And mealmum is my little corner of the internet!
I launched mealmum in the spring of 2015 while I was still a third‑grade teacher in Portland, Oregon. Between grading papers and chasing my two‑year‑old son, I started scribbling quick, kid‑friendly meals on the back of lesson plans. Those scribbles turned into a modest blog that night‑time after the kids were asleep. By the end of that first year I had posted 45 recipes, and the comment section began to feel like a small kitchen table conversation.
Fast forward to today: mealmum now reaches about 45,000 unique visitors each month, and our weekly “12‑Recipe‑Roundup” newsletter sits at 7,200 subscribers. In 2022 we added a searchable recipe index and a short video series that now pulls 12,000 views per month on YouTube. The site has become a place where busy families can find honest, tested meals without the fluff—exactly what I set out to create.
I live in Asheville, North Carolina, with my husband Mark, our two kids (now 9 and 7), and a very opinionated garden tomato plant. When I’m not stirring a pot, you’ll find me hiking the Blue Ridge, digging through crates of vintage vinyl, or coaxing a sourdough starter into life on Sunday mornings. My favorite things are fresh basil, a good espresso, and the sound of my kids laughing while they help me roll out dough.
One quirky habit? I still keep a notebook titled “Kitchen Experiments” that I started in 2015. It’s filled with doodles, failed attempts, and the occasional breakthrough—like the time I discovered that a pinch of smoked paprika makes everyday chicken feel like a celebration. That notebook lives on my kitchen counter, and I’m happy to share its pages with anyone who stops by mealmum.