Family Picture 2016, photo courtesy of Chris Nelson Photography
Hey there friends! I am Sophia and I believe in living a fun, healthy and low stress life. When I became immersed in the mom world, I realized that there was so much pressure to be perfect, in everything from how you raise your kids to how you throw their birthday parties. It was exhausting just thinking about it. However, I slowly realized that a simple change in mindset to give myself some grace and allow decisions that may veer a bit from my main path lowered my stress and raised my happiness and overall health. I became a better mom, a better wife, and a better friend.
Many people have asked me whether we are vegan. The answer is no. At home, and for the blog, I create plant-based meals to help keep our bodies healthy and thriving. When we go out, we choose to let go and not stress about it. Because our personalities have a tendency for anxiety, we decided that in order to keep our mind healthy we need to stay relaxed. Most of the time, we are eating a diet full of plant based nutritious food. And it is totally okay if we don’t once in a while . We believe life is about balance, there is no food police, we are the ones that put the pressure on ourselves. It’s all about your mindset and what you want for yourself.
I also want my kids to grow up with a positive and healthy relationship to food. I believe in taking small steps to get there instead of stressing them out at such a young age. This is what works for us. I don’t believe that life is black and white, it’s full of gray and not an all or nothing thing.
Veggies Don’t Bite was created because I want to help families get healthier one small step at a time. My talent is using whole food ingredients to create plant-based recipes that will change the way your entire family views healthy food. Comfort food classics, veggie filled meals, and occasional sweet indulgences create a place where all types of eaters unite.
My love for health and fitness started with the way I was raised. My amazing mom somehow found the time to cook delicious home made meals for us even though she worked full time. She always chased us outside to play, instead of letting us sit inside all day. I was active, I ate healthy. But as the world evolved, so did our food. I first learned ways to change my diet when my husband and I struggled through fertility to have our first son. This diet change, along with other pieces to the fertility puzzle we were solving, helped us finally achieve success when pure medical intervention was not working. A few years later, my husband was able to use diet changes to help eliminate both his high blood pressure and cholesterol, and no longer takes medication. We are the healthiest and happiest we have ever been. We feel amazing and enjoy life. What more can you ask for?
My journey has inspired me to create many of my own recipes to take the place of all the old recipes we loved that did not follow our new and improved way of eating. I used the research I did online and my own taste to create some of our very favorites, all being plant-based, mostly gluten free, and refined sugar free…but not flavor free. My focus is on meals that are relatively quick and easy to prepare, especially ones you can prep ahead of time, but I do throw in a more involved recipe from time to time. I look forward to sharing my love for healthy eating with you!
Other than loving to cook and bake, I am many other things. I am a fun mom to three amazing boys. The oldest two are 15 months apart and bring more joy to my life than I ever thought possible, and their baby brother is 3 years younger. I am a wife to the most supportive, loving husband a girl can ask for. He is my best friend, my cheerleader, my partner in crime. I love to exercise. I feel blessed to have friends that keep me motivated. I love that we can enjoy being healthy and active but also find time to have fun together! I was an elementary school teacher for 14 years before I decided to stay home with my boys and begin this amazing journey. I loved teaching, but I love being a stay at home mom and a business owner, even more. The amazing opportunity of staying home brought me to the place I am now: a business owner of a successful company. I wouldn’t be able to do all this if I was still teaching elementary school, and I am so thankful for where life has brought me. With my science centered undergraduate background, teaching credential, masters in education, and all the future learning I plan to do, I think that this place in life is my calling and I am so excited to see where it takes me!
Life is good and I hope I can help you reach your happy place. You can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.
And don’t forget,
Eat. Play. Relax. Repeat.
