Joy to Life magazine is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with food blogger and healthy eating expert Elaine Gordon, whose blog, Eating by Elaine, features tons of delicious easy-to-make dishes that are nutritious, plant-based and free of common allergens including gluten, dairy, soy and peanuts.
We’ll be posting some of Elaine’s personal favorite recipes — complete with nutritional content — here on the magazine’s website starting in the next few weeks, but first, we’d like to introduce Elaine, and let her explain her background and passion for healthy eating and wellness and share her thoughts on the Joy to Life Foundation and the personal connection that inspired her to work with us.
JTL mag: Where are you originally from and where do you live now?
Elaine: I am originally from Rockville, Maryland, and now I live in Baltimore, Maryland, with my husband and three young children.
How did you get into cooking and into healthy eating?
I attribute my love for cooking to my mom and dad and my appreciation for healthy eating to my mom. Growing up, my parents were always in the kitchen together and they both were incredible cooks. My dad always created a special dinnertime ambiance with relaxing music, dim lights and a glass of wine as he started the cooking process. It was a ritual and part of his self care (I’m convinced). Seeing the love both of my parents had for being in the kitchen and entertaining definitely rubbed off on me. I find that not only do I think about food constantly, but I find myself happiest when I’m in my kitchen creating dishes for my loved ones.
When I was a teenager, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. At that time, she started to change many aspects of her lifestyle including her diet. I was so intrigued by the idea that what we put in our bodies can make a difference in our overall health. Since then, I have always strived to eat nutritious foods that nourish my body and contribute to a positive healthy lifestyle. Over the years, I discovered that not everyone knows the health impact of their eating choices. I have grown to love nutrition education as a way to help others live healthier.
Give us a little bit of your healthy cooking background and “credentials.”
Although I was originally an actuarial mathematics major in college, I quickly realized my true passion lies in helping others live healthier. I never stop thinking about food and dreaming about what my next meal will be. So, naturally, I started to pursue an interest in public health where I was able to focus on my passion for broad-based nutrition education. After college, I was offered a fancy job in NYC but also was accepted into a Masters in Public Health graduate program. I was torn but decided to go with my gut and give the MPH program a try. And I’m so happy I did! I immediately fell in love with all aspects of public health and community health education and eventually found myself gravitating toward nutrition education. After graduation, I went on to become a Certified Health Education Specialist and then eventually became a Masters Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. I worked for more than 10 years in the corporate wellness space creating population-wide wellness programs for employers and their employees. On the side, I started a food blog just for fun as a creative outlet and a way to share my healthy recipes. It continued to grow over the years, and eventually I got picked up by The Washington Post and became a regular contributor to their wellness section where I got to create monthly healthy recipes with accompanying articles that explained the health benefits of the featured ingredients. As the blog continued to grow, so did my passion for creating nutritious dishes I could share with more than just my friends and family. I quickly realized I could reach just about anyone with a food blog.
What inspired Eating by Elaine?
I feel like my entire life has culminated to my current career as a full-time food blogger. My readers motivate me more than anything when they send me messages saying that they cook from my blog and have become healthier as a result. That really gets to the heart of why I do what I do: helping people live healthier lives through delicious and healthy recipes. While I recognize nutrition is only one aspect of wellness, I do believe it is an impactful one and something that so many can benefit from improving. When I inspire my readers it in turn really does inspire me to get back in the kitchen and create more recipes for the blog.
Another huge aspect of my inspiration for Eating by Elaine comes from my family’s food allergies and food sensitivities (including my own!). Growing up, my brother had life threatening food allergies during a time when food allergies were not as common. I was inspired by my mom’s efforts as I watched her navigate teachers, camps, playdates, Halloween, birthday parties etc. to look out for my brother in a world where “gluten-free and allergy-friendly” were not even really terms. I started developing food sensitivities and food allergies myself later in life and realized the impact that certain foods were having on my health. Once I was able to identify and eliminate those foods (for me it was mainly dairy, eggs, wheat, gluten, peanuts and soy), I felt like myself again. Once again, I was reminded of the great impact food has on how we feel. With those experiences in mind, I decided my blog would not only be a nutritious food blog, but it could help others with food sensitivities and food allergies. Many of my readers find my recipes liberating. I love to prove through my dishes that healthy, allergy-friendly cooking can still be easy and delicious.
When did you start your blog?
