Why I Use a Recipe First Method

I don’t make you scroll through endless stories and details before you get to the recipe. Read on to find out why, what I do instead, and what else you’ll find in No Guilt Nutrition recipes.

The Struggle is Real: Where is the Recipe?

Imagine this: you come across a great looking dinner recipe. Maybe you searched something on Google, came across a reel on Instagram, or had a Pinterest pinning spree. You find the most delicious looking plate of food. You’re so excited to make it! Then you click the link and wait, where is it?

As you scroll you see a paragraph dedicated to the author’s hate for spinach which has now turned into love, an update on their dog, and a story about their grandmother who created the original version of the recipe. Where are the ingredients needed? Maybe you start to see a list, but it’s not actually paired with the instructions. AGH! Maybe if you’re lucky there’s the “Jump to Recipe” button, but not all blogs have this and when they do, you still get a dizzy spell from the 3-5 business days it takes to watch the screen rolling to the bottom.

Eventually, you find the recipe card with all the info you need, but your patience is running thin and you see there are basically 25 ingredients listed. Mustard seed powder? Who has that on hand? You get the idea: recipes online can be difficult to access and require more time or ingredients than you’re willing to use.

It Was Affecting My Clients

I myself have experienced all of this time and time again. It wasn’t until I started seeing clients 1:1 as a dietitian, though, that it made me want to create a better way. Verbally listing off a recipe is not very effective, so I’d send my clients links to recipes to try. The overwhelm of navigating these pages was a huge barrier for my clients reaching their goals. My clients were working on things like healing their relationship with food, meal prepping ahead of time, and in general having food become EASIER, not more of a burden.

Not to mention the added difficulty of finding recipes that emit calorie counts, macros, exact serving sizes, and other potentially triggering information to someone healing their relationship with food and/or recovering from an eating disorder. Many recipe pages can also use diet culture language that can interfere with someone’s ability to make a dang salad without being inundated with “tips and tricks” to restrict intake. Something needed to change.

A Better Way: Recipe First

No Guilt Nutrition recipes offer the recipe upfront (after just a quick blurb), so this means you won’t be endlessly scrolling through the abyss of my life story beforehand. Plain and simple. The recipe is right there!

The recipes also make sure to note any ingredients that are optional, so you don’t have to track down random ingredients just for one recipe, though many of my recipes are simple as is.

I don’t leave you hanging though with questions about what you’re making. After the recipe, the post will include tips, alternatives, ideas for what to pair it with, and some intuitive eating insights to make sure we’re having a positive mindset around the food we’re making.

Where to Find Recipe First Recipes

All No Guilt Nutrition recipes use the recipe first method. Take the Slow Cooker Taco Chicken for example. You’ll see a 1 sentence explanation and then bam, right there is the full recipe. You’ll then find tips about prep and storage, and what to pair the chicken with.

Looking Ahead

I am so excited to be able to offer these recipe first recipes and all that it entails. Thanks for your support and feel free to share my recipe site with your family, friends, and clients!