28 July 2010
Kristina is one strong cookie who doesn’t let a medical condition rule her life. She hates Lean Cuisine and 100-calorie packs (I’m with you, girl!), but loves Mexican food. Read on to find out more about this fab woman!
Kristina’s ringing in the new year with style!
- What’s your foodie style? I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I tend to gain weight in my stomach more than any other place on my body! I am encouraged by my doctor to stay away from high-glycemic foods, so I keep it very light in carbs. I tend to allow myself to have them once a day. I stay away from all white starches. No white bread, pasta, potatoes, rice or sugar. I don’t do packaged food other than frozen organic veggies. I eat a ton of fresh veggies and stay away from dairy since I am also lactose intolerant. I can handle a small amount of yogurt and cheese so I incorporate those in when ever I can.
- Something people consider “healthy” that you think is anything but? Lean cuisines. I HATE THEM! They are full of sodium and still leave you hungry an hour later. I understand that people use them for quick lunches but if you cooked your own food at home you could have better quality and more filling lunches. Plus those frozen thingies get really expensive! You could have made a few weeks worth of lunches for what it costs for just a weeks worth of frozen dinners. I also ban 100-calorie packs of ANY junk food. They don’t lead you in the right direction of healthy and clean eating. They are still incorporating the poison into your diet. Just in small dosages at a time.
- Favorite food/health blog? Your Nutritionista of course!! But all the blogs I follow I adore and love. I get so many amazing tips that have truly helped me stay on track. Plus the support system is AMAZING!
- Your go-to five-minute meal? 70-calorie Albacore tuna packs mixed with fresh veggies like broccoli, or cucumbers with tomato, feta cheese, and a squeeze of lemon. GREAT filling salad without using boring lettuce.
- Perfect last meal? I am from Texas. We do it up big down here. I love my Mexican food. So I would say a Mexican feast with cheesy enchiladas, fajitas, tortillas, chili con queso, tortilla chips, guacamole, sopapillas with honey and TONS of margaritas or Mexican beer with lime.
- Favorite method of cooking and why? Roasting. I am obsessed with it. It brings out all the flavors of pretty much anything you cook from meat to veggies. I love roasted broccoli or roasted sweet potatoes. I could eat them 3 meals a day. You can make anything crisp from roasting. Much healthier than frying.
- Craziest diet you’ve ever tried? Starvation diet. Plain and simple. Craziness.
- Restaurant you’d go to every day if you could? Kasra Persian Cafe here in Houston. They have the best bread and hummus ever. All their food is fresh grilled and totally healthy for the most part. I would never have to worry about gaining too much weight. Their beef koobadeh plate with sour cherry and pistachio basmanti rice is to DIE FOR.
- Food/dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, but haven’t? Souffle. This thing and I have been battling it out for a year. I need help. I need professional guidance. I tried cooking a sweet potato one last year but it totally fell. It was good though. I just can’t get the height to stick. I think my oven sucks.
- Dream dining companion? Rachael Ray. I know that people make fun of her all the time. I totally love her. She inspires me because she is NOT a professional chef that has made it this far in the world. She is a COOK. She says it all the time. I love making her recipes and tailoring them to my own taste and diet. She knows where all the good restaurants are and the girl isn’t afraid to eat.
21 July 2010
And now, meet Melissa. Melissa makes no apologies for loving fruit and the occasional drink. She also appreciates a good martini. Read the rest of her profile to find out her aw-worthy dream dining companion!
Melissa with the most awesome glasses!
- What’s your foodie style? Michael Pollan’s idea of “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”I try to eat as naturally as possible, a lot of fruits and vegetables. Meat and fish a few times a week. I try to eat in season as much I can and utilize local food resources when possible. I can’t cut out processed foods completely, but when I have them I make sure its ones that I enjoy and that I want. In other words, I try not to indulge in the office snacks or pastries just because they’re there. I’d rather make the decision to enjoy a hot dog at Wrigley then mindlessly eat whatever someone puts in front of me.
