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Jackie with bread

Life is like a recipe.

Hi, and welcome to Marin Mama Cooks! My name is Jackie Reale and I’m super excited you decided to stop by and say hi.

I started this cooking blog back in 2011 as a bit of a hobby, and an easy way for me to share my favorite recipes with friends and family. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time and was craving a creative outlet that was just for me. I had no idea how to start a blog, write recipes, photograph food, or even how to cook, but I heard a whisper to give it a try, so I took the first step, and the rest is history. Sometimes we have to listen to our internal whispers when we’re feeling an urge/openness to try something new and then just go out there and take an action step. Through taking that first step, I found a passion for cooking, writing, photography, and it’s evolved into health and wellness. I attended Natural Chef School in 2016, and I’m a certified health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (INN) where I also specialized in gut health. I would have never discovered this passion, if I hadn’t listened to the whispers to start. I also found that I love connecting people to healthy and healing foods, as well as connecting people to themselves.

Love Jackie

Where do you get your recipes from and tell me a bit more about your blog?

Since becoming a natural chef, I’ve created quite a few recipes of my own, but some of the recipes on my blog are adapted from cookbooks, magazines and friends. I only post recipes that my family and I love, as I want to pass on recipes that will hopefully become family favorites in your house. 

If you’re new to my website, you will notice that my most recent recipes are a bit on the healthier side, and don’t contain gluten, dairy or refined sugar. I’ve slowly eliminated these from my diet, because personally they were not working for me and my gut. I still do have gluten from time to time, as I believe in balance, and I love me a good popover. My food and wellness journey has evolved, and so my website has evolved with it. I want to share recipes that I’m excited about, that bring me joy and nourish me in this midlife chapter I’m on, so if you’re looking to start eating healthier, but want food with flavor, color and fun, then I’m your gal. I still have tons of family friendly recipes on the site, so please look around. I believe in the 80/20 rule when it comes to nutrition. I like a balance between comfort and healthy cooking. Life is about balance, so I believe food should be as well.

All my recipes are tested a number of times before I put them on the blog, so you can feel good about making them. I also make my recipes at least 20 times after I post them, because I can get a bit obsessed about them, and just want to eat them over and over, so I’m tweaking them tons too. Please DM me on instagram or email me at marinmama[email protected] with any questions or just to say hi. 

Jackie at fridge with water pitcher
Jackie eating cookie

Tell me about your family and a bit about health coaching?

I live in Marin (which is 10 minutes north of San Francisco) and I’m married to my soul mate, Steve and between us, we have 4 awesome kiddos. Zoë (23), Eli (18), Tate (17) & Mattie (15). Below are some recent pictures of us all from the summer of 2022 when we went to Switzerland, Austria and Germany. I do have a scattering of photos of the kids on this website, but as they got older, they were less excited to be in front of the camera giving the thumbs up on a recipe. 

Health coaching. My true passion and purpose is helping people connect to themselves, connect to and love food again, learn the art of self-love, discover their intuition, and find their “why” and purpose in life. A lot of women in mid-life have been so busy taking care of everyone else, that they lost themselves in the process, and I love connecting them to their inner spirit, their unique and radiant light. I’m very intuitive, as well as have done the work on myself over the years, so I get all of it. Most women come to me with a goal, like weight loss, gut issues, or want to overhaul their diet, which we work on, but when we dig beneath these symptoms we discover together that the first step in any healing journey is self love, healing the old wounds, limiting stories, guilt and fear. This honestly is my main passion, purpose and my unique spark!  Here’s a post I wrote back in 2013 when I was struggling with my own journey of self love and discovery. If you feel drawn to work with me, or want to know more, please email me at [email protected].

Just for fun, I wanted to show you the evolution of this website, so if you’re nervous about starting something new, you can see where I started at. Here’s the post I did  when I hit my 1-year anniversary in 2012.  It’s hilarious. I knew nothing about SEO and my photography was, well, let’s just say it’s improved over the years! 🙂

Steve Reale and Jacquelyn Reale.
the kids in Switzerland
the kids and I
Steve and I in Switzerland.
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Dairy free green goddess dressing. This is my dairy free, vegan take on a green goddess dressing. I wanted to create a tasty dairy free version, while focusing on keeping the ingredients ultra clean, so I used a coconut based yogurt @cocojune_organic that doesn’t contain gums, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce.
 
Comment “green” and I’ll DM you the recipe link. 

