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Welcome

Hello, I am Leah Reidenbach and I am so excited to share some mouth watering, flavor packed, and mostly healthy vegan recipes with you. 

I have had a passion for home cooking since I stopped eating meat in 2011. My love of sharing food and recipes with my family and friends are the inspiration for this blog! 

Whether you are new to vegan cooking and are just here for meatless Mondays, a seasoned home cook, or ready to a take the full plunge into vegan cooking there are sure to be many recipes on this blog for you to enjoy.

A woman in a white top standing in a sunflower field.
A woman holding a sunflower in front of her face with her mouth covered by the sunflower.

My vegan Journey

My vegan journey started over a decade ago, sometimes its hard to believe that so much time has gone by! At some point in the year 2011 I became vegetarian overnight. Once I opened my eyes to how inhumanely animals were treated, I knew I could never be a part of that system again. 

It took me a long time to recognize the impact that dairy and eggs also have on animals. It was hard for me to connect harm between these seemingly non-lethal forms of animal exploitation to the animal industry as whole. Once those walls were broken down, I became fully vegan and never looked back! When I fully embraced the vegan lifestyle in 2017 I finally felt like a was being the truest version of myself. 

Get to know me

I am from the Sunshine State of Florida which is what inspired the name for this blog. I have lived in Southwest Florida for over 5 years and I love being able to spend time outdoors all year round. I am a Marine Biologist and I went to school at Cal State University for my masters degree. I loved my time in Southern California, but I came back to Florida to be closer to family and to work for a non-profit marine biology lab. In my spare time like hanging out with my friends and I love running. 

I did my first marathon in September 2023 in Bordeaux, France, but the catch was that there were over twenty wine stops! While that was probably the most fun I’ve ever had running, I am looking forward to my first real marathon (with no wine) in the future. I like doing 5ks, but recently I have been getting more interested in trail and ultra running. I always feel inspired and fulfilled when running in nature, and ultra running is an amazing way to test the limits of what you can do!