Amy Lindgren

Remember the pandemic? Silly question. Everyone does.

What everyone might not remember is what things were like pre-pandemic. For example, pre-2020, it was fairly rare for a whole family to say “Let’s do a video call tonight!” We wouldn’t have expected all the households to have all the parts — internet, camera, know-how — who was going to tell the grands how to download the app?

Now video calls are a daily routine in some homes. Also a matter of routine now are online grocery shopping, touchless menus in restaurants, and virtual classrooms, all of which shot up in usage during the pandemic.

For American workers, perhaps nothing made more of a lasting impact on the landscape than the sudden ability to work from home. Just a few years ago, remote work was considered a perk or (ahem) a remote possibility.

In the spring of 2020, as we all recall, that situation changed nearly overnight. According to Statista.com, the United States went from just 8% of full- and part-time employees working completely remote in 2019 to 70% a year later. Note that clicking that link might bring up a paywall.

That was followed, of course, by declines in that percentage as the nation regained confidence in personal contact. But even with the steady descent from the peak, the number stands at 27% today, or three times higher than the percentage of those working remotely than just five years ago.

The numbers for hybrid workers follow a similar pattern, with 32% working occasionally from home in 2019, and 54% doing so now.

More than the numbers have changed. Expectations also changed. Now workers expect this option to be available, and job search patterns have adjusted accordingly. Those wishing to work fully remote are able to shop the entire country for their next job, rather than mapping out the commute before applying.

As we start our fifth year in this “brave new world” of working from home, it’s a good time to ask how things are going. What began as a necessity in 2020 is settling into a choice, for both workers and companies. Is it still the right one?

If you are one of the hybrid or remote workers captured in these statistics — or if you would like to be — the following points are worth pondering.

Advantages of remote work

Following are the most commonly cited pluses associated with working in a remote or hybrid capacity. If these aren’t true for you, can something be adjusted to ensure you’re benefitting more fully?

• Schedule flexibility. For some workers, this means being able to log out to volunteer at the kids’ school, then working later in the evening to catch up. Others enjoy choosing which days to come into the workplace and which ones to work from home.

• Location flexibility. If you’re truly remote, then it really doesn’t matter where you park your laptop. Some workers leverage the opportunity to combine work and travel while others never leave the living room.

• Hassle-free mornings and fewer expenses. Packing a lunch, ironing a shirt, gassing up the car — these tasks are firmly in the rearview mirror for some workers. Also fading in the distance: The costs associated with lunches, commuting and wardrobe updates.

Disadvantages of remote work

Every coin has two sides and that includes remote and hybrid work. If these disadvantages are piling up, it may be time to renegotiate or even consider a shift back to the workplace.

• Loss of boundaries. If you’re “always on” you may not be gaining as much as you think from this situation. Being always on indicates you may be working more hours than you’re paid for, and losing personal time in the bargain.

• Loss of personal space. At first it was an adventure to fit the little Ikea desk into the corner of the dining room. After four years, it may feel more intrusive than adventuresome to look over your guests’ shoulders at your workspace while hosting gatherings. It may also be costing more than you thought, if your electric or internet bills have bumped up during this time.

• Potential loss of promotion. There’s still a concern, backed up by statistics in some cases, that remote workers are slower to receive promotions than their on-site counterparts. That might not happen in fully-remote companies, but a decrease in mentorship and training can still befall remote workers.

When you review these lists, and add your own input as well, you may find areas for adjustment. If so, there’s no time like the present. The sooner you make improvements, the sooner you can benefit more fully from our ongoing work-from-home evolution.

Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.

Roseville High School’s football stadium bleachers and press box were built into the side of a hill adjacent to County Road B2 West. Just to the right of the stadium seating, ample grassy hillside still exists – a reminder of what existed before.

Within that hill are two well-defined, barren dirt columns – a reminder of the work that’s been done and, hopefully, the success that will follow.

“We’ll go attack that,” Roseville coach Andy Stephenson said. “That’s part of what will get us prepared.”

