Table of Contents
To my son, Jack; Never forget to dream big and to believe in the impossible. And to my husband, Stephane; Thank you for always believing in everything I do.
INTRODUCTION
If you had told me ten years ago Id be writing a cookbook, I would have laughed in your face and squeezed your cheeks. How cute. My stove was camouflaged in cobwebs and the only soup I ate came from a can. Cooking just didnt fit into my program; microwaves did. It wasnt until I met my husband, a French chef, that I realized soup was much better made from scratch. What a concept. So, with a bit of fear and an open mind, I slowly started to make my way into the kitchen with baby steps. It took an honest effort, many unsuccessful dates with the Food Network, and a few new ovens. (Sorry, honey!) Eventually, I started to nail it. Cooking started to trigger a release of endorphins. I was on fire. Next task: cooking healthy.
Of course, some of you have always had a reason to put healthy food on the table, and know that eating right is the only way to fuel your body. For others, maybe healthy cooking is new, uncharted territory. You smartened up, had a brief but necessary meltdown, ate the rest of the bonbons in your freezer, and then gave your diet a complete makeover. Ive been there.
Then there are those of you who have been along for the ride since reading Skinny Bitch. We meet again, bitches. It seems like only yesterday I was all over your asses for treating your bodies like a garbage disposal. Now, look at us. Our differences are behind us, and our bodies are looking better than ever.
When all is said and done, it doesnt really matter what world brought you into mine. Youre here, with this cookbook in hand, for a reason. You know what that reason is, and you should give yourself a pat on the back. Making changes in your life, especially what you put on your plate, is no easy task. Its strenuous, and sometimes compromising. But I found its also necessary and invigorating.
I should know. In my early twenties, my body was begging for an ultimatum of sorts. You see, I wasnt always the poster girl for womens health. I was consuming more sugar and caffeine than Willy Wonka and liked my pizza hot, cheesy, loaded with toppingsand hand-delivered by a smokin hot pizza boy. Medical insurance was a luxury I couldnt afford, and I struggled with ongoing panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. I was in a constant brain fog. I needed to know what the hell was wrong with me.
So, with few resources at my disposal, I turned to the Internet and good old-fashioned books and embarked on a pilgrimage of health and discovery.
It wasnt long before it became clear that what I was eating was indeed, eating me.
Every ailment I had pointed straight to food. I would make a small change in my diet, and my body responded immediately. I started