In 2013, during a class my sophomore year of college, the beginning workings of Meatless Meals began. I was given a class assignment to use the tools I'd learned in class to promote a passion project. I came up with the idea of Meatless Meals in order to show my class all the wonderful meat free options available and to educate them. At that point in life, I was already getting pretty tired of hearing, "but what do you eat?" as a response to telling someone new I was a vegetarian. 

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Years back, when I was 12, I became a vegetarian. I was visiting the Indiana State Fair when I really made the connection between the animals I was petting and the animals I was putting on my plate. I loved critters so much and couldn't stand the thought of them dying just to please my taste buds. Back then, most people thought choosing to not eat meat was weird and synonymous with eating lettuce and carrots all day. I felt like I was always defending myself and trying to convince people of all the delicious foods I was still able to eat. I began to enjoy cooking more and began lifting at the gym amost every chance I got. Growing up, I was very active. I played basketball and softball in school and dabbled in dance, indoor soccer, field hockey, and jumprope (I was even on the "The Ariel Oriole Jumprope Team"). I wasn't playing sports anymore but still craved activity so I joined a gym and was hooked. So much so that I decided to get my personal training certificate. 

 

As I became more interested in fitness, my love for food and nutrition grew as well. I originally just gave up meat because of ethical reasons, but as I began to learn more, I continued not to eat it also because of the environment and my health. My passion has only continued to grow and the desire to help others reap the benefits of a meat free lifestyle as well.

 

More recently, I transitioned into not eating dairy either and am mostly 'whole foods plant-based'. To further my education and understanding of this lifestyle, I obtained my Plant-Based Nutrition certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies in 2019. I learned SO much more and am more excited than ever to help others feel the benefits of living a plant-based lifestyle.  

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