Hi, I'm Julia! Welcome to my food blog JuliasAlbum.com which I founded in 2012 to share my favorite recipes in hopes that other people would also enjoy them. I live with my husband in a small town in beautiful Colorado where idyllic nature and dramatic mountains are my backdrop and my playground when I am not in the kitchen.
What type of recipes can you expect to find on my website?
- Savory recipes. I don't have a big sweet tooth, so pretty much all my recipes are savory dishes. I do post an occasional dessert once in a while, but I'm definitely not a dessert person.
- Easy weeknight dinner recipes. The vast majority of my recipes are main courses, usually featuring some kind of protein (chicken, pork, lamb, beef, or seafood) together with vegetables (or fruits). I use spices and many other ingredients to make my dinner recipes flavorful and fun. My recipes are usually high in protein and rich in fiber.
- Pasta recipes. A lot of my dinner recipes are pasta dishes featuring a variety of pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, orzo, gnocchi, ravioli, tortellini, etc) combined together with cooked veggies and protein (usually chicken, salmon, shrimp, or scallops). I usually make a yummy sauce to go with pasta (sometimes creamy, sometimes not).
- Salads. I make it a habit to eat a salad everyday, either as part of dinner, or for lunch. You'll find new salad recipes posted on my website on a regular basis. You can easily add your favorite protein (such as rotisserie chicken, leftover cooked chicken, salmon, shrimp, etc.) to most of my salads to turn them into a complete meal.
- 30-Minute One-Pan recipes. Most of my recipes are pretty simple and can be done in about 30 minutes using only one cooking pan. You can expect more and better simple 30-minute one-pan dishes from me going forward.
- Gluten-free recipes. A lot of my recipes are naturally gluten-free or can be easily adjusted to be gluten-free.
- Easily adjustable recipes. Most of my recipes can be adjusted to be dairy-free, meatless, or gluten-free. I started providing tips about these adjustments and will make it into a system going forward.
My recipes are inspired by the seasons
I use whole foods and seasonal ingredients and make sure that my meals are well-balanced, nutritious, delicious, and fun. Many of my recipes are inspired by seasons and use a wide variety of seasonal ingredients.
- Autumn-inspired recipes. In the Fall, I publish a lot of butternut squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash recipes. When apples are in season from July through December - I try to utilize them in my dinners or salads. During September, October, and November, I like to incorporate ingredients we often associate with Fall (such as pecans, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, pumpkin) into my recipes.
- In the Summer, I always make use of fresh tomatoes, homemade basil pesto, and fresh berries. I love the peach season that usually runs from July to September. I incorporate fresh corn into my dinners and salads from May to September. I love fresh cherries from June to August.
My food philosophy
The recipes that I publish on my website are real meals that I cook for myself, my family, and friends. They reflect the way I eat and my philosophy to use a wide variety of ingredients. I use whole foods and seasonal ingredients and make sure that my meals are well-balanced featuring protein, veggies, fiber, complex carbs, adequate amounts of fat.
- PROTEIN-RICH and FIBER-RICH RECIPES. I prefer to eat protein-rich dinners that usually feature one of my favorite proteins (chicken, beef, salmon, shrimp, scallops, lamb, etc) accompanied by cooked or fresh vegetables and fruits - prepared in a simple, delicious and flavorful way. I usually serve my dinners with complex carbohydrates that are packed with fiber, which includes a large variety of fiber-rich veggies (asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, leafy greens, Brussel sprouts, and many other - too many to list). Some of my most favorite complex carbs are sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and fiber-rich fruits and veggies. I also love beans, wild rice, and quinoa.
- LOW-CARB AND MOSTLY GLUTEN-FREE. I prefer eating mostly low-carb and gluten-free foods. I do eat high-quality protein-based pasta about 3 times a week (see next point below).
- FLAVORFUL PASTA DISHES. I eat pasta dishes about 3 times a week. I always eat pasta with some kind of protein (usually chicken, steak, or seafood) and some kind of veggies. Often smothered in a delicious creamy or cheese-based sauce.
Fun facts about me
- I have an identical twin sister and she is a full-time food blogger, too! We grew up as best friends, always creating things as kids. We made clothes from scratch for our dolls (and for ourselves!). We even made our own dolls from scratch. As adults, now, we both have translated those skills into creating recipes from scratch.
- My educational background. Before food blogging, I finished my MBA (Master's Degree in Business Administration) with the specialization in Supply Chain Management, no less! 🙂 I could have been managing a warehouse or procuring equipment or spare parts for a manufacturing plant at this very moment. But here I am, food blogging instead!
