Between her full-time job and raising two young kids, Yara Bellamy knew time was her most limited resource. So when she decided to switch to clean eating, the biggest question wasn’t what to eat—it was how to make it happen.
“I didn’t have time to spiralize zucchini or soak cashews overnight,” she laughs. “I needed meals that didn’t feel like a second job.”
Yara’s solution was to simplify. Not by cutting corners on health—but by cutting complexity. Instead of chasing elaborate recipes, she leaned into what she called “clean shortcuts.” That meant making double batches of quinoa to store in the fridge, roasting a tray of vegetables on Sunday, or choosing fresh produce she didn’t have to peel or prep for hours.
But even more than tactics, it was mindset that mattered. “I stopped comparing myself to food bloggers,” she says. “And started making food that fit my real life.”
For Yara, that meant learning a rhythm. Breakfasts that came together in under five minutes, lunches that were basically dinner leftovers with a fresh twist, and dinners that could be made while helping with homework. “I didn’t need to be perfect,” she adds. “I just needed to be consistent.”
What surprised her most was how much easier her days became when food was no longer a source of guilt or stress. “It turns out eating clean can be simple,” she says. “And simple is what keeps it going.”
