Hi and welcome to Green Healthy Cooking! Here you can find out more about Lorena.
My name is Lorena Grater and I am…well….many things.
I am a German Peruvian, a certified translator, a globetrotter, a mother, a wife, a YouTuber (uuuuh), a real food lover and a self-proclaimed chef creating healthy recipes that fit into my definition of clean eating. I am an Instant Pot Pro and a Meal Prep addict, too, to be more precise ;)
I live with my Mexican husband and two kids in snowy Montreal, Canada, which officially makes my kids polyglots because they are growing up with 4 languages. How amazing is that?
Green Healthy Cooking is my online baby and where I share healthy recipes, detailed cooking tutorials, and other clean-eating how-tos.
My Story
I was born and raised in a small town in Southern Germany by a German father and a Peruvian mother. My grandfather was a butcher and my dad’s best friends were all hunters. Meaning, I grew up on wild meat, bucket loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, sweet potato, avocado, and quinoa because that’s what my mom knew how to cook from her culture. Basically everything was always cooked from scratch and I was taught to cook as early as 3 years old.
When I moved out of my parents’ home to go study at university I learned for the first time that there were other people that did not know how to cook, nor did they know what eating healthy actually looked like. Even after graduating and meeting “older” people (lol) that had had their independent kitchens for a while, I still kept meeting a lot that were struggling with cooking and meeting their nutritional needs and always asking me for advice and help.
I found out quickly that for most of my friends eating healthy sounded super complicated, not very appealing, and super expensive.
I’m not a nutritionist (though I wish I were) but I grew up being kept updated on the latest research and development in nutrition studies and never stopped reading about nutrition up until today. My mother was always very interested in this topic and definitely passed on the hunger for nutrition knowledge to me.
Needless to say, I felt like there was a huge need for easy but delicious healthy recipes made with clean ingredients. Recipes that could easily be accessed by everybody at any time from anywhere in the world. Recipes for all those that had a really hard time wrapping their head around eating healthy to feel healthy.
Green Healthy Cooking was born out of a passion to help others find joy in the kitchen and enjoy the wonderful natural flavors of clean ingredients. Healthy eating and clean eating doesn’t have to be complicated at all, can be incredibly delicious, and also fit into everybody’s budget.
Start here
If you are new to Green Healthy Cooking, these are great topics to start browsing through the website:
- Read more about my Philosophy.
- Browse through all Recipes easily sortable by category and find your new go-to favorites.
- Are you as much of an Instant Pot junkie as I am? Let’s be besties! Learn how to make Instant Pot Rice and you’ll never cook it any other way.
- Meal Prep is a million times more effective than will-power alone when it comes to eating a healthy diet. Start with something easy like overnight oats.
- If you’re unsure which diet to follow, give each a try for a day and figure out what your body thrives on and what makes you feel good: 1-Day Clean Eating Meal Plan, 1-Day Keto Diet Plan, 1-Day Paleo Meal Plan, 1-Day Vegan Meal Plan.
Next, join the community!
Wow, you read all the way here. Thank you so much! I’d love to hear YOUR story as well and get to know YOU.
So please join my community on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest and say hello.
You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel to find all of Green Healthy Cooking’s video tutorials.
If you’d like to contact me privately the fastest way is through Facebook messenger or via e-mail to lorena@greenhealthycooking.com. I absolutely love hearing from you!
Features
Green Healthy Cooking has grown quite a bit over the years and it’s thus been featured in various media including Forbes, CBC Radio, Food Bloggers of Canada, Buzzfeed, msn, Elle, Popsugar, and Greatist, amongst others.
Lots of love from my kitchen to yours,
Daniela Rehme-Pumberger says
Halloooo Lorena,
Tolle Rezepte…deine Mutter war heute bei mir und hat mir davon erzählt.
Viele Grüße aus good old Germany – Erbach
Daniela
Lorena Graeter says
Hallo Dani!!! Jetzt erkenne ich deinen Namen! Meine Mama hat mir von dir erzählt aber Rehme hab ich noch nie gehört. Pumberger natürlich schon! :D Wie schön von dir zu hören. Liebe Grüße zurück :)
Carol says
Hi Lorena, love your recipes. Is there any chance you will include more vegetarian instant pot recipes in the future?
Lorena says
Hi Carol, the next coming up will be an Instant Pot Vegetable Soup mid February :) As long as people respond to the recipes I will keep posting. Always trying to create recipes most my readers love :)
Heather says
Thank you for the article on curly hair! After years of fighting my natural texture I tried your method and I am so pleased with the results. I have finally embraced my curly hair and it feels so soft. Saves a lot of time in the morning and no packing the hot iron when I travel.
Lorena says
Yay! I’m so happy for your Heather :D
Betza Camacho says
Hola Lorena!
