Hey there, I’m Haylee!
A full-time Software Engineer at Google, part-time Recipe Developer, Food Photographer and Blogger here on Hayl’s Kitchen.
So basically 2 full-time jobs?
No complaints at all though, because I absolutely love both of them and wouldn’t give up one for the other.
Another something about me: I tend to talk a lot, but it’s all honest, unfiltered thoughts. So go ahead and read on!
P.S. I also love bead, and brownies, and white shoes 🙂
Too lazy or just want to talk? Reach out, I’m always here to chat.
Email me at hayls.kitchen@gmail.com or fill out the form here.
Hayl’s Kitchen?
This is my little – getting larger – space to share my passion for cooking, baking, eating, and just living a healthy lifestyle!
On here you’ll find everything I know about all those things listed up there, and more.
I’m a huge proponent of eating right, and create healthy, good-for-you and diet-friendly recipes that are actually delicious!
Since I love to eat in general, another thing I really strive for is cooking in larger quantities, without the calorie bump. And with a few healthy swaps and tricks I’ve picked up along the way, I’ve managed to do just that.
Why Hayl’s Kitchen? It was a bit of a play on Hell’s Kitchen, because my sister just loves puns and has now rubbed some of that off on me as well.
My Journey
Having been on the heavier side all my life, I was never comfortable with how I looked and only dreamed of wearing clothing in a size less than 6. Being a total foodie, an overachieving academically-inclined student who was also terrible at sports, only made things worse. I always prioritized studying and working hard towards those goals, putting my health, fitness and “dream body” on the sidelines. I just “didn’t have the time”.
To add to that, I had an accident on my leg when I was 10, from which I now can’t run too long, or stand too long and just have a bunch of other restricted movements; Another excuse on the list.
As you can imagine, the calories kept coming in with hardly any going out.
I did try working out and following a “diet” in the relaxed summer after high school, and while it did help me drop a few pounds, I soon gave up because I definitely wasn’t happy with that lifestyle.
And then the multiple (yet brief) phases where I told myself I-should-just-be-happy and not-care-about-my-weight-or-how-I-look.
I never thought it was possible to have both – at least for me.
Fast forward to junior year of undergrad when I took a semester off to do an internship instead and had A TON of free time every evening after work. One of those days I realized that if I didn’t use that opportunity to start working out, I’d be pretty much using some excuse or the other, coz “lack of time” was clearly not an issue anymore.
And THERE began my journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
Haylee on Keto
What actually kicked things off though, was when I was introduced to the Keto diet a few weeks into my daily hour-long elliptical routine. After hearing how it bumped up weight-loss, this carb-lover decided to give it a shot. That one decision truly turned my life around.
I started working out each and every day since – no rest days at all – and didn’t even accept being sick as a reason to skip the gym. What if I made it a habit?
I would be lying if I said it was all smooth sailing though. I did have the occasional plateau (which coincided with the times I stopped actually counting the carbs and just avoided the foods I knew had a high amount in them). They were also the times I had those “be happy, forget about how you look and how much you weigh” moments.
What got be back on track? Thinking about how hard I had worked to even get to that point. It just convinced me to push myself harder and getting back on track with Keto.
Transition to “Normal” Eating
A year and half later, when I was finally satisfied with the number on the scale and the reflection in the mirror, I decided to move on to eating “normal” food.
Got those carbs back in!
Hey, I did say I love carbs!
Research and Macro-friendly Eating
I was so very afraid to make the transition though.
I’d read online about others’ experiences with getting off the low-carb lifestyle online, and they were mostly tales of putting back on all that lost weight.
So I went a step further and did a ton of research into the best times of day to introduce the carbs, when to have the fats and the protein, and how to structure them all with a workout-routine. Using all information, I crafted my “perfectly macro-balanced diet”, and stuck to it.
What happened? No weight-gain at all. I actually still continued to lose weight since I maintained a calorie deficit.
Underweight & Malnourished
A few months of that, and I actually had the reverse problem.
- I lost way too much weight
- That number on the scale said I was in the under-weight category
- My body-fat percentage was quite below the healthy level
How serious was it? At my lowest, I was 104 lbs with just 7% body fat, which for a 5′ 6″ woman is quite bad.
Here‘s an idea of what that number should be.
While I was proud of what I had accomplished for a bit, I had to do figure something out because that came with a bunch of other issues too.
- Feeling terribly cold all the time
- Losing a bunch of hair
- Pale and deprived skin
- I even looked malnourished
I needed more fat in my body!
Started upping my calories by 100 every 2-3 weeks, and it made absolutely no difference. The weight-loss continued.
+700 calories and >30% fat per day later, I finally started making progress. What was the problem? At some point during my journey, my metabolism had ramped up so high that I was pretty much starving myself with that 1600 calories a day.
A bit of an Eating Disorder?
So yes, now I was eating balanced. In terms of macros, yes. But in terms of lifestyle? No.
Only eating food I cooked at home.
Obsessively looking up menus of restaurants if there was a plan to eat out.
Trying to stick to restaurants which put up nutrition information online.
Always only eating “what I should eat”, never what I wanted.
