about this vegan + gluten-free space
Welcome to my barefoot home. Take off your shoes and make yourself at home. To be barefoot is simple, pure and clean – just like the food I will teach you to make. Here you will find real food, no weird or scary ingredients like tofu or seitan (satan who?!?)
tofu-free zone
Food tastes best closest to it’s whole, unprocessed state. I want you to find enjoyment in quick and simple home cooked meals, getting closer to your family and further away from the Yee, the Chinese takeout man.
why barefoot?
Inspiration for this site stems from a burning desire to live a minimalistic life. It’s about less stuff and more life; thriving on simple food and a journey into a more simplified lifestyle with an un-fussy outlook on life. Being barefoot is calm, humbling and down-to-earth.
It’s about being easy and unpretentious. ‘Essence’ is about an uncomplicated, genuine existence. I will teach you how to integrate these principles into everyday life; a healthy home, body and mind.
no judgement
You will never feel judged here, this is a judgement-free zone. I am not a hardcore paint-throwing, preachy person or vegan. I will not tell you what you should and should not eat, only showcase how easy plant-based cooking can be when you keep it simple.
what I’m cooking for you
You care about what goes in and on your body. You want to fuel your body with whole foods. You want to live your best life, and know that optimal nutrition is an important key to thriving. You are probably figuring out what ‘optimal nutrition’ means for you.
You enjoy your family coming together over beautiful dinners and laughing until you cry, or pee your pants (whatever comes first). You like to cook a little, and if you don’t like it, you don’t want it to be a chore. You eat, you make ‘mmmmm’ sounds when something is delicious.
If you have kids, eating has to some extent become more about responsibility than pleasure. Meals may as well be simple. You’re busy.
You have at least one person in your household with a food allergy. You want to feed yourself and your family real food, minimalist style, without allergens and long lists of scary ingredients.
moi
I love to cook uncomplicated, whole foods. I enjoy food closest to its natural, unprocessed state. I don’t count calories, use measuring cups or kitchen scales. I eat when I’m hungry, and sometimes forget when to stop. I think food tastes best when it is local, organic and in-season.
I re-trained my taste buds, and learned to trust myself to take fresh foods and transform them into un-fussy, flavorful meals.
I grew up on twinkes, diet coke, and candy bars – sometimes 2 or 3 a day.
I’m a wife and proud mom of two awesome (and hungry) kids. Our journey into a plant-based, gluten-free diet began when everyone in my family was constantly sick; I was overweight, had terrible seasonal allergies, had several sinus infections a year, and always felt bloated and irritable. My husband had high blood-pressure that needed meds and was constantly exhausted. My son was perpetually ill and could barely breathe through his nose.
When my son was one, a specialist recommended his tonsils and adenoids be removed and tubes be crammed into his ears. CRAZY!!
There had to be a better way. After devouring dozens of books and reading as much as I could on the topic of plant-based food, I organically evolved our standard American diet (aka ‘the SAD diet’) into a plant-based and gluten-free one.
Since I did this, our health issues have disappeared. My husband and I have lost weight, my seasonal allergies are gone, my husband no longer needs blood-pressure medication and my son can breathe easily – no surgery required. I feel lighter, more energetic and can think more clearly. I eat well, sleep well and love life.
I’m uber passionate about living an un-fussy, barefoot kind of life, enjoying healthy food, experiencing a calm mind and being present. My goal is for you to love a simple life through simple food, enjoying simple times with the people you love.
You can, and will thrive on real food, feel the pure joy in living in the moment and experiencing what living a barefoot life can do you for your soul.
The best meals are enjoyed in bare feet.
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