Hi! My name is Samantha. When I was about 13 years old, I watched a Netflix documentary on veganism. It was the first time I had ever considered that there were entire food groups people thought you should cut out in order to be healthy. Being the impressionable young teenager I was, I immediately vowed to never eat another animal product again and started researching everything about vegan diets. 
The never-eating-another-animal-product thing didn’t last long, as about two weeks later I was eating chicken. But through that, I developed an interest in learning more about nutrition and healthy eating. There seemed to be endless history, science, and opinions to learn about, and I found it all fascinating. I went on to study nutrition in school and continued researching on my own.
At the same time, I developed a passion for cooking and creating recipes. I was taking foods and recipes I already enjoyed and figuring out ways I could make them more nutritious while still being delicious. Being in the kitchen became my own personal form of art and a place where I could get creative. It also became a way I could show up for the people I care about. Putting in the time and effort to make a meal I’m proud of and getting to share that with others is one of my favorite feelings.
This past summer, I stayed with my sister and her family. They have four kids, ages 12, 5, 3, and 6 months. As you can imagine, it’s a busy house. I saw firsthand just how little time you really have left in the day when you’re balancing working full-time with raising children. Getting home around 5:30 gives you practically no time to unwind and snuggle your kiddos before someone starts asking, “What’s for dinner?” By the time you’re done cooking, eating, and cleaning up, it’s bedtime. It requires a lot of energy all around. 
I started thinking about what would actually make eating well easier for busy families: someone who could take the planning, shopping, cooking, and cleanup off their plate while still making meals personalized to them.
That became the idea behind Beyond the Label Nutrition. My goal is to take away the time and inconvenience that can make regularly eating healthy, nutrient-dense meals difficult. Most importantly, I want the person I’m cooking for to genuinely love the food. I can make a meal I think is healthy, delicious, or technically impressive, but none of that matters if you don’t enjoy eating it. I am cooking for you, so you are the priority.