Roseville football coach Andy Stephenson closely watched a drill during practice on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)

They’re products of foot traffic. Raiders football players are on that hill throughout camp, trudging up it five times or more per session. That number escalates if reminders are needed to increase effort and hustle.

“It’s dusty every time we run up, because we’ve wore the grass down so much,” senior lineman Owen King said.

“It shows everything that our program resembles,” senior linebacker Dylan Hageman said.

Or at least the image current players and coaches hope to portray.

Everyone can fondly recall Roseville’s run to the state semifinals in 2013, powered by a potent passing offense featuring the likes of quarterback Jacques Perra and receiver Jesper Horsted.

But the Raiders have had just one winning season since. They went winless in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Stephenson took over in 2023, coming in from a program in Spring Lake Park that is entrenched in sustained success. This would not be that, certainly not right away. The coach knew as much.

He entered the job focused on building a successful culture based on three things: belief, accountability and resiliency. Shirts reading “Raise the BAR” are visible all over Raiders practice.

Belief and accountability are obvious traits of any successful team or organization.

But resiliency is an underrated facet of a fruitful rebuild. You are going to get knocked down many, many times on your trek from the bottom to the top.

Stephenson’s first game on the Roseville sidelines came in last fall’s season opener against Woodbury. The Royals returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown. Roseville responded, when Javon Minor did the same on the Raiders’ ensuing return.

But then Woodbury again housed the following kickoff en route to a 55-14 victory. Stephenson estimates Roseville produced maybe one defensive stop all night.

“Literally my head is spinning over there,” Stephenson recalled as he gazed at the Raiders’ sideline. “Like, ‘This is how it starts?’ ”

Roseville’s first four games of the season came with an average margin of defeat nearing 23 points. Stephenson’s wife was constantly reminding him to remain patient. He had to stay with it and continue preaching fundamentals and work ethic. Consistency was crucial.

It’s easier for adults to understand that philosophy than kids. But, luckily for the coach, Roseville players are nothing if not resilient. You’ve had to be in this program of late.

Get beat down, get back up, show up the next day and go to work. Playing football at Roseville is not like it is at perennial powers such as Eden Prairie or Lakeville North. There, King noted, you can join the team and be constantly celebrated and hyped up on Friday nights.

“We don’t really get much,” Minor said. “We walk around the halls and people are saying how bad our team is or ‘Oh, are we going to win a game this year?’”

Hageman, King and Minor all started on varsity as sophomores. That season, eight of Roseville’s nine losses came by 30-plus points. When the results are that bad, what keeps you coming back to the field?

“The love for my game,” Minor said, “and the love for my teammates.”

Roseville senior lineman Owen King pursues the ball carrier in a drill at practice on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)

He noted he has played with many of his current teammates for six-plus years. He’s witnessed their daily struggles on the field and in the weight room, and they his. They’ve sacrificed and suffered by one another’s sides day after day, year after year.

“We’re not just teammates anymore. At this point, we’re brothers,” Minor said. “It’s like a different kind of love and bond. I felt like we could really turn this program around if we just worked toward one thing.”

Which was to make a name for themselves, and their program. Players get tired of hearing how bad they are. They aimed to change the narrative.

Stephenson’s arrival was the spark that ignited the flame.

Hageman noted when he joined varsity as a sophomore, the environment didn’t match his expectations. But Minor said when the new coach arrived in March of last year, players were intrigued by the energy in his voice and intensity in his demeanor. Eyes were opened. Maybe this could be something.

It wasn’t right away, obviously. That loss to Woodbury was rough, and a near replica of past results. But Stephenson continued to recognize and celebrate the small gains made from there. The following week against Eastview, Roseville got a stop on its opening defensive series. Progress.

Come Week 5, Roseville went toe to toe with Buffalo, the eventual subdistrict champion. The Raiders forced seven turnovers that game and were in it until the final minute before falling 21-12. After the game, Stephenson was beaming.

“I was like, ‘You guys are probably looking at me strange, but you finally lost the right way. You were able to compete to the end,’ ” he said. “ ‘Now, you’re ready to win.’ ”

Sure enough, the following week Roseville beat Hopkins 30-0 to snap the program’s 24-game losing streak. The game after that, the Raiders went down to the wire with White Bear Lake before falling 10-7.

