About Me

Well … about me and my relationship with food.

Shortish

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I am a former teacher, new writer and editor, and passionate culinary experimenter. I am gluten and lactose intolerant (and also can’t eat potatoes—ridiculous, right?) and am relentless about making eating the best part of my day. Other passions include hiking, wine, noodles, reading, cats, and training for triathlons.

Longish

After 19 years of life and 6 months of denial, anger, and bargaining, I finally had to accept that I was gluten intolerant in 2013. The final straw for me was after I had eaten a generous portion of a 4-person pizza cookie at a restaurant and made my best friends suffer with me afterward. I remember getting the call, the kind lady reading off the results of the blood test my doctor had done for me: “So, the results are in … you are, in fact, gluten intolerant and should continue with a gluten free diet … for life.” I hung up the phone feeling like I had just been smacked in the face. For life?! Gosh, that was foreboding. The saddest part for me was immediately realizing that I couldn’t eat pasta, bread, or Cheerios*—three staples in my diet. However, after some anger, time, and many dreams about eating Oreos and bread, I was determined. I needed to figure out how to eat well despite what I couldn’t eat.

*Cheerios didn’t become gluten free until 2015, but I am so grateful they figured it out!

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With my busy schedule attending classes at the University of Arizona, completing volunteer hours at elementary schools, and juggling three 2-hour ultimate frisbee practices each week, I had to find a way to stay healthy on my college budget. Receiving a Crock-Pot for my birthday opened up a world of possibilities for me (thanks Mom and Dad!). I became a Pinterest maniac—I could spend hours looking for recipes I wanted to try. And I experimented a lot. You know all of those barfy quotes about failure? “Fail forward.” “Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success.” “To fail is the first attempt in learning.” Well, they’re actually pretty accurate. I failed a lot. Yet, I continued trying, innovating, and experimenting.

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Ah, but the story isn’t over yet. I began having stomach troubles again in 2017. After going through more denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, I accepted it without having to go to the doctor—I had become … lactose intolerant* (insert dramatic music here). Just as I had finally gotten the gluten free thing down and was absolutely living my best life, this had to happen. Yet, it was easier this time around. I already had experience Pinteresting, experimenting with food, and navigating the allergen-ridden world. I had also already established my obsession for almond milk, so I just had to accept that I would no longer be eating the divine gluten free, dairy-filled products I had become accustomed to for the past 4 years.

*I could also possibly casein intolerant though (if that’s a thing). Lactaid doesn’t work for me and lactose-free milk products still give me grief.

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Little did I know, the devil in my stomach would strike one more time in late 2017 and early 2018. After a painful Thanksgiving, a clear colonoscopy and endoscopy, and a little experimentation, I realized that it was potatoes this time. That’s right: potatoes. Why? Who knows? But the sharp pain I got on the left side of my abdomen after eating one of my favorite foods was not worth it. Now this one was trickier than gluten and lactose. Not only did I have to avoid the chunks of potato in nearly every gluten-free, dairy-free dish, I had to look for potato starch in gluten free products. To this day, I am still using trial and error to create my own perfect all-purpose flour.

So yes, I am that person who is in the grocery store aisle staring intently at a box of crackers. I have to read every ingredient list 3 times through (my brain is known to skip over ingredients I just don’t want to see). The silver lining is that I know exactly what I am putting in my body. I know every flour, every sugar, every chemical, and I feel good about the sustenance I am ingesting.

I do the majority of my cooking at home, but sometimes I dare to step out into the world to eat sushi, street tacos, and Thai curry. I am a craft cider connoisseur and love my red wine. I recently “retired” from teaching and frisbee and am exploring other careers and sports. All I want to do is live life, eat well, and share my stories with others who can connect with them. Please, let me know if you have had a similar journey with food or any crazy experiences you’d like to share—that’s why I’m here!

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