Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. – Michael Pollen

I love food. I always have and I always will! I get so excited about going out to dinner and trying new places. However, I love cooking at home as well. I love to fly by the seat of my pants and create something that is all my own. Of course, I get tons of inspiration for the other bloggers I read as well (see blogroll tab). I love sharing food with friends and family too. My friend Jill always jokes that every time she comes over, I try to feed her. I love showing myself and others that food can be healthy, fun and most of all delicious!

I would not say I grew up eating very healthfully. My mom is a fantastic cook, but my Dad is sort of a junk food junkie. Sorry Dad, but it’s true! So, my mom would usually cook the things that he liked. One great thing my parents instilled in me at a very young age was to try everything at least once. Oh boy, am I grateful for that. If I ever let fear of not liking something get in my way, I would not eat the majority of my current favorite foods. I loved that we always sat down to dinner as a family too. Every night we ate together and caught up on our day. Every Sunday we went to my grandparent’s house for dinner. As you can tell, my family loves to eat. I hope that I will be able to continue these traditions with my children and family as they have shaped the kind of person I am today.

I eat very differently now that I have before. When I decided to start my weight loss journey I began with looking at what I ate, how much I ate and how often I ate. Previously, I ate whatever was in front of me. I would barely ever snack, which caused me to eat ENORMOUS portions when I did sit down to eat.  I also suffered from chronic stomach aches and pains to the point that I was convinced I had irritable bowel syndrome. In January of 2009 I did a complete diet overhaul. I started really listening to my body and paying close attention to when I felt full and how what I was eating made me feel physically and emotionally.  It did not take me long to realize that I was eating way too much food in one sitting. I also began to notice which foods were the culprits of my stomach problems. Those were red meat, pork, and fried food. I immediately cut them out all together and felt 100% better. You will very rarely see those foods on my blog because I dislike the way they make me feel. So, if I cut out red meat how do I get my iron? Spinach! You will see that I ate a lot of spinach. I have been anemic since I was 14 years old, so I make sure to pay close attention to my iron intake. You will notice I eat insane amounts of spinach. My body needs it and I genuinely love it.

I believe food is meant to be enjoyed but is also meant to fuel our bodies. I have worked at finding a way to reach the happy medium between fuel and fun and I hope that comes across through my blog. I enjoy a mostly organic lifestyle of whole, nutritious and delicious foods! I also need to stress that the way I eat is not a “diet” but a lifestyle, the way I choose to live. In my opinion, diets do not work as people are very likely to return to old unhealthy habits when the “diet is over”.  I do, also, feel the need to add I am in no way a Registered Dietitian, I write from a place that comes with no professional training, just the experience of what works for me.

Ali’s Food Tips:

• Have fun with it. Don’t be afraid to try out new things. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you I never was a “cook”, when I made my complete lifestyle overhaul, I knew that I had to experiment and try different things to keep it interesting. 99% of my favorite recipes were experiments.
• Look to others for inspiration. I love reading other healthy bloggers to see what they are cooking/eating. Sometimes something looks so good, I copy it exactly. Most times, I like to put my own spin on it.
• Use fresh ingredients. You will notice the taste is so much better which leads to your meal being more satisfying.

Please enjoy my blog and my recipes. I really look forward to questions and comments regarding my journey and how I can help you. I also, look forward to learning from all of you