Food Honesty

Believe it or not, this past Monday marked the end of my second 12-week cooking demonstration series with the Diabetes Prevention Program!  Time flies when you’re having fun and keeping busy, which I have been.  In fact, since the spring, I have gotten involved with two other community health and nutrition efforts: a farmers market and the new Elm City Market cooperative in downtown New Haven.

One of the best parts of being involved with these types of ventures are the people I meet and get to observe.  While some individuals like to challenge me, others refuse to try my vegetables, and a few ignore me completely, I have, nonetheless, had some really great conversations over the past few months.  One of the most common questions I am asked is, “Why do you do this?”

The first time someone inquired, it gave me pause and I had to think, “why exactly do I do cooking demonstrations?”

The reality is, not only do I eat to live, but I also live to eat.

$5 Challenge

Three weeks ago on Saturday, September 17, 2011, I hosted a “$5 Challenge” dinner for myself and two of the luckiest people I know. *tooting my own horn*

The Magical World of Weeds

Despite what you may be thinking, I am not about to embark on a culinary (or public health) discussion of a particular plant of which I know nothing (no, really! nothing.).  Rather, I want to talk about the joys of eating leafy greens!

1 For The Money...

2 for the grow; 3 to get ready; now go, veggies, go!

 

Greetings all!  After a particularly long hiatus during which I was preparing cooking demos, applications for medical school, and doing all of those other things that magically seem to steal my time, I AM BACK!  And what a great time it is to be back.  Despite the beads of sweat betraying the presumed power of the fan blowing full blast right next to me, that great, hot summer sun is also my best friend because it produces some of the best looking, best smelling, and--even more important--best tasting vegetables of the year!  So let's get cooking!

Let the Demos Begin!

Until recently, I did not know that Rachel Ray began her career as a culinary star doing cooking demonstrations at a local market.  Although my personal and career objectives are quite different from the "EVOO" and "sammy" queen, these past few weeks have made me begin to feel a bit like a star myself.  More importantly, the need for and utility of effective nutrition interventions has never been clearer.