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Real Balanced

A food blog dedicated to sharing easy and delicious low-carb, nut-free, and 30-minute recipes and resources.

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Meet Sara

Welcome to Real Balanced! My name is Sara Nelson and I am a full-time recipe food blogger living in Wisconsin, USA.

Sara smiling as she washes fruits on the kitchen sink

On my site, I share tried-and-true recipes that are nut-free and often low-carb and can be made in minimal time.

Brief facts about Sara Nelson

  • I am a 31-year-old lifelong Wisconsinite and am very proud to be a Wisconsin-based blogger.
  • I am a full-time food blogger and LOVE everything related to running an online business (and could talk about it for hours on end!). If you’re interested in starting a food blog, be sure to read all of my business-related posts.
  • My husband, Ryan, and I have been married since December 2017. We had been planning a big wedding for September 2018, but decided to elope at the Milwaukee County Courthouse instead.
  • We welcomed our daughter, Lucy, in 2020 and our son, Simon, in 2022.
  • We have a Boston terrier, Rowsdower, who we LOVE SO MUCH.
  • I have a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice. When I began food blogging, I was finishing my Master’s degree while interning for the Mayor of Milwaukee.
  • I am mildly addicted to podcasts. I listen to several hours of episodes every single day! I love topics related to true crime, decluttering, current events, business, and health.

My diet

I follow a lower-carb diet that is entirely nut-free (nut-free because of allergies).

After years of medical problems and thousands of dollars spent trying to get to the bottom of some serious sleep issues, allergies, and GI problems, I opted to try a ketogenic diet. It worked REALLY well for me for years.

Learn more about my journey to keto.

After years of following a ketogenic diet, I’ve started to incorporate more carbs into my diet and now eat a lower-carb diet. Aside from the fact that I eat this way because I feel my best (clear-headed, decreased joint inflammation, etc.), I specifically eat low-carb to eliminate my night terrors.

While I do eat more carbs now than I did in the past, I still have to be quite careful about what types of carbs I incorporate into my diet. Several foods, for some reason or another, trigger my night terrors. Over the years, it’s been a game of “guess and check” to see what foods cause these sleep episodes.

In addition to eating a low-carb diet, I also eat a diet that is free from peanuts and tree nuts (I do, however, eat coconut because it is not a true tree nut). I was diagnosed with life-threatening nut allergies in 2018.

You can learn more about this unexpected and sudden food allergy diagnosis in this post.

Press

Since I began Real Balanced, my work has been featured in major online publications, like Delish, Shape, MyFitness Pal, and The Kitchn.

real balanced press as featured on graphic

I have been featured on podcasts to discuss my background, diet, and business. You can listen to all of these podcasts here:

  • Eat Blog Talk: Episode 023
  • Eat Blog Talk: Episode 36
  • Fat For Weight Loss: Episode 33
  • The Chopped Podcast: #176
  • The True North Collective: Season 1, Episode 2

My digital cookbooks

I am the author of 6 digital cookbooks:

  • “Fat Bomb Favorites”
  • “Keto Dessert Favorites”
  • “MINI Fat Bomb Favorites”
  • “MINI Keto Dessert Favorites”
  • “Keto Dinner Favorites”
  • “Keto Breakfast Favorites”
mini fat bomb favorites and mini keto dessert favorites ebook cover
mini fat bomb favorites and mini keto dessert favorites ebook cover
keto dinner favorites and keto breakfast favorites ebook cover

All of these cookbooks contain delicious, keto-friendly recipes that are simple to make and will satisfy your cravings!

Order your copies here!

Get in touch

Have a question? Just wanna say hi? I love to hear from you! Reach out to me on social media, send me a message, or send an email to hello[at]realbalanced[dot]com.

Work with me

I love collaborating with brands that share the same values as me! If you are interested in a partnership, please navigate to my Work With Me page for further information or send an email to hello[at]realbalanced[dot]com to discuss.

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Welcome, Friend!

