I empower women to cook more real food at home.

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If your daily life resembles mine in any way -- with two toddlers, a household, and a business to maintain -- it can seem impossible, sometimes, to feel like you're taking the best care of your family, let alone yourself.

I'm sure you've felt the frustration I've felt, of being frazzled and completely stuck at dinner time, as you juggle the immediate need to get food into mouths and the desire for it to be wholesome and healthful. That's why I've created this place -- to encourage you that
it is possible to cook real food that nourishes your family and friends, even if you don't know where to begin. ​

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So, how did this all start?

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I've loved to cook ever since my beloved Grandpa (may he rest in peace) placed a chef's knife in my hand and taught me, patiently, to use it. He allowed me into a domain that was predominantly governed by the men in my family. I belonged there. I was proud there. I'll forever be thankful for that.

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There was a time or two, or three, when I thought I might go to culinary school. I just never broke down and did it. And, you know what? I'm glad – a home cook's perspective, without all the fancy-schmancy terminology and gadgets, is exactly what we need in this moment in time, I think.

 

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You see, I have this emotionally-charged longing for our generation to get back into the kitchen. Not because I think that's where women belong, but because I envision a renewed legacy of family meals and time spent together around a shared table. That's what it's all about. I believe if we can figure out that piece of our lives, we have a good chance of weathering whatever these crazy times can hurl at us. And if we're talking about health? I truly believe the words of Rachael Ray, “the more you cook, the healthier you will be, period.”

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What about the meal planning part?
Where did that come in?

 

Funny story. This is totally not where I saw my career going. I'm a designer. Have been since 2009, when I started AllieRuth, which over the course of seven years grew to an internationally recognized high-end stationery brand. But I'm not here to talk about my business-building experience. I'm here to show you how I, naturally, was led onto this path.

 

A year into our marriage, in 2010, we moved from Orlando, Florida to a tiny town in Indiana (population 1200). Hello, culture shock! The town didn't even have a full-fledged grocery store, which meant any real shopping trip would require some planning. I was 21 and not exactly familiar with "adulting" so hard.

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My family always cooked. We rarely ate out. Not just because that was what we could afford (although that was true), but because that was what we valued. We loved eating dinner together around the same table. I feel very fortunate to have had that experience growing up, now that I know so many people of my generation who weren't so lucky. My mom lit candles and we used pretty place settings even if we were eating green beans from a can, reheated in the microwave.

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What I don't remember was my mom ever meal planning. My limited experience with the producing-a-meal-for-a-family part was watching my mom (or my poor stepdad, haha) run to the store at 5 pm to grab "a few things" to make dinner happen that night. This happened multiple times a week. It wasn't until that move to Poseyville that I quickly realized this wasn't a productive cycle, and one that certainly wouldn't fly, living so far from a grocery store.

 

That first year or so was wrought with frustration as I felt the pains of learning how to plan for meals ahead of time. I had no clue what I was doing. I was used to cooking what sounded good that night, or we would just eat out. This move had me frazzled. I was so burdened by the thought of making the perfect grocery list that didn't leave anything out and covered all our needs for the week. And don't even get me started on the budget -- we didn't even have one.

 

So, the very beginning required troubleshooting. I thought, it would only make sense if some ingredients could be used more than once. So, I started incorporating that into my scheme. Then, I realized that I still craved more variety... but not so much that I'd have to buy a million different ingredients. So, I added that in. At that time I was also learning a ton about whole foods and even more about what we didn't want to be putting in our bodies. One more thing to think about.

 

With all these different components, I began to wonder how could all of this could possibly turn into a holistic plan that we could implement on the regular.

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Figuratively speaking, of course. But I have literally spent years perfecting the meal planning system that now works, week-in and week-out, for my family. It's worked so well, in fact, that I felt compelled to share it with so many other women who have the same struggles I had. That's what brings me to you.

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If you are ready to radically change the way your family eats, stick around. Thank you so much for reading this far and taking a little time to get to know me. I hope this is only the beginning of our relationship. I'd love to get to know you better, as well!

 

The best way for us to stay connected is through the Seamless Meal Planning Community. When you join us in the group, you'll also have direct access to me through weekly Q&A, video trainings, and meal planning support - all free of charge.

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I promise to empower, encourage, and equip you to step into life-changing action in the kitchen.