For Those with an Appetite
for a Leaner Approach!

I am more than happy to cook in whatever style appeals to you; if you like to eat mashed potatoes with gravy, a richer cut of beef, and creamed corn for dinner, and a homemade apple pie for dessert, I can blow your socks off!

But if you want to explore a “healthier approach” to eating I can give you some delicious new options to consider. This is the way I cook at home for my family and friends, and the manner of cooking I find most intriguing. It’s an area of constant change, as everyday there’s more information available, some new study, to keep up with. While I do not claim to be a nutritionist or dietician, I love to pour over the latest news and health trends and bring them home into my kitchen for the people I care about. Busy people don’t always have the time to do so themselves, so this is an added advantage of having a personal chef. I don’t have to spend any time trying to “sell” this concept, because the food does that all by itself!

I infuse my dishes with flavor by utilizing lots of fresh herbs and spices, garlic, ginger, fresh citrus, etc. I like to substitute many of the “white’ foods (white potatoes, white rice, white flour, white sugar) with the more healthful starches, like sweet potatoes, brown rice, lentils and beans, quinoa, barley, whole wheat, soy. Your stomach will feel satisfied, as higher fiber foods translate into increased satiety. You will feel better as a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables means more antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and a diet with lean proteins means less fat circulating in your arteries and encourages a healthier heart.

You will look better, as people often lose weight when eating a portion-controlled diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. I encourage my clients to give it a try if they haven’t been eating like this. In fact, in order to encourage my clients to eat like this and subsequently feel better, I will be glad to shop for and prep vegetables ready for you to steam or microwave at dinnertime for a nominal additional charge along with each entrée and side dish just to encourage you to eat more vegetables. Once a nurse, always a nurse, I guess!

You might want to consider allowing me to prepare a vegetarian entrée for you once a week (vegetarian food is actually quite time consuming to shop for and prepare, but generally less expensive at the grocery store as you are not purchasing expensive meat/poultry/fish). I love to hear my clients tell me that they had never purchased swiss chard before because they didn’t know how to prepare it, and how they love it now that I have introduced it to them in such a delicious way. Imagine, you may feel so good that you actually begin an exercise program!