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Where do you get the inspiration for your recipes?
Hunger! 🙂 We just look at what we have in the refrigerator and decide how we want to prepare it that day. We also, look at our family recipes and decide how we can change them to fit the way we eat now. Just talking to friends, family and neighbors about the food they are eating and coming up with a healthy alternative, if needed, is alway inspiring.
What is your background in food?
We are just foodies. Vanessa has been preparing meals with her grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles since she was in elementary school. Valancie started preparing meals with her mom and dad as a child. Now we both cook everyday.
Can I use your photo or recipe on my website or blog?
Please use our contact page and let us know what recipe and or photo you would like to use and we will let you know.
Do you have any recipes for Vegans?
Yes, many of our side dishes are vegan.
Do you follow a particular diet?
No, we have created a diet that works best for our bodies my using the elimination diet. We use anti-inflammatory food, good fats, whole foods, organic food and wild caught fish. We do not use any grains, dairy (with the exception of ghee) or nightshade vegetables. If we had to pick a diet, it would have to be somewhere between Paleo and Ketogenic. Because the Paleo/Ketogenic Diets eliminates more of the foods we have an intolerances to. We have also started to implement the Wahls Protocol which uses paleo principles.
Why didn’t your recipe work for me?
That’s an excellent question. The answer is we don’t know. Many things play a factor when cooking from scratch. Even the weather plays a role, the amount of moisture or the lack of it in the air can effect cakes and breads. Just let us know what happen and we can try to figure it out together.
How many time do you make each recipe before you post it on your blog?
After we have created a recipe – and made all the changes – and have it just right. We will then prepare the recipe three times, following the exact recipe you see on our website.
What do you do with all your food you create?
We eat it, share it, or freeze it.
What’s your favorite recipe?
Vanessa’s favorite recipe is our Vanilla Cake with Carbo Frosting. Valancie’s favorite recipe is our Beef Stew with root vegetables.
What’s your favorite food?
Vanessa’s favorite foods are any type of bread or chocolate. Valancie’s favorite food is okra.
What type camera do you use?
Many of our pictures are taken using our iPhone because it is handy and always with us.
Are you on Pinterest?
Yes, we have an account and love adding photographs and our recipes to our boards. We post regularly.
What is your comment policy?
Please feel free to comment on our site after a recipe or article. We just request that all comments be in good taste, no bad language and are relevant to the post.
How do I sign up for your newsletter?
You can sign up on our sidebar and also under the featured items on the home page.
How do I print a recipe?
You should see a print button at the top right hand side of the recipe just before the list of ingredients. Just press the print button. If you don’t see the print button please e-mail us by using our contact page.
How do I ask a question about a recipe?
You may ask a question in the comment section or you may use our contact page and send us the question.
How do I comment on a recipe?
Just leave us your comments or suggestions in the comment section after the recipe.
Do you use Instagram?
Yes, we have an account and we are add pictures regularly. Please feel free to follow us on any of our social media.
What’s your cooking style/food philosophy?
Our food philosophy is about appreciating the flavor and nutrition in fresh whole foods. We have always had an enthusiasm for food; however, it was only, as you would say, skin deep. We did not appreciate the food for the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that they gave to our bodies. We have since changed our view of food; because, the better nutrition that we put into our bodies the better the body will operate. We value food and how it is grown; and we focus on sustainable and organic. We hold true to our Southern heritage by keeping our recipes full of mouth watering flavor. And we vow to never take cooking for granted. It has become a part of our everyday life and we love being able to say, “What are WE going to prepare today?”.
When did you start your food blog?
We decided to start a food blog in 2016. So we started creating new recipes and taking photos. We also started sharing our new recipes with our neighbors, friends and family to see what they thought about the recipes. Finally, we were ready to activate our site in August 2017.
Why did you start your food blog?
We had to eliminate so many foods from our diet because of food intolerances, finding recipes we could use was difficult. So as we started modifying our recipes and creating new ones, we decided to share them with our family, friends and you. It is our hope that anyone that has food intolerances and needs help creating something delicious to eat will find our site helpful.
What are affiliate links?
Affiliate links are links to another companies site we feature on our blog that pays us a small commission. While the price you pay does not increase.
May I write about one of your recipes on my site?
Just send us an email on our contact page so we can discuss the recipe.
Why do you use mason jars for your spices?
Since we buy our spices in bulk, we need a lot of containers to put the spices in, and we have a lot of mason jars. Also, we just like mason jars.
Do you eat all your desserts?
No, we share them with family, friends, and neighbors. A lot of our deserts can be frozen, so we freeze them as well.
What do you do to stay healthy?
We eat whole organic foods and good fats, exercise, try to control stress, and aim for eight hours of sleep every night.
Why don’t you use almond flour?
Valancie has an intolerance to almonds. Also, a serving size of almonds is five almonds. There is going to be a lot of serving of almonds in a cup of almond flour.
What is arrowroot powder and how do you use it?
Arrowroot is a starch. We use arrowroot as a thickener in our gravies and puddings. We like using arrowroot because arrowroot does not add any additional flavor to the recipe. So it will not change the flavor of the recipe. Arrowroot is also full of vitamins and minerals, which is a plus. It is gluten-free as well as non-GMO and a healthy alternative to cornstarch; and because we are grain-free arrowroot comes in handy. It is one of the healthiest starches for the body to digest. Arrowroot, also has anti-inflammatory properties. There are many recipes on our site that use this wonderful versatile starch. So if you have never used this starch before, head on over to our recipe page to find great recipes that use arrowroot.
Are all of your recipes grain-free?
Yes, yes and yes – all of our recipes are grain-free. We stopped eating grains in 2015 when we realized grains did not like us and we had to get healthy. We have no grains in our house; therefore, it is impossible to use them.
Why do you use organic food?
TOXINS! Toxins are all around us. We cannot do much about the air we breath, but we can limit the amount of toxins in our food. We use whole organic food to reduce our toxic exposure. We use very little processed food; so, just because something is labeled organic on the box does not mean we use it.
What is an elimination diet?
Everyones body is different and some of us have trouble with some food groups. The elimination diet helped us find out which foods our body has problems with. The Institute for Functional Medicine’s Elimination Diet Comprehensive Guide is the program that we used.
Why do you have nightshade-free recipes?
Nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant) are believed to cause inflammation in some people. Black pepper and sweet potatoes are not part of the nightshade family. To see if you have a problem with nightshades, eliminate them for three to four weeks. Then reintroduce them back into your diet one at a time, in the vegetables whole form. If after three day you don’t notice any difference with you pain, inflammation or other health concerns add another whole nightshade vegetable back. Repeat until you have added them all back or at least the ones that don’t cause you any problems.
Why are your recipes refined sugar free?
Refined sugar is highly processed and we try to avoid processed foods whenever possible. Besides, honey and maple syrup are great to use in place of refined sugar. However, with any form of sugar moderation is key.
What is your flour of choice?
We love coconut flour! You will find numerous recipes on our site that uses coconut flour. It is an easy flour to work with. It just requires more moisture than your other flours.
What is your favorite cookware?
A good seasoned cast iron skillet. Every serious cook should own at least one cast iron skillet. We could not imagine not having cast iron skillets in our kitchen. We replaced all of our aluminum cookware with stainless steel. Therefore, if you were to come into our kitchen you would see stainless steel, glass or cast iron cookware.
How do you keep from being bored when preparing meals?