Welcome to the Healthy Happy Life Secrets Blog!
Hi – I’m Brandy.
I’ve always loved sweets. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed in my life (as a natural Vata).
But I believe the secret formula to a happier life starts with building a good relationship with foods.
Striking a balance between happy and healthy food tastes helps me stay balanced, enjoying daily, and wearing the same clothes size.
I value living in healthy balanced alignment in whatever season it is. 🧡
In 2008, when I left one of many high-stress corporate management jobs I had leading up to that time… I reached deep body-mind imbalance with work that I enjoyed less and less as time and stress wore on.
…And that’s how I moved closer to embracing and practicing a modern preventative healthy lifestyle.
That starts with looking at food as tasty medicine. And having shelves full of spices and teas, as food-as-medicine.
Along with weekly food meal variety that’s never boring, coming from my work catering roots, and healthy-as-my-north-star eating habits… where I believe giving up beloved comfort foods is a FAIL setup no matter what size you are.
And delicious healthy eating year-round is a delight.
So that’s the premise of why this evolved blog exists today, with continuing weekly new posts to help inspire you with recipes you can make at home, to live balanced and healthy with a sustainable eating lifestyle, that help the mind-body.
Part of my work life’s journey has been working around food in the hotel and restaurant industry, orchestrating dish presentation on event food tables, and helping thousands of people plan their memorable events and fun parties (who couldn’t use more of that?).
Those hotel and Mediterranean restaurant food management professional roles fit me …but, catering is tough because it’s hard to find work-life balance and get days off, like Labor Day is a work day and never a holiday. ☹️
And personal healthy sustainability is even tougher because you’re surrounded and daily tempted by chef-foodie prepared tastings and dishes.
…I guess you could say it’s a perk for sticking it out as a catering professional, but it also takes discipline to say no to daily delicious, rich savory and sugary foods, in order to keep a healthy body and balance.
…I mean, try eating out at your favorite restaurants every night of the week and see what that does to your waistline. Oh, and then settling down to home comfort by snacking late at night.
But these days, I love being a healthy home foodie baker and cook. Life is different, but better.
And that’s mostly from discovering and setting on the table, more anti-inflammatory and macro and micronutrient food pairings and Mediterranean healthy diet foods that I share in recipes all over this blog.
But before that, in 2021, I started researching and writing in healthy food publications. And that got me deeply into researching ingredients.
…I was also learning about my new adult eczema skin inflammation I faced, where in the middle of that year I ended up in the hospital emergency room for an inflammatory complication.
That was my turning point from my earlier years of decadent restaurant buttery food event menu planning, and into my daily home low-sugar bakes, and tasty, but anti-inflammatory healthy ingredient meals. 🥗
Gratefully I was weekly inspired by local food markets and grocery stores, where there are so many food options to choose from…
Some foods like micro-produce tucked between oranges and limes that I used to overlook, so I could bee-line to the middle store aisles.
That’s how you and I could be alike where we grew up around and shop at local grocery stores and markets filled with healthy produce and whole foods ready for our picking.
Today, we get to (re)define healthy and happy from our food and lifestyle choices that optimize our best life.
And where food inflation doesn’t exist.
Yes, you heard me right!
You can eat tasty and well for under $200 pp/per month.
Healthy food is affordable food (and not like the $30+/pp plates I used to work with).
…I reviewed 2 years of grocery receipts, and documented healthy-inspired recipes all over this blog as eating proof. 😊
That information helps us because it debunks the myth that you have to be wealthy to eat healthy.
It levels the eating playing field.
…And that’s powerful as a choice you get to make.
You’re empowered and informed now to live optimally (and eat well) as you’ve been given the keys and access to anti-inflammatory lists to living longer than ever before! 🗝️
…Plus, not give up your occasional treats that make you happy (and there’s no substitute for).
I tried that as I thought in order to be anti-inflammatory healthy I had to not eat my 3 C’s sweet tooth faves I grew up loving: candy, cakes, and cookies.
…At first, it was about eating those in moderation.
