Live with intention, designing each day to create the life of your dreams
Hello + Welcome!
My name is Kristi and I’m so grateful you’re here!
I started this blog to meet people like you and create a community of like minded friends!
This Meal by Design is my little corner of the internet where I can share my passion for real food and help you simplify the process of learning how to put nourishing meals and snacks on your dinner table.
My story…
My journey started with a personal passion for real, traditional foods and natural health for my family over 10 years ago. Prior to reading a couple books and watching Supersize me and Food Inc, I was a Diet Coke drinking, fast food eating, fun-lover. I had no idea that my choices were destroying my health. Although challenging, my husband and I made some drastic changes to our diet and could see the difference in our stomachs, feel the difference in our energy levels and mental focus and stop the bloat. This became the “new normal” for us and now cooking family friendly, traditional foods that my kids will actually eat and constantly learning about natural health solutions brings me joy. This passion evolved into a desire to inspire and teach others how to feel empowered to take charge of their own wellness with simple steps to improve their health.
Whether you are new to cutting out processed food or you are a seasoned real foodie, I hope you will find information here on this blog for motivation or to provide new ideas and creativity into your meal design. My goal is to provide simple pathways, resources, meal plans, and recipes to alleviate the stress of feeding your family.
I believe…
This is a journey and everyone is on a different path or joins at a different stage. I am happy to meet you where you are without judgement because I was once a fast food eating, diet coke for breakfast kinda girl. Small steps over time lead to significant results and new habits.
I am motivated by the way I feel and the health of my family. At the ages of 7 and 10 my kids have never been on antibiotics, they are balanced emotionally and rarely get colds. No one in our household takes a medication. The 4 of us have never had a cavity. I truly believe food is medicine and can change our lives. .
If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to email me (kristi@thismealbydesign.com). I would love to hear from you!
9 quick things about me
- I guess the first thing is… I love to cook. It’s hard to be a real foodie and not enjoy the process. I didn’t always love it though, the passion evolved with the understanding of truly nourishing the body.
- I LOVE going to Farmer’s Markets! I love supporting local farmers and gardeners and DIYers. Being surrounded by the fresh products of nature makes my heart sing.
- I find joy in reading, gardening, and experimenting with new flavors. My kitchen is often messy with a dehydrator running, sourdough bread starter bubbling, kombucha brewing, the compost bucket overflowing and dirty dishes in the sink. Truth… I’m a little messy.
- I treasure Farm to Table restaurants, good wine and gathering around the table with friends.
- Cooking with seasonal ingredients is super important to me. Our bodies were designed to eat lots of raw veggies in the summer and root vegetables and warm soups in the winter… there is a reason we crave these types of food seasonally.
- I live by the 80:20 rule. I don’t follow any specific diet but lean into traditional eating principles and avoiding processed foods and sugar as much as possible. I believe in listening to my body, everything in moderation and living life!
- Quality matters. I care about how animals are raised and cared for. I have a deep concern about the quality of our food supply and the dangers of chemicals, GMOs and dyes in our foods. I enjoy authors such as Mark Hyman and Michael Pollan, and value the research of Weston A Price.
- I am an omnivore who eats mostly vegetables.
- My background: I worked as a Physical Therapist and Stott Pilates instructor for 10 years until staying home with my 2 girls and continuing to teach pilates out of my home and educate about non-toxic living. My family is my reason. Raising healthy independent girls with my husband and living out the adventure of life together feeds my soul.
pilates
lattes
Farmer’s markets
a bold napa ca with friends
Some of my favorite things
Here are some resources You will find on the blog
- Mini series “how to get started with real food”
- Pantry and refrigerator makeover so your are always stocked with ingredients you need
- A little science… I Love the science and understanding how food affects our biochemistry
- Recipes and weekly meal planning ideas
- My favorite kitchen gadgets and resources
If you’d like to keep in touch via email, feel free to subscribe to my weekly email.
Cheers to finding joy in the kitchen on your wellness journey~ Kristi