Excerpt
Vegan Wholesome
my storyMy journey to writing this book has been full of lots of highs and lows over the past few years. When I released my first book in 2018, my goal was to release another one not too long after that. However, due to many challenges in my personal life, that did not happen. I was married at the time and a full-time mom to my daughter, Olivia. I was trying to juggle raising her, running my blog, and being a wife. I faced many challenges in my marriage in those years that I kept hidden from everyone else. I did not share anything with my family or close friends. I didn’t reveal what I was facing until the year I filed for divorce, which was in 2021. I was severely depressed for a couple of years leading up to that time. I felt lost and hopeless and finally turned to my amazing parents and friends for guidance and support. My dad and mom were crucial to helping me find my way. My dad was my rock.
Before I filed, I was struggling so much that I knew I had to find a way to deal with my situation and depression. During 2021 I started lifting weights and dancing daily in my room as a way of coping. I have always been involved in exercising on and off for years, but I had really neglected it. With my depression, I knew that I had to finally commit to sticking with a fitness routine because I knew the benefits were not just physical, but also mental. I started lifting weights five or six days a week and did not waver. I found it helped me to feel a lot better and it was a personal time that I truly looked forward to every day. Since I was rather sad about what was going on personally, the workouts helped take my mind off everything. At this same time, I started eating healthier and cutting out my daily sweets and replacing them with fruit protein smoothies. My body composition started changing and I felt better physically and mentally. My marriage was the next big change I made.
After filing for divorce, the lifelong dream I had to become a ballroom dancer started flooding my mind and heart so strongly, I couldn’t stop thinking about it daily. I was afraid to make that commitment though. I was afraid of the unknown and that I’d embarrass myself or not have the ability to be as great as I dreamed to be in my mind. But one day I finally realized that my dream was instilled in my heart for a reason. That yearning and passion I always had for dancing was not meant to be stifled or ignored any longer. I knew it was God opening that doorway for me to finally pursue it. I also knew, since I was finally single, that nothing and nobody could now stop me. I made the call and my life changed drastically in every wonderful way possible.
I started my dance journey with Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Cypress, Texas, in February 2022. The first person I met when I walked through the doors would completely change my life. This amazing man from Hungary named Richárd Kaszás, known as “Richie,” listened to my story, grabbed my hand, and walked me out onto the dance floor for my first lesson. From that day forward, he has listened to me cry and scream with excitement, and has guided me toward my dance dreams. Not only has he taught me the technical side of ballroom dancing, but he has listened to my desires and dreams as a dancer and embraced them all. He truly is a master and an amazing human, as well as my friend. Both he and his amazing Greek wife, Foteini Pangea, known as “Faith,” have been a huge part of my journey.
Shortly after meeting Richie, I met my other teacher, Tilemachos Fatsis, known as “Tim.” Tim is from Greece and if you follow me on social media, you’ve seen how goofy our relationship is. Just like Richie, there are not enough words to describe how much he means to me and how much he has also helped to guide me and mold me into a ballroom dancer. The joy, excitement, and hilarious energy that he always brings when we dance together is unmatched. Thanks to Tim and Richie, I know how to dance the rumba, cha-cha, salsa, bachata, East Coast swing, hustle, waltz, Viennese waltz, tango, Argentine tango, and foxtrot! Literally, I’m living my dreams to be able to dance all of these styles.
My third teacher is Barnabas Vadon, also from Hungary. I strictly take bachata lessons with him and I refer to him as my fun teacher. Bachata is not part of the competitions that I train for with Tim and Richie, but rather for entertainment shows. I absolutely love bachata and am so grateful to have Barnabas as my teacher. He is always making me laugh, is a wonderful friend, so passionate, and we have amazing chemistry. Since dance is such a huge part of my life, it was important to me to honor them by sharing who they are and creating a recipe inspired by each of them—Hungarian Bean Soup (page 143), Tim’s Greek Salad with Homemade Feta (page 66), and Hungarian Sült Polenta Margherita (page 109).
Learning how to ballroom dance ultimately led to my first judged competition after just seven months of lessons and I earned a first-place medal. To reach this lifelong dream, after going through depression and a huge life transition and thinking that it would never come true, I realized that anything can truly happen in this life if you fight for it. I share my personal struggles with my readers because I know life can be quite painful and you can feel hopeless. It helps when you know you are not alone. My goal from day one when I started my blog was always to help people. It was through sharing healthier recipes, of course, but over time that has grown into sharing my personal life changes with you all, as well as integrating fitness and posting my workouts because of how important I believe exercise is to mental health.
So many of us struggle when we don’t show ourselves self-love. Part of loving ourselves is taking care of our bodies through food choices, committing to exercising, as well as following our passions. All of these components play an important role in finding joy and a balanced life. I spent so many years taking care of others and neglecting myself. It left me feeling so empty and heartbroken. Never again will I neglect myself like that. Sharing my dance journey and the fitness side of my life, in addition to my recipes, on social media is what ultimately led to this book, which focuses on so many wonderful high-protein recipes. Over the last few years, many of you started embracing fitness and dance into your own lives and started requesting a high-protein cookbook. My hope is that each of you feels my heart through my words, my passion through these delicious recipes, and finds health and nourishment from this book. I hope it becomes a staple in your kitchen and that you enjoy it for many years to come.
