Location: United States
Member Since:
Oct. 19, 2013
Michelle Miller
Biography
About Me
The Summarized Story
I was a little girl named Michelle who began cooking in the early 80s when I was 8. I learned through experimentation what works in a recipe and what doesn’t (sorry Mom and Ken for those early experiments). I enjoyed a brief stint in the kitchen of a pie shop as a teenager and learned some valuable lessons in a real professional kitchen from a real professional chef.
My love of food and cooking continues to this day, growing and being fed through the years. I developed a cooking style that focuses on intense flavor and pleasurable mouth-feel without all the fat.
This became my goal in every recipe I develop:
Can I make a reduced-fat version that tastes and feels like the full-fat version?
I am driven (to say the least) and rise to the challenge with each new recipe. Pecan pie can’t be made low fat? Ha! Statements like that get my creative juices flowing and challenge the perfectionist in me.
I am now the mom of two beautiful and energetic girls. I work at home daily (now that the girls are both in school full days) creating and testing recipes, taking pictures, writing website pages and blogs, and learning everything from food chemistry to how to build an internet business to joining this decade and finally having a Facebook page!
The Full Story (The Long Version)
My name is Michelle Miller and I love to cook and eat. I believe eating great food is one of life's most enjoyable things. I want us (you and me) to be able to eat truly incredible food and not become overweight doing it. I want us to sometimes be indulgent...so I created Smart Indulgence Recipes - recipes that taste like full-fat originals without all the fat and calories. Yum!
Why I started best-low-fat-recipes.com...
I battle with my weight, but I’m not overweight. I am 5’4” tall and between 127 and 137 lbs (depending on whether I’m in a skinny or blobby stage), so I am somewhere around average as far as height and weight. I have probably 10 extra pounds and I’ve been battling those 10 extra pounds off and on since I was a teenager. Sometimes I win the battle, feel great and buy new skinny clothes (like for my wedding!). Sometimes I lose the battle, feel like a blob and slink around tugging my not-so-skinny clothes down over me (like after holiday eating). I was certain that other women could relate. I was also certain that I had some tools, techniques and tricks (not to mention great recipes) to help us win the battle more often.
Weight isn’t only about health; it is about a positive self-image. When I feel in shape and slim, I am confident. When I feel out of shape and blobby, I am more reserved/shy/passive. Amazing but true. And I’m not alone. Weight and body perception have a big impact on self esteem.
Don’t think I’m implying that looking thin is more important than being healthy. Health is so important and I’m going to be a proponent of good health through this website every day. I’m not suggesting we should all be swizzle-stick-model-types who get blown away by a mild breeze. Most of us aren’t naturally built that way.
What I want is to help women eat delicious food, be more active, have a healthy self-image and win the battle to fit in the clothes on the skinny side of the closet. :)
Anywho, a bit more about me…
I wear a pedometer (known forever in our house as a walkie-thing), and I average 4-6 miles a day. That’s a good amount of exercise, higher than the average American. I am a very active mother of 2. I make a point of moving all the time. I run alongside when my girls ride their bikes and I walk laps around my house when I’m waiting for things (like the broccoli to come out of the microwave or my youngest to finally put her shoes on). I can’t stay still. I prefer to take the stairs (elevators creep me out) and I even jog in place when I’m brushing my teeth. The main problem is that almost none of it is cardio. I hate cardio and sweating and panting. Ewww.
Also, since creating my website, I now have a sedentary job. I have to work harder to get exercise because much of my work is done at a computer. Oh yeah, and the other part of my work is testing LOTS of recipes! Sheesh – this is an easy job to put weight on with. Even though my recipes are low fat, if you bake and test recipes daily you can still put on the weight. No one should eat entire batches of cookies or fudge daily – low fat or otherwise. That’s why I give out lots of cookies and goodies to people when I’m testing. Kinda makes you wish you lived in Littleton Colorado doesn’t it?