But by 2020, that gradually turned to regular sweet home baking with anti-inflammatory ingredients (and less refined sugar) by being healthy-minded, creative, and resourceful with food.
At our fingertips with healthy foods, we can live in harmony, balance, love, joy, and peace in the body-mind connection that rewards us for our good behavior.
…That’s not a pep talk, that’s simply what can be yours if you choose as I do on my wellness mat. 🧘🏻♀️
You are empowered to your happiness through the healthy body and mind.
So if you want to live well or in parts of the amazing life you dreamed of with less stress and anxiety, you can!
I didn’t know that back in my Corporate work days.
If that’s something you aspire to or want to improve, I encourage you to keep coming back to this blog safe place and breathe in cozy calm and more healthy and happy living tips and wisdom.
Ok, final thoughts… maybe this describes you, as it once did for me:
You feel burned out, underwhelmed, or deeply unhappy, going through the motions in a job or life you don’t love.
The work-life balance isn’t there or climbing the corporate ladder isn’t what you thought it’d be, and now you feel stuck.
You keep going and tell yourself, “someday will be better.” You live for the weekends, are complacent, or you’re just ready to give up where you’re at (…please don’t!).
Go with your instincts, and keep going and growing because you’re developing what you need at this moment.
You don’t have to be sad, irritated, or anxious for anything.
You have the opportunity to restore your balance now and in the future when you’re likely to shift habits and mindset beliefs again (…life is short, it’s also long like a marathon and as our society is living longer).
Your perspectives change and help you grow…
And you may even experience a welcomed identity shift (or two) in your pivots if you haven’t already.
Restoring balance in between helps if you know what to do. It’s FUN work, small changes, and not work at all …at least I think so, as I live for both work and play.
Remember daily enjoyments, mentioned above? …little bits help you to restore your balance and joy. Like Netflix’s The Great British Bake Off or Love Is Blind series that in my blog I share about the happy moments and ego lessons learned.
If you make a few effective changes that work for your unique self, gradually you’ll learn how to recognize balance when situations are good and when they don’t look that way so you can better navigate your purpose and destiny.
As unpredictable as life is, no matter what your life is now, it will not be what it is a decade from now and what it becomes. You can count on that.
And that can depend partially on what you do now.
You could be in your second or third act of a career, relationship, or lifestyle.
…Start with restoring your healthy body and mind perspective. And developing your inner character and spiritual sides.
It’s the answer to your happiness in this season where you can get better outcomes and discover more about your life purpose.
You can leave your daily inner turmoil on your yoga mat.
Figuring out how to read your body’s cues and capabilities can save you (as it did and does for me).
The Ayurvedic skill could be a life game-changer for you.
If you’ve heard something along these lines before, but don’t know how to apply it to your life, keep coming back to my blog for more healthy Ayurveda encouragement and tips.
If you want to plug in now and are ready to learn more about this, you can take the baby-step 2-minute Body Balance quiz to get FREE specific tips on your current body imbalance and to stay connected.
You can daily restore and live a healthy balanced life that works with your body’s natural make-up that’ll help prevent aging and disease, and where you find passion in your work and pasta in your life (or whatever food you love!).
You can have your slice of cake and eat it too without regret… and, I personally can’t imagine life without an occasional cake where I had some of my fondest childhood and recent celebration table memories.
Hope to stay connected! 🧡
About the Weekly Blog:
Oh, and my Healthy Happy Life Secrets blog is a continuing novella (…as this here is becoming!) of lessons, helpful tips, lists, and healthy happy recipes… and most of all, support and inspirational encouragement for your balanced and joyful life’s journey wherever you are on your faith journey.
On the home page of the blog, you can sign up to get email notifications for when new blog posts get published raw and fresh off the press. 😊 We all need healthy reminders and that’s what the blog post notifications are with healthy ideas and recipes.
To get back there now, just go to the top menu and hit “Home.”
🎉 NEW 📣
I started adding my easy and anti-inflammatory recipes on my site blog. Check out the “recipes” section for more healthy simple and fun recipes for all your occasions.
The recipes have weekly grown… and keeps growing, so keeping coming back for new recipes you’ll wanna make!
