HI THERE! NICE TO MEET YOU!
HI THERE! NICE TO MEET YOU!I’m Erin Collins, and I’m the voice, cook, photographer and videographer behind Meaningful Eats. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina with my husband and three children and I eat 100% gluten-free because of celiac disease. My goal is to create easy-to-prepare, approachable gluten-free food that anyone will enjoy!
WHY GLUTEN-FREE?
In 2012, life threw us a curveball when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that can be triggered by a traumatic event such as pregnancy, like in my case. After many lab tests and doctor’s visits I finally figured out why I was feeling so poorly since my son was born. I had a biospy come back positive for dermatitis herpetiformis – the skin manifestation of celiac disease.
The diagnosis came as both a shock and a relief. A shock because nobody in my family had ever been diagnosed with celiac and a relief because I finally knew the reason for all my symptoms!
I have always loved food – everything from food science to nutrition to cooking. In college I studied food science as a undergraduate and went on to get a master’s degree in nutrition. I also LOVE to cook. My favorite thing to do is to make amazing food for my friends and family!
After I was diagnosed with celiac disease I started this blog to document my experience eating gluten-free. Over the years Meaningful Eats has developed into so much more than I ever could have envisioned.
More than 500,000 people view Meaningful Eats every month and I’m always so touched and honored when I get comments that my chocolate chip cookie recipe gave someone hope after switching to a gluten-free diet.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND ON MY BLOG
I believe that it is 100% possible to eat amazing, delicious and familiar food on a gluten-free diet. I don’t think you need to make 2 seperate dinners for your family if you eat gluten-free because there are so many amazing, naturally gluten-free recipes out there. My goal is to share tried-and-true gluten-free recipes you can serve to anyone, regardless if they eat gluten-free or not.
- Tasty simple recipes made using everyday ingredients. I don’t use weird ingredients in my gluten-free recipes!
- Exciting New Ideas for Fast Midweek Meals.
- Gluten-Free Baked Goods that truly taste so good nobody will guess they’re gluten-free.
- Family-friendly recipes! I have 3 kids so all my recipes are kid-tested and approved.
- Cooking for a crowd. I like to entertain and feed my friends and family! So many of my recipes are convenient for cooking for a crowd – whether they eat gluten-free or not.
- Tried and tested recipes. I work very hard to ensure my recipes are well-tested and will work in your kitchen. I test many of my recipes dozens of times before the are perfect enough to share on this site.
WHAT YOU WON’T FIND ON MY BLOG
I don’t follow the latest dietary trends. I make gluten-free recipes because I have to eat gluten-free for celiac disease! I like using fresh, unprocessed ingredients, but my site is not about keto, Whole30 or any other dietary trend.
Recipes made with sugar substitutes. I like using honey or maple syrup occasionally, but if I’m going to make a cookie I want it to taste like a cookie, so I never bake with artificial sweeteners.
Bland, boring gluten-free recipes – Never ever! I don’t think you have to sacrifice on flavor just because you eat gluten-free.
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
I love this gluten-free community and am so grateful for my readers! It means the world to me if a recipe helps make your life eating gluten-free just a little easier. So leave me a comment or send me an email to say hello!
I respond to every single email and would love to hear from you. If you have questions or comments about recipes, gluten-free diets, or just want to say hi I would love to hear from you! I can be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram. Contact me.
PS – If you’re new around here here are the top 3 recipes I’d recommend you try first!
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