- I love naturally orange foods and regularly eat naturally colored orange veggies and fruits, such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets (both orange and red), oranges, peaches, apricots, mango, persimmons, and papaya. There is something about the orange color in fruits and vegetables that makes them irresistable to me. My recipes reflect my love for orange foods.
- I traveled extensively between 2016 and 2019 and published a lot of useful international travel articles about places to visit, and things to do - if you love to travel, you might like them. I traveled through Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand), Europe (Italy, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Monaco), the Caribbean (Barbados), the Middle East (United Arab Emirates), and Canada.
Connection with nature
One of the most important parts of my life is feeling connection with nature. I live in a very small town in Colorado, with the most picteresque mountains and groves of aspen trees and evergreens at my doorstep. I like hiking steep terrain in wilderness (usually alone, but sometimes with my husband and friends) as a way to keep myself in decent shape through regular (and challenging) physical activity. Being outdoors in nature keeps me both physically and mentally balanced, it energizes me and recharges my batteries. Food blogging can be a lonely jorney with a lot of time spent indoors, in the kitchen, or being glued to a computer screen. Getting outside and physically challenging myself while being nurtured by nature makes everything better: it improves my mood and sleep, lowers the stress, gives me energy and motivation, and simply makes me a happier person.
Featured On
- My recipes have been featured on major sites, such as Huffington Post, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Parade, The Kitchn, Delish, Brit+Co, Food Network, BUZZFEED, PUREWOW, and Greatist.
- For a detailed list of some of my recipes featured on these sites + links to those features, check out my Press page.
Join me on Social Media!
Subscribe to my recipes by e-mail:
Subscribe to my e-mail list here and I will send you delicious recipes every week. You will also get an email every time I publish a new recipe. The subscription is 100% free and you can unsubscribe at any time!
The best way to contact me and get me to respond
- The best way to reach me (and get my response) is to comment on any recipe on this website or on this ABOUT page in the comments section below even if you'd like to communicate about something that doesn't have anything to do with a particular recipe. I always see your comments! And, if you indicate that your comment is private, I won't publish it. You can email me at inquiriesjulia { at } gmail { dot } com but my email gets cluttered and it's very very likely I might miss your message if you email me. See more at my contact page.
I am very happy that you landed on my website!
I love hearing your feedback about my recipes (both positive and negative - it helps me grow). I always see your comments and try to respond promptly. I just updated my homepage (as of October 2023) - it now provides a very good overview of my recipes - I highly encourage you to check out my homepage for helpful navigation! If you'd like to see my most recent food creations, you can find my latest recipes here.
Becky
Absolutely love your recipes. My food choices were dull and boring before. You have introduced me to color and variety along with fantastic, easy and tasty recipes. Hubby now likes what i cook.
Julia
Wow, Becky, your comment really makes my day! 🙂 So glad my recipes resonate with you! 🙂
Jane Moreno
Loved all these recipes but my family started a vegetarian diet. So tired of just pasta dishes. Can you suggest some great vegetarian recipes?
Julia
Jane, here are some vegetarian recipes you might like that do not involve pasta:
Vegetarian Enchiladas with Butternut Squash, Black Beans, and Bell Pepper
Meatless Pumpkin Quinoa Chili with Black Beans and Chickpeas
Parmesan Spaghetti Squash with Zucchini and Pine Nuts
Roasted Butternut Squash stuffed with Corn, Zucchini, and Cheese
Roasted Butternut Squash with Feta, Spinach, and Pine Nuts
Black Bean and Butternut Squash Enchilada Casserole
Winter Vegetable Salad with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, and Beets
Sweet Potato Hash with Bell Peppers and Portobello Mushrooms
Sandy Dewberry
Hey Julia, do you have a published cookbook? If not you should!!! Love all your recipes.
Sandy
Julia
Sandy, thank you for trusting my recipes! ❤️❤️ No cookbook yet, but hopefully someday. 🙂
Barbette Sharp
Can't wait to make to your Shrimp Orzo 🙂 I have all but two of the ingredients and before I shop for them I'm wondering if you have a recommendation for a particular brand of Basil Pesto OR "make your own" that would make a real difference to this dish? Thanks for your experienced opinion 🙂
Julia
Barbette, I only use 2 kinds of store-bought basil pesto: the refrigerated Buitoni brand and the refrigerated basil pesto from Whole Foods.
Or, I make my own using this recipe:
https://juliasalbum.com/basil-pesto/
Debbie
I have not found a recipe that I did not like! Your creative recipes make me a proud user of many of your recipes!
Today I just took your Greek Yogurt Blueberry Cake recipe out of the oven! Our home has the yummy fragrance now! I do only use 1/3 cup of sugar in the recipe and yum, yum, yum!!!! I have probably made this one recipe 15-20 times! Blueberries are very healthy for us!!! Thank you for this and probably 25 other favorites from you that became favorite here at home!
