About a year and a half ago I finished college and finally had some free time on my hands. I decided to start collecting healthy recipes to try, and eventually found my way to some amazing food blogs. One I realized how many delicious recipes these people had listed on their blogs, I went to town adding them to my growing recipe binder.
I soon discovered some great alternatives to the not-so-healthy food I had been eating for so many years. Over time I learned more about what kinds of food I like and don’t like so much.
As much as I can get away with it, I eat like a kid most days. Simple things like PB & J, turkey sandwiches, egg and cheese bagels, bean and cheese burritos, cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt are mainstays in my meals. Oh, and don’t even get me started on breakfast- I could eat breakfast foods for every meal and be perfectly happy. 
With my discovery of new recipes, however, I began trying new things that I never would have thought to eat before (spinach in smoothies! chickpeas in cookies! chia seeds in oatmeal!). And I learned ways to hide some of the healthy stuff in food I love so that I don’t even notice it.
When I follow a recipe I’ve found that looks good, I will often leave out certain ingredients that I don’t like, such as onions or peppers (I know, many of you are shocked right now). But I know that the only way I will enjoy what I make is if I make it my way. And isn’t that part of the fun of cooking- to enjoy eating the end result?
Unfortunately, I’m not a vegetable fan. I wish I were. When I was younger I spent several years as a vegetarian, but my family would joke and say that really I was really a “breadetarian” because I didn’t really eat many vegetables, but I could down half a loaf of bread like it was my job. As you can imagine, that wasn’t exactly a healthy diet.
Now I try to eat as much fruit as I can, and as many veggies as I can stomach, which isn’t as much as it should be. So that is definitely a work in progress. I know people say that you can get used to eating vegetables if you cook them certain ways, so that is something I’m trying to do more. I do love fruit, and I actually like salads, broccoli, carrots, beans, potatoes, and spinach. But I definitely need to work on expanding my horizons when it comes to trying new or more elaborately prepared foods.
Suggestions are welcome! 
Whenever I can (afford it), I try to buy organic food. I always knew that it was better for us and for the environment and our resources, but after reading Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating, I realized just how messed up some parts of the food industry are. So even though I don’t always buy organic and local food, I hope that one day I will have the ability to pay a little more to have a better understanding of where my food came from, as well as the reassurance that I am contributing to a better future for the environment.
I also believe that while it is important to eat healthy, having a balance between eating what is good for you and what you enjoy is important as well. Often those two categories are one and the same, but depriving myself of occasional treats (cupcakes, fro yo, and chocolate are my weaknesses ) doesn’t work for me. I figure that as long as the majority of what I put in my mouth is going to help me stay healthy and strong, then I’m doing okay.
Okay, I will now step off of my soapbox. 
Side Note: What I post on my blog in no way represents everything I cook/bake/eat. If I post a picture of something I ate or a recipe, it is simply because it was especially delicious and I thought the pictures did it justice- or that I wanted to test your willpower for resisting the urge to make it yourself and devour it all in one sitting. Let me know how that goes.
Stop and Smell the Wildflowers 