Wellness & Boxer Wags 🐾
Healthy Living, Mindful Movement, Lessons in Teaching, and Life with Boxers
Welcome to the Healthy Kitchen 🥞🥣🍲
Cooking has been one of my absolute greatest loves. I have a confession to make: I learned how to cook from the Food Network! While I did plenty of childhood baking, I didn't truly start falling in love with the kitchen until my 20s. One day, I discovered the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. I thought she was awesome! I collected her cookbooks, spent hours trying her classic recipes, and fell in love with her philosophy that good food brings people together. That passion for entertaining and sharing delicious dishes with family and friends has stayed with me through every chapter of my life.
Finding My Food Balance
As I’ve gotten older, my relationship with food has naturally evolved. I found myself looking for ways to make my favorite foods a bit healthier without losing the pure joy of eating. I sought out healthier recipes and ones that used "clean" ingredients. But "healthy" and "clean" doesn't mean eating bland, clinical diet food or relying on chemical shortcuts.
For me, "clean" eating means choosing whole foods, limiting processed foods, cutting back on refined sugars and excessive salt, and choosing healthy fats. You won't find pre-made packets of taco seasoning, artificial chemical shortcuts, or cans of processed "cream-of-something" soup in my kitchen.
Finding My Food Balance (continued)
Because of my personal journey managing Vestibular Migraines and PPPD, I completely avoid high-intensity sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, sucralose, or aspartame as they simply do not work for my nervous system. Instead, my recipes celebrate real, unrefined, whole-food sweeteners:
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🍁 Pure Maple Syrup: Grade A Dark for a rich, warm caramel depth.
-
🍯 Raw Honey: For natural moisture and a soft, delicate sweetness.
-
🥥 Coconut Sugar: The perfect, unrefined 1:1 swap for traditional brown sugar.
What You'll Find Here
This page is a cozy collection of clean-ingredient, nutrient-dense recipes designed to nourish your body and protect your well-being. Whether you are looking for fluffy blender muffins or protein-packed breakfast ideas, you are in the right place.
Just one caveat: while I eat clean most of the time, some recipes are simply worth the indulgence. (My homemade Mac & Cheese, for one!) From time to time, I’ll share some of my decadent favorites. They still use completely clean, whole ingredients ~ they just might feature a generous amount of real cheese. Just sometimes! 😉
Pull up a chair, grab a mixing bowl, and let's make something delicious together.
Cooking has been one of my absolute greatest loves. I have a confession to make: I learned how to cook from the Food Network! While I did plenty of childhood baking, I didn't truly start falling in love with the kitchen until my 20s. One day, I discovered the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. I thought she was awesome! I collected her cookbooks, spent hours trying her classic recipes, and fell in love with her philosophy that good food brings people together. That passion for entertaining and sharing delicious dishes with family and friends has stayed with me through every chapter of my life.
Finding My Food Balance
As I’ve gotten older, my relationship with food has naturally evolved. I found myself looking for ways to make my favorite foods a bit healthier without losing the pure joy of eating. I sought out healthier recipes and ones that used "clean" ingredients. But "healthy" and "clean" doesn't mean eating bland, clinical diet food or relying on chemical shortcuts.
For me, "clean" eating means choosing whole foods, limiting processed foods, cutting back on refined sugars and excessive salt, and choosing healthy fats. You won't find pre-made packets of taco seasoning, artificial chemical shortcuts, or cans of processed "cream-of-something" soup in my kitchen.
Because of my personal journey managing Vestibular Migraines and PPPD, I completely avoid high-intensity sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, sucralose, or aspartame as they simply do not work for my nervous system. Instead, my recipes celebrate real, unrefined, whole-food sweeteners:
-
🍁 Pure Maple Syrup: Grade A Dark for a rich, warm caramel depth.
-
🍯 Raw Honey: For natural moisture and a soft, delicate sweetness.
-
🥥 Coconut Sugar: The perfect, unrefined 1:1 swap for traditional brown sugar.
What You'll Find Here
This page is a cozy collection of clean-ingredient, nutrient-dense recipes designed to nourish your body and protect your well-being. Whether you are looking for fluffy blender muffins or protein-packed breakfast ideas, you are in the right place.
Just one caveat: while I eat clean most of the time, some recipes are simply worth the indulgence. (My homemade Mac & Cheese, for one!) From time to time, I’ll share some of my decadent favorites. They still use completely clean, whole ingredients ~ they just might feature a generous amount of real cheese. Just sometimes! 😉
