recipes on LL Balanced. The positive response to my
website was, and continues to be, humbling
and deeply gratifying.
I think LL Balanced provides a breath
of relief for those who find themselves
overwhelmed by the nutrition noise, as I was.
People who don’t fall into any specific diet or
program, who want a variety of dishes to feed
the variety of preferences in their household.
LL Balanced food doesn’t reinvent the wheel
with exotic, one-use ingredients. My recipes
are nutritious, creative versions of classic,
familiar dishes. Most are quick, easy, and
meant to encourage home-cooking. The aim
of my cookbook is to make you excited to
create your own nutritious food by removing
the pressure of a dogmatic approach and by
setting you up for success in the kitchen.
I took control of my mental, physical, and
emotional health by learning how to take
control of my kitchen. Now, my kitchen is my
sanctuary whenever I need to regain my sense
of balance, and this cookbook will help you
do the same.
The LL BALANCED APPROACH to FOOD:
1 Focus on whole, fresh foods that make you feel great.
2 Ditch any preconceived idea of what you should eat, and listen
to your body; it is your best wellness guru.
3 Indulge in moderation, and occasionally, not in moderation!
4 Have fun and don’t take yourself, or your food, too seriously. Enjoy
food in a relaxed atmosphere and in the company of dear ones.
5 Above all, practice self-love and patience in the kitchen.
It will translate to the rest of your life.
Special Recipe
Symbols and Labels
Symbols are included throughout the book
to make it easier to identify recipes that fit
special diets and lifestyles. If a recipe fits into
a diet as-is, without substitutions, it will have
that diet’s symbol on the left of the title bar.
If substitutions are required, the symbol will
appear on the right of the title bar, and the
subs will also be designated with the symbol.
Although there can be several interpretations
for paleo, vegan, and vegetarian lifestyles, in
this book, definitions should be taken to mean
the following:
VEGETARIAN
Free from: poultry, red meat, and fish/seafood.
Note that in this book, recipes including eggs
are classified as vegetarian. Note than any
recipes including chicken stock can be made
vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock.
VEGAN
Free from: poultry, red meat, fish/seafood, eggs,
dairy, and honey. Note that any recipes including
the following can be made vegan by substituting.
• Mayonnaise can be swapped for
vegan mayonnaise
• Dairy yogurt can be swapped for a
non-dairy yogurt
• Honey can be swapped for maple syrup
• Chicken stock can be swapped for
vegetable stock
DAIRY-FREE
Free from: dairy-based milk, cheese, yogurt,
and butter. Note that most recipes with dairy
in them can be made dairy-free through
substitution of non-dairy counterparts.
GLUTEN-FREE
Free from: wheat, barley, rye, farro, or spelt.
Note that any canned or packaged food should
be certified gluten-free, such as (but not limited
to): oats, canned tomatoes/paste, canned beans,
soy sauce, mustard, ketchup, other sauces,
flours, pastas, and crackers. All recipes in the
cookbook are gluten-free unless otherwise
noted, if certified gluten-free products are used.
PALEO
Free from: grains, gluten, legumes/beans,
dairy (except butter), and refined sugar.
Note that any recipes including dairy
yogurt can be made paleo by substituting a
coconut or almond-based yogurt. Also be sure
to use gluten-free prepared products as noted
under Gluten-free. Some paleo diets do not
include mayonnaise. If this describes your