Asking for no salt; (What if I ate too much sodium??)
Pre-seasoned chicken breast where they can’t do the “no salt/no oil”, Not happening.
Whole Wheat only. Brown Rice only.
Desserts outside? NEVER. What about all those processed sugars?!
Yeah, I was clearly lying to myself that I was “happy” and “eating everything I wanted”.
Pushing out of that Comfort Zone!
Should probably credit my best-friend-turned-boyfriend-turned-fiancé-turned-husband all in one year (! P.S. I proposed, but thats a story for another day) for this, but I think I’m now there.
Side note: We knew each other 7 years starting to date, so not just some random person I didn’t know.
Went on a trip with him July 2021 and actually ate “normal” food outside, without tracking it all.
Salads with funky ingredients
Wraps with even more funky ingredients (Almond Feta?!)
Elk Meat hot dogs was probably the craziest.
Back-on-track after that, until another trip in September.
The best, must-eats in one week:
- Mac and Cheese (apparently “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese, with a salad) – Beecher’s
- Bavarian Pretzels (with an unimaginable variety of mustards, but a salad too) – Müchen Haus
- A GIANT slice of Pizza (with Beer cheese, btw) – Sizzle Pie
- Mini Donuts (Warm, Freshly made-to-order! but after Oats for breakfast) – Pip’s Donuts
- Pasta (but 1/2 noodles, 1/2 zoodles, extra veggies)
- Cheesy Crab Cakes (with Crab and veggies on the side) – Crab Pot
- French Macarons – Lady Yum
- A French Toast Bagel (Man this was good. Got a workout + oats in just before this) – Blazing Bagels
- And yes, some Ice Cream too (split this) – Frankie & Jo’s; This was Vegan!
The balance?
Still worked out in the morning before heading out for the day.
Ate Protein Zucchini Oats for breakfast (my everyday)
Still getting in veggies for the day
Getting protein in every meal
Eating at regular intervals, and on-time
Sticking to one major-indulgence a day only
Didn’t go overboard on any meal – kept things balanced.
A week later and I was still good on the scale, not looking puffy, and had no regrets.
And now, Finally!
Actually keeping a balance.
- Eating out 2-ish times a week
- A no-tracking meal every 2-3 weeks
- Random late-night Gelato run with husband
- IN LOVE with funky burgers – like real funky ones.
We’re talking gourmet crazy combinations of toppings, like Wasabi coleslaw and steak sauce or bacon jam, garlic aioli, horseradish and arugula. - Getting that gourmet Pizza too.
- A good French Toast every now and then.
But also,
- Strength Training 4 days a week (I try to get them all but sometimes its 3 :/)
- A High Protein diet!
- Good amount of Veggies & Fruits throughout
- Salad dressing on the side when eating out (always)
- Lots and Lots of Bread <3 (or carbs in general, haha)
Just eating what we want, and working out too.
Even more?
If you ever want to know more, or need some help and extra motivation to get you going, feel free to reach out to me. I’ve got your back!
How Hayl’s Kitchen Came to Be
My cooking adventures began with the “need” to make my own food since eating out on Keto while also being on a college-student budget was quite hard!
As a side note, I had never cooked a single meal before getting to college. Even when I did cook something those first couple of years, it was typically pre-packaged pastes and seasonings that I just had to throw some water and meat into. So when I started to actually cook, my repertoire included 3-4 few easy recipes on rotation. What were they? A hot-dog&cheese omelette, chicken & cheese quesadilla, and spicy cabbage-chicken casserole.
The experimentation began when I discovered Keto recipe blogs and the range of possibilities out there in terms of what I could eat. Then came things like bread, coconut flour pancakes, cinnamon rolls, bacon-wrapped chicken, and what not!
Moving on to the “normal” food lifestyle only took things further. Being able to eat all food groups, I had so many options.
While doing that whole “what to eat when” research though, I also started reading a lot into quality foods. Learned all about the value of whole grains, how bad sugars are for you (when you just eat them all the time), additives in otherwise simple and healthy foods like nut butters, salt in everything, and a lot more.
I used to post all the sweet and savory dishes for healthier versions of recipes I find online. Easy swaps for “bad carbs” like white flour or sugar.
Protein Powder Desserts?
At some point I realized my Instagram page just wasn’t kicking off. I realized I had to find a “niche” on there.
Paid some attention to what posts did well, and realized it was the healthier, high-protein desserts and other sweet recipes.
(It was hard to let go of the other stuff, but the effort wasn’t worth it. Plus, I LOVE desserts way more than a zucchini soup, lol)
But no, it wasn’t easy. Baking with protein powder was hard. Like, VERY hard.
A ton of dense cakes, brick-like brownies and soggy banana breads later, I finally figured it out 🙂
So now you have my perfected protein-packed dessert recipes! And breakfasts and snacks and basically food for any sweet meal you want.
All macro-friendly, high-protein, lower-fat and lower-carb sweet treats 🙂
While a macro-balanced diet does restrict what I can eat when, I’ve managed to find ways to fit it all in, and I just couldn’t be happier with my food life than I am right now!
