Hi, I'm Sandra!

I have an insatiable love of cooking, running, dogs, coffee, and chocolate. Lately I would add coconut to that list :)

I was born and raised in Porto, Portugal. Since I can remember, I have loved food! My mom, who was a fabulous cook, would have me help her in the kitchen for hours making the “big” Sunday dinner. I was her junior soux chef and pastry chef. Often times my pastry creations weren’t edible, but I learned to cook all the traditional Portuguese dishes from my mom. 

For me, cooking was a fantastic creative outlet as a child to be able to experiment with spices, flours and whatever other food items I could get my hands on.  

Fast forward a few decades I’m still playing with food, and letting my imagination run wild. Thankfully I’ve figured out how to make food not only edible, but delicious. The Food Network and my husband helped me figure that out :) 

Though food was a major focus in our household, my family didn’t place much emphasis on health. Money was tight, and like most Portuguese families, we cooked the vegetables we grew, the animals we raised, and more often than not, the bread we baked. 

I discovered healthy eating a few years back, and haven’t looked back since. Now my focus revolves around food that makes me feel energetic, nourished and above all, happy!