Welcome to Oven Love! So glad to have you.

I’m Natalie, and Oven Love is where I share recipes and talk about important things like eating bacon. I’m a Christian, an Air Force wife and a stay-at-home mama with three little peanuts to care for (a boy and two girls). My husband and I grew up in Pennsylvania and spent some time stationed in Ohio and Georgia. We’re currently back in Ohio while he works on his PhD at AFIT.

I have always loved spending time in the kitchen and dreaming up new recipes. I rarely make a recipe twice- if I do, you can be sure you’ll hear about it. Oven Love has been through many transformations since it’s beginning in 2008 (and so have I), but one thing is for sure- I have always been about flavorful, nutritious food made from scratch. That’s the way I show my love to my family and to you. Are you warm and fuzzy yet?

FAQs

You’ve talked about a lot of different styles of eating on Oven Love. So are you paleo, refined-sugar free, gluten-free, vegan, GAPS or what?

I have gone through quite a few dietary changes in Oven Love’s history. I started the blog with little knowledge of good nutrition (you’ll find a ton of sugared-up treats in the archives). There are a lot of ideas out there about what “good nutrition” really means, and it took me a while to get behind one style of eating over another. Right now, I am just trying to eat real food. I spent some time on the GAPS Diet as well as the 21-Day Sugar Detox. My journey through the GAPS Intro Diet is chronicled here on the blog. You can also read more about my health story here.

Who knows? Maybe after another 5 years (or 5 months, haha) of blogging I’ll be doing something else.

What is MPMK?

MPMK stands for Modern Parents Messy Kids, a top notch blog where I contribute my family-friendly ideas and recipes. Please come and visit- all of the contributors are brilliant!

What do you do when you’re not blogging?

A lot of things! For me, the blog is a fun place to share recipes that I have enjoyed making and eating. It is NOT my job (or major source of income, though it does bring in some profit). It is a hobby, it is fun, and I want to keep it that way! I spend most of my time caring for my kids and my husband, but you will hear me talk from time to time in my posts about my other pursuits. I moonlight as a vocalist, decorator and crafter, among other things. I’ve always got something new going on.