Welcome to Big Delicious Life
Hey there! I'm Jessica and thank you for joining me in my kitchen. I'm a self-taught home chef and baker with a passion for healthy-ish living. My love for food comes from my family and from working and living all over the world.
When I first started, I was creating recipes just for me as a single lady. Fast forward to today, and now I'm a wife and a mommy who cooks for a family and not a single lady 😉
I believe that taking a seat at someone's table and sharing a meal is the best way to learn about others. We all eat in the same language! Since everyone has to eat every single day, I believe that every meal should be beautiful, delicious, and make us feel good.
This sheet pan salmon with baby bok choy and beans and greens dish are favorites in my house for a weeknight dinner. This chewy peanut butter cookies recipe was the first thing I learned how to make on my own when I was about 8 years old. But the one closest to my heart is my grandmother's old-fashioned pound cake recipe -- we have one at every family get together.
My most requested recipes from those I love are this smoked salmon spread, which my friends always as me to bring it to any get together, and I have to make these blueberry muffins for my dad every time I visit.
I LOVE to grill, so don't sleep on these marinated Mojo Chicken Leg Quarters.
Fun Facts About Me
- My Background: Throughout my career, I've worked in consulting, media, education and most proudly, been a nonprofit founder with The Mariposa DR Foundation.
- Healthy Lifestyle: I'm also a certified health and lifestyle coach. I'm extremely passionate about living well and nourishing my body with whole foods and good quality ingredients.
- Partnerships: In the past few years, I've had the opportunity to work with several prominent brands, creating recipes for products I believe in and sharing how to use them to create great tasting food. These include brands such as Campbells, California Grown Creator Team, AllRecipes Allstar, Bob's Red Mill, Wild Fork Foods and more.
- Television: In 2022 I was a contestant on Season 1 of America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation. Being on ATK was the experience of a lifetime – it really pushed me to be even more resourceful and creative in the kitchen! I made my Chicken Tinga in the first episode.
- Favorite Food: I love a good salad for breakfast – it feels like setting your day up for success getting all those veggies in first thing! When it comes to Thanksgiving, I don't care much for turkey, but I find the sides are where all the fun is!!
- Featured On: I have some of my favorite recipes featured on Sally's Baking Addiction, Insanely Good Recipes, xoxo bella, and The Clean Eating Couple. To learn more about me, you can hear me discuss my business, cooking, and much more on the Faith Over Everything, The Hectic Podcast and The Greatness Machine podcasts, and on the Cherry Bombe blog.
What You Will Find on Big Delicious Life
- Seasonal Cooking: I love to focus on plant forward recipes which means focusing on seasonal dishes. I hope to inspire you to get in the kitchen and create.
- Occasional Treats: I'm all about food freedom and eating what makes you feel good in your body. We all deserve to enjoy food, so I love to share treats you can enjoy here and there.
- Sneaky Vegetables: I'm known for my "sneaky vegetable" recipes, as I'm always finding ways to incorporate more veggies into every meal. This is a great way to incorporate vegetables into meals for picky eaters or kids.
- Wholesome Ingredients & No Resrictions: Most of my recipes will have you shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, where you'll find the freshest, seasonal, real food ingredients. You won't find anything highly processed here but we will be going for butter and cheese because I don't believe in restrictions - with the right balance, we really can have it all!
Frequently Asked Questions
My culinary journey started as a little kid when my grandmother would let me pull up a chair to the counter to see what she was making. I would watch in awe as she combined ingredients, never looking at a recipe to create magic. I found it so fascinating. As I got older and went off on my own, cooking became my art and my creative release.
The name Big Delicious Life was inspired by how I want to live - in a Big and Delicious way. I'm on a personal mission to inspire those who love to cook, but also those that struggle with cooking to create their own big, delicious lives.
Stay tuned and follow along for more recipes that are easy to follow, make you feel good, and most importantly - DELICIOUS! I'll also be sharing tips on living well, travel adventures and other tidbits of my life here and there. Get in touch with me to share your feedback. Thanks for reading and wishing you a Big Delicious Life!
