My Story
So with an infant in tow, once a week I worked on a popular weight loss program. After only a few short months I managed to loose 65 pounds! (and subsequently my husband lost 20 pounds) My knees stopped creaking, my spirits lifted and my interest in real food slowly returned. I quickly discovered that I didn't want to eat diet food and "count points" for the rest of my life. So I contacted Irina Kachalenko at Vibrant Healthy and Whole. Irina is a Health Coach and in my opinion the best one there is! In a flash my life changed from good to amazingly awesome. I learned so many new things and I became inspired, motivated, and full of passion for a rediscovered love in cooking and baking. She has taught me so much and has helped me to accept and love myself, an ideal I once thought impossible. I would like to extend my most sincere appreciation to this wonderful woman, whom I am so lucky to call my friend. A few months ago I decided to start this blog as a way to record our journey and create my own virtual food diary. I try hard to use ingredients that are local, seasonal and minimally processed. Yet we each have our own particular food addictions to things like rainbow sprinkles, coffee, animal crackers and gummy bears. |
I'm Sandra, and these are the three men that I live with in the suburbs of New Jersey. I met my husband in college and we married shortly after I graduated with a vague yet effective bachelor's degree in science and technology. After a few years of working in large global corporations I opted to flip my life upside down and stay home and care for my family.
For the past three years I have been busy making, growing, feeding and caring for my two boys who are now three and one, respectively. I have quickly come to learn that this job is harder than anything I have ever done before. I may have to put in extensive overtime and handle hazardous material, but the big hugs, smiles and half eaten cookies I receive as payment are well worth the effort. Pregnancy took a toll on my weight and my health because, lets face it, anyone who is literately "making" another human being deserves to eat as much ice cream as she wants. 
The current managers in our household
|
We eat mostly vegetarian meals, but pasture raised meat has its place at our dinner table as well. Sometimes you have to appease the meat eaters in your home for the greater good of the family dinner. Whatever I am making you can be sure that it is something from scratch. I enjoy activities such as canning, making cheese and growing micro greens. There are plenty of terms used to describe women like me right now including, radical homemakers or femivores. You can decided for yourself, but labels or not, I still find joy in creating a happy and healthy environment for myself and my family.
I am not a formally trained chef, nor have I ever taken a photography class. I like to learn as I go and let my children be involved in the process as well. I have found that my boys are more likely to eat food that they are involved in making, and when that doesn't work I hide the broccoli and kale in their afternoon juice.
This my story...and the rest is yet to be written!
I am not a formally trained chef, nor have I ever taken a photography class. I like to learn as I go and let my children be involved in the process as well. I have found that my boys are more likely to eat food that they are involved in making, and when that doesn't work I hide the broccoli and kale in their afternoon juice.
This my story...and the rest is yet to be written!