The result, we love this dressing and have been making it on repeat. I love how creamy and vibrant this dressing is and how it coats each piece of lettuce. I also love how interchangeable the herbs are. You can truly use what you have on hand.  

This dressing isn’t just for salads, you can use as a dip for veggies, sweet potato fries, or drizzle over grilled or roasted chicken. The possibilities are endless. 💕

#greengoddessdressing #greengoddesssalad #greengoddess #healthyfood #saladdressing #dairyfreesalad #dairyfreerecipes #vegandressing #vegansalad #salad #healthysalad #healthysalads

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Dairy free green goddess dressing. This is my dairy free, vegan take on a green goddess dressing. I wanted to create a tasty dairy free version, while focusing on keeping the ingredients ultra clean, so I used a coconut based yogurt @cocojune_organic that doesn’t contain gums, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce.   Comment “green” and I’ll DM you the recipe link.  The result, we love this dressing and have been making it on repeat. I love how creamy and vibrant this dressing is and how it coats each piece of lettuce. I also love how interchangeable the herbs are. You can truly use what you have on hand.   This dressing isn’t just for salads, you can use as a dip for veggies, sweet potato fries, or drizzle over grilled or roasted chicken. The possibilities are endless. 💕 #greengoddessdressing #greengoddesssalad #greengoddess #healthyfood #saladdressing #dairyfreesalad #dairyfreerecipes #vegandressing #vegansalad #salad #healthysalad #healthysalads

I want to share with you guys a simple lesson about reading ingredients. Here’s my favorite brand of coconut milk, Native Forest. As you can see, they have 2 kinds of the full fat unsweetened coconut milk, one is called simple, and one is classic. The difference here is in the ingredients, one contains guar gum and one doesn’t.



You really want to look at the labels and the ingredients, and not just trust the brand is the same across all products.



I love this Native Forest, Simple, because again it clearly states no quars, and if you look in the ingredients, you’ll see organic coconut milk, organic coconut, filtered water. Simple whole food ingredients, no added fillers, gums, or flavors. You always want to look for a BPA free cans and the USDA organic stamp, which means its certified organic, so there’s no GMO’s, pesticides etc.



What is guar gum, and why is it bad?


Guar gum, which is derived from the guar bean is a thickening agent that can wreak havoc on your digestive system by causing bloating, gas, and discomfort. It can disrupt the delicate balance of your gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and impaired nutrient absorption. It’s also seen a lot in non-dairy creamers or milks.

Was this helpful? If so, let me know in the comments below, 👇 as well as what else you would like to see, or know more about?

#readlabels #readfoodlabels #guargum #guthealth #guthealing #inflammationrelief #antiimflammatory

Open
I want to share with you guys a simple lesson about reading ingredients. Here’s my favorite brand of coconut milk, Native Forest. As you can see, they have 2 kinds of the full fat unsweetened coconut milk, one is called simple, and one is classic. The difference here is in the ingredients, one contains guar gum and one doesn’t. You really want to look at the labels and the ingredients, and not just trust the brand is the same across all products. I love this Native Forest, Simple, because again it clearly states no quars, and if you look in the ingredients, you’ll see organic coconut milk, organic coconut, filtered water. Simple whole food ingredients, no added fillers, gums, or flavors. You always want to look for a BPA free cans and the USDA organic stamp, which means its certified organic, so there’s no GMO’s, pesticides etc. What is guar gum, and why is it bad? Guar gum, which is derived from the guar bean is a thickening agent that can wreak havoc on your digestive system by causing bloating, gas, and discomfort. It can disrupt the delicate balance of your gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and impaired nutrient absorption. It’s also seen a lot in non-dairy creamers or milks. Was this helpful? If so, let me know in the comments below, 👇 as well as what else you would like to see, or know more about? #readlabels #readfoodlabels #guargum #guthealth #guthealing #inflammationrelief #antiimflammatory

Easy buckwheat porridge. If you’re looking to switch up your morning bowl of oats, then give buckwheat a try. It has a chewy texture and mild flavor, that pairs with just about anything.

Comment ‘easy buckwheat’ and I’ll send you the recipe.

This buckwheat porridge is SO EASY to make, and is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan to boot, and the bonus is it takes under 15 minutes to whip up in the morning.

This breakfast is hubby approved. Steve tried this the other day and kept saying, “this is the best breakfast,” “man, this is SO good.” So if I can get my mountain biking, carb loving hubby to happily eat of bowl of this, then I think your family might love this too.

