About

Hi there, my name is Tanya. I’m an artist, food enthusiast, and newly added to my list of titles – mom to a feisty little munchkin named Samson. Painting and sculpting are my passion, but cooking (and eating) definitely hold a special place in my heart. Especially when my family can enjoy all the meals!

My Dad, Art, taught me everything I know about cooking. Even though my parents live in Florida and I live in Kansas, he still constantly inspires my cooking and helps me come up with new recipes. We have been known to cook together via FaceTime occasionally (especially back in college when I could hardly make a baked potato).

Bamboo Roasting
Yes, we are roasting bamboo. Don’t ask.

Although he is more of a behind-the-scenes part of this blog, believe me, he has tested just about every recipe and made sure they are suitable for the general population, not just my husband (who will literally eat anything dipped in ketchup).

Rick & Tanya
Ok, my Dad and brother may have caught most of the lobster. But we were there! (And for the record, I did get one, it was just too small.)

Speaking of my husband… That’s him, looking good with those lobsters. His name is Rick, by the way. If you couldn’t tell, he is obsessed with fitness and living a healthy lifestyle, which is a big part of what motivates me to create wholesome meals. We also tend to be very busy, so recently my focus has been on creating easy, large-batch meals that we can eat all week long.

I usually do a “meal prep day” every week, and cook about 3-4 different meals in large batches. Then we can mix and match them all week long for lunches and dinners. This strategy has worked out great over the past year, because it is so easy to grab a pre-made meal that it keeps me from driving to Chick-fil-a for lunch (most of the time, anyway).

So now that you know a little bit more about me, check out some of these Dad inspired, husband approved meals. (And a few baby-approved meals too.) Hopefully they will make your life easier and a little healthier too!