Hi there. I’m Kalin. I live in Chicago with my husband and our two cats. Here on the blog I am sharing some of my favorite plant-based vegan recipes and some other tips I have learned since going vegan in 2011. I also post regularly on Instagram, so feel free to head over there to follow along.
I’m truly so grateful you have stopped by. It has taken me a long time to share this.
My Story: The Short Version
More than anything, I am here to share my passion for plant-based eating and living a healthy, compassionate life. I’m a big animal lover, and this love for animals is a huge part of why I follow a plant-based diet, but it’s not what got me started. I have struggled with depression and disordered eating for much of my life, including extreme weight gain which led to obesity in my late teens/early 20’s, as well as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the age of 22. Largely thanks to a diet focused around plants, I literally cut my body weight in half and have maintained a healthy weight for years. My RA wasn’t diagnosed and treated correctly for nearly six years following the onset of symptoms, which has resulted in going through hell and back more than once while struggling with this debilitating disease.
I’m not here to promote weight loss (I think healthy comes in all shapes and sizes and is unique to each person), but the entire struggle is a huge part of how I got to where I am now. I have tried to share my journey so many times, but have always felt ashamed and embarrassed. I’m finally ready to open up to share this with anyone in case it might help or inspire just one person. Eating plant-based has helped my life in so many ways — from stopping painful inflammation throughout my body so I’m able to be active again, to getting off multiple medications, to lifting a fog from my brain and making me feel alive and at peace with my plate.
Some battle scars will always remain as permanent reminders — like my fused wrist that won’t bend, or the many stretch marks on my body — but those things just remind me why I’m on this path and why I need to stay on it. I’m no longer ashamed of those things because they are a part of me. I’ve been through a war with myself and I’ve emerged stronger.
So, here on the blog I’ll be sharing a lot of plant-based eats. I believe in kindness, focusing your diet around plants, sustainable living, prioritizing mental health and caring how your food made its way to your plate.
Feel free to drop me a line or follow along on Instagram, and please know that your support means so much to me. If you’re interested in the long version of my story, please continue on to the next page.
hello kalin 