Monique Volz: Nutrient Dense Delicious Food Pro-Tips & Creating Ambitious Kitchen

In this episode of The Art of Being Well, I sit down with Monique Volz, founder of Ambitious Kitchen, to explore her personal journey of healing through food. We dive into how her complicated relationship with food and her father’s struggle with addiction shaped her love of cooking and the creation of her wildly popular platform. Monique opens up about overcoming an eating disorder, finding balance in her life, and how writing her first cookbook became a transformative experience. We also discuss practical tips for adding nutrition to your meals without sacrificing flavor, favorite pantry staples, and her top advice for parents looking to introduce nutrient-dense foods into their homes. This episode is packed with insights on wellness, food, and finding peace through nourishment.

Monique Volz is the founder of Ambitious Kitchen, a recipe platform dedicated to celebrating wholesome, delicious recipes that feed the body and nourish the soul. The healthy living and food blog, inspired by the passion her parents had for cooking and baking, and the memories made in the kitchen at a young age, has millions of followers with over 5 million visitors a month.

Inspired in the rich culinary traditions of her Puerto Rican heritage, Monique's love affair with cooking began under the guidance of her single mother, who taught her how to make big batches of PuertoRican rice and beans, homemade empanadas, pozole and enchiladas, all passed down from her Grandmother. Monique also spent her most-loved childhood memories in her father’s kitchen as he taught her how to bake homemade yellow cake and sky-high lemon meringue pies. Her family’s beautiful recipes and pride associated with cooking and baking instilled in her a deep appreciation for the power of food to create connection and joy.

Yet, Ambitious Kitchen was created during one of the darkest periods of Monique’s life. While struggling to cope with the sudden loss of her father when she was just 18, she sought solace in the rigid confines of calorie counting, spiraling into the grips of anorexia and ending up being hospitalized. It was through this difficult journey that she discovered the transformative potential of cooking as a source of healing and empowerment. For her, ambition meant reclaiming the warmth and comfort that her father’s kitchen provided her.

Monique's recipe creations transcend mere sustenance, embodying a vibrant tapestry of flavors, textures, and memories. Her signature Best Chicken Soup, infused with healing properties and the comforting aromas of home-cooked goodness, and her legendary Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies(which she made in her father's memory), a symphony of sweet indulgence, have captivated audiences worldwide. Their viral rise to fame, becoming the most searched recipes on Google, is a testament toMonique's unwavering dedication to culinary excellence and soulful nourishment.

A few of my favorite things we cover in this episode: 

• How Monique discovered her love for cooking and the story behind the creation of Ambitious Kitchen
• Her relationship with her father, who struggled with addiction, and how he influenced her involvement in the kitchen
• Her journey through a complicated relationship with food and how she found her way back to balance
• The process of writing her first cookbook and what the experience has been like
• How to add nutrition to your diet while still making food taste amazing
• Monique's favorite recipes from the cookbook
• Tips for parents on introducing nutrient-dense foods to their family
• Favorite pantry staples to keep on hand for healthy meals
• Monique's experience with overcoming an eating disorder
• The best tips and tricks for freezing meals

Links to things we talked about in this episode: 

• Head to MANUKORA.COM/WILLCOLE to grt $25 off the Starter Kit, which comes with an MGO 850+ Manuka Honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook!
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• Take on the most advanced approach to hair wellness with Vegamour’s new GRO+ Advanced System. Learn more at Vegamour.com/WILLCOLE and use code WILLCOLE to save 20% on your first order.
• Visit start.culinahealth.com to book your first session with a registered dietitian today.
• To book a discovery call and learn more about plant medicine, visit ReunionExperience.org and use code WILLCOLE during registration to save $250 dollars off your retreat.

Happy listening and we hope you learned a little bit more on the art of being well!

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In Health,

Dr. Will Cole