The success produced affirmation and trust in the process, and the people delivering it.

“At the beginning of last summer, (coach) was talking about buying in and putting 100 percent into the program. And you can see the benefit of what you get from it,” Hageman said. “During the latter half of the season last year, I could definitely see us clicking, and it felt really rewarding seeing us get turnovers.

“It just felt successful, and I don’t know, I haven’t felt that way really yet in this program.”

Even just that smidge of success — one victory and a handful of competitive losses — created momentum that carried into the offseason, Stephenson’s first full one with the program. Perra and Horsted each separately visited the team this summer to deliver messages about what’s required to achieve success. Overall buy-in continues to build.

“You can see it in their eyes, their mindset,” Stephenson said. “They flipped a switch, as well, wanting and embracing that mindset.”

The ball is rolling in the proper direction.

But this is no time to let up. Stephenson was conducting a media interview this week while his players were breaking down at the conclusion of pre-practice warmups, when he stopped, mid-answer.

“No,” he said to himself, “hold on.”

The coach marched over to the field.

“Hey, do it again, set the tone! Set the tone! Let’s go!” he yelled before returning to the sidelines. “Reminders, sorry. Not enthusiastic enough.

”The dog days, if they don’t bring it, it carries over to everything else, too.”

Accountability. Players noted those such instances are weekly occurrences.

“He tries to make sure we’re following on the right path and nobody is slipping,” King said. “And if somebody is slipping, he will make sure everybody knows, so that everybody can be at the standard that is expected.”

“He always pushes for the most out of us,” Minor said. “He’s not only doing a good job coaching, but he’s doing a good job trying to train us into young men.”

That’s what Hageman feels this entire Roseville football experience — falling down repeatedly and having to get back up only to again face potential failure — is doing for he and his teammates.

“We’re not given anything. That’s one thing Coach Stephenson says a lot. You’ve got to earn things. Things aren’t given to you here. You should not be expecting anything,” King said. “That’s the mindset that we all have and need to have — you need to put in the work to get the results you want. And I feel like we’re really starting to get that as a team.”

Roseville has designs on a resurgence this fall. King feels the Raiders, who open the 2024 season Thursday in Woodbury, can be a .500-plus team this season. Hageman noted the issue at Roseville was always more about effort than talent.

The Raiders have put in plenty of the former this offseason. They have the hill to prove it.

“I feel like if we’re ever down in a game, we can look up there and remember, ‘We pushed through that, why can’t we push through this?’ ” Minor said. “It’s a good bar for yourself to reach the top and touch the fence.”

The climb continues.

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Trina Krug, MS, CDSP | Associated Press

As fall approaches and the air becomes crisp, it’s the perfect time to indulge in baking. The comforting aroma of freshly baked goods is a seasonal delight but many traditional recipes are laden with sugar, refined flour and unhealthy fats. Health-conscious bakers can enjoy their favorite fall treats without compromising on nutrition by making a few smart ingredient swaps.

Baking with healthier ingredients doesn’t just mean you’re cutting calories or reducing sugar. Swapping out traditional ingredients for healthier alternatives can also cater to various dietary needs. Whether you’re gluten free, lactose intolerant or simply looking to reduce your sugar intake, there are plenty of options that allow you to enjoy baking. Healthy baking can still be delicious and satisfying and it often brings out new and exciting flavors in your favorite recipes.

Nut flour instead of white flour

White flour, a staple in many baking recipes, is highly processed and stripped of most nutrients. Swapping it out for nut flours can significantly boost the nutritional profile and even the taste of your baked goods. Using nut flour not only makes your treats gluten-free but also adds a delightful nutty flavor. Most nut flours are best used with other flours to avoid the wrong texture.

Natural sweeteners over refined sugar

Refined sugar is a common ingredient in baking but offers no nutritional benefits. Natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and even coconut sugar are excellent substitutes. Honey and maple syrup not only sweeten your baked goods but also add unique flavors.

