My name is actually Janice Marie, but as a kid I couldn’t pronounce my middle name, hence the nickname. I was born and raised in Southern California, where I still live with my husband, Michael (a professional photographer – who takes all the wonderful photographs of the food for me!) I am the proud mother of two beautiful, grown-up children. My daughter, Savannah, has her own health and fitness blog called: Muffin-Topless. My son, Spencer, is a certified ISSA fitness and nutrition trainer.

Our family has always been interested in eating fresh, healthy, organic foods, and we brought our children up on a vegetarian diet, full of the goodness of whole grains.

And then I discovered that wheat and gluten was making me sick. Which meant that I could no longer eat it. Not if I wanted to feel well and function like a normal human being. I had to give up many of my favorite foods. It was beyond difficult at first. There seemed to be wheat or gluten EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING. Where was I to turn? What was safe to eat anymore? I suddenly found myself craving things I’d never even cared about before. The t.v. commercials were replete with foods that were off limits for me.

Meanwhile, my family continued to munch on tempting goodies I couldn’t have. But since I’d always enjoyed cooking and baking and discovering new recipes, I decided there was no reason I had to continue denying myself everything I’d once enjoyed. I learned how to dodge gluten-filled foods, and I began creating some gluten free things we could all enjoy.

I wasn’t always successful, though. In fact, some things were downright awful. It took time to learn this new way of cooking/baking. But I persisted, and over the years I have learned to to create delicious and satisfying dishes that have made living with gluten intolerance, easy as pie (pun intended) As it turns out, that was a good thing because my son discovered he’s gluten intolerant as well!

So, I sincerely hope that, through this blog, I’ll be able to help others suffering from gluten allergies, intolerance or Celiac disease see that it doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated to prepare dishes and treats your whole family will love.

As I have learned, it is possible to enjoy the food you eat and love the life you live!