joy to the food
Welcome to Joy to the Food!
Our mission is simple: To prove that eating more protein is not complicated and can actually be a lot of fun!
All of our recipes are developed, photographed, and written by Mika Kinney and Dan Kinney, a husband and wife duo with over 10 years of experience in high-protein cooking and baking.
At Joy to the Food, we like to challenge the idea that cooking and baking protein-rich meals are cumbersome or use expensive powders and supplements. Our recipes are designed to use minimal protein powders, focusing instead on protein from natural sources like bone broth or hemp seeds.
Now, I won't say we never use protein powder because it is convenient, but we want to show you that there are so many more ways to get more protein in your diet.
Throughout various health issues and now becoming parents, we've learned just how important protein is to our longevity and quality of life. This sparked our passion for making high-protein food approachable, easy, and delicious! So, here's what you can expect from us:
- High-protein: Most recipes on our site will have more than 5g of protein for desserts, 10g for appetizers, side dishes, and breakfast, and 20g for main meals. And if they don't, we always offer easy ways to add in a few extra grams of protein to hit those values.
- Quick recipes: Many of our recipes are ready in 30 minutes or less.
- Efficient: As parents, we understand how frustrating it is to have numerous pots and pans so we love one-pot, hassle-free meals.
- Recipes that make you smile: People love to eat because it reminds them of events, times, and places. Our recipes will evoke the comfort of home, the smell of grandma's house, or the feeling of giddiness you get when traveling to a new country.
meet the team
Mika: founder & content creator
I'm Mika, a food-obsessed gal and NASM certified nutrition coach (CNC) who has learned everything I know through trial and error (ya for being a former engineer with that analytical brain!). As a former college athlete and now busy mom and serial hobbyist, I've learned the importance of fueling correctly and with enough food!
Over on Instagram, you can find me dancing in the kitchen, working out with the family, or sharing my food blog knowledge through podcasts.
Dan: founder & tech wiz
Dan is also a food-obsessed dude but also our resident tech guru and keyword research strategist. He is a Midwest native who loves walleye, cheese, and the Vikings!
Dan is also a former civil engineer, and now that he's not designing roads anymore, you can find him hiking with his family or tending to the garden.
the kiddos
We wouldn't have half as much fun if it weren't for our kiddos. We have two dogs, Nala and Fig, and our son, Orion. They're the best clean-up crew, cheerleaders, and taste testers around!
how we create & test recipes
When we test recipes, we follow a pretty strict process to make sure they are perfect every time! The first step, of course, is to pick recipes.
To pick recipes, we have 3 guiding principles:
- Does this recipe spark joy and is it something that will make our lives easier and more delicious?
- Will the audience (you!) find this helpful or useful in their daily lives?
As long as the answer is "yes!" to both of those questions, then we start the testing process!
To test recipes, we make and test them using a variety of methods and ingredients a minimum of 2 times. This is to ensure that readers can substitute certain ingredients and to make sure we understand any difficulties that might arise while making the dish.
Our tried and true recipes have been featured in popular places like MSN, AARP, Twin Cities Live, and more!
help us, help others
As parents, child hunger is something we can hardly fathom. It hurts our hearts just to think about it and we don't want any child to face this. So while we can't fix the problem, at Joy to the Food, we donate a portion of profits to Feeding America to do our small part.
We also work with our local kids' BackPack Program, Fresh Harvest, to distribute food and provide recipe resources to families in our community on a weekly basis.
As you probably know by now, we make our income from ads on our site when users browse the site. So by browsing our site, you are helping us provide more meals to families in need around the world and in our little Midwest community.
contact us
If you have any inquiries, feel free to contact us at joytothefoodcontact@gmail.com or connect with us via any of the channels below.
media use
If you would like to use one of our photos for a recipe roundup on your website or any other media outlet, you have our permission with the following rules:
- Don't include the entire recipe.
- Provide proper credit and link back to our site.
- Let us know when the roundup is live so that we can share it with our audience.
Image credit: Some of our lovely photos were shot by Mackenzie Rana. If you'd like to see more of her work or get in touch check out Mackenzie's website here!