When using honey or maple syrup, remember that they are liquid sweeteners. To maintain the right consistency, you may need to slightly reduce the amount of other liquids in your recipe. Generally, you can replace 1 cup of white sugar with 3/4 cup of honey or maple syrup. Coconut sugar, on the other hand, can be used in a 1:1 ratio with white sugar.

Fat alternatives

Butter and oil are essential for adding moisture and richness to baked goods, but sometimes it is fun to experiment with other fats. Healthy alternatives like avocado, Greek yogurt and applesauce can work like a charm.

Greek yogurt adds a tangy flavor, making it a great substitute for butter in cakes and muffins. Applesauce is another fantastic option, keeping baked goods moist and adding a hint of natural sweetness. When substituting fats, use a 1:1 ratio for avocado and Greek yogurt. For applesauce, you can replace half the amount of butter or oil stated in the recipe.

Flours

Instead of using all-purpose or whole wheat flour, consider incorporating gluten-free all-purpose flour or even homemade gluten-free flour made of almond flour, coconut flour, oat fiber and xanthan gum. Oat flour is another great choice, made by grinding oats into a fine powder, which adds a mild flavor and is excellent for cookies and quick bread. It’s best used with other flours to avoid a crumbly texture.

Egg substitutes

Eggs are crucial in baking for binding and leavening, but they can be replaced for those following a vegan diet or with egg allergies or sensitivities. Flaxseeds and chia seeds make excellent egg substitutes. To make a flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken. Chia eggs are made the same way, using chia seeds instead.

Mashed bananas and applesauce are also effective egg substitutes, adding moisture and sweetness to baked goods. Use 1/4 cup of either mashed bananas or applesauce to replace one egg. Keep in mind that these substitutes work best in recipes where a little extra moisture is beneficial, such as in muffins and cakes.

Spices and flavorings

Enhancing the flavor of your fall baking can be as simple as adding the right spices and extracts. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger are quintessential fall spices that can elevate your baked goods. These spices add warmth and depth to all your treats.

Vanilla and almond extracts can also enhance the flavor of your treats. Opt for pure extracts rather than imitation for the best taste. Vanilla extract adds a sweet, floral note, while almond extract provides a distinct, nutty flavor. Using these flavorings can reduce the need for additional sugar.

Incorporating fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables can add natural sweetness, moisture and nutrients to your baked goods. Pumpkins, sweet potatoes and zucchini are fall favorites that work well in a variety of recipes. Pumpkin puree can replace some of the fat and sugar in recipes and sweet potato puree is similarly versatile and rich in nutrients.

Grated zucchini adds moisture without altering the flavor much, making it perfect for quick breads and muffins. Apples are another excellent choice, whether used as applesauce, chunks or slices. They add natural sweetness and fiber, making your treats healthier and more filling.

Healthy baking tips

In addition to swapping ingredients, adopting healthy baking practices can further enhance the nutritional value of your treats. Reducing sugar gradually can help your taste buds adjust without compromising too much on flavor. Start by cutting back 10-20% of the sugar stated in the recipe.

Portion control is another key aspect of healthy baking. Consider making smaller portions or mini versions of your favorite treats. This way, you can enjoy your baked goods without overindulging. Using smaller baking pans or muffin tins can help with this.

Finally, experiment with new recipes and ingredients. Baking is as much about creativity as it is about precision. Don’t be afraid to try new flour blends, sweeteners or flavor combinations. You might discover a new favorite recipe that’s both delicious and healthy.

Final thoughts

Healthy fall baking doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor or tradition. By making smart ingredient swaps, you can enjoy all the seasonal favorites while boosting the nutritional value of your treats. From nut flours and natural sweeteners to healthy fats and whole grains, these alternatives make it easy to bake healthier without compromising on taste. So, embrace the season and get baking with these nutritious ingredient swaps. Your body and taste buds will thank you.

Trina Krug, MS, CDSP, is a holistic nutritionist, recipe creator and advocate for human health. Her passion for low-carb lifestyles, gluten-free eating and real nutrition education has led to the creation of Trina Krug. She spends her time creating recipes, hanging out with her family on her farm and actively working on her Doctor of Science in Integrative Health specializing in Functional Nutrition.