A little bit about me…

 Hey there!  Thank you for stopping by! I’m a young soul living in a 40 something body. My problem is that I love to eat! So, I’ve had to learn how to balance my love of comfort food, pastry and sweets with real, whole foods. And yes, they have to be comfort foods. I struggled for years in my relationship with food, trying different ‘diets’, working out like mad. It wasn’t until I discovered real food, slow food, is key to my ability to be healthy and maintain an agreeable body weight…. and of course, consistent exercise! This discovery would change everything I knew about food, how I approached it, prepared it, prepared for it… and the time I spent thinking about it. It changed my lifestyle. And because I love to snack, I wrote a healthy snacking ebook.  Grab n Go Snacks is packed with some of my favorite healthy snack foods!

I live with my husband, my high school sweetheart, Rob, my biggest fan on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA.  I’ve always loved to cook good food yet it hasn’t always been good and healthful. About 14 years ago, I made the switch to a mostly vegetarian lifestyle from a Texas born and raised meat centered, eat it at every meal, lifestyle. My switch to vegetarian eating began out of my concern for the consequences growing meat and harvesting unsustainable seafood has on our planet. My sister had a hand in influencing my decision as well, having just recently switched to a mostly plant-based diet. When friends and family discovered I shifted to a vegetarian lifestyle, some looked at me and wondered how I was still standing.

My first few years as a vegetarian were a bit challenging as I replaced a lot of the meat I previously ate with vegetarian processed food that resembles meat. But over the years, I’ve learned how to phase out almost all of the processed foods and create whole food, vegetarian meals through trial and error, and with the help of lots of cookbooks and outstanding food blogs. Through my vegetarian lifestyle shift, I’ve also learned why ‘diets’ don’t work and the importance of consuming whole, plant centered food. I love sharing delicious food with others and the bounty of local and organic (when possible) produce that I prepare in my kitchen. It helps that I live amongst beautiful and productive family owned farmland that has thriving farmers markets and many community supported agriculture options. Inspiration is everywhere!

My professional background was previously in science education. I taught at science museums and middle and elementary school science classrooms. Although I loved teaching as a profession, as the climate of public education evolved, I found that I needed a change as my interests and motivations shifted. I took a leap and left the security of my career, after nine years of teaching, to investigate a totally different career path. I headed to pastry school exploring the world of pastry in the French style. It was a most rewarding and challenging experience. Afterwards, I worked in a little organic bakery where pastries and artisan breads are produced. In the mean time, I started Vanilla And Bean to express my creativity and love of delicious food through photography and writing, bringing you the culmination of what I have learned over the years through my kitchen, via Vanilla And Bean.

Although I have no formal photography training, I have attended multiple small group classes, read excellent publications and have practiced. A lot! I continue to learn and develop my skills. I’ve dabbled in photography in the past, and have always enjoyed it, but never got serious about it until I wanted to shoot photos of the food and pastries I made. I have more information on how I approach my photography here.

Eating a variety of foods including organic and local when possible, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds is what I focus on for feeling great. I do allow myself sweets not only because I love creating delicious pastries, and desserts, but I enjoy eating and sharing them too. In moderation of course.

♥  Traci

Fast Facts:

»  One of my most favorite things to do is taking a long walk on the prairie with the Olympic Mountains in view or taking a hike in the forest or mountains.

»  If I could live anywhere in the world, I think I would live on Orcas Island, WA, although there are many destinations I’d like to travel to so this is still open for discussion! Whidbey Island is a pretty remarkable place to call home, so I’m not so sure I’d move anyway.

»  Four things I cannot live without: 1) Smartwool socks  2) Dr. Bonner’s “All One” Lip Balm (Lemon Lime) 3)  Kitchen Aid Mixer  4) Vita Mix

»  My ideal day includes a morning chocolate green smoothie, catching up with Rob, pulling some weeds or tending to the garden when it’s warm out, snuggling Claire (heartbroken, she passed away last year), taking a long walk, spending time in the kitchen preparing delicious foods, photographing what I prepare and creating meaningful content for my readers on Vanilla And Bean.

» If I had a million dollars I would build a small, green built cottage on Orcas Island or here on Whidbey with some acreage, move there, continue to share food love through Vanilla And Bean, do some traveling and give a large percentage of it away to causes we support.

» Some things few people know about me is 1. I’m a Bachelor/Bachelorette junkie.  2. Led Zeppelin is my all time favorite band. 3. I recently discovered House Music (or what this genres is called) and louuuuuve it!

Notes from Traci

While I cannot be in the kitchen with you, I can provide you guidance through each recipe. I encourage you to use your judgment throughout the cooking process and taste as you go as each person’s palette is different. Our ovens are probably not the same. Oven temperature fluctuations, uneven baking and burner types can vary. I cook on propane which burns hotter than natural gas and electric. My simmer on low may mean simmer on medium for you. Use your judgment and intuition and make adjustments when needed. Also, working with cake batter, pastry and sometimes cookie dough can take practice and a bit of technique. If a cake doesn’t turn out just right or scones didn’t quite come together, keep practicing. Knowing how a dough should feel or cake batter should look takes hands on experience. I’ve listed a few excellent baking and pastry books I have on my shelf that you may find helpful (these are affiliate links):

• The Grand Central Baking Book
  
• Heavenly Cakes
• The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
• Bouchon Bakery
• King Arthur Flour, The Baker’s Companion

Most importantly, if an event is coming up and you want to make a recipe from Vanilla And Bean, please make the recipe at least one time before the event just to make sure it suits your flavor palette and needs.

Thank you for being here!  I value your visit and hope that you’ll consider leaving a comment or joining Vanilla And Bean’s email list to receive weekly fresh and fabulous recipes from my kitchen. If you have any questions, comments or just want to share what you made, please feel free to contact me at traci(at)vanillaandbean(dot)com, or here at my contact page, on facebook or twitter. I read and respond to all my emails, and comments. Be sure to tag and notify me on instagram (#vanillaandbean @vanillaandbean) if you make one of my recipes.  I love seeing what you’ve got cooking in the kitchen!  I look forward to hearing from you!