My name is Sara Nelson and I am the face behind Real Balanced. I am a Mom to two, obsessed with my Boston Terrier, and a proud Wisconsinite. On my site, you will find easy and delicious low-carb, keto-friendly, nut-free, and 30-minute recipes. Read More
K Keto W Whole30 P Paleo DF Dairy-Free CF Coconut-Free VG Vegetarian V Vegan NF Nut-Free EF Egg-Free IP Instant Pot

Popular Recipes

Golden Jicama Fries garnished with freshly chopped parsley on a parchment paper-lined plate atop a marble counter.
Net Carbs:3g

Golden Baked Jicama Fries

overhead hero image buffalo chicken tenders on a baking pan with spoon on top of a marble counter
Net Carbs:0.6g

Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Bacon Wrapped Mini Peppers on a plate with a bowl of the Everything Bagel Dip.
Net Carbs:1.3g

Bacon Wrapped Mini Peppers

Close-up shot of the Low-Carb Creamy Spinach Chicken Bake sprinkled with pepper and paprika, scooped by a spoon with the melted cheese stringing under.
Net Carbs:5.3g

Low-Carb Creamy Spinach Chicken Bake

Overhead close-up shot of Everything Bagel Seasoning Cucumber Boats atop a marble plate. The plate rests atop a marble countertop.
Net Carbs:2.5g

Keto Cucumber Boats: Everything Bagel Seasoning With Avocado

Two bowls of Keto Zuppa Toscana on a marble counter. One of the bowls has a spoon in it.
Net Carbs:2.8g

Keto Zuppa Toscana

30-Minute Recipes

side angle shot of creamy asparagus pasta in a bowl with fork
Net Carbs:5.4g

Low-Carb Creamy Bacon Asparagus Pasta

image of a scallop scooped by a spoon from a pan of lemon garlic scallops
Net Carbs:3.7g

Lemon Garlic Scallops

Creamy Dill Cucumber Onion Salad (With Sour Cream And Mayo) in a ceramic bowl with serving spoons atop a marble counter.
Net Carbs:4.5g

Creamy Dill Cucumber Onion Salad (With Sour Cream And Mayo)

a hand holding green bell pepper sandwich atop cutting board and marble countertop
Net Carbs:7.1g

Bell Pepper Sandwich

Coconut Curry Thai Turkey Meatballs garnished with fresh parsley served atop steamed cauliflower rice in a shallow bowl. The bowl rests atop a marble counter.
Net Carbs:4.9g

Coconut Curry Thai Turkey Meatballs

Overhead shot of a large pan with the One-Pan Creamy Dijon Chicken garnished with bacon crumbles, fresh parsley, and freshly-cracked pepper. The pan sits atop a marble countertop.
Net Carbs:3.7g

One-Pan Creamy Dijon Chicken

eBook cover for 30-minute low-carb recipe book.
Subscribe & receive my Free 30-Minute Low-Carb Recipes eBook!
Finding time to make quick, delicious, and low-carb meals, snacks, and desserts can feel like a challenge, but it doesn't have to be! This eBook contains 10 recipes that are low-carb that can be made and served in just 30 minutes! Sign Me Up!

Reader Favorites

Overhead shot of a large pan with the One-Pan Creamy Dijon Chicken garnished with bacon crumbles, fresh parsley, and freshly-cracked pepper. The pan sits atop a marble countertop.
Net Carbs:3.7g

One-Pan Creamy Dijon Chicken

Two bowls of Keto Zuppa Toscana on a marble counter. One of the bowls has a spoon in it.
Net Carbs:2.8g

Keto Zuppa Toscana

Close-up shot of the Low-Carb Creamy Spinach Chicken Bake sprinkled with pepper and paprika, scooped by a spoon with the melted cheese stringing under.
Net Carbs:5.3g

Low-Carb Creamy Spinach Chicken Bake

Coconut Curry Thai Turkey Meatballs garnished with fresh parsley served atop steamed cauliflower rice in a shallow bowl. The bowl rests atop a marble counter.
Net Carbs:4.9g

Coconut Curry Thai Turkey Meatballs

Overhead shot of a pot with the Creamy Parmesan Sausage Soup garnished with chopped fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan. There is also a wooden spoon in the pot. The pot rests on a beige kitchen towel atop a marble countertop.
Net Carbs:7.4g

Creamy Keto Italian Sausage Soup

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