I am preschool and dance teacher by day, runner, cook, and writer by night. I have published two children’s chapter books “Turtle Soup and Tiramisu” and “The Fairy Hollow,” both by A.E. Ramsay (that’s me!), and available on Amazon.com.
My obsession with cooking began when I went to college and missed home cooked food. Since then I have loved experimenting in the kitchen. I am best known for my desserts, but I love how cooking allows me to constantly explore and learn new things everyday.
I am a lifelong dancer, but when I stopped performing in 2009, I needed a new way to get rid of my energy. I began running in the Spring of 2011 after a 10 year hiatus. I’ve always enjoyed running, but my career choice as a dancer prevented me from doing so (because as I always tell my dance students, running is bad for dancers because it RUINS your turnout!). When I stopped performing, I took up running again after a whole lot of coaxing from my friend Ryan. I loved the fresh air and most importantly, I loved the calorie burn that allowed me to cook and eat to my heart’s content. However, I was slow as molasses. My very first race, I came in 996 out of 1000. As I started adding miles, it would take me days to recover. I was achy and exhausted. I know that being in your 30’s means feeling workouts a little more, but this was ridiculous. And besides, I had dancer muscles- shouldn’t I be somewhat decent at running? I asked my doctor, and he tested my thyroid which was perfectly fine. Long story short, I started reading the benefits of going gluten-free, and I decided to give it a try for one week.
I could not believe the difference. I always thought I had a bad Irish stomach, but off of gluten, my stomach didn’t bother me one bit. Not only that, I wasn’t achy and tired after running. Given my history of food allergies (honey, raw fruit, raw nuts, and soy), it wasn’t surprising that I also had a gluten intolerance. I have kept a regular blog that chronicled my adventures in the kitchen since 2008, but I decided to create a new blog dedicated to the gluten-free lifestyle. I also wanted to pay it forward. The gluten-free resources in the internet have been a blessing. Follow me on Twitter @TheGFRunner.