And I always tell random ladies to check out your fabulous recipes! I make sure they jot your website down and tell them you are on Facebook too!
Julia
Wow, Debbie, this is one of the sweetest and kindest comments I've ever ran across on my site! ❤️❤️ So glad my recipes resonate with you and that you have made many of them! 🙂
Nancy Wodka
I typically hate cooking, but these recipes are actually fun and so easy to make. So far I have tried the pan, seared salmon with spinach and the Greek chicken, both of which my husband said our restaurant worthy and the shrimp gnocchi, and Greek shrimp with orzo and feta, I can’t wait to try more of your recipes and you have made for such easy weeknight meals. Thanks!
Julia
Wow, Nancy, your comment really made my day! ❤️❤️ So glad you've tried many of my recipes. I hope you find many other recipes on my site that you like! 🙂
Pierre Marcault
Hi Julia!
I really like your way of cooking, but I think many of the recipes in this moment sound much like summer ones ! Many salads with tomatoes for example. These days we have about 0° in France where I live and I don't really want to cook salads and tomatoes ! But maybe you live in Australia or New Zealand or South Africa ?
Apart from that it' great thank you !
Julia
Pierre, that's a very valid point! 🙂 I have more comfort food recipes planned to be published this winter. I also just sent out my latest newsletter you might like:
10 Cozy and Creamy 30-Minute Pasta Dinners
Sandra Gilbert
Hi Julia, I've been preparing your recipes for a few weeks now and everything has been absolutely delicious! I appreciate the fact that so many dishes require only one pot and have simple, easy to find ingredients. We also enjoy the vegetarian options.
Thank you!
Julia
Sandra, I am so happy you find my recipes practical and easily adjustable to your diet preferences. ❤️
Mark
Hi Julia,
I received your recipes through email and loving what I’m seeing. My wife and rarely eat red meats, so fish and chicken are our go to meats. We are going to try as many of your recipes as possible and I will be sure to post pictures and comments once we do.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Julia
Mark, I am glad you and your wife enjoy the newsletters I am sending out! 🙂 I put quite a lot of thought into them. 🙂 I hope you try some of my recipes and do let me know in the comments how they turn out!
Tess Devin
Hi Julia,
I love love your receipes. I see that you have alot of dishes with chicken which i love, but wondering if you have any with more red meats. 30 minute ones or any really.
That you for the lovely receipes via the emails.
Cheers
Tess
Julia
Tess, I do have quite a few recipes with red meat (beef, sausage, pork, lamb). See the links below:
https://juliasalbum.com/category/beef/
https://juliasalbum.com/category/sausage/
https://juliasalbum.com/category/pork/
https://juliasalbum.com/category/lamb/
I don't have too many recipes with beef, but the good news is that it's on my radar and on my to-do list! More beef recipes to come!
Dee Carlson
Julia
I have been making several of your dishes this past week and they are delicious! I was wondering, since my plan is to continue making your dishes in the future. So if you would consider making a grocery list of spices, standard ingredients such as red peppers, capers etc that are in most your recipes - so that I can stock my pantry - that can be posted on your site.
This would help your subscribers to assist in planning meals.
Thank you!
Julia
Dee, I am so glad you enjoy my recipes! ❤️ That's not a bad idea for me to create a list of the common ingredients I often use - I could also add the tools and the pans I use the most to that list. Thank you for your feedback! I shall create it! (hopefully sooner than later).
Ruth
Hi Julia, Your recipes and photos are fantastic! I was about to ask the same question......... about a grocery and pantry list. That would be most appreciated.
Julia
Thank you, Ruth. I will create something like this.
Hollie
Hi, Julia, I'm so glad I came across your website. I'm a little terrified to try anything spicier than black pepper, but your recipes make it look so easy. I can't wait to try your oyster mushroom saute! But I have a question. Would you mind if I posted that recipe on my website? I am a forager, and had just written about oyster mushrooms being one of the ones shown to eat plastics while remaining completely edible! I would love to give my (very few) readers a taste (yes, I went there!) of your culinary genius. Thanks!
David
Hello Julia. I came across your FB page and was immediately hooked because of the ‘one pot’ aspect of your recipes. We don’t each much meat at all so I was very happy to see so many tasty vegetarian recipes. I’ve done about a dozen of them so far and will definitely do more if your salads come the summer. We live in France so are spoilt for decent food, but are constantly looking for cuisine from other countries. Keep up the good work
Julia
David, thank you for your thoughtful comment! ❤️ I am glad you found my page and are enjoying my recipes. 🙂 Not all my recipes are one-pot meals, but one pan dinners have been my focus lately and it will continue to be, so more to come! 🙂
I love France and French food. I've spent one month in Southern France and then another month in Bordeaux in 2018 (travelling through France's most beautiful villages, visiting Paris and Gascony region in between). I can't wait to get back there at some point soon. 🙂 You're very lucky to live there! ❤️
Marilyn Tobey Leish
Can your chicken dishes be made in the oven? If so, what changes are needed?
