Hi! I’m Jennifer, an enthusiastic crafter, jewelry maker and darn good pastry chef.
After years of health issues ranging from systematic candida, allergic reactions to most all antibiotics and experimentation with too many diets to count on two hands I have landed with my roots firmly planted in a low-carb lifestyle. My journey to health has led me to such extremes as exercising excessively 2-3 hours per day every day to fasting for 2-3 days followed by calorie restriction with minimal weight loss or health benefits. On the other hand, I had also been known to binge for months at a time, not exercise and never gain a pound. My health suffered through it all.
I believe in eating whole and unprocessed foods. I spent 4 years working towards a PhD in food science and gained enough insight into the industry to know that I couldn’t work for a BIG FOOD company and maintain an intact and functioning conscience. Additionally, I believe in eating nutrient dense food even when it comes to eating dessert. I use ingredients that are high in fiber, low in carbohydrates and that are functional. For baking, having functional ingredients is all a part of the recipe game. For health, using nutrient dense functional foods is the foundation to a happy, healthy and functioning digestive system.
I have a strong passion for baking. In 2008 I graduated with honors from pastry school and spent the following year teaching as an assistant pastry chef. It’s pure chemistry and somehow satisfies both my creative and analytical sides. I have been gluten-free since 2000. Ok, not 100%, I did have a mandatory relapse in pastry school (you had to taste everything, it was required!) The choice to be gluten-free stems mostly from a consistent overnight weight gain of 2-3lbs from even a single cracker. Honestly, it is rare for me to miss it. My low carb lifestyle has been fairly well ingrained over the last 15 years.
For the past 5 years I have been earning a living by creating recipes and as a nutritional analyst. I have created meal plans, helped to build marketing campaigns as well as supported customer service in regards to low-carb dieting. All in all, I eat, drink and breathe low-carb 24 hours a day.
For me eating is all about taste. I don’t eat grains because they don’t have a lot of taste to me. For me they feel like fillers – they act as body for what I really crave…fat and flavor. For me a well-balanced cheesecake knocks any cake off its pedestal. I eat the frosting off the cake or the pie filling out of the crust. To me, the goodness is in the filling not the tasteless outer casing. My expertise is in desserts and flavor. I have learned a lot over the years and this blog is all about sharing that with you. I love sauces and savory tasty bites as much as sweet desserts so don’t be surprised if a few of those show up here as well.
Knowledge Is Power
Please allow me to help you find the power within yourself to enjoy a low-carb, gluten-free, sugar-free lifestyle that tastes great. I believe everyone should be allowed to have their cake and eat it too!
On a personal note, I also have a passion for jewelry. In my other life (oh there are many!) I am a jewelry designer and metal smith. You can see my work here. 
I am also a mother of a young boy named Kastl, 3 fabulous daughters named Chenea, Katarina and Chiara, a wife and an animal lover. I hope you enjoy my blog.
