About Pretty Delicious Life
Hi! I’m Kim, the full-time recipe developer, photographer and creator behind Pretty Delicious Life, where you'll find 100% gluten free, healthier recipes developed with a happy gut in mind. What started out as a space for me to record my favorite gut-friendly recipes has turned into a space for people like you, who absolutely LOVE food but are looking for healthier versions of their favorite recipes that make them feel amazing both inside and out.
My love and passion for cooking started out in my grandparents’ kitchen, learning to bake from my Grammy and learning to cook the most incredible Italian cuisine from my Grampy at a very young age.
I started PDL in 2016, originally as a space to hold my favorite recipes, home decor, fashion and other odds & ends I couldn’t live without. When I was diagnosed with SIBO, IBS, adrenal fatigue and hormone imbalances in late 2017, I decided to pivot and take this whole blogging thing a bit more seriously by simply focusing on the food.
After my diagnosis, I created a healing plan with my functional medicine doctor that largely included a low FODMAP, gluten free diet to target my SIBO and IBS. Healing my gut truly became a full time job and I began to wonder how many people were actually successful on the diet. (If you’re not familiar with the low FODMAP diet and what it’s for, you can read more about that here in one of my favorite resources.) At the time, there were not many enticing options when it came to low FODMAP recipes and since I’m never one to back down from a challenge I decided I’d take it upon myself to master making low FODMAP, gut healthy meals insanely delicious.
I spent the majority of my early career working in the fashion industry between New York City and the Boston area in incredibly demanding roles which meant that I did not have a whole lot of time to cook, let alone cook separate meals for myself and my husband due to my dietary restrictions. Each of the recipes you will find here were designed with a busy lifestyle in mind. They are simple, approachable and guaranteed to please everyone in your household, whether they follow a special diet or not.
What is Pretty Delicious Life?
What started out as a place to share all the pretty interiors & fashion trends, delicious recipes and overall things I’m loving in life quickly took on a new meaning after my diagnosis, but I kept the name because now more than ever making sure I created a pretty freakin delicious life for myself while on my healing journey was most important. I knew that the more pretty and delicious I could make my meals, the more likely I would be to stick to my gut healing plan of action, and that's what I hope to inspire you to do, too.
There’s something so special about knowing that you can easily make beautiful, delicious food at home that is also going to support you in your health and wellness goals, like this incredibly popular no bean hummus recipe. It is my sincere hope that you will find delicious, inspiring recipes that reignite your excitement for unapologetically, fiercely caring for yourself, nourishing your body and soul with healthier recipes that taste freakin incredible. Might I suggest starting with these fudgy dairy free brownies, I’m famous for them!
What You Can Expect
You will find everything from entrees to drinks, desserts and beyond, but I’ve become a master at perfecting the best gluten free pizza crusts, authentic Italian pasta dishes, and of course what I’m most known for, amazing brownies (seriously you HAVE to make these matcha brownies.)
Since the low FODMAP diet is a phase-based diet meant to only last around 12 weeks, I strive to offer you recipes that can take you from the elimination phase, like this delicious pulled pork or homemade healing bone broth, to the reintroduction phase like this green goddess protein smoothie, and beyond, into the phase where you’re enjoying many of the foods you eliminated again without pain or discomfort, like this watermelon panzanella salad that is a summer favorite. Rest assured that every single one of my recipes, however, is and will always be gluten free.
If you’re brand new to the low FODMAP diet, I’ve created a few helpful guides for you on things like the best low FODMAP pastas, protein powders, and alcohol (yep, lots of booze is low FODMAP friendly, let’s cheers to that!) along with some great recipes.
A few of my favorite (and most popular!) recipes:
Dairy Free Vanilla Protein Ice Cream (Ninja Creami Recipe)
Chunky Monkey Protein Banana Bread
Easy Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage
How to Make Scrambled Eggs Without Milk
More About Me
- I love being outdoors, especially by the water. Growing up in the Northeast on the coast has instilled a love of the ocean in my heart that I cherish. If I go too long without visiting the ocean or being around water, I physically feel pain (don’t feel bad for me, it’s likely all in my head!) Thank goodness I live steps away from the water; I’m truly grateful.
- I have a rescue pitbull named Julia who is the absolute light of my life. She’s also a little piglet and is my unofficial recipe tester, always at my feet while I’m cooking or baking waiting for something tasty to drop.
- My official recipe tester is my husband, who is also the light of my life (after Julia of course. He knows this.) I am so grateful for his undying support of my business and for his brutal honesty when it comes to his thoughts on my food. If he doesn’t like a recipe, I test it and test it until he does, or it doesn’t make its way here. He’s not gluten free or low FODMAP so you know if he likes it, it’s gotta be good!
- I am a firm believer that yoga changes lives.
- I have worked with Martha Stewart twice in my career, though neither time was actually when I had a career in food! Once was during my time in fashion, another was during my brief stint in advertising straight out of college.
- New York City is my favorite place on Earth. I think I left part of my heart in Brooklyn when I left.
- Entertaining is my absolute favorite thing to do and I’ll often refer to myself as an Italian Grandmother. My actual Italian Grandfather had three amazing sisters, each of whom had an open door and full plate policy in their homes. I like to think I am the way I am because of them; it’s in my blood! Everyone is welcome in my home at all hours and you better believe you’re getting fed, so come hungry.
Interested In Working Together?
Pretty Delicious Life is available for food and beverage photography & videography, recipe development (low fodmap, gluten free and paleo) as well as cocktail & mocktail recipe development; sponsored posts, social partnerships and more! If you love what I'm doing and would like to get in touch, please reach out to me at prettydeliciouslife (at) gmail.com to inquire.
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COMPLIMENTS
Samantha J.
“I have suffered with gut health issues all my life and always found it to be such a challenge to find tasty sounding recipes that didn’t contain foods that would cause symptoms to flare. For years I’d make the same handful of meals over and over because I didn’t know that there were other options available to me. Kim’s recipes and low FODMAP advice have opened new doors for my family and I! I no longer have to watch as my husband eats delicious food. Thanks to Kim’s fresh take on low FODMAP I’m enjoying right along with him!”
Kat H.
“I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease 11 years ago. I’ve spent years being a vegan and gluten free on and off because that’s all I knew. After following Kim’s recipes, I’ve been able to add foods back into my diet that I previously thought would hurt my stomach. I’ve learned things about my body that I never realized before. I can fall back in love with food again and not feel like I’m holding back or missing out! It’s not just the recipes, it’s the education I get to learn more about my body, and I am so grateful! I’m so happy there is someone out there sharing their experiences and recipes who is just like the rest of us struggling with gut-friendly foods!”
Jordan.R
“As someone married to someone with IBS, who also does all the cooking in the household, it is such a treat to have found Pretty Delicious Life. I used to make separate meals for my wife to support her IBS and feed the rest of the family something entirely different. I always felt bad watching her eat something I would have considered to be boring and bland while the rest of us enjoyed things like cookies or pasta. Kim’s recipes are not only easy and accessible, but they truly are loved by the whole family! They’ve made my duties as home chef much easier and made my wife feel like part of the culinary fan again.”