About Us

We are three friends who love to cook, share recipes, and learn about health. We believe many of our friends and peers are looking for fresh ideas for cooking easy, yummy, healthy meals and this blog is for them and the world.

Erin
I thought I was in the best shape of my life when I ended up in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism that almost killed me.  Turns out that 5-7 days of cardio and 3-4 days of weightlifting a week coupled with a whole lotta “heart-healthy whole grains” was enough to get my resting pulse down to 45 BPM but wasn’t enough to keep me out of the hospital — or prevent me from developing an autoimmune disease shortly thereafter.  Suffering from chronic low-grade fevers, debilitating chest, muscle and joint pain, rashes, nausea, digestive problems and a disturbing memory loss, I saw countless doctors …read more

Food Philosophy: Eat real food!  Whole foods.  Foods that either walk, run, swim, fly, or turn to the light.  Some people call this the paleo or “caveman” diet.  I think of food as my medicine and believe in eating locally & organically as much as possible for the same reason.

Loves: Omelets! Scallops. Shrimp cocktail.  Ceviche.  Fresh-from-the garden salads. Avocados anyway.

Indulgences: Red wine, dirty gin martinis, and fruit-as-dessert.

Janine
I remember when I was 18 working as a waiter and having a conversation with one of the cooks. We were talking about the benefits of good fresh foods and she said to me “pay now or pay later.” Later that month I applied for foodstamps and to my surprise was given $250 a month to be used at any food store I desired. I was living in Asheville, North Carolina where health food stores and co-ops are abundant, and to my luck I lived right near one of the better co-ops, French Broad Food Coop. I never shopped there as it was too expensive but now that I had the foodstamps it gave me an opportunity to try the lifestyle, plus that aphorism “pay now or pay later” was stuck in my conscience. I was quickly hooked and even after my foodstamps were taken away I continued to be a dedicated customer and supporter of the co-op ethos. For 5 years I lived in Asheville and became a lover of gourmet, wholesome local …read more

Goals: To smell as good as all the spices and teas I drink. To have the energy that allows me to accomplish my dreams. To see the corporate control of food and medicine be destroyed.

Loves: teas from around the world, spices, garlic, kale, salmon, dill with sour cream, cabbage rolls with lamb, raw milk, and local foods.

Indulgences: Cheeseburger with fries, any sort of dumpling (Russian, Jamaican, Asian), an occasional pie (although I think of sweets often!).

Sarah
While I consider the majority of my upbringing smack in the middle of the hippy category (homeschooling, commune living, and nature-loving) there was one area where the hippy parenting techniques went horribly awry: food. As a single parent, my father’s failed attempts at cooking for his kids resulted in the discovery of only a single meal we liked. He cooked us black bean tacos with grated cheese and “special sauce” for every single dinner we had with him for over ten years. That’s literally thousands of meals. My mother didn’t do much better. She struggled with my childish pickiness and finally succumbed to my demand for boiled Ramen noodles with soy sauce and butter nearly every day. (Kinda gross, I know.) Luckily, we always had a garden at my Mom’s, and as I grew older I learned to incorporate fresh basil pesto and salads into my pasta obsession, and to appreciate the value of fresh, green food …read more

Loves: Gourmet Americana from fresh, seasonal, local ingredients. Big salads.  Eating food right off the vine (or edible weeds right off the ground). Yoga, dance, and learning to do new skills with my body.

Indulgences: Fresh crusty bread with butter. Ice cream. Locally brewed beer. Dark chocolate.