LL BALANCED

Hi Everyone! Hope you are having a great week so far! I am so excited to introduce you to an amazing girl, and a Wednesday Woman crush of mine. Meet Laura Lea Goldberg. First of all, I hope she doesn’t think I am weird, but I could stare at her all day! I don’t think she had on a bit of makeup, and looks like this! Second, she is the sweetest and kindest girl you’ve ever met! I met Laura Lea when I moved to Nashville last year, but have known of her for a few years. I found her through her blog, LL Balanced, when I was going through my chemo, and looking up healthy recipes on line. I emailed her, and she was so sweet to email me back. When I moved to town, I contacted her to meet up!

I have wanted to do a post on her for a while, and we finally got together. She is a certified health-supported chef, with a holistic wellness business. She lived in New York where she worked Corporate jobs, but got burned out and disillusioned. She decided to study holistic health and cooking fresh produce meals. She entered a chefs training program at Natural Gourmet Institute in Chelsea, NY which focused on cooking with whole, mostly plant based foods. She has been cooking ever since, and coming up with her own recipes. The exciting news, is that she is working on her own cookbook right now. She is doing the whole thing, including the photos on her own! I cannot wait until it comes out!

I asked Laura Lea to answer a few questions for me:

What is your belief on clean eating? “Belief on eating clean: Keep it simple. Eat whole foods as much as possible, which means any food that is still containing all of its edible parts. So this includes grass-fed beef, cooked eggs, peeled oranges etc. Focus on quality and eat copious colorful vegetables. Make cooking enjoyable by focusing on the flavors and dishes that you know you and your family love. Make eating more pleasurable by eating in community, without distractions. If you feed your body truly nourishing foods, you shouldn’t need to worry about over-indulging. Have treats in moderation, and don’t label foods…or yourself…as good or bad”.

What is the premise of your cookbook? “In today’s culture, we’ve gotten so far away from just enjoying food. We’re stressed because of time, and when we do cook, we’re worried we’re making the “wrong” things. The goal of my cookbook is to bring the joy back into cooking, reduce dinner stress and get families sitting down at a table together. My recipes are simple, easy, packed with flavor and accessible, while feeling special. I want to put ease and grace back into making and eating nourishing, whole foods”.

Can you give me your top three favorite recipes? “Top 3 recipes….oh that’s so hard haha! If forced, I’d have to say my Tarragon Almond Chicken Salad, Holy Fudge Black Bean Brownies and my Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies….and my Turmeric Tahini Cauliflower! Haha impossible”.

I asked Laura Lea to make something quick, easy and healthy while we were visiting. She whipped together a Black Forest Smoothie for one. All I can say is, it was amazing!!! You all have to make it, and let me know what you think!