Hi, I’m Christy!
And if you found your way here, there’s a good chance your life looks a little like mine — navigating the kitchen with a new set of rules, trying to keep the people you love healthy, and refusing to let “low sodium” mean low joy.
Welcome. You’re in exactly the right place.
My story
A few years ago, my husband Chris was diagnosed with Advanced Heart Failure. Like most people facing a scary diagnosis, we were handed a list of restrictions and sent home to figure out the rest ourselves. Less sodium. Less of this. Less of that.
What nobody told us was how to still love food.
So I got to work. I dove into the kitchen with one mission: make the comfort foods we’d always loved — the Sunday dinners, the holiday favorites, the “I had a hard day” meals — in a way that worked for Chris’s heart and still made us both happy at the table.
It worked. Better than we ever expected.
At one of Chris’s cardiology appointments, his doctor spun around on his stool, eyes wide.
“Oh my gosh, you look amazing!” — Chris’s cardiologist
He told us he never imagined seeing Chris out of a hospital bed — and encouraged us to share what we were doing with as many people as possible. Millions, he said, could benefit from the changes we’d made.
That moment is why La Vine Living exists.
What You’ll Find Here
La Vine Living has grown from my love of cooking into something that reflects much more of real life — good food, creating a home you love, and enjoying the community around you.
In the Kitchen — Simple, flavorful recipes with plenty of lower-sodium and heart-healthy options, along with the family favorites we actually eat.
At Home — Real-life home projects, seasonal ideas, organization, decorating and those little changes that can make your home work better for you.
Living Local — Restaurants, events, local businesses and things worth doing around Carol Stream and Chicago’s western suburbs.
And woven through all of it is a little bit of real life — family, entertaining, travel and the stories that happen along the way.
A little more about me
I’m a longtime Carol Stream local — I’ve called the western suburbs of Chicago home for over 37 years. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll find me spending time with our kids and grandbabies, hitting the gym, catching live music, or relaxing on the boat.
Chris and I love to travel and we’ve made it our mission to prove that a low-sodium life doesn’t mean staying home or eating plain food. We dine out, we explore, we enjoy a glass of wine — we just do it smarter now.
II’m also a licensed Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty and The Gatti Team, helping buyers and sellers throughout Chicago’s western suburbs. Real estate is a big part of my life, but here at La Vine Living, I get to share more of what makes a house feel like home. If buying, selling or finding a home is on your mind, you can find me at ChristyLaVine.com.
Let’s stay connected
The best way to keep up with La Vine Living is to join my email list. I share new recipes, home ideas, local finds and a little real life along the way.
If low-sodium living is what brought you here, you can also find me in my private Facebook community, where thousands of us share ideas, encouragement and ways to make lower-sodium living a little easier.
I’m so glad you’re here. Now let’s eat well, love where we live and enjoy life along the way.
— Christy