About Me

Gluten free is every day, not just when you want a cupcake!

Hi, I’m Brianne! I’m a busy mom living a gluten free life with typical kids who do not want to eat everything! I create and share recipes and tips for no-fuss meals, snacks, and sweets that my family doesn’t even realize are gluten free. It’s all about easy and delicious food that will save you time, money, and stress!

I believe life is all about balance, like work and fun, family-time and self-care, ice cream and salad… Cupcakes & Kale Chips!

I’m a former chemical engineer who decided it was more fun to play with sugar and spice and everything nice in the kitchen versus methyl ethyl whatever in the laboratory. So I put down my lab coat and beakers, picked up an apron and camera, and haven’t looked back since. Now I am the recipe developer, photographer, publisher, and CEO (you know, Chief Everything Officer) behind cupcakesandkalechips.com.

In the 10 years of Cupcakes & Kale Chips…

What you’ll find…

I am a gluten free mom…

I have a non-celiac gluten allergy/intolerance. But I also have typical kids who don’t want to eat everything. I like to focus on naturally gluten free ingredients to save money, stress, and dinnertime battles. My family doesn’t even think they are eating gluten free food. It’s all about delicious food that just so happens to be gluten free. And when I do use those special gluten free ingredients, it has to pass the test of my gluten-eating family, whether it’s Gluten Free Dinner Rolls, or the World’s Best Gluten Free Lasagna!

I’ll share my tips and tricks and give you no-fuss meals and recipes whether it’s you, your kid, or the entire family who has to eat without wheat. If you want to know more, I’ll tell you all about my gluten free journey as you discover why you might need to go gluten free.

Just starting out?

These Gluten Free Resources are helpful for those new to the gluten free life or those that have lived this lifestyle for years.

I am a dinnertime ninja…

Woman standing behind a counter tossing a salad in a bowl.

Like many of you, I am a busy working mom. I have two very active boys and a hard-working husband, living outside of Washington, DC in one of the busiest areas of the country. I get how hectic life can be. But enjoying dinner together is a priority for me, even though we all have different needs and preferences.

That’s why I specialize in making ONE meal for both my gluten free diet and my family who can eat anything. Sometimes it’s just making sure we have corn tortillas for Taco Tuesday. Other times it’s spooning Sloppy Joes into a baked potato instead of on rolls.

Dinnertime stressing you out?

I’ve got a Gluten Free Meal Planning Jumpstart that will help simplify the dinnertime struggles! It comes with a 7-Day Dinner Plan and 5 Secrets to Fast & Flexible Meals!

I believe in balance…

Woman holding a salad plate in one hand and looking at the cupcake in her other hand.

That means staying active and focusing on wholesome meals and snacks. I use mostly real food like fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, and whole grains, avoiding a ton of highly processed ingredients. This is especially important to me as I manage my genetic high cholesterol that I also passed on to my son. But I also keep it real and know that sometimes we all need convenience. And hot fudge sundaes.

A little more about me…

Woman standing in a kitchen holding a laptop.

Pretty picture, right?

Yeah, odds are right now I’m actually in yoga pants and a tank top or hoodie (or both) with a messy ponytail and no make-up. If it’s a typical weekday, I’m either getting in my early morning workout, sipping a cold brew coffee while I edit photos, grabbing a salad while I write, sipping a smoothie while I cook and shoot photos and videos, running the boys to karate or Cub Scouts, or sitting down to a meal with my family.

So life is crazy. But it’s cool because I get to do what I love, be around to get my kids on and off the bus and to activities and appointments, and still help support my family.

You see after my first son was born, I did go back to work. Due to a number of factors, we thought it best for our family that I leave my position to be a stay-at-home mom. But I clearly wasn’t cut out for the job. So I decided to start taking terrible pictures of the meals and snacks I made and posting them on a website hoping that someone besides my mom would take a look at them.

Fast forward a few years and I’ve continued to learn about photography, recipe development, social media, and business. That means I am lucky enough to still be spending time in the kitchen (though spending a little more time at the computer, as well), taking better photos (but always working to improve), and sharing my recipes with all of you.

So that’s me, just your average, ordinary, extroverted introvert taking more pictures of her food than her kids because food doesn’t move or make goofy faces.

Also, I love ice cream. And I hate canned tuna.

woman jumping in front of a brick wall

Speaking of balance, you’ll usually find me…

  • With a hot tea in one hand and a cold brew coffee in the other.
  • Breaking a sweat to one of the HIIT or strength-training workouts on Fitness Blender or sitting on the couch watching Great British Bake Off.
  • Rocking out to kick-butt ladies like Gwen Stefani or P!nk or discovering my inner country gal with some Blake Shelton or Darius Rucker.
  • Wishing I were a Pinterest mom but accepting I’m totally an Amazon Prime mom.
  • Trying to avoid making too many plans because I’d rather chill at home for the weekend or planning every detail of every future vacation I want to take to all corners of the globe.
  • Listening to an endless stream of podcasts but only being able to work in absolute silence.
  • Getting my regular pedicure but rarely putting on makeup.

I hope I can bring a sprinkle of food and fun into your kitchen!

Want to meet the Chief Taste-Testers?

man, woman, and two boys hugging

My wonderful Hubby is probably the only person in the world who understands me and can put up with my own version of crazy. When we go out, he will wait to eat his food and try to move his plate into the best light so I can take a picture with my iPhone in case I want to post it on Instagram. He has the most diverse taste in music, and if you put his iTunes on shuffle, it’ll go from Tupac to Rage Against the Machine to Chris Stapleton to Indigo Girls to John Mayer to Buddy Guy. He is passionate about fishing and a wannabe survivalist. Loves ice cream. Hates Brussels sprouts.

The Big Guy is an avid reader and super smart. He will talk your ear off telling you every detail of a book or movie, but also craves alone time. He was born on May the Fourth Be With You, so he obviously loves Star Wars. There is nobody on this planet who has a belly laugh like his. He will eat any kind of seafood and always tries to get all the tentacles when he and Daddy order calamari. Loves ice cream. Hates tomatoes.

The Little Guy is my social butterfly and always wants to be part of the action. The snark is strong with this one, but he is also a charmer. He loves board games and superheroes. His smile and snuggles will warm your heart. He is a total carnivore but has never met a noodle he doesn’t like. Loves ice cream. Hates mashed potatoes.