Welcome!

Hi there, and welcome to my website! My name is Mandy Froelich and I’m jazzed you stopped by. 

I was born in South Dakota and always had a fascination with nature and Spirit. At the age of 16, I became infatuated with holistic healing and plant-based cooking. Following an internship at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center and an educational time working as a chef at the Pomegranate Cafe in Arizona, USA, and studying through CSNN in Canada, I traveled around the world. I made it a personal mission to help people make food their medicine, as Hippocrates suggested back in 400 BC.

For one-and-a-half years, I worked as a chef and RHN in Costa Rica. And for eight months, I helped set up the world’s first organic, live food, ketogenic cancer clinic in Thailand. I’ve filmed cooking videos with budget-friendly foods in Kenya, Africa, for Organics4Orphans, and I’ve even self-published several books. Now, I live in Boulder, Colorado, with my partner, our husky, Damon, and our two cats, Midnight and Ariel.

If you’d like to learn more, click here. Now, we’re going to move on.

Healthy, Whole Food Eating

You’re probably here because you saw one of the tasty recipes I whipped up. Personally, I love creating (and eating) whole food treats. By “whole food”, I mean nothing that is processed, refined, or treated with chemicals. Not only do natural foods contain more nutrients, but they also tend to taste better and make you feel better.

Many of the recipes I share are vegan (no animal products of any kind) whereas others are paleo (grain-free, low sugar, may contain animal products) and gluten-free (free of gluten, which can cause inflammation in the gut). Don’t be fooled — I’ve had dozens of people tell me my chocolate-espresso cheesecake or my cakes are better than ordinary ones which feature conventional ingredients. My hope is that after you test out at least one or two recipes, you’ll agree.

Veganism vs Paleo vs Vegetarian vs GAPS and on, and on and on…

I used to be strictly vegan (for eight years, in fact) but soon after learned that a diet free of animal products is not optimal for my body. This is probably due to several factors, including genetics, the quality of food (specifically, fruit) that is shipped all over the world, climate, heritage, and more. Now, I enjoy a more sustainable diet of (as local as possible) vegetables, fruit, some meat, eggs (only occasionally), leafy greens, nuts and seeds, sprouted legumes, tubers (root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin and squash), and miscellaneous foods (like seaweed, sauerkraut, vegan protein powder, etc…).

I still love the idea of veganism. And, of course, I love indulging in vegan treats. But, you won’t find me advocating for a specific diet on this blog or Bloom for Life. More often than not, I’ll tell you to refer to the following rules:

    1. Listen to Your Body
      Your body is smart! She/he knows what you need to live your best life. That includes physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs. Most importantly, you are drawn to foods that contain nutrients you need. While you are adjusting your diet to be more wholesome, local, and nutrient-dense, don’t forget to take your desires into consideration.
    2. Eat More Plants
      I personally don’t think you can eat enough vegetables, leafy greens or sprouts. Eat those in abundance, followed by starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds. Add meat as desired, supplement with fruit, and bask in simplicity.
    3. Run away from dogma
      Dogma — especially dietary dogma (ugh!) — does nothing but create more separation (or, at the very least, feed the illusion). Every body is different (so is everybody). So, if you are being pressured into shaming someone or feel angry at someone for not living/eating the way you want them to, run from that organization. You clearly take yourself too seriously and it’s time to simplify, let go, and spend some time in solitude. Finally, when you hear your inner voice, you’ll intuitively know what kinds of natural, whole foods your body really needs.
    4. Get Active
      To develop a sense of intuitive eating, you need to become more active. Jump start a healthy metabolism and you’ll have a better sense of true hunger pangs — not pangs that stem from boredom. If you can, aim to exercise at least 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes. It doesn’t have to be intense exercise, you can simply walk, jog, or do yoga for this amount of time. But, don’t forget to switch it up, either. When you keep your “daily movement sessions” fun, you’ll want to do them more often.
    5. Consider Sustainability
      When deciding on the foods you’d like to eat, take sustainability into consideration. There is no need for humans to ship food halfway around the planet. All of the food we really need to obtain the necessary nutrients for optimal health can be cultivated in our own backyards. An indoor, vertical garden may need to be constructed first… but it’s possible!

      Until nutritious food is being grown on this scale, you can simply purchase food from local farmers, hunters, and butchers. Keep the carbon footprint of your dietary choices low and you’ll not only be benefiting yourself (eating local “speaks” to the body by helping your physical organism have a better understanding of the environment around it) but future generations.

Credit: FTD.com

Resources to Get Started

If you’re eager to learn more about healthy living and plant-based cooking, I enourage you to visit my business Bloom for Life. I have several books in the works in addition to 5+ that have been self-published. 

How We Can Work Together

Because I am so passionate about holistic healing, making food your medicine, and mindfulness, I obtained my RHN diploma from the Canadian School of Natural Healing (CSNN), my certification in Detoxification from the International School of Detoxification (ISD), my certification from the American Council of Exercise in personal training, reflexology certification from a local school in Bangkok, Thailand, three levels of Reiki attunement + training from my teacher, Debbie Creagh, located in Thailand, Intuitive Cards + Awareness attunement from Debbie Creagh, and additional schooling from Black Hills State University, in Spearfish, SD (though I am presently pursuing my degree in psychology). As a result, I feel there are several ways we can work together.

To learn about each specific offering, click here.

  1. Holistic Nutrition Consulting 
  2. Hire Me to Write and/or Build Your Site (Coming Soon)
  3. Personal Training / Exercise (in Colorado), specialty outdoors and plyometrics
  4. One-on-One Healthy Cooking Classes
  5. Group Cooking Classes
  6. Reiki Session (45 min – 1 hour)
  7. Reflexology Session (30 min – 1 hour) 
  8. Transmutational Therapy (Massage + Reiki, 1 hour)
  9. Intuitive Reading with Cards

Click on each modality to learn more.

Recipes

The best way to get better at making healthy food (and eating it) is to practice! So, check out my plentiful archive of recipes on Bloom for Life which I have been compiling for nearly one decade. If you ever have any questions on ingredient substitutions or want me to post about a new recipe you’d like to make for an event (or for yourself), let me know.

Spirit

My connection with Spirit is, perhaps, my greatest treasure in this world. Though it isn’t always the case, I really am grateful to be able to connect with the Universal life force, to communicate with my (and other people’s) guides, angels, and Elemental helpers, to transmute negative energy, to manifest my deepest desires, to help other people do the same, and to create every day through different mediums. When reading content filed under this section, you’ll learn how to do the same.

Lifestyle

We came to this planet to experience and to grow. So, every now and again, I will post about adventures I went on in this life, DIY hacks, and initiatives I’ve taken on at home.

Travel

I love to travel. And, I also love to share my travels with readers. Anything and everything under this umbrella will be filed under this tag. I hope you enjoy exploring, too!