Family Picture 2016, photo courtesy of Chris Nelson Photography
Hey there friends! I am Sophia and I believe in living a fun, healthy and kind life. I’d say at this point I am 90% of the way there (but most days more). Why do I admit to only being 90%? Because no one is perfect and once I admitted that to myself, I realized I was happier…imagine that! 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 I was ok not achieving 100% success all the time, and from there life just kept getting better. I became a better mom, a better wife, and a better friend. I found my place in an amazing network of mom friends, both old and new, who help me keep it real.
Many people have asked what my “90%” means and what happens the other 10% of the time. For our family, it means that when we can control what we eat and how we live, we do. But we choose not to stress about the little things. No, we are not meat eaters 10% of the time (a question I am often asked). We always care about animals and the environment, but we also care about ourselves. If I am ordering a veggie burger and it happens to use egg as a binder, I won’t freak out. If something has some dairy in it and I can’t ask for it to be omitted, then it is what it is. I can’t allow myself to stress about all these things, because I don’t do well with that kind of stress. And then I can’t be the fun and happy that person I am. I’ve been there and in the end it isn’t worth it. I need to take care of myself so that I can be a good mother, wife and friend. So if that means being a little lenient right now, then so be it. I also want my kids to grow up with a positive relationship to all of this. I believe in taking small steps to get there instead of constantly stressing them out at such a young age. It’s what works for us, but everyone is different. We do a really good job at leading a fun, healthy and kind life, both kind to ourselves and kind to animals and the environment. In my opinion, “plant-based eating/veganism/living a kind life” is not an all or nothing thing. By abstaining from animal products, even for some of the time, you are helping the cause. Just because you aren’t at a place where you can truthfully declare 100% success, doesn’t mean you don’t care, and it especially doesn’t mean you should be judged. There is no police on this, and the sooner we all encourage each other to do the best we can, the better our world will be.
Veggies Don’t Bite was created because I want to help families get healthier one small step at a time. By creating all plant-based recipes, I am also contributing to a kind and ethical world. This is a place for all types of eaters to come and feel safe, encouraged and supported. Negativity is not welcome. If one chooses to claim living a kind life, then that kindness should extend to all, whether you agree with someone’s choices or not. Most of us are living life doing the best we can.
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, gluten free, and refined sugar free…but not flavor free. I also use ideas from other sites (you’ll find the link in my recipe), some of my favorites are in my “go-to’s and other faves” section. 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 food blogger, even more. The amazing opportunity of staying home brought me to the place I am now: starting this blog, and hopefully one day, a successful company. I wouldn’t be able to do all this if I was still teaching, and although I miss it, 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, Tumblr and Google +.
In health and love,
