My Why:
My WHY is to help as many people as possible lead healthier lifestyles by educating them on proper nutrition and exercise habits. I believe that food is medicine and we shouldn’t rely on doctors and prescriptions as much as we do. I’m aspiring to be a Registered Dietitian to someday have a greater impact on how our society sees what “healthy” really means.
Why Pancakes?
The title hasn’t changed since my first days as a blogger but this tiny space on the internet has evolved in ways I never imagined. What started as a photography blog shortly after being gifted a DSLR for my college graduation is now what you see here. At first, it was just a free blog documenting my life through my new lens. It was a way to motivate myself to practice photography and see how I was improving over time.
At the same time, I began living alone and learning how to cook. Really cook – not just mac and cheese. I started getting serious about my health after realizing that those past 5 years without regular ballet lessons and competition rehearsals (which were replaced with nights of binge drinking and ordering Gumby’s Pizza at 2am) took their toll on my body and my health. I was never overweight but I was out of shape and my blood pressure was through the roof. So I started making small changes little by little.
My blog took on the form of a lifestyle blog with posts about recipes I made from Pinterest and photographed myself, to DIY projects, to other landscape shots I attempted. During this time it became clear that I loved food photography the most. As I got more into exercise around this time I started incorporating protein powder into my diet and learned of new ways to use it. I fell in love with making protein pancakes and it became my regular Sunday thing. I was flying solo, doing what I wanted to do and loving it. I didn’t have anyone I was making pancakes for. I enjoyed them alone in my cozy apartment, usually after an intense HIIT workout on my living room floor.
When my food photography started to improve, and my cooking skills emerged I turned my focus to food and fitness. Those were my things. That was my niche. And since I didn’t want it to be just a food blog because I didn’t consider myself a foodie or think I could ever develop my own recipes, I wanted it to have a name that centered on food but implied there was more to it than that. Pancakes were my favorite food to make and eat so why not…More than Pancakes? I loved it and it stuck. Changing it would feel wrong at this point. Pancakes are where it all started…
From Engineer to Health-Nut
I graduated Magna Cum Laude from NC State with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. I was a nerd for numbers, Greek letters, and complex equations. But after 3 years in the real world of engineering, sitting behind a desk or in a lab didn’t appeal to me anymore. It wasn’t my thing. During this time I was diving into the world of fitness and healthy eating and after about a year or so that became a big part of my life. While wasting hours away at my desk job feeling stuck I thought to myself that there had to be a way I could make a living AND be happy doing so for 40 hours a week.
And there was. I can still be a nerd, but instead of numbers I geek-out about human physiology and bio-mechanics.
I got my ACSM Personal Trainer certification in July of 2016. From there it took me 6 months to make the transition and I needed a little push from my employer at the time who began to notice my lack of enthusiasm for the job. A year later I was fully certified as a Nutrition Coach and Metabolic Technician with Lifetime Fitness and absolutely loving my job. The transition was rocky and I’m still getting my bearings from the major pay cut I took, but it’s been a very humbling and rewarding experience all in one.
I work full time at the gym and continue to train myself both physically and educationally. I love learning about new developments in fitness and nutrition research. I love researching cooking and baking methods, and foods from different cultures. Previously I spent 40 hours a week bored out of my mind. These days there’s almost no way I can be bored with what I do on a daily basis. My new goal is to attend a Dietetics program starting in the summer of 2018 and eventually become a registered dietitian. As fun as it is to work at a gym, it does not pay the bills and I miss the stability of a steady, reasonably sized paycheck.
What you’ll find here…
Being generally curious about nutrition and how our bodies work and wanting to understand every possible diet out there I experiment a lot on myself. I’ve changed my diet so many times over the past couple years that you can find recipes on here for almost anything. All of it will be healthy or at least a healthier version of something you know well. My recipes fall into categories such as gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, plant-based, low-carb, high-carb, muscle-building/macro-friendly, egg-free, healthy baking…and the list could go on.
General Nutrition Philosophy:
My nutrition philosophy is simple: Don’t have one. There is no one-size-fits-all, perfect nutrition plan for everybody. We’re all unique in ways that affect how we eat and process food so we’re all going to benefit from different ways of eating. I’ve experimented with many diets for my own personal information and so I can better assist those who might benefit from a particular diet, but I don’t fall into one single category such as Paleo, keto, gluten-free, vegan…etc.
No matter how I tweak the little details of my diet, I have a few general rules I always follow:
- Eat lots of plants – fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts
- Drink plenty of water
- Get adequate protein
- Limit processed food and alcohol consumption (while still allowing yourself an occasional indulgence)
If these sound like habits you have yet to master, you can work with me as your own personal online coach. I will help you instill good eating and exercise habits so you can transform your life, thereby transforming your body. And keeping it that way! Visit my virtual coaching page for more information!
*Recipe and Photography Disclaimer*
All recipes and photos on this blog are my own unless otherwise specified and credited to their owner. Please do not use my content without a link back to the content you are using. Thank you!
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Check out some of the posts below to start with if you’re just browsing around!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie Bowl
How to Make Food-Logging Easier with My Fitness Pal
Creole Shrimp Red Beans and Rice
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More than Pancakes 
Love the posts…varied and so interesting ?
Thank you so much! 🙂