- Something people consider “healthy” that you think is anything but? Food from places like Panera, jello (and other zero calories snacks), bagels, juices, baked chips, etc. People are pretty silly as a whole when it comes to being healthy…
- Favorite food/health blog? It’s hard to pick just one, but I’d have to say Tina’s at Carrots ‘n Cake. She’s real. She eats well, but indulges from time to time too; basically she does the best she can to be healthy, while still maintaing a life. Also, she drinks, and as unhealthy as it may be, I will not give up alcohol completely.
- Your go-to five-minute meal? A few different types of lettuce (arugula, spinach, romaine), edamame, chopped carrots, and corn (not cooked, room temp) all mixed. With a little olive oil and pepper on top. My perfect, quick salad.
- Perfect last meal? This is tough, because I really do love just about all food. If I had to pick however I would say: An amazing salad to start. A medium rare fillet with baked corn, roasted asparagus, and whipped sweet potatoes on the side. Finish off with cheesecake.
- Favorite method of cooking and why? Basically trial and error. I typically just like to start by evaluating what’s in my fridge decide what would work together and then decide how to make it. Needless to say, I make a lot of stir frys (which are more big veggie mixes), omelettes, burritos, and salads. Overall I try not to stress myself out when it comes to cooking. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.
- Craziest diet you’ve ever tried? I did no-carbs for about 2 days. It was a ridiculous idea, I’m addicted to fruit and not only will I not give it up, I make no apologies for wanting to eat it! Also, I once decided to eat only pre-packaged meals thinking it would help me lose weight. Sort of makes me sick to stomach now. If there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that diets don’t work. Healthy lifestyles do.
- Restaurant you’d go to every day if you could? The Atlas in Iowa City, IA. Not only do they have a great everyday menu, but they continually change their menu based on whats in season, and they get a lot of their food from local Iowa farmers (gotta support my home state). They also serve a mean martini.
- Food/dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, but haven’t? Paella, I lived in Spain while in college and didn’t eat it nearly enough of it. I love paella, but good paella is time consuming and requires a lot of hard to find and expensive ingredients. Someday.
- Dream dining companion? As silly as it might be, my dad. He likes trying new things, eating weird and exotic foods, and he loves vegetables like me. Since I haven’t lived in Iowa for over two years now, I don’t get to eat with him nearly enough, so he is my dream dining companion.
Dorry has a love affair with Whole Foods (well, who doesn’t?!) and has come a long way since her disordered eating days. Read her foodie story in her profile below!
Dorry lookin’ classy!
- What’s your foodie style? I eat a very clean diet of mostly unprocessed food that is easy for my body to digest. I have a very sensitive digestive system and over the past decade or so, I’ve learned to select foods that agree with my body, taste very good to me and I never feel deprived. I avoid dairy, red meat and poultry
- Something people consider “healthy” that you think is anything but? Eliminating fat & carbs from your diet!
- Favorite food/health blog? Oh my, I have so many. Yours is one of the first I started reading :) Eat, Live, Run, Kath Eats Real Food, Heather Eats Almond Butter, Healthy Tipping Point, and so many more!
- Your go-to five-minute meal? Warm spicy lentils served on top of large bed of spinach and shredded cabbage with a toasted pita and some homemade hummus.
- Perfect last meal? I’m a huge sushi fan so I’d probably eat my weight in edamame, seaweed salad and salmon sashimi.
- Favorite method of cooking and why? Grilling - you can’t beat that flavor. I’m imagining salmon and skewers of veggies.
- Craziest diet you’ve ever tried? I struggled with disordered eating in my early to mid 20’s, eliminating certain foods and consuming a dangerously low amount of daily calories. I guess I’d call that a crazy diet :)
- Restaurant you’d go to every day if you could? I’d go to Whole Foods everyday (and I guess most of the time I can & do!) because of the fresh variety of hot and cold foods. I make it a point to visit as many Whole Foods locations as I can when I’m traveling. Some of my favorites are in Manhattan but my heart belongs to the flagship store in Austin, TX where it all began!
- Food/dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, but haven’t? I’d like to start baking bread at home and would love to learn to make a vegetarian Pho in the winter months.
