Newbie Healthy Cooking Chef!

​As a newbie to healthy cooking, I have been surprised over the past few weeks at how quickly I’ve gotten the hang of it, and how much I’ve come to love it! There is something beautiful about knowing exactly what is in the food you consume, and something very satisfying about preparing and cooking a meal. Growing up, my family was always on the run so I never really took the time to learn how to cook for myself. But now I don’t know how it took me this long to fall in love with cooking! I have been using recipes out of a paleo cookbook and I am always surprised by how delicious the dishes turn out to be. I am also surprised by how easy it actually is to prepare healthy meals. Typically the recipes take about 45 minutes to an hour, but when you consider the benefits of preparing your own food (knowing exactly what goes into your food, learning how to prepare/cook meals, etc) it is well worth the time.

​Now don’t get me wrong, I still love a good cheeseburger and I love eating out. I don’t think eating out once or twice a week is a bad thing, but being conscious about what I eat on a daily basis and making a concerted effort to be healthier has made my mind and body much happier. When I eat healthier (less fat, sugar and carbs; more protein and all that other good stuff) I have more energy and I just feel better in general about life. I will warn you, it takes more effort at the grocery store to pay attention to what’s in your food. It’s a bit more expensive as well, produce and organic stuff tends to be more costly. But like I said, the benefits make it worth it! And eating like this even part of the time will make your body happy and you will reap the rewards!

Some of the recipes I’ve tried so far are Apple Cranberry Crumble and Rosemary Ground Beef Skillet, both have turned out to be simple and amazing! I am so excited to go back home to Indiana and cook for my family. I’m not sure if you know this but Midwesterners tend to be very protective of their food and take cooking very seriously. It’s not called ‘Hoosier Hospitality’ for nothing. But I can’t wait to cook for my family and show them that you can be healthy and eat delicious food at the same time!

Nori moved to Colorado from Indiana in January, and started taking classes at CCYoga soon after. She is currently working as a school counselor at a middle school 3 days a week and nannying part time. Nori’s passion is working with young people and she hopes to find a full time school counseling position for the fall. Nori’s interests are HEALTHY COOKING, yoga, running, reading and many more.