My husband is a foodie. BIG TIME. He loves everything about food—from foraging from a variety of different markets including multiple local farmers markets to countless grocery stores, to preparing in the kitchen, to making beautiful creations, to serving the food and, ultimately, to enjoying his incredible delights multiple times a day.
When we met, he gave me a challenge as it came to food. He actually said, “Tell me what you want, and I’ll create a healthy version.” Being very competitive, I said, “Well OK! Bring it on!” My favorite categories of food are anything Italian and Mexican. Being from the Midwest, I LOVE cheese and, believe it or not, have a little bit spicier taste buds and enjoy a bit of heat. Given those challenges, I set forth on a mission. I was not ready to give up my enchiladas, burritos, Chipotle bowls or pizza! I mean, really, how can a meal prepared at home even come close to a restaurant? Well, I was about to be proven wrong!
Well, he certainly showed me what was possible with a lot of creativity, foraging and spending time in the kitchen. I remember one of our first meals together was a pasta dish. He had described it to me yet I had NO IDEA how good it was, much less simple to prepare. The key is starting with the right ingredients. He bought some amazing Italian pasta, an Heirloom tomato (a what?!), high end olive oil, seasonings to make his own sauce (What?? It’s not from a jar??) and added organic green vegetables and onions. Not only was it a vegetarian dish (which was a shock for this carnivore!), it was all organic, took about 15 minutes to prepare, tasted incredible and left me wanting more. The challenge was on.
Over the next several months, I ramped up my requests—and not only did he meet me with my requests, he continues to exceed and modifies every recipe every time! I truly can say I want for nothing! We have worked together to create amazing new creations and, keep watching, as we will begin to put together recipes and substation lists. I mean, the burrito we had for dinner last night was OFF THE CHARTS!!
We used to go out to eat quite a bit. Now, I can count on one hand how many times we have been in a restaurant in the last year. I, now, also enjoy the entire process. We forage together, we prep together, we eat together and we love every single minute of it. If I can do it, so can you. It is not hard and, given the right tools, it is a beautiful time and a true expression of self-love and honor. What can be better than giving your body the food it craves and the fuel we want? Give it a shot! I’ll be happy to share some recipes to get you started!
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