Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Haugen.
Jen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up and lived in Minnesota my entire life. I love the Midwest – we have beautiful scenery, very nice people, and a love for the simple things in life – like cooking for those we love, being outside and appreciating nature, and a bit slower pace. After high school, I attended Minnesota State University at Mankato to get my degree in dietetics and food & nutrition (dual major). I graduated with the highest honors and secured a very competitive dietetic internship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where I later was hired and practiced clinical nutrition for 8 years (including neonatal to geriatric nutrition, specialty areas like transplant, cardiac, neurological, gastrointestinal and more both in the hospital ICU setting and step down units). My favorite part of being a dietitian in the hospital was the opportunity to educate others on healthier eating so they could have a higher quality of life to match their health goals. I then transitioned to a closer-to-home job as a supermarket dietitian for Hy-Vee, in Austin, MN and found my creativity to really come to life. I was able to develop this job from the ground up as I was the first dietitian they had hired. I got involved in the community and did as much as I could to educate community members on how it was easy to eat healthy through television cooking spots, newspaper articles, cooking classes, grocery nutrition tours, private appointments and cooking demonstrations. I also developed a program for kids to teach them how to grow a vegetable garden and it became a national program. I enjoyed being able to help others with their challenges and questions and give new and creative ideas to help people make eating healthier easier.
I have also had experience with school nutrition as a menu planner, and giving community presentations and blogging/recipe development.
My current business is twofold – I am a Pampered Chef consultant where I share high-quality kitchen tools to make cooking easier in the kitchen, and I do this through cooking parties and video demonstrations. I have been very successful at this, earning many awards and selling nearly 1 million in sales in just 6 short years. I enjoy teaching people about the tools and simple recipes that can feed their families to make cooking fun, easy, and delicious.
I also own Midwest Goodness, a blog/website where I share recipes, cooking tips, camping and gardening articles and menu planning assistance. I am the author of two books, The Mom’s Guide to a Nourishing Garden (2016) as well as Dinner, Done! (2022). I work with brands to develop kitchen-related content via blogs, social media, cooking demonstrations and more. I enjoy recipe photography, recipe demonstrations from my kitchen (live on social media) and writing.
I am married to my wonderful husband and have two kids I adore that are now in their upper teens. We have loved camping and gardening together.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My biggest obstacle has been mindset. When I first began as an entrepreneur, I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and almost hid it from my friends/family because of a lack of confidence and I was afraid of what others would think. I had no business training, but had worked as a supermarket dietitian for a few years and had some retail experience with that. I realized learning is part of the journey. You do not need to be perfect from the start. I had to overcome this negative, fixed mindset in order to move forward.
So I focused as much as I could on helping busy, working moms simplify meal planning with easy recipes and tools to make cooking faster and more fun, all while elevating their cooking skills so they can feel more confident in the kitchen.
And now, I have had a successful business of my own for more than 6 years, and have received numerous awards, and have helped thousands of people too!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an author, dietitian and midwest mom, and Pampered Chef consultant. I own Midwest Goodness. Midwest Goodness is a place to learn how to cook fast and healthier meals for your family. I operate an online kitchen store (Pampered Chef), offer recipes and cookalongs with my exclusive Midwest Cooking School, offer digital meal planning services for healthier mealtimes based on your health goals (Pantry Power, Meal Prep Master, 28 Day Refresh) and 1:1 Kitchen Coaching Services to elevate cooking skills. I also work with food brands to partner/collaborate on culinary/cooking content to make cooking easier as well.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I once applied to be on Food Network Star. I also have been doing food demonstrations/cooking demonstrations since I was about 10 years old as I started doing these as part of food/nutrition projects in my 4-H club.
Pricing:
- I offer high-quality Pampered Chef kitchen tools – price varies
- I offer my two books ($16-18)
- I offer digital meal plans ($29-$59)
- I offer kitchen coaching (price varies)
- I offer free Cookalong classes ($0)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.midwestgoodness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwestgoodnesswithjenhaugenrd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenHaugenRD/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JenHaugenRDwithMidwestGoodness
- Other: jenhaugen.com
Image Credits
Hannah Rosholt Photography
