Welcome to Up Beet Kitchen, a food and lifestyle blog with wholesome, nutrient-dense recipes and workouts that are designed to nourish and fuel healthy, active families!
While I was plant-based for a decade, I removed that label from my diet and lifestyle in 2021. I now share a wide variety of recipes here on the blog.
You’ll find a nice mix of vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore recipes. Many also happen to be gluten-free and refined sugar-free, though I do not believe in food rules or labelling my diet. My hope is that my recipes and words encourage you to foster a connection with the food on your plate: A connection that extends to the land, the farmers, your family, and traditions.
my Background
The kitchen was always the centre of our home when I was growing up. I remember our kitchen and dining table being filled with love, laughter, conversation, and the aromas of home cooked meals each and every day. We didn’t (and I still don’t) own a microwave. My mom was a homemaker and I feel very lucky to have had her as a loving presence and a constant in the home all throughout my formative years. My dad, although busy with his job in law enforcement, loved to bake. He taught me how to bake my first loaf of bread and he was always looking for ways to ‘healthify” dessert recipes, often dramatically cutting back on the sugar content, much to us sweets-loving kids’ chagrin. I have my parents to thank for inspiring me to pick up cooking and baking as a hobby as a young teenager.
Despite the positive attitude with which food was viewed in my home, I struggled a lot with disordered eating and an eating disorder when I was a pre-teen and teenager. It took many years to heal my body and mind from this, but I am happy to say that I have made it to the other side and have made it part of my life’s work to help other girls and women who are in similar situations.
In terms of education, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, and a Holistic Nutrition Certificate from Pacific Rim College. I am also a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Running Coach through the International Sports Sciences Association.
I am a self-taught home cook and photographer. I enjoy experimenting with flavour and ingredient combinations. I find inspiration for my recipes everywhere: Restaurants, old cookbooks and family recipes, cooking shows, and nature. I try to cook and eat with the seasons. I find this way of eating to be the healthiest for our bodies and the most sustainable for the earth.
Becoming a mother
In 2024, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Becoming a mom has been my greatest honour and blessing so far in life. You can read more about my pregnancy journey here and here. You can also read my labour and birth story here.
Not sure where to start? Check out my Recipe Index. Want to work together, or get in touch? Send an email to [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!