My Background

I am a self-taught home cook going on nearly a decade now. I love being in the kitchen, creating recipes and cooking with my people. And I especially enjoy cooking for others and sharing our love of real food with family and friends when we connect in person.

While I grew up with a mom who often cooked for our family, I would say the type of food we ate might be why many people think eating healthy has to be boring. (Sorry, mom!)

I’ve always enjoyed food and baking and making treats, but I didn’t really fall in love with cooking until I changed my diet to focus on eating real food. And when I started dating Justin, and he taught me how to make food actually taste amazing, I really began to fall in love with both him and cooking. 

Going Back to Move Forward 

A couple of years prior to graduating from college, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that results in neurologic degeneration. It was a messy several years that followed – marriage ending in divorce with my high school sweetheart, starting over from scratch and diving into my career after college. 

Eventually, I decided that life was too long to feel stuck doing what I’m supposed to do – which was exactly how I felt trying to force myself into a long-term career as a CPA. I wanted to follow my passions in life and feel energized by my work. 

But…to propel ourselves forward I think we often have to hit a low point. And that is exactly what happened. My health was deteriorating. I was super tired all the time and waded through brain fog and low energy. I was basically just going through the motions in life, running myself down trying to prove I was bigger than MS. 

Like many people, it took my health getting to a pretty bad place for me to wake up and realize that something needed to change. That wake up call was what inspired me to shift my lifestyle to focus on real foods, and that shift is what got me into the kitchen and started my journey to becoming a successful self-taught home cook.

How Things Are Going Now

I’m still a work in progress. I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach to health and wellness. And I don’t believe one diet is the best for every body. 

I continue to learn and evolve and try to shift and pivot as my body needs it. But ultimately, I always come back to the basic premise that real, unprocessed foods feel best for my body. 

I love creating new recipes and growing Real Simple Good with Justin. We make a lot of healthy comfort food recipes (it’s kind of our jam!), and I love it when readers leave comments saying that they haven’t enjoyed that type of recipe in so long due to dietary restrictions but that our recipe made their day and really hit the spot. 

Some of my most popular recipe creations are:

• Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
• Spinach Artichoke Chicken Skillet
• Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Soft + Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Paleo Vegan Banana Bread

Whether it’s a quick and easy recipe, a healthy treat or one of our diet specific recipes (Keto, Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free) – I hope you find something that makes you feel like a hero in the kitchen! 

It’s rewarding to be able to help people find their own way in the kitchen and teach them that real food really can taste amazing and be exciting! 

With a focus on real food, we share simple recipes that actually taste good.