I started the blog as a small hobby in 2012 but actually became serious about it in 2017, once I left the corporate world and was able to focus on it more. With three young kids, I try my best to balance my family life with the blog. I have such a passion for recipe development, blogging and food photography now that I find myself wanting to spend more and more time on it. My oldest daughter Riley says she wants to be a food blogger when she grows up and loves to help me out in the kitchen and with photoshoots. And my four year old daughter Jade says she wants be a food stylist and food photographer when she grows up. I love the impact this career has had on them. For now, my two year old, David, does a fabulous job of eating everything I create in the kitchen. And I must also mention my incredibly supportive husband, Bobby, who encourages me daily to pursue my dreams.
What do you hope readers get out of your blog?
I hope readers of all types of diets can first and foremost realize that cooking homemade meals is doable and does not have to be time consuming. With my busy lifestyle, I have to keep all my dishes super simple. I love to create vibrant and flavorful recipes that are loaded with good-for-you, wholesome ingredients that are approachable and simple for the everyday home cook.
Second, I love to help readers who have food allergies (or in many cases multiple food allergies) find a safe space to select recipes for their meal planning. At first, navigating healthy eating with all my food sensitivities was difficult. But, once I learned the basic swaps that can be made and started experimenting with new allergy-friendly ingredients, I learned that it is all possible without sacrificing taste. I want to empower my readers to feel confident in their kitchens despite their food allergies.
What would you say to encourage someone who is trying to change their eating habits and incorporate more fruits and veggies?
With any lifestyle behavior change it is always important to identify your “why,” meaning what is motivating you to make this change. With that in mind, having support from family and friends can be extremely helpful in making the goal more achievable.
Healthy eating doesn’t just happen; it really does take active planning. It starts with finding what you love to eat (flavors, cuisines, types of food) and then incorporating healthier methods into your favorite dishes. I think starting with small changes can lead to big results over time. So, rather than changing everything at once, I recommend picking smaller, shorter achievable goals. I have an article on my blog that gets into this concept in more detail.
What’s one of your all-time favorite recipes?
Such a difficult question to answer! I find I’m inspired by what is currently in season so my favorite recipe is always changing with the seasons. I am such a crazy chocoholic that I would normally select one of my chocolate dessert recipes. But, lately with the busy back-to-school season, I have found one-pot easy dinners (that make enough for lunchtime leftovers) are my life. I recently created a round-up on my blog of my favorite 25 Easy Weeknight Gluten-Free and Vegan Dinners. These are some of my favorites dishes that are super tasty and easy to get on the table. The fourth recipe in this round-up is my most popular recipe on the blog!
Lately, I’ve been craving more comforting dishes and will be sharing a new recipe on the blog soon: Cauliflower and Chickpea Tikka Masala with Coconut Rice. It is my current favorite recipe of the moment. Definitely look out for that one soon! It is made in my pressure cooker and couldn’t be easier to throw together on busy weeknights.
What inspired you to collaborate with the Joy to Life Foundation and Joy to Life magazine and its website?
So many factors! First, Joy Blondheim was my dad’s first cousin. My dad grew up in Alabama, and we visited his friends and our relatives in Alabama throughout my life.
I love the Joy to Life Foundation’s mission of funding mammograms and other screenings to detect breast cancer for un- and under-insured women in Alabama. With my background in public health and my mom’s experience with breast cancer four times throughout her life, I know the importance of proper screening and early detection. Everyone should be able to get screened and know their risks for the best chance of survival. I’m amazed and inspired by what Joy has created with this incredible foundation stemming from her own experience with breast cancer. I love that the Joy to Life Foundation raises awareness about breast cancer in general and has become a symbol of hope and support for everyone facing and fighting breast cancer. I truly believe that my mother has survived her four breast cancer diagnosis because of her access to screenings and early detection.
I know my dad would be so proud of me for being part of this family initiative by contributing my recipes. He instilled a love for cooking in me at a young age and this opportunity really ties everything together for me so perfectly.
And tell us a bit about your smoothie e-book.
I am beyond excited to have launched my first Smoothie Cookbook: Rock Your Blender! The Ultimate Smoothie Collection + Resource Guide. It is an 83-page guide that is full of my absolute favorite plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and allergy-friendly smoothie recipes that you won’t find on the blog. Smoothies are a huge part of my healthy lifestyle as I enjoy one every day year-round. In the cookbook are truly unique smoothie recipes for all seasons. Plus, by downloading it you will get exclusive access to Eating by Elaine Rock Your Blender! Facebook group, a private online community of support and inspiration. The cookbook is available for download here.