I'm here to show the world that eating healthy is EASY, FLAVORFUL, and FUN!
A Not-So-Short (Yet Potentially Entertaining) Story About Me, Jazzy:
Ya know that feeling where you *feel* like you enjoy what you're doing, and you invest your whole self into it... yet you feel complacent, stuck, overwhelmed, and unsure of where to go with your life?
Well... that was me.
During college and after obtaining my Master's degree, I pursued the field of Human Resources (something I was very passionate about at the time)!
I started my career at a Fortune 100 Company. Sounds cool, right?! Well, sure. If by "cool" you mean it's the ONLY thing I was doing (working). While I was learning a lot and was presented with incredible opportunities, it was stressful, I didn't feel I had a purpose outside of my work, and I wasn't putting my health at the forefront of anything.
Around this time (while sitting in my corporate office at a place I planned to retire at), I started exercising regularly. I don't know what it was, but I knew I needed to start tapping into the potential of the human body and get active (our bodies are capable of AMAZING things)!
While committing to exercising and realizing I actually became MORE productive, MORE creative, and ultimately HAPPIER because of regular exercise, I decided to make use of my hard work in the gym. I STOPPED eating fast food, I STOPPED spending so much money on unhealthy food, AND I put my health at the forefront of my life so I could then give more of myself to others and give MORE in other aspects of my life.
I made a commitment to myself, and I didn't look back.
Now... let me tell you this: I LOVE food! Like... I REALLY LOVE FOOD! I didn’t want to sacrifice flavor OR my love for delicious foods, so I began researching healthy alternatives.
I researched, researched, researched, (oh, and researched some more), I implemented new nutritional learnings, stuck to it, tried something new, researched some more, repeated, and I began to see not only a physical transformation, but a mental transformation as well.
What I also discovered was this resounding evidence: eating healthy should be enjoyable and FUN! And it WAS (and IS)! Trying new things, fueling our bodies properly, and enjoying nutritious AND delicious foods... yea, that's FUN!
When I started (consistently) eating healthy, I gained energy, mental clarity, and focus… all because I was consistent with my eating and was enjoying healthy recipes. I LOOOVE food (as I mentioned) - so I said to myself ‘Well, if I am going to eat healthy, it certainly isn’t going to be boring!’
I wanted to find a way to share this newfound passion with others and spread healthy recipes as vastly as I could. I created an Instagram to start documenting my progress and share my new recipes.
Well… my Instagram started to grow… A LOT (and to all those who have followed along on my journey ... HELLO, YOU ROCK!).
Since I created this online 'journal' of my entire life, I have strived to show a very real and candid look into my healthy lifestyle while continuously sharing recipes.
The craziest thing??? People all around the world started re-making my recipes! Every day there were dozens of Jazzy recipes being created across the globe. It often brings me to tears, because this is my ultimate goal.
I then had a good friend suggest that I put all of my recipes into an e-cookbook… so I said "Well, I don't know how to to do that, but why the hell not?!" I decided to figure it out, and then I promoted it through Instagram w/ ZERO expectations. That little healthy Jazzy cookbook expanded across the world up as well! P.S. I'm STILL in Human Resources at my corporate job during this time.
From all of this, I affirmed that it is my absolute passion to create new recipes and teach others how to cook and bake healthy. I mean, c'mon... how can I NOT become submersed with gratitude and excitement that others were enjoying healthy meals?!
Any guesses on what I did next? I took my life savings & my little e-cookbook earnings, and I quit my job. The job I was going to retire at. The job I was in the final stages of a promotion for. The job that I spent years obtaining multiple degrees to achieve. The job that had given me an identity. I literally just went in and quit!
Why? How? Sharing healthy recipes with others trumps ALL of that. Impacting others, changing lives, being creative, following my passion, and spreading a message of HEALTH across the globe is worth more than anything else I'd rather be doing.
Since then, I have continued to create recipes and share a very open look into my fitness journey (through bodybuilding shows, powerlifting competitions, Crossfit endeavors, and everyday general fitness).
It didn't stop there... I had a longing to take this passion and reach beyond just an online presence. I wanted to reach people in person. I started conducting Jazzy Workshops. Soon enough, I was flying all over the nation for private parties to teach about healthy recipes, hosting large dinner parties for others, conducting hands-on cooking workshops, participating in speaking engagements at seminars, and spreading healthy recipes to as many people as possible!
Fast forward to now, and I have conducted over 40 Jazzy Workshops across the nation! My creativity continues to flourish, and I am also a consistent recipe creator for one of the largest grocery chains in the world.
My Instagram account still, to this day, is a candid look into my life and the place where I still continuously share new and healthy recipes.
Remember that cookbook I created while working in my HR job? The one that I created without a website or even knowing what an 'ebook' was? I now have 10 healthy e-cookbooks, including a Kids Cookbook, multiple Crockpot Cookbooks, as well as a ‘Baking {made healthy} With Jazzy Kitchen Guide' and a Healthy Travel Guide (all at www.jazzythings.com).
Ok... now what? Well, you're reading this little (ha ha, jk, LONG) About Me section on the Your Dinner Is Planned site.
This passion I have been following for the past four years has lead me to creating Your Dinner Is Planned. In addition to online resources and Jazzy Workshops, I wanted to create a place where I could share my experience in a way that continues to improve the lives of others EVERYWHERE.
So... please know that when you join Your Dinner Is Planned, what you're receiving access to is not only weekly recipes and grocery lists. Really... not only will you be saving time and money with Your Dinner Is Planned so you can spend that time doing things you actually WANT to do... what you're receiving access to is a COMMUNITY. A hub where your healthy lifestyle continues to evolve. A site full of endless recipes that are created with heart, passion, and purpose... all for YOU!
