Alexa Schirm is the creative force behind Simple Roots Wellness.  She’s a mother of three girls and a nutritionist who currently lives in Iowa with her family. 

She loves creating and developing recipes using only real ingredients.  She offers recipes, writes about her “crazy life with three little girls”, but ultimately, her goal is to give her readers useful tips on how to live a healthier life.

 “What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.”

1. What is the best thing about being a food blogger? What is the secret to your blog's success? Did you find it hard to grow your website?

There are so many pros to being a food blogger, or blogger in general. It opens the door to own your own business why developing a network of people to help spur you on from all over the world. You also get to connect with great brands and influence people from around the globe. Setting your own hours and having flexibility are also perks I don't mind.

As far as success, I don't think I have a secret. It has been a lot of work and extremely challenging for me to grow my website. I would say more challenging than the average blogger. I'm not sure why that is but getting numbers has always been a struggle of mine.

I think it started to come easier and maybe my answer to success is finding my own voice. To stop being and doing what everyone else was saying is successful and just be me. Of course using some strategies but as baselines and not the end all be all. To create a brand, stick to my brand and just be me.

2. What is your cooking philosophy? What or who is your biggest incfluence when it comes to cooking?

My cooking philosophy is always healthy, giving that I do mostly nutrition work on my website. But in that to keep it simple, easy and somewhat basic. I live in the middle of rural Iowa, which as definitely impacted my cooking style.

We do a lot of meat and potatoes here, and like flavor but keeping it simple. So my recipes are almost always that, healthy, simple and flavorful. Food that can be made in under 30 minutes.

My biggest influence is just my roots. Growing up in Iowa, surrounded by agriculture and gardens and learning to cook from that. I used to watch cooking shows on Food Network and I would say that was helpful and inspirational. But it definitely goes back to my roots.

3. What is your one guilty pleasure when it comes to food?

I love a good pie. Some people love chocolate but I love the delicious buttery flaky crust filled with warm sweet fruit. Seriously, there is nothing better.

4. Do you develop your own recipes? How do you come up with new ones?

I do develop my own recipes. They come from inspiration we find eating at restaurants, traveling, or simply at our friends houses. We are foodies so traveling to eat is what we do. I also like to keep the recipes family friendly so my kids bring in ideas as well.

The process starts by desiring something or through recommendations and then working to healthify the recipe. Once you get started in food blogging you create a "base" for many recipes and then just expand from there.

5. What are your three best recipes?

I would say my three best recipes are:

Five Ingredient Blender Protein Pancakes - My kids love these and they have to be one of my most popular recipes. They are made from kitchen staples and easily done in 10 minutes. They create the perfectly moist and fluffy pancakes ever. Definitely hard to eat pancakes other places after these.

20 Minute Lettuce Wraps - These are so simple and yet so flavorful and fresh. Plus you can make it ahead of time and reheat it all week for a quick and healthy lunch. I really can't get enough of them. But lets be honest, the sauce makes the recipe.

Blender Avocado Brownies with Chocolate Frosting - This recipe takes brownies to an entirely new level. Again, made in the blender but loaded with superfoods. The frosting definitely pulls this recipe together to become everything you want in a brownie but with a lot of added health benefits.

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