On with the story…
So I walk a lot, but I don’t run. I add in treadmill (fast enough to get my heart rate up) when I’m feeling really enthusiastic, but not many other “exercises”. As a mom I bend, lift, carry, haul, and move hundreds of pounds every day. I do deep knee squats lots. :) I am still flexible enough to sit criss-cross applesauce (the closest I’ve gotten to Yoga since prenatal) and to get back up again. I carry 47 bags of groceries at once (I’m impatient) and heavy sleeping children to their beds some nights. I’m no slouch and I have strong muscles. It isn’t the muscles I’m worried about; it is the padding over the muscles.
We know that being fit is a combination of eating less fat/calories and exercising more. I will extend personal challenges to exercise more and I hope you’ll join me! It’ll be fun…or at least it’ll be more fun if I know other women are out there doing cardio along with me. Let's teach and share and inspire each other!
So what is my goal?
I don’t want us all to become those ripped, 6-pack toting people (ok, I do, but not enough to live at the gym).
I want us all to be healthy, busy, fit moms who look great in the
same size clothes we wore in high school.
Whoa - quite a statement huh?! Imagine a world where all of us fit in the same size we wore in high school. Obesity rates would plummet and quality of life would skyrocket. That is my goal for all of us.
We can achieve this together by cutting the fat and calories in everything we eat (and still eating awesome indulgence goodies!) and by getting more exercise (especially that dang cardio!). Note to self: must do dang cardio for fat-burning and heart health! Crud. :)
The Summarized Story
I was a little girl named Michelle who began cooking in the early 80s when I was 8. I learned through experimentation what works in a recipe and what doesn’t (sorry Mom and Ken for those early experiments). I enjoyed a brief stint in the kitchen of a pie shop as a teenager and learned some valuable lessons in a real professional kitchen from a real professional chef.
My love of food and cooking continues to this day, growing and being fed through the years. I developed a cooking style that focuses on intense flavor and pleasurable mouth-feel without all the fat.
This became my goal in every recipe I develop:
Can I make a reduced-fat version that tastes and feels like the full-fat version?
I am driven (to say the least) and rise to the challenge with each new recipe. Pecan pie can’t be made low fat? Ha! Statements like that get my creative juices flowing and challenge the perfectionist in me.
I am now the mom of two beautiful and energetic girls. I work at home daily (now that the girls are both in school full days) creating and testing recipes, taking pictures, writing website pages and blogs, and learning everything from food chemistry to how to build an internet business to joining this decade and finally having a Facebook page!
The Full Story (The Long Version)
My name is Michelle Miller and I love to cook and eat. I believe eating great food is one of life's most enjoyable things. I want us (you and me) to be able to eat truly incredible food and not become overweight doing it. I want us to sometimes be indulgent...so I created Smart Indulgence Recipes - recipes that taste like full-fat originals without all the fat and calories. Yum!
Why I started best-low-fat-recipes.com...
I battle with my weight, but I’m not overweight. I am 5’4” tall and between 127 and 137 lbs (depending on whether I’m in a skinny or blobby stage), so I am somewhere around average as far as height and weight. I have probably 10 extra pounds and I’ve been battling those 10 extra pounds off and on since I was a teenager. Sometimes I win the battle, feel great and buy new skinny clothes (like for my wedding!). Sometimes I lose the battle, feel like a blob and slink around tugging my not-so-skinny clothes down over me (like after holiday eating). I was certain that other women could relate. I was also certain that I had some tools, techniques and tricks (not to mention great recipes) to help us win the battle more often.
Weight isn’t only about health; it is about a positive self-image. When I feel in shape and slim, I am confident. When I feel out of shape and blobby, I am more reserved/shy/passive. Amazing but true. And I’m not alone. Weight and body perception have a big impact on self esteem.
Don’t think I’m implying that looking thin is more important than being healthy. Health is so important and I’m going to be a proponent of good health through this website every day. I’m not suggesting we should all be swizzle-stick-model-types who get blown away by a mild breeze. Most of us aren’t naturally built that way.
