Hello!

Yes, I have started a food blog. I know everyone and their mother has one, and that it's super annoying when people document every ounce of food they put into their mouth. 

But this is because food is such an integral part of our lives. What people don’t realize is that food fuels not just our bodies, but our mental  state, our mood, our brain capacity, our energy, our overall well being. 

This isn't just a "here's what I ate and here's how I cooked it" kind of blog. I’ve recently become very interested in health and nutrition. Actually, not just interested, obsessed. I’ve always loved to cook, but when I got to college, it turned into a passion. I cook almost every single meal I eat, and by cook, I don’t mean heat up some pasta and throw some sauce over it. I chop vegetables, cook, steam, bake, grate. I put a lot of thought into every meal. Cooking is my therapy. It’s an art. I look at recipes, but mainly for ideas and guidance. I read every health and nutrition article I can get my hands on, and I love to share the information I find. 

Now that I’m a senior in college, and in the uncomfortable position of having to pick a path in life, I’ve found myself integrating my two favorite things: food and writing. I’m currently the Health Intern at Seventeen Magazine, and I am writing my honors journalism capstone on food and the brain. I thought it would be nice to complement my research and reporting, and my incessant cooking, with a blog where I’ll post what I cook and create, but also the latest health news and interesting facts about nutrition. 

A few disclaimers: I like to improvise. A lot. Which means I don’t really measure things, so I apologize in advance if I can’t specifically break down proportions for you, but generally that’s not really what’s important anyway. Toss in what you like, take out what you don’t, and I promise you it will still taste good. 

Not everything I make looks pretty or sounds good, especially because I use solely healthy ingredients (no butter, no white starches, no cream, etc.). But it’s pretty tasty. I’ve gotten really good at making healthy things taste delicious (ask my younger brother who LIVES for fast food but manages to eat everything I make for him). I’m a decent chef ;)

Last thing, I’m not a vegetarian, per say, but I generally cook vegetarian dishes because I’m a huge fan of grains, legumes and vegetables. I eat mostly a whole grain, plant based diet, with the occasional fish and chicken, mayyyybe pork on occasion. I don’t eat beef because it makes me feel sick, and this is the general diet I will be advocating (based on lots and lots of research on what’s healthiest for you). I just hope to inspire (and educate!) people to eat healthy but enjoy what they eat!

Anyway, I thought I’d end the post on a simple lunch I made today. I’ll call it:

End of Summer Salad

Ingredients:

Arugula

Lentils

Non Fat Feta Cheese

Strawberries

Avocado

Green Onions

Artichoke Hearts

Balsamic Vinegar (I used Rosemary Balsamic, yum!)

Olive Oil

Nothing too crazy. I just chopped it all up and tossed it in the oil and vinegar, but it was yummy and light, and really easy to make! Lentils are amazing, and they're really healthy for you (really high protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, iron). Trader Joes (where I buy the majority of my food) has a really great package with precooked lentils that you can use hot or cold. 

Enjoy :)