Brittany Benefield, 31, turned her love of cooking into her own small business: Clean Eats with Bee, a meal prep services company focused on curating healthy, balanced meals that provide optimal nutrition for your unique lifestyle goals.
“I’m passionate about cooking and helping people,” Brittany explains. “Whether you are looking to eat healthy meals to get healthier or just don’t have the time cooking and prepping requires, Clean Eats with Bee is here for you.”
Brittany’s love of meal prepping and cooking for herself was born out of her own wellness journey. A former competitive athlete, she stopped working out post-college but continued to eat the same, resulting in weight gain and overall dissatisfaction with her health.
On a trip to Walt Disney World in 2014, she took tons of pictures but hated how she looked in all of them – and most importantly, hated how she felt inside. That’s when she knew it was time to make a change and start treating her body like the temple it is.
“I fell in love with planning and portioning out my meals,” Brittany says. “Once I started cooking all my own food and learning how to portion it correctly, I dropped 30 pounds so quickly without being super restrictive or doing crazy workouts.”
After six years of meal prepping and posting photos of her food and recipes on social media, she finally decided to go for it and make her passion into her own business. Thus, in 2021 Clean Eats with Bee was officially launched.
The meaning behind the name of her company captures Brittany’s holistic approach to cooking and eating. She did not want her company to be super focused on dieting, counting calories, or restrictive eating. As a result, she settled on a name that encapsulates her love for whole, natural foods that leave you satisfied and feeling good.
“I believe there needs to be a better approach to clean eating in general,” Brittany says. “People are so scared of eating carbs, but plenty of vegetables that come straight from the Earth are high in carbs and are essential to a balanced diet.”
Brittany does it all when it comes to running her business: recipe development, cooking, delivery, and even growing her own herbs and veggies, so her clients get the freshest ingredients. Her mom and best friend are always helping out when they can, but it’s genuinely Brittany’s passion project. And it’s growing. She’s currently in the process of transitioning her operations to a commercial kitchen and hopes to one day have a storefront with a cafe.
Brittany gets most of her recipe inspiration and new techniques from cooking shows and does a ton of trial and error to ensure her meals stay exciting. One of the recipes she’s most proud of is her clean take on chicken and waffles using natural ingredients and homemade protein waffles.
“Eating clean and ‘healthy’ can become boring if you’re not careful,” Brittany explains. “I’m always focused on making nutritious meals taste good.”
Follow @cleaneatswithbee on Instagram to stay updated on their weekly menus & place orders- and keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming giveaway! Memphis Health & Fitness Magazine readers can enjoy 20% off their first order with code MEMFITMAG.
By Lucy Modzelewski
Photo by Tindall Stephens
