WELCOME TO FULL AS A MOTHER
Hey there! I’m Jasmine – a San Francisco Bay Area native with Filipino roots, and I HELLA love to cook and bake (Bay Area folks say “hella” all the time). When I’m not working my day job managing clinical research trials around the world, you can find me in the kitchen – recipe testing and sharing new recipes or at the grocery store shopping for cool new allergy-friendly products & ingredients. I’m also a grocery shopaholic, and I’m totally into meal planning/prepping and shopping lists. Some call it type-A, but I’ll let you decide.
This blog is whole food-centric, focused on allergy-friendly ingredients and without all the processed shit that can kill you (queue the nervous, laughing crowd). But in all seriousness, we practice a minimalist approach to clean eating, sharing gluten-free, paleo, dairy free, nut free and refined sugar free recipes, meal plans, and grocery hauls. So if you’re into all of that, or are curious to find out if this lifestyle works for you, you’re in the right place!
When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m probably chasing my toddler, Willow around the house or somewhere outside. I’ve been married to my husband Chris for almost 8 years, but we’ve been together for 16 years total (hella long). We’ve spent our entire lives living in the Bay Area, but have traveled across the globe and visited 15 countries so far! Some of my favorite countries to visit are New Zealand and Japan, and I can’t wait to go back!
WHAT’S YOUR STORY, GIRL?
For over 15 years, I’ve worked for both start-up and large corporate med-tech and pharmaceutical companies in a high-stress & fast-paced environment with an intense travel schedule. I spent a bulk of my career traveling around the globe weekly, oftentimes living out of my suitcase. I’ve always been an over-achiever, I worked really hard to advance in my career, and allowed the stress, fear, and anxiety take over. During this time, I didn’t know what a balanced lifestyle meant, and I sure as hell didn’t know that all the refined sugar and processed food I ate would contribute to my decline in health in my early thirties.
I was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune conditions back in 2015 – Sjogrens Syndrome, Rhematoid Arthritis, and Granulomatosis. And I found out about my multiple autoimmune conditions all at once, and I was devastated. I followed the doctors orders, and took the prescribed anti-inflammatory meds without question. Six months later, I didn’t notice much (or any) improvement with my condition, so I did some research online and stumbled across a TedTalk by Dr. Terry Wahls, who recovered from Multiple Sclerosis eating real, whole, clean, nutrient-dense food. Her story inspired me to start my own journey, and so I adapted the paleo lifestyle in 2016.
I started recreating traditional recipes, making them paleo-friendly and gluten-free after I started to notice some improvement in my health and the way I felt after adapting this paleo lifestyle. I was so gung-ho about it, that I started a paleo food blog that same year, but took a break from blogging to study holistic nutrition at the Nutritional Therapy Association. In 2017, I received my certificate as a Nutrition Consultant, and decided to pursue a career in Nutrition Coaching. I later realized that finding clients was more difficult than I anticipated, so I put nutrition coaching on the back burner, in effort to continue working full-time in clinical research.
In 2018, our long-time dreams and wishes of becoming parents finally came true and I gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 2019. Having gone through postpartum depression, leaky gut that eventually led to skin, hair, and nail issues, I knew that I needed to get back on track to heal my body from the inside out. I’m also that much more determined to set an example for my daughter, exposing her to all varieties of wholesome, nutrient dense food in hopes that she is able to prevent any chronic illness.
Flash forward to 2020, and Full as a Mother was born! After 5 years of my wellness journey, my vision for this blog became crystal clear. My mission is to help families with food allergies, food sensitivities, and chronic illness thrive in the kitchen.
OK, SO WHAT NOW? WHERE DO I START?
If you’re new to Full as a Mother, you can start by:
- Reviewing my list of FAQs
- Browse through my list of recipes to get inspired!
- Learn how to plan your meals and meal prep to save time and money in the long run by reading my Meal Plans and Grocery Hauls
- Start with creating the basics, like my roasted sweet potato bites, vegetable & sausage egg frittata, steak with chimichurri sauce, little gem fall salad, or my hella good banana bread 2.0
WHAT’S NEXT? JOIN THE COMMUNITY!
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for being here. I’d love to get to know you more!
- Come join in on all the social media fun via Instagram and Pinterest! We share all the latest and greatest on these platforms.
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel where you can find my grocery hauls and cooking demos.
- Get free recipes and non-toxic lifestyle tips by subscribing to my weekly newsletter!
XO,
Jasmine