Justo descubrí tu blog y me encanta! Soy Mexicana.
Your recipes are just what I was looking for: healthy but tasty. I hope my Swedish hubby has an easy transition to meatless dinners.
Viva el verde!
Betza
Lorena says
Hola Betza, mucho gusto :) Qué bueno que te gusten mis recetas. Nada más para aclarar, el blog tiene muchas recetas vegetarianas y veganas pero no es exclusivamente vegetariano, es omnívoro. Espero que igual disfrutes las recetas que te llaman la atención. Y definitivamente, que viva el verde!
PUSHPAL HARI says
Dear Lorena
I like your recipes. I live in Canada. I am having few people over for thanksgiving. I like to prepare a fancy meal that day. Can you suggest me some unique dinner recipes for thanksgiving. I won’t be roasting turkey.
Lorena says
Hi :D So happy to read you like my recipes. Of course, I’d love to give you some suggestions. Can you give me a bit of a better idea about the guests’ dietary preferences? Vegan? Vegetarian? Gluten-Free? Do you already have anything planned at all?
Gurkirat says
From where I can buy carrot peeler?
Jackj says
Most kitchenware sections of grocery stores have peelers with a serrated end of a handle. They will peel many fruits and vegetables. OXO is one brand
Karen says
I live at 5620 feet above sea level which does make a difference in the cooking times. What is your altitude that your recipes are based on, please.
Thank you.
Karen
Lorena says
Karen, I live in Montreal. All my recipes are based on sea level cooking times.
Karen L Skinner says
Thank you so much for the info.
Evie Johnson says
Can the Chicken and Rice recipe be doubled for 4 servings?
Lorena says
Yes!! You can without having to change any timing.
Margaret says
I am enjoying your web site and recipes!
My momma was from Texas, Scotch/Irish and Cherokee, my daddy from Louisiana, his Momma was Cajun, kicked out of France in the 1600s because they were Catholics…his daddy’s family from France, years and years ago.
Family lore has it 2 brothers stowayed on a ship from Paris to arrive in New Orleans.
Which was a real Sin City, back in the day
I grew up in the bayou country in Louisiana, and grew up with several cultures.
Different cultures are so interesting to me, but when I grew up in the deep, deep South, things were sooooo different during the 1950s when I was born.
We’re talking segregation, which was very difficult for my Momma’s family from Texas and Oklahoma.
Thank you so much for continuing the movement towards more healthy food, not contaminated with all of the chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides that were commonly used.
I am so grateful for all of the people who strive for a better, healthier life. Food is health, food is medicine. and we all need to MAKE time to relax. We all need down time.
Thank you.
Lorena says
Your family history is very interesting and I love that you’re enjoying my recipes :) All the love from my ancestors to yours!
Jackie Lebeau says
I am hoping to change my eating habits . Your recipes look approachable and yummy.Thanks for clarity of content.
Lorena says
Jackie I’m so happy to read that you are ready to take your health into your own hands. Most my recipes are very simple and nourishing while still being flavorful. I hope you enjoy them :)
Vanessa says
Hola!! Acabo de descubrir tu blog y es justo lo que estaba buscando!! Me encanta que tengas tantas recetas saludables y muchas de ellas con el IP. Love it!!!
Lorena says
Muchísimas gracias Vanessa :) Me alegra que te gusten mis recetas!
Jim says
If you ever release a physical cookbook please send me an email. I’d love to get one or maybe two.
Lorena says
Jim you’re so kind to write that!! I don’t have a physical cookbook and there isn’t one planned but if ever a good opportunity arises to write one I’ll make sure to e-mail you :)
Cle says
Thanks for all your hard work on the IP recipes. Im a newly minted Pot Head having so much fun trying recipes in this incredible cooking machine. Merci, and welcome to Canada!
Jenni says
How isn’t this the first time I’ve seen your website?? I am in love. Exactly what I’ve been looking for. Your cooking is exactly what I’m hoping to achieve in my home. Thanks for all the amazing recipes and inspiration!
Lorena says
Thank YOU for your lovely comment! You make my day :D
Terry Rasmussen says
Lorena,
I am so excited to find your website that explains how the insta-pot really works. I tried your chicken thighs with brown basmati and veggies and it came out perfect even though I doubled the recipe and was a little concerned. I wanted to post it on FB, but am a little “technology challenged” at times. Can’t find your last name anywhere. I signed up to follow your page, so hopefully that will make it easier. Thanks for what you do. It doesn’t take much longer to eat healthy than it does to do otherwise.
Lorena says
Hi Terry, I am so happy you like the recipe and you find my Instant Pot posts useful. Your comment made my day!! You can easily follow Green Healthy Cooking’s Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/greenhealthycooking/ For leaving comments for me the blog is always the best option. Comments on social media get lost unfortunately :(