WELCOME
Hi! Welcome! I am delighted that you’re visiting my little corner of the internet. Let me share a little about myself! First, you must know that I love Jesus, my family, and food…and I try to keep it in that order! I’m married to a gem of guy, Bob and we have 3 beautiful kids who call me mom; Rowan, Sully, and Maren. Ever since becoming a mom, I’ve become a real lover of food boards on Pinterest and food blogs. So, it only makes sense that my hobby has evolved into this little blog. Here I hope to extend my work in the kitchen into something creative for me to share with others. I’m excited to make this my digital recipe journal where I can share my favorite recipes with you, both new and old. And, I can’t wait to share my renovated healthier versions of family favorites with you.
MY DAY JOB
After many years of teaching in the classroom, my work away from home has made a slow transition from full-time teaching, to part time teaching, and finally, to part-time children’s ministry work. You’ll see some of my teaching and ministry reflections on the blog over time as I hope to share some of the meaningful work from my day jobs that I love so much!
MY KITCHEN
It is no secret that I LOVE food! Over the last few years I have really developed a love for cooking—to the point that I admit it’s my hobby. But is it really? I mean, everyone has to eat around here so it is inevitable that I must cook– but I enjoy it! Being a mom is my greatest joy and challenge. One of the challenges has been finding balance between feeding my family home-cooked, healthy meals and surviving a typical busy schedule. Learning this balance grew my interest in finding sustainable ways eat real food without going insane and being in the kitchen 24/7. I have yet to find the best system but I continue to enjoy the journey of finding what works, in the moment, for our family. And, during some seasons, I go weeks without putting healthy food on the table, because sometimes fed is best and we are just happy with that.
MY “DIET”
NUT-FREE
A few years ago, I was living with some really bad stomach problems. It took me several years to connect my acid reflux and stomach pain to nuts and seeds. I lived on Tums and Prilosec and was pretty miserable after eating most food. I even gave up coffee for a period of time which helped a little. Eventually, I made the connection to nuts and I have not been on medication, except during pregnancies, since. Because I cannot have nuts or seeds in my diet, it has made “healthy” recipes a little more challenging. So many of Paleo and Whole 30 (or other healthy recipes) have nuts in the ingredients; which is no wonder, considering the health benefits— high protein, healthy fats, and unprocessed. This is what motivated me to start creating nut-free recipes with a Paleo and Whole30 twist.
WHOLE 30
I did my first Whole 30 when my son was 8 weeks old. I had to give up dairy while breast feeding him and thought, why not try a Whole 30? I now think I was pretty insane from lack of sleep. I wasn’t 100% successful but I did really well and learned so much! One year later, I completed a full, all-in Whole 30 this past January/February and it was a huge success. But. So. Much. Work. My husband is the real hero of that accomplishment (he did both Whole 30’s with me with the exception of a couple beers…insert all the heart eyes).
BALANCE
Now, I’ll be the first to admit, we don’t even try to sustain a 100% Paleo, Whole 30, or “healthy-all-the-time-choices” lifestyle. We live by the 80/20 rule at our house– and sometimes it’s 50/50. And that’s okay for us. Mostly, I just focus on eating real food with real ingredients cooked at home in my own kitchen. With this being said, I go out to eat almost once a week. I love ALL kinds of food (and drink) and I believe that there is a time and place to enjoy it all…if you have that luxury (ie: no autoimmune disease or other health issues).
MY BLOG
I won’t pretend to be an expert in the kitchen, or on life for that matter. I definitely don’t have parenting, marriage, or laundry figured out. But, I will share well-tested recipes and small victories from my home that have helped me lean into healthier eating and living a healthier lifestyle. I do not share these to put any shame, expectation, or pride out there for anyone. I will be the first to admit that my kitchen is messy, full of healthy and unhealthy foods, and I do not have any sort of perfect list or system down for eating real food. But, I have learned a lot over the last few years from a health standpoint and I believe it’s only fair to share my learnings and recipes with hopes of better educating and equipping people to make small changes toward eating more real food that can bring them to a healthier place in life.
As far as specialty recipes, you won’t find those here. I’ve only just started cooking Salmon on a regular basis. Today I googled Bolognese (it’s an Italian, meat-based sauce/dish). I’m known for not setting the timer and burning something (but I love crispy broccoli!).
However, I’ve loved being in the kitchen since I was little. I still remember my first American Girl Cookbook and the first recipe I made from those tattered pages (chicken salad from Samantha’s kitchen). Also, my mom cooked a lot and I watched her make many a casserole and whip out a dinner for 10 people in 20 minutes. I’ve learned so much from these experiences and it’s given me the confidence to start playing around with my own recipes.
So, if you’re here (and still reading), you can count on recipes that have been tested, are delicious, and often on the healthy side of the spectrum! My hope is that this blog inspires you to cook, create, and feed your family and friends real food that helps them on their journey toward a healthier lifestyle!