Julia
Marilyn, it depends on a particular recipe. Which ones are you thinking about?
Tim Elliott
Made your shrimp scampi today and it was wonderful!
Julia
Tim, so glad you tried it and loved it! 🙂
Liseta Martins
Good night!
I'm Portuguese and I'm out of the country at the moment. I'll be back later this month, and after finding your recipes I was so excited that I even started making the shopping list for 2 or 3 recipes with the intention of trying them one by one, not only because they don't take up too much time in the kitchen, they seem to me to be very nutritious and the color attracts me.
I'm 71 years old and my English is basic, when I don't fully understand the recipe I use the translator and so I get excited about the recipes.
Thank you for sharing, and when I make the first recipe, I'll be happy to come here to comment.
Julia
Liseta, thank you for your thoughtful comment - I am glad you found my site and that my recipes provide some dinner inspiration for you! ❤️ I am looking forward to hearing your feedback about the recipes you might try! 🙂
Joy Fisher
Hi Julia,
so far all the meals I made from your recipe are awesome. over the holidays we had lots of people, now everyone is gone. Do you have any recipes that are for 2 people?
Julia
Joy, I am so glad you loved everything you've made so far from my site! ❤️ Most of my dinner recipes make 4 moderate or 2 generously-sized servings. You can try making some of these and maybe have some small leftovers for next day's lunch:
https://juliasalbum.com/category/dinner/
D.Werner
I just finished making your apple cake.after Ididnt have enough batter to cover diced apples.your recipe callls for 1.5 cups flour is this amount correct.
Thank you
Dianna
Julia
Dianna, yes, the 1.5 cups of flour is correct. This cake recipe uses A LOT OF APPLES. The cake batter should rise and cover most of them during the baking process, with some of the apple chunks picking through the batter (that's the objective). But it could be too many apples for some people - for next time, you can reduce the number of apples from 4 to 2 or 3 medium size apples. 🙂
Diane Milburn
I don’t know how I received this on my email, BUT I am so excited to try some of the recipes. They sound wonderful. Thank you so much.
Julia
Diane, I am so happy you discovered my site - I hope you find a lot of recipes you'll love here! 🙂
Debbie Mchardy
Hi Julia! My adult son and I are trying to eat healthy this year and I came across your recipes and was so excited! We plan our meals for about a week at a time but there were so many delicious meals that I think we went for two weeks. So far, we’ve had the spinach and strawberry salad…yum! Looking forward to trying more!! Debbie Mchardy
Julia
Debbie, I am so glad you discovered my site and found some recipes you would like to make! ❤️ I hope you love everything you try. Thank you for your thoughtful comment! ❤️
Staci
Do you have a cookbook out? If so, what is it called?
Julia
Staci, unfortunately, I don't have a cookbook yet. 🙂
Barbara Bayley
That was my question also. I would love to see a cookbook of your gorgeous and healthy recipes. Please consider!
Julia
Thank you, Barbara! ❤️ I will probably create a cookbook at some point. 🙂
Michele Farmer
I just saw the question about a cook book… and that was what I want to know. Please put the word out loud and clear when you do publish one! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes. Michele
Julia
Michele, thank you for trusting my recipes - I so appreciate it! ❤️ I do hope to have cookbook in the near future. 🙂
Kayla Van Keulen
I never comment online, but I simply have to on your site. I learned about your site from my mother in law and I love every sing recipe that I have tried. You are made for this kind of thing. Finding healthy meals that are delicious used to feel impossible, but they aren't anymore. I also love that the ingredients include what I grow in my garden. Thank you so much for what you do!
Julia
Kayla, wow - this is honestly one of the best comments I've come across on my website. ❤️ Thank you for your encouragement - it means so much to me! ❤️
Erik DeWiel
I'm a senior. Just learning to cook in retirement! Love your recipes. But what really makes me pay attention to them is the photos. No matter how many single dish photographs you publish, they all make me look carefully and with awe. Well done. I think your MBA actually taught you some valuable marketing skills.
Julia
Erik, I am so glad my recipes are inspiring you to cook. Thank you for appreciating the work I do, my photography, and my cooking. Comments like this motivate me to do more and better recipes and work on constantly improving myself. 🙂