Being a full-time recipe creator is truly my dream job. I still have moments where I stop and think, wait… this is really my life? I get to bake, create fun content, and share recipes with people for a living. It is such a pinch me moment, and I honestly never take it for granted. Baking has always been one of my favorite things to do, so the fact that I have been able to turn it into a career is something I feel endlessly grateful for.
That said, just because I escaped the corporate world does not mean I escaped working hard.
I definitely still work hard. Very hard, actually. And I think a lot of that comes from my corporate background. I am someone who needs a plan or I feel completely lost, so every single week I map out my schedule in detail. I am pretty strict with myself because having structure helps me stay on track, stay productive, and keep everything moving. So yes, I typically still work a 9 to 5. The difference is that now my workday might include recipe testing, filming cinnamon rolls rising in the kitchen, editing food videos, or writing blog posts about cookies instead of sitting in a meeting room.
Honestly, I will take that trade every time.
How I Decide What Recipes to Make Each Week
Planning the recipes I am going to film each week depends on a few different factors.
The first thing I look at is brand partnerships. If I have something due for a brand, that automatically becomes one of my top priorities for the week. I never want to wait until the last minute if I can help it, so I like to build those deliverables into my schedule early.
After that, I think about seasonality. What is in season right now? What produce looks best at the store? What flavors make the most sense for the time of year? If it is spring, I might be leaning into recipes like Brown Butter Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake Pancakes, or Carrot Cake Muffins. If it is fall, I am naturally reaching for recipes like Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls or Brown Butter Pumpkin Banana Bread.
I also absolutely think about sales when I am planning. If a certain ingredient is on sale, I will 100 percent take advantage of that and build content around it. I love saving money wherever I can, especially when groceries add up so fast in this line of work.
And one of my favorite ways to plan content is around a series.
I love doing a series for so many reasons. First, it lets me really make one or two ingredients or a theme shine. Second, it saves money on my grocery bill because I can use overlapping ingredients across multiple recipes. And third, it helps me cut down on waste, which is something I care a lot about. There is literally nothing I hate more than wasting food. I will eat it, gift it, share it, freeze it, whatever I need to do. I do not want good food going in the trash.
That is a big reason why I love building out themed recipe collections like Cinnamon Rolls, Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls, Biscoff Cinnamon Rolls, or multiple banana bread variations like Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Crumble Banana Bread. It just makes sense creatively and practically.
My Weekly Planning Routine
I usually plan all of my content on Sunday.
That is when I sit down, figure out what I want to make, what needs to be filmed, what needs to be edited, and what ingredients I need for everything. Then on Monday morning, I go to the grocery store. Sometimes that means one store, sometimes it means multiple stores if I need something specific.
Once I get home, I organize all of the ingredients and start mapping out which days I am going to film each recipe. The exact days can vary depending on the weather, because I looooove filming in the sunshine if possible. Good natural light makes such a difference for food content.
But in general, I typically film on Tuesday, Thursday, and sometimes Saturday.
On filming days, I usually try to get two to three recipes done per session. Yes, it is chaotic. Yes, I am running around like crazy. And yes, it is a lot. But when the light is good and I am in a rhythm, I try to take full advantage of it.
What I Do on Non-Filming Days
So what am I doing on the days I am not filming?
Honestly… so much.
Those are my admin days, and they are usually packed. That is when I edit my videos, edit my hero images for blog posts and social media, write captions, work on blog posts, update older blog posts with new images or fresh details, respond to emails, communicate with brands, coordinate with my talent manager, hop on meetings, and handle all the behind-the-scenes work that comes with running a business.
Those days are usually very computer-heavy and phone-heavy. I am basically sitting at my desk all day, typing, editing, emailing, uploading, and organizing things..
It may not look as exciting as frosting a tray of cinnamon rolls or filming a fresh batch of Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, but it is such a huge part of what keeps everything running.
How I Structure a Filming Day
On filming days, I always start with the recipe that takes the longest.
That is my number one rule.
If I am making something like Cinnamon Rolls or Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls, I know I am working with dough that needs rise time. Cinnamon rolls can easily take around three hours from start to finish because of proofing, shaping, and baking.
So while the dough is rising, I will use that time to film something faster and easier in between. Muffins are one of my favorite recipes for that because they usually take about an hour from start to finish. So I might pair cinnamon rolls with something like Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins or Carrot Cake Muffins.
That kind of pairing helps me be efficient and get more done in one filming session without wasting time.
Filming Day Me vs Admin Day Me
There is a very clear difference between filming-day me and admin-day me.
On filming days, I always do my makeup and wear a cute outfit because I know I am going to be on camera. I want to feel put together, and it helps me get into work mode.
On admin days, it is a completely different story. That is when I am usually in sweatpants with no makeup on, sitting at my computer all day answering emails and editing content.
It is all about balance.
What Happens to All the Food I Make
I get asked this all the time, and the answer is simple.
I share it.
Baking is my love language, so I am always gifting what I make to family, friends, neighbors, delivery drivers, and honestly anyone nearby who wants a treat. The more the merrier. When the weather is nice, I even love putting a sign outside for people walking by to grab something.
That part makes me so happy because the recipes are not just content to me. They are meant to be enjoyed. I love seeing people get excited over something homemade, whether it is a loaf of Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, a batch of No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies, or a cozy drink like a Banana Bread Latte.
Yes, Recipes Fail Sometimes
And yes, I mess up.
That is a completely normal part of being a recipe developer.
Sometimes I forget to add an ingredient if I am moving too fast or not fully paying attention. Something simple like baking powder can totally slip through the cracks and ruin a test. Other times, the recipe just flops. The texture is off, the bake time is wrong, the flavor needs work, or it just does not come out the way I imagined.
That is part of the job.
No recipe comes together perfectly on the very first try. It takes testing, tweaking, adjusting, and trying again. That is what recipe development really is. A lot of trial and error until you land on something that is actually worth sharing.
And Yes, My Kitchen Gets Messy
Also, yes… I absolutely make a mess in the kitchen.
On filming days, it typically takes me about an hour to clean up everything afterward. There are dishes everywhere, flour on the counters, mixing bowls stacked up, props out, and ingredients scattered all over the place.
It is definitely not all perfectly clean and aesthetic behind the scenes.
But honestly, that mess is part of the process too.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, planning my baking schedule is what allows me to do this job well. I need structure, I need a plan, and I need to know what my week looks like or I feel completely off. My corporate background definitely shaped that part of me, and while I may not be in that world anymore, I still carry that discipline into the way I work now.
The difference is that now I get to pour all of that energy into something I truly love.
This job is a dream. It is messy, busy, creative, exhausting, exciting, and so rewarding. I get to spend my weeks baking, filming, writing, sharing, and building something around the thing I love most.
And honestly, that still feels like magic to me.
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