I love topping mine with blueberries, @socotahini and bee pollen!

#buckwheat #buckwheatporridge #buckwheatrecipes #porridgebowl #porridge #porridgelover #breakfastideas #breakfast #healthybreakfast #healthybreakfastclub #healthybreakfastideas

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Easy buckwheat porridge. If you’re looking to switch up your morning bowl of oats, then give buckwheat a try. It has a chewy texture and mild flavor, that pairs with just about anything. Comment ‘easy buckwheat’ and I’ll send you the recipe. This buckwheat porridge is SO EASY to make, and is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan to boot, and the bonus is it takes under 15 minutes to whip up in the morning. This breakfast is hubby approved. Steve tried this the other day and kept saying, “this is the best breakfast,” “man, this is SO good.” So if I can get my mountain biking, carb loving hubby to happily eat of bowl of this, then I think your family might love this too. I love topping mine with blueberries, @socotahini and bee pollen! #buckwheat #buckwheatporridge #buckwheatrecipes #porridgebowl #porridge #porridgelover #breakfastideas #breakfast #healthybreakfast #healthybreakfastclub #healthybreakfastideas

These vegan Mexican quinoa bowls have become a weekly staple in our house. They’re naturally vegan, but are full of flavor from the avocado tahini, and spicy chipotle tahini sauce.

Comment ‘vegan bowl’ and I’ll DM you the recipe.

These bowls are also great for those that are on the candida diet.

I ❤️ these bowls because they’re jam packed with plant protein, as quinoa is a complete protein, and beans when paired with the quinoa, make a complete protein too. This bowl is balanced and satisfying from the slow burning carbs, healthy fats, plant protein, and will honestly sustain you for hours.

These bowls are a great weeknight meatless dinner option, as I typically make the sauces ahead of time, (they literally take 5 minutes) so when it comes to dinner time, all I have to do is make the quinoa (takes under 20 minutes) and roast the sweet potatoes. I hope you give these a try, and that they become a go-to meatless dinner.

#candidadiet #candidacleanse #veganbowls #veganbowls #veganrecipes #veganrecipe #vegandinner #vegandinnerideas #healthyfood

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These vegan Mexican quinoa bowls have become a weekly staple in our house. They’re naturally vegan, but are full of flavor from the avocado tahini, and spicy chipotle tahini sauce. Comment ‘vegan bowl’ and I’ll DM you the recipe. These bowls are also great for those that are on the candida diet. I ❤️ these bowls because they’re jam packed with plant protein, as quinoa is a complete protein, and beans when paired with the quinoa, make a complete protein too. This bowl is balanced and satisfying from the slow burning carbs, healthy fats, plant protein, and will honestly sustain you for hours. These bowls are a great weeknight meatless dinner option, as I typically make the sauces ahead of time, (they literally take 5 minutes) so when it comes to dinner time, all I have to do is make the quinoa (takes under 20 minutes) and roast the sweet potatoes. I hope you give these a try, and that they become a go-to meatless dinner. #candidadiet #candidacleanse #veganbowls #veganbowls #veganrecipes #veganrecipe #vegandinner #vegandinnerideas #healthyfood

Here’s the perfect snack for those of you trying to cut back on refined sugar. These healthy no bake cacao oat bars are super addicting, once you have a bite, you just can’t stop.

Comment ‘oat bars’ and I’ll DM you the recipe.

The great thing is you don’t have to feel guilty, as these are made with pretty healthy ingredients and are GF, DF and refined sugar free. I love having these on hand for that afternoon, or post lunch craving. They hit the spot perfectly. #healthy #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #healthysnack #refinedsugarfree #norefinedsugar #healthydesserts #healthydessert #healthydessertrecipes #healthysnackrecipes

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Here’s the perfect snack for those of you trying to cut back on refined sugar. These healthy no bake cacao oat bars are super addicting, once you have a bite, you just can’t stop. Comment ‘oat bars’ and I’ll DM you the recipe. The great thing is you don’t have to feel guilty, as these are made with pretty healthy ingredients and are GF, DF and refined sugar free. I love having these on hand for that afternoon, or post lunch craving. They hit the spot perfectly. #healthy #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #healthysnack #refinedsugarfree #norefinedsugar #healthydesserts #healthydessert #healthydessertrecipes #healthysnackrecipes
Welcome to Marin mama cooks! I’m a natural chef, as well as a mom who loves to cook up tasty and healthy whole foods for her family.
Marin Mama Cooks
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