Hi – I’m Shannon! 

I’m a stay-at-home wife, mom and a lover of all things culinary. Food is my love language- the avenue through which I serve and nourish the people around me. I enjoy nothing more than a good meal paired with conversation with good people.

With three kids and a busy home, I count on having #dinnerdoneby9am: a system of delicious recipes, quick food prep, and simple scheduling techniques making it easy to plan and prep your way to a more present life. Regardless of the day’s activities, #dinnerdoneby9am guarantees our family will spend dinnertime around the table together.

I want to provide you with simple techniques and nutritious recipes that will remove your dinnertime stress and free you up to enjoy healthy, delicious home-cooked meals with the people around you.

How I Got Here

I’ve had a deep love and appreciation for food since day one. I’m told that as a small child, people marveled at my love for things like brussel sprouts and tofu. As the only child of a hardworking single mom, I started cooking at a young age to help out at home. By high school, food had become my way to care for the people around me – I fell in love with that connection that happens when people share a meal together.

On the flip side, this left me headed to college with some extra pounds to lose. My journey with food took a new course as I began to learn about nutrition and moderation, losing 45 pounds over my freshman year in college.

With my culinary passions re-ignited, I started reading cookbooks as if they were mystery novels, eagerly turning to the next page to see which ingredients would be paired together next. The kitchen became my happy place, and I spent endless hours tweaking and developing recipes to suit my tastes. Before I knew it, I had a catalog of more than 300 home-tested and perfected recipes.

#dinnerdoneby9am

In this season of my life, as a wife and mother of 3 young boys, I depend on home-tested recipes that are budget friendly (because we live on one income), are quick and easy (because who with young kids has lots of free time?) and are delicious and nutritious (because food is my love language). With a busy home, my #dinnerdoneby9am strategies keep me sane. I love knowing that even if our day spins a little (or a lot!) out of control, I have dinner done already, and we’ll end the day together enjoying a home-cooked meal.

My Motivation

I believe that God uniquely created each and every person in His image, with their own passions and abilities to share with the world. Cooking is that for me. I experience God through food- being amazed at His creativity in the diversity of colors, textures and flavors in the plants and animals He created, seeing His fingerprints throughout the foods I eat. Cooking is an act of meditation, worship and service for me- as my hands are occupied with tasks my heart and soul are able to rest and enjoy the present moment being mindful of my Creator and the people for whom I’m preparing the food. I marvel at the significance of bread and wine as spoken of by Jesus. Food and community matter. Each person, at their core, needs physical and spiritual nourishment. I hope this site will inspire you to nourish yourself and others.