Hello and welcome to Homestyle Food and Fitness! My name is Tessa Ludwig, I am a mom of 3, with a degree in Kinesiology from Washington State University. I grew up in the weight room going to the gym with my Dad, who always made sure my brothers and I were provided with the foundations it took to be competitive athletes. I cherished that time with him, and through it developed a love for exercise. I also grew up in the kitchen. My mom was raised on a working cattle ranch in Montana. She taught me how to make all the family’s traditional “Ranch” food. Spending time in the kitchen with my mom and Grandma Jo are times that I hold dear. Because of those experiences, I developed a love of cooking. My upbringing and education inspired me to meld the two and create a healthy, homestyle diet for our family and, now, yours.
I met my husband Matt at Washington State University. He was a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the athletic program. We connected with our love of the weight room. Shortly after getting married, we had 3 amazing children. I always thought I would be a working mom somewhere in the health and fitness world. My life plans changed when we had our youngest son. He was born with severe congenital heart disease, that has required a multitude of surgeries. Through all the ups and downs with his health I put my fitness goals on the back burner. I stopped exercising and didn’t have much time for cooking. I lost a ton of weight, was exhausted, and in physical pain all the time. When he was around the age of 4, his medical care needs started to slow down. I was able to get back into the gym and get my nutrition back in order. This led to me doing my 1st bodybuilding competition in June of 2017. It was a great experience that taught me a lot about self-discipline, along with the things to do and not do when trying to maintain muscle growth while leaning out. Through this experience, I realized that I still wanted to find my best fit self without so many restrictions on what you can eat and can’t eat. I wanted to continue to be fit, but also enjoy a great meal and drinks with my friends and family.
I created this website out of my love for good tasting nutritional foods, fitness, and helping people succeed in their own personal fitness goals. I have spent the last several years recreating my family’s recipes into a low carb, more nutritional valued meals, while also creating some of my own. I have also spent the last several years designing exercise and nutrition programs for friends and family members. I’ve loved coaching them through the process and seeing their success. I do not subscribe to any one diet fad or plan. But believe that the best foods for our bodies are the ones that are the least processed while providing the most nutrition per calorie. I believe in a high protein, low carbohydrate lifestyle. Many of the meals you will find here are my personal approach to taking something simple, adding personal creativity without compromising nutrient balance and improving upon the flavor quality of the meal.
Holding my youngest son after his first open heart surgery 
Had an opportunity to get a family shot where Matt and I met 
Kari Brennan (left) and I (right) at our first Body Building competition. I talked Kari into training with me and built her a nutrition plan. She took home a 1st place trophy in the Masters division.
