About

Welcome to The Kitchen Shrink

Hey, y’all! I’m Kelsey–wife of a heart surgeon, mother of two young babies, licensed clinical psychologist, fitness enthusiast, and inspired home chef. I have been an avid cook & lover of all things culinary since I was just a skinny little nerd in elementary school. I love reflecting on the days of watching Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Meals with my grandma, then experimenting with ramen noodles and various salad dressings when the show ended—the impetus to my creativity in cooking.

10-year-old me recalls Italian dressing mixed with microwaveable ramen noodles (my first food creation) as being quite delicious. From there, it was cheesecake, more specifically “white chocolate raspberry ripple cheesecake,” which I baked for the first time when I was 11 at Thanksgiving. With the exception of my freshman year living in a college dorm, I cannot recall a time I was not regularly cooking for myself.

After my grandma passed away in 2008, she bequeathed all of her cookbooks to me. From there, I found Julia Child, The South Beach Diet, and so many other really random things. Grandma really had a wide range of culinary interests, which I’m so thankful for to this day.

Fast forward to starting my five-year endeavor of earning my doctorate, that’s when cooking really took off. School was stressful, I was separated from everyone I knew, and cooking gave me an opportunity to be creative and escape the academic and clinical world that occupied my life. I began noticing concepts I was learning in my training were highly applicable to my cooking. Mindfulness, behavioral activation, mind-body connection, the list is ongoing.

Currently, I am feeling more confident & ambitious in my kitchen than ever. I’ve been writing recipes for years now and love sharing them with you. Food has a special way of bringing people together, and I cherish time spent in my kitchen with my husband and daughter (future foodie, newest muse, lover of TKS baby food). TKS focuses on sharing whimsical recipes, bridging my psychological knowledge with food, sharing anecdotal experiences as a working mom, and promoting general health and wellness both mentally and physically. Cooking can be intimidating or a monotonous chore & I want to challenge that mentality. So, if this journey interests you, feel free to follow along. I hope to help encourage you to step out of your head & into your kitchen.

-The Kitchen Shrink