One handy thing I never got around to getting down while learning the piano was to go from bass notes to a chord every eigth note.
One example of such a song is Super Mario World's Athletic theme pdf (http://individual.utoronto.ca/auyeun/smwAthleticPiano.pdf), nwc (http://individual.utoronto.ca/auyeun/smwAthleticPiano.nwc).

Needless to say, I'm having a bit of trouble starting at the second measure. Outside of 'taking it slowly' and 'practicing on my acurracy,' are there any other tips/tricks to keep myself in time and at the same time, nailing the notes with full force?

As tedious as they may be, they teach you great hand-eye coordination, haha. I have fun messing around with this song. Sure I make tons of mistakes, but it's all good. There aren't many tips . . just practice it over and over again, so that your hands can play it automatically without you having to think. Another thing that helps is studying the pattern of the music. Understand the chords, their positions, and the order they come in. That way, you don't have to waste as much time wondering what comes next.