And so it begins...

A little bit about me. I am obsessed with food. I think about what I am going to cook and what I am going to eat with a level of passion that verges on addiction. Food is my sun and I am a hungry planet. Spinning around and around.

I am also a vegetarian and have been since I was 15 (almost 13 years!). The last time I knowingly, intentionally ate meat was Easter Sunday, 1997, in Northern Virginia. And I haven't looked back. Sometimes I feel like the world of fine dining could be a little more inclusive of vegetarians and those with special diets, but then again I understand the challenges. Sometimes, we are blessed by geography - I spent four years in the East Bay (Berkeley, CA, specifically), and that was my breeziest, easiest vegetarian period. Surrounded by like-minded people, I learned to appreciate aspects of healthful eating and stepping with quiet intention upon the earth (paired with occasional college binge drinking, of course). Berkeley is the heart of the original local and sustainable food movement - Alice Waters/Chez Panisse. Sometimes I miss the options and the ease.

But now I live in Sacramento and I am blessed with a vegetable bounty that I have never experienced. I have learned almost everything I know about cooking in the six and a half years that I have lived here. We are surrounded by an embarrassment of produce riches, and slowly but surely the Bay Area food sensibilities are moving east into our valley (I'm looking at you, restauranteurs!). I am excited to begin documenting my adventures with cooking and food, along with my pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. I plan to share recipes that I have enjoyed, tell stories about my small steps toward physical accomplishments (10k run, anyone?), and just enjoy writing for the sake of writing.

Thank you for joining me!