My Story

 Welcome to Florida Coastal Cooking – this blog will help you easily and deliciously incorporate more veggies and whole foods into your diet in no time!

I’m Dawn – a health food nut, yoga lover and camping aficionado.    I develop and test plant based (and mostly gluten free) recipes, research food allergies, plan events for a local farm, promote holistic living products, and coach people on how to run their own whole foods business.  

**Please note, there will be some meat and dairy based recipes in the archives prior to my switching to a plant based diet. I am in the process of moving those recipes to a subheading of “BPBD – Before Plant Based Diet”.

Food Background

When I started a food blog I had no formal training – but food and nutrition is my passion, so call it hard work or call it a hobby, I’m in love! Now I have been featured on First Coast News, write recipes for businesses such as an organic farm and a natural, whole foods market.  

The majority of my holistic, whole foods knowledge came from my grandmother (Nana) who followed a macrobiotic diet and my parents who ate a diet of fish, lean poultry and lots of vegetables; during the growing season most of them were from my Dad’s garden. I spent lots of time in natural food stores and learning about healthy eating, in fact, my first job was packing nuts and raisins at a local natural food store. 

In August of 2011, I read the book the China Study and watched the documentary Forks Over Knives and it changed my life. From them on, I made the easy the decision to eat a plant-based, mostly organic, whole foods diet that finally helped me lose ten pounds and be more comfortable with myself. No more tracking points, no more being hungry, no more guilt and loving each and every bite.  I refrain from calling myself any sort of name because, I may choose to eat fish my dad catches, local honey, and the occasional bit of goat cheese from Terks Acres Goat Farm; however, I post mostly vegan and gluten free recipes because that is what I typically eat.

Why Florida Coastal Cooking? 

• Here for the food?  I offer full color photos on each recipe, nutrition info and an easy printable format. My focus is quick and easy, with the occasional, more advanced recipe thrown in for those special occasions. I will help you incorporate more whole foods into your diet or just give you some new ideas if you already eat plant based foods! 

• Want to become a food blogger yourself?  Ask me! I can help!

• Looking for change? Start your own business – full time or on the side. If you love whole foods and helping people, I can show you how to start up and succeed at your own home based or side business around a food that is super high in Omega 3, fiber, vitamins and nutrients – with lots of coaching along the way. Contact me at chefdawn(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Please follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest! 

Food Allergies

Need advice on what to eat or what your child with food allergies can eat?  Ask me!  My husband Chris and I have one 4 year old daughter that is allergic to eggs, peanuts, wheat, dairy, soy, cod fish and nuts to name a few. Because of this, I have learned to cook dishes that she can eat and alternatives for some of the traditional American dishes and snacks that most children enjoy. My goal for her is to slowly transition her to a healthy plant-based diet and let her make her own decisions later in life. 

If you have questions about recipes or products please feel free to ask away!

For Fun

Fitness is another of my passions. I particularly love Vinyasa flow yoga and have been actively practicing for over fifteen years – I attend two 90 minute classes per week.  In addition, I work out at the gym during the week on my lunch breaks from work; doing a variety of core training classes and a mixture of free weights and balance. 

I also LOVE camping and own a T@B camper that I recently rebuilt myself after lots of water damage.  You can see my camping adventures here.

Use of photos: If you would like to use one of my photos, please ask first.  

Use of recipes: To use one of my recipes, if there are no changes made, please simply link back to my recipe directly instead of re-printing. If changes are made, please link to my original.

Please feel free to contact me with questions. I’d love to hear from you!

~Dawn

 

chefdawn@hotmail(dot)com

 

Page last updated 9/6/2012