poisonwood Bible Reflections
A reflection on Leah’s journey in The Poisonwood Bible and how open-mindedness, cross-cultural connection, and being willing to be changed can reshape our lives. Featuring wisdom from Anatole, a personal story from Korea, and a Beatles lyric that ties it all together.
Your Gut Knows the Way
From culinary school to combat zones, parenting through COVID to rebuilding a business—this is the story of trusting my gut when nothing else made sense.
Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Roma Tomato Pico & Homemade Oven-Fried Shells
These crispy black bean tacos are stuffed with creamy mashed beans, zippy Roma tomato pico, and a drizzle of hot sauce—all tucked into oven-baked taco shells made right on the rack. Simple, bold, and unbelievably good.
Steel-Cut Oats with Applesauce, Maple Syrup & Pine Nuts
A cozy, grown-up take on apple cinnamon oatmeal—steel-cut oats with applesauce, maple syrup, and toasted pine nuts. Comfort in a bowl, ready in 10 minutes with an overnight soak.
Made with Bullet