Hustle culture seemed like the perfect fit for my overachiever type-A personality. I thought I was thriving in this go, go, life, turns out it was suffocating me, literally. I was running from one thing to the next, ignoring my lower back pain, and the discomfort in my throat every time I ate certain foods. My body was telling me to slow down but I kept ignoring and dismissing every sign until I had no other choice. Eosinophilic esophagitis was my wake-up call.

I decided to start experimenting with the food I was already making for my family. Turns out, most of the food I was preparing was based on my Croatian culture. So I did what came naturally, I tried to turn most of the food into low-er carb, gluten-free options to see if it would help take off the added weight contributing to my back pain. I also noticed that when I took my time to properly chew my food it would significantly help my esophagus. However, I felt like I was still missing a big piece of the puzzle. I was rushing through my days allowing hustle culture to rob me of the motherhood I craved. It’s not that being productive was a problem, it was the constant bombardment of information, decision-making fatigue and multi-tasking that was adversely affecting my well-being. The mentality of all work and no play, coupled with multi-taking was sucking the life force out of me. I did what any normal Mom would do, I took a vacation to Croatia. That trip and subsequent others blew my mind.

When I travelled to Croatia for the first time as a Mom, I was amazed at how the people lived. They didn’t seem to be in a rush. I noticed Moms taking moments out of their busy days to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend, and home-cooked meals seemed the norm. I decided to take everything I witnessed in Croatia and start documenting it in my journals. Everything from new recipes to the lavender scents I would experience on my walks in Hvar, I savoured it all.

Years passed and I would take more trips to Croatia to visit the allure I could feel, but could not put into words. I was captivated by their intentional approach to life. Everything seemed to flow from one activity to the next, in an effortless fashion. I soon realized, there was a name for this approach to life, it was POMALO. The Croatian phrase Pomalo means to slow down, relax and take it easy. Food is one way I was able to slow down and become healthier, but there are others. I share my seven Pomalo Principles-Croatia’s secret to Happy link below to purchase.

As you can see from my videos below I love to create. Back in 2020 I ‘virtually’ travelled to Croatia and made some low-carb recipes and centrepieces for my tables. My imagination was on fire—and still is. These days you can find me in my kitchen cooking and styling dining experiences for my family. Most of my food is based on my Croatian heritage, I have fond memories of my incredible and simple childhood. I love to take classic Croatian dishes and turn them into low-er carb and gluten-free ones. But not always, in the recipe section, you will find many low-carb gluten-free recipes that are not Croatian, and that’s ok. I do my best to represent my cultural roots which have shaped me into a great woman.

Pull up a chair and join me in Diocletian’s Palace- Split Croatia. KETO in Croatia. I’ll share my reason’s for starting keto, how easy it is to continue with keto if you are planning a trip to Croatia next year, along with some tips and strategies that have helped me on this journey. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww5D1dw6dK4

Welcome to my Video’s aka my VLOG. In my first video I tried using my magic mixing spoon to transport me back to a cooking class in Croatia. While it didn’t work then, I think it worked today because I’m in Istria Croatia- wink wink. Hold on as I show you how to create the easiest cheese platter while sampling this new wine from Croatia. The dock is swinging me back and forth and the sea feels really wavy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE3tzLZYBHI