Amber Summers Gaines
Hi guys! I’m Amber. Together with my sister Eryn we started The Summers Collective as a way to share our love of all things Life+Travel+Style. I live in Kentucky with my husband and my two fur-kids, Sam and Willie. I love to cook, garden, read, boat, ride ATV’s and camp.
While Eryn and I both love fashion, food and travel, my passion is food. However it’s only been in the last few years that I have given myself license to experiment with cooking and recipes and really come into my own when it comes to developing recipes that fit my health goals and our lifestyle.
In my late 30s I started noticing my energy was lagging, my weight was creeping up, I was losing concentration and my skin was a mess. Although my annual physicals didn’t point to any one thing, I did consult a functional medicine doctor that suggested a few tests including a blood test, Dutch test and GI Map test that pointed to gluten and dairy sensitivities. Once I cut those triggers I immediately started to feel more like myself.
How does all this relate to my love for cooking? I quickly realized that many of my favorite recipes were no longer compatible with my new gluten and dairy free lifestyle. I had always thought of recipes as sets of rules not guidelines. However once I gave myself license to experiment my whole perspective of cooking and baking changed. While I now follow the 131 Method when it comes to eating, my own personal plan developed on the 131 Method swings fairly close to Paleo. You will find however that many of my recipes are or can be easily adapted to a Paleo, Whole 30 or even Vegan lifestyle. Enjoy the recipes your way and let me know how they work for you! I’m always interested in seeing how others adapt my recipes to fit their needs and lifestyle.
Eryn Summers Best
Hey all. I’m Eryn, and together with my sister Amber, we make up The Summers Collective. At TSC we love to bring you inspiration in all things Life + Travel + Style. I live in Florida with my husband and two daughters. We live on a horse farm with four horses, two rescue dogs and a handful of barn cats. I love to read, run, swim and travel as a family.
While Amber’s focus is typically on food and fashion, I tend to like to focus on organization and travel. In your 30s and 40s it’s tricky to juggle family, work and friends and all the other obligations that make up a life that’s well lived. I’ve accidentally developed a few tricks here and there that keep us (mostly) on the straight and narrow when it comes to organizing, holidays and party planning. And while I will always share what I have going on, I would love to hear what you’ve got going on when it comes to keeping life moving forward.
And TRAVEL! I love to travel and my family LOVES to travel. Florida itself is an amazing place to raise kids. I love to share Florida travel tips with friends and family and with you. Day trips are a great way to experience the heart of where you live. Maybe I will inspire you to explore your home state as well?!
I will also show the good and the bad when it comes to trips we have taken as well as share my tips for not over planning and under planning your next trip –whether it is an hour away or across the world. Let me know what you have planned as well. The best travel inspiration comes from friends and family!