Hi there! I’m Mary…wife, mom, foodie and self-trained cook. I am the author, recipe developer, and face behind Mary’s Whole Life! I grew up in Maryland and now live with my husband Bryan and our three kids, Annabel, Finn & Liam (and our golden doodle, Ruby) in Westminster, MD.
Where It All Started
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at the end of 2016, and have since been navigating a new gluten free way of life. This is what prompted me to put my love of cooking + writing + photography to good use, hoping to inspire/help others who have been affected by autoimmune disease or who just want to make healthy lifestyle changes. You can read more about my health journey here! As a working mom of three little ones, I understand the challenges of a busy life – so my goal here is to provide you with not only real food recipes and ideas, but tips on how to save time in the kitchen.
Whole30 and Beyond
Six years ago, I was really into the Whole30 program and completed 3 rounds. It really helped me figure out that gluten did NOT agree with my body and got me one step closer to figuring out that I had Celiac disease. I moved on to exploring food freedom and decided to eat mostly paleo in hopes that it would help my gut heal post-Celiac diagnosis. Over the last year or two, I decided to add in some dairy (mostly cheese, cottage cheese, etc) and legumes. I have been working with a macro coach and I am really enjoying learning about that side of nutrition. It’s been quite a shift for me, but I am really loving incorporating all food groups (except for gluten, of course). This is why you may see more of a variety in terms of ingredients used in my recipes recently! I try to include dairy free substitutions where I can. I am excited to have more flexibility when it comes to what I eat and realized that restricting food groups (unless medically necessary) was no longer serving me. I now focus on high protein, gluten free, easy and healthy meals.
Cookbooks
In addition to the 500+ gluten free recipes I have on my blog, I was also fortunate to become a published author in 2020 (and again in 2024!) My cookbooks, Quick Prep Paleo and Real Food Weeknights provide 120+ additional easy weeknight recipes for you and your family to enjoy! Both books are also completely dairy free.
Get my cookbook “Real Food Weeknights”
I have a true passion for food and never want to feel deprived or bored with what I’m eating. My goal is to prove that living a healthy lifestyle does not need to be bland, repetitive, or time consuming. I love sharing my gluten free meals, favorite products, and tips and tricks for how to navigate dining out with Celiac.
I’m so excited you are here – thanks for joining me, and I hope you find my recipes and information helpful!
xo,
Mary
