At quite a young age I began my love affair with food. I realized that if you put a pinch of this and dash of that, the tone of your meal could change from blah to fantastic, just like that! I began cooking full meals at 7, with what could be pinched from my mother’s welfare checks and food stamps – I learned that spices and freshness were key. I learned to work with what I had and to improvise if I didn’t. I took over grocery shopping right around then as well, and studied what I could about the veggies and meats and grains that I could find on a tight budget. I could make a wicked spaghetti sauce by age 8 – and by 10 there wasn’t a recipe I could find that I couldn’t figure out (first batch inevitably in the trash – but the 2nd..oh the 2nd).
I was blessed with a metabolism that allowed me to eat what I wanted and as much as I wanted, whenever and however I wanted. I learned how to make killer Mexican food from the mamas in our barrio and began to covet all things hot and spicy. I soon became a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants cook. I don’t measure; I don’t read recipes but once (unless it’s baking – that shit is science). I change things as I go, and most of my food rarely tastes the exact same twice.
The food I prepare has the appearance of difficulty, blending flavors profiles that one wouldn’t normally try – but most of the time is quite easy when you break it out. Most of the meals I make for my family I can bust out in 30 minutes or less – Rachael Ray is no genius in the kitchen after all, just a great fucking marketer!
Food porn is my favorite! I love to dissect the ingredients of a meal from the pictures friends post on FB of their goings out. I love to figure out how I can adapt it for real life and make it at home. OMG I love me a good meal from a great restaurant. Foodie does not begin to describe it.
It was only inevitable that I would eventually start my own business. Catering is an amazing outlet for me. I enjoy being apart of special moments in lives of my friends and of the clients they refer me. I wish I had the financial stability to really put my heart and soul into it. What I wouldn’t give for a few years at Culinary Academy
But this entry is less about the cooking and more about the food. I truly dearly love food. If it weren’t unhealthy – I would stay fat and fucking happy and continue to engorge myself on buttery, flaky, crunchy, moist, awesome goodness for the rest of my years. But alas, food is killing me. I am not obese by any means, but my body is screaming to lose the weight I never seemed to get rid of after having babies (yes my kids are 8 and 10, what??!?!).
I went from having the metabolism that wouldn’t quit to the one that never really started back up again. I call bullshit on that by the way…a bad fucking joke to build habits your whole life based on your body being one way, to have it completely flip flop to something entirely different in what felt as if it were a blink of an eye.
I am learning to cut out butter (OMG butter – was there ever a better thing invented?), bacon (pretty high the fuck up there with butter) and all things “empty calories”. A term which I fucking hate by the way, there is no empty calorie if in fact said calorie makes my tummy smile!
I have traded Phad Thai for Prawn Stir Fry over brown rice. I have traded Quiche Lorraine for a Spinach Salad with olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice. No more tortillas around my burrito. I eat veggies and fruits like there is no tomorrow and have traded tea and soda for water when I eat out.
I am relearning cooking in a whole new way – which in and of itself, is an adventure. I catered a holiday party recently and traded Greek yogurt for mayonnaise in 2 recipes – amazingly no one even noticed! I can do this healthy thing and hopefully have the self control to only splurge now and again – as there is no way I am missing out on my 10 cheese mac and cheese (who am I kidding cheese with a little bit of mac) for the rest of my life.
We all have something that we struggle with, for me it has been this extra weight. I am so happy to have a great group of ladies to join with me in becoming healthier and hotter in 2012. I wouldn't be able to get through without them.
My battle with the bulge begins now – I refuse to be just a pretty face any longer, I want the body to go with it. I have kids that want to run, jump, bike, play and I want to be able to keep up with them. They are only going to get more and more active as they graduate into Jr. High and High School. I don’t want to be just any plain old mom. I want to be that scorching hot bodied Mom that well…you know the term.
Here’s to a new me, in a new year! I look forward to getting back to a healthy size 8 – I am hoping that skinny cocktails will get me over this hurdle!
100% Pomegranate juice, club soda, and vodka - a low cal treat for a self professed lush! - Mimosa, M.D.
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