What I want is to help women eat delicious food, be more active, have a healthy self-image and win the battle to fit in the clothes on the skinny side of the closet. :)
Anywho, a bit more about me…
I wear a pedometer (known forever in our house as a walkie-thing), and I average 4-6 miles a day. That’s a good amount of exercise, higher than the average American. I am a very active mother of 2. I make a point of moving all the time. I run alongside when my girls ride their bikes and I walk laps around my house when I’m waiting for things (like the broccoli to come out of the microwave or my youngest to finally put her shoes on). I can’t stay still. I prefer to take the stairs (elevators creep me out) and I even jog in place when I’m brushing my teeth. The main problem is that almost none of it is cardio. I hate cardio and sweating and panting. Ewww.
Also, since creating my website, I now have a sedentary job. I have to work harder to get exercise because much of my work is done at a computer. Oh yeah, and the other part of my work is testing LOTS of recipes! Sheesh – this is an easy job to put weight on with. Even though my recipes are low fat, if you bake and test recipes daily you can still put on the weight. No one should eat entire batches of cookies or fudge daily – low fat or otherwise. That’s why I give out lots of cookies and goodies to people when I’m testing. Kinda makes you wish you lived in Littleton Colorado doesn’t it?
On with the story…
So I walk a lot, but I don’t run. I add in treadmill (fast enough to get my heart rate up) when I’m feeling really enthusiastic, but not many other “exercises”. As a mom I bend, lift, carry, haul, and move hundreds of pounds every day. I do deep knee squats lots. :) I am still flexible enough to sit criss-cross applesauce (the closest I’ve gotten to Yoga since prenatal) and to get back up again. I carry 47 bags of groceries at once (I’m impatient) and heavy sleeping children to their beds some nights. I’m no slouch and I have strong muscles. It isn’t the muscles I’m worried about; it is the padding over the muscles.
We know that being fit is a combination of eating less fat/calories and exercising more. I will extend personal challenges to exercise more and I hope you’ll join me! It’ll be fun…or at least it’ll be more fun if I know other women are out there doing cardio along with me. Let's teach and share and inspire each other!
So what is my goal?
I don’t want us all to become those ripped, 6-pack toting people (ok, I do, but not enough to live at the gym).
I want us all to be healthy, busy, fit moms who look great in the
same size clothes we wore in high school.
Whoa - quite a statement huh?! Imagine a world where all of us fit in the same size we wore in high school. Obesity rates would plummet and quality of life would skyrocket. That is my goal for all of us.
We can achieve this together by cutting the fat and calories in everything we eat (and still eating awesome indulgence goodies!) and by getting more exercise (especially that dang cardio!). Note to self: must do dang cardio for fat-burning and heart health! Crud. :)
Where to find Michelle Miller online
Where to buy in print
Books
Ultimate Chocolate Cookbook, Volume 1: Cookies, Bars and Candies
by Michelle Miller
Price:
$3.99 USD.
Words: 17,630.
Language:
English.
Published: November 7, 2013
.
Categories:
Nonfiction » Cooking, Food, Wine, Spirits » Desserts, Nonfiction » Cooking, Food, Wine, Spirits » Cookies
Ultimate Chocolate Cookbook: decadent cookie, bar, and candy recipes with easy step-by-step directions. Every recipe features: Large, spectacular Color Photos, Nutrition Info., Time Req’d, Difficulty Level, Recipe Yield, and whether the recipe is: Diabetic-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Low Cal., Low Carb, Low Cholesterol, Low Fat, Low Sodium, and/or Vegetarian. All recipes are low/reduced fat/calorie.
Michelle Miller's tag cloud
baking
baking with kids
bars
brownies
candies
candy
cheesecake
chocolate
chocolatier
christmas
cocoa
cookbook
cookies
cooking
cooking with kids
dark chocolate
decadent
desserts
diabetes
diabetic friendly
easy recipes
fat free
food photos
food porn
fudge
fun with kids
gluten
gluten free
healthy
kid recipes
kids
low calorie
low carb
low carbohydrates
low cholesterol
low fat
low sodium
lowfat
milk chocolate
ready in 15 minutes
ready in 20 minutes
ready in 30 minutes
recipe
recipes
reduced calorie
reduced fat
seasonal
semisweet chocolate
treats
valentine
valentines day
vegan
vegetarian
white chocolate