About

I'm Amanda – gerontologist, caregiver support professional, and yoga teacher. If you're interested in making food easier in your life, you're in the right place! All the recipes, techniques, and suggestions here are designed with caregivers, especially family caregivers, in mind. That means recipes offer options for different time, money, and energy budgets with approachable and flexible techniques and ingredients while considering the nutritional needs associated with aging. I hope you'll follow along!

My first adventures in cooking started with a mixing bowl full of water and a baby carrot cut with a butter knife I "cooked" on a high chair. Since that time, I've cooked for friends, family, and more, developed a library of recipes, studied nutrition, dabbled in different styles of meal prep, and worked with caregivers personally and professionally. Especially for family caregivers, managing time, money, and energy budgets often involves sacrificing self care. Caregiver Cooking is a project meant to support caregivers by offering ideas and guides to help with the mental load of food planning as well as the physical tasks of preparing food. Recipes are designed to be nutritious and cost effective, with options in each recipe to adapt to your specific time, money, and energy budgets (read more on that concept here!). Aging often comes with physical changes, and these recipes are meant to suit those as well.

You may notice a few more references to research here than on the average food blog. These are not required reading at all – every recipe, technique, and tip will work with no additional reading. I include these references for those with the time and inclination to learn more and because I come from a research background, so sharing the sources I use to learn is a well-established habit.

If you're interested in individual support or guidance, please reach out to amanda@haefner.me to discuss options for personalized services.

Education & Certifications

M.S. in Gerontology - University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2022)

RYT-200 (2022)

B.A. in Economics - Elon University (2009)

Notary Public - Virginia [Registration Number 8060879]

Red Cross CPR/AED/First Aid [Certificate ID 01G6KBL]