- Dream dining companion? I’m happy to say I’m going to meet a bunch of my dream dining companions at the Healthy Living Summit this August in Chicago!
7 July 2010
Elaina gets intoxicated on street food smells and prides herself on never having tried a crazy diet. Read on to find out what else she has to be proud of!
Elaina eating street-side.
- What’s your foodie style? I try to eat mostly fresh made from scratch, organic/local when possible! Meat/fish from sustainable sources and I try to get all my fruits/veggies every day! I favor Asian cuisine but will honestly eat from almost every influence under the sun as long as it’s fresh and low in “bad fats” (heart disease runs in the family).
- Something people consider “healthy” that you think is anything but? Jamba Juice. Not the worst way you could go but so many calories!
- Favorite food/health blog? This one! We share very similar eating philosophies. I also enjoy Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project.
- Your go-to five-minute meal? Spinach + beet salad with goat’s cheese and walnuts. So delicious! That or peanut butter and banana on whole wheat toast and a side of yogurt.
- Perfect last meal? Thai Massaman curry with a Thai iced tea, New York Style pepperoni pizza, and …doughnuts! (Hey, it’s my last meal, right?)
- Favorite method of cooking and why? Everything tastes better off the grill! Asparagus, kebabs, tuna steaks, corn, you name it! When the weather’s not good enough to barbecue, I love a nice slow roast from the oven or a fresh veggie stir fry with chicken or tofu.
- Craziest diet you’ve ever tried? I am so proud to say I have never tried a crazy diet! I have hypoglycemia so the system I have works for me so well and I just know a crazy diet would throw me completely off!
- Restaurant you’d go to every day if you could? Caracas Arepas Bar in the East Village. So cheap and so many choices! Also, it’s not really a restaurant, but the King of Falafel street cart in Astoria, NY. The smell alone draws crowds.
- Food/dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, but haven’t? Rolling my own sushi! Also, I’d like to improve my knife skills just in general.
- Dream dining companion? I can’t think of anyone I like dining with more than my close friends and family. Amazing what sitting down to a nice meal can do to foster closeness.
Callie says she’s recently revamped her eating style:
In the last six months my diet went from mostly processed, no vegetables, fast-food crazy, meat heavy, to mostly vegetarian, tons of vegetables, and lots of stay-at -ome cooking.It’s wonderful, because unlike the diets I’ve tried, I’m eating whatever I want — as long as I make it myself.
I love the idea of eating anything you want, as long as you cook it! Make fries, milkshakes, burgers — just make them yourself with high-quality ingredients! Read Callie’s profile below for more on her “DIY-delicious” foodie style.
Miss Callie is oh-so-cute!
1. What’s your foodie style? DIY-delicious. I’m constantly learning more about what is best to eat and how to incorporate lots of different foods into my diet, but the idea I’m following right now is: Make it yourself, make it mostly vegetables, and make it scrumptious.
2. Something people consider “healthy” that you think is anything but? Sugar-free/low-fat/low-calorie anything that, logically, should contain what they claim is missing.
3. Favorite food/health blog? I love this blog, and I love Rachel’s blog, too. The Daily Green also has some fantastic recipes, and they’re good for the environment, too!
4. Your go-to five-minute meal? Black beans, left over homemade pico de gallo, left over guacamole, on a tortilla.
5. Perfect last meal? Homemade spaghetti & marinara. Classic!
6. Favorite method of cooking and why? Blending. I love it when I know I’ve made something that is so minimally processed that I didn’t even have to turn on the stove.
7. Craziest diet you’ve ever tried? The 1200 Calorie Diet. I wrote about it on my blog recently, and it sounds like a lot of people have had a similar experience. It’s too obsessive.
8. Restaurant you’d go to every day if you could? D’Lish Very Vegetarian in Sedona, AZ. It’s fantastic food, great prices, and it’s all vegetarian.9. Food/dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, but haven’t? Quinoa.
10. Dream dining companion? Michael Pollan, just because he was one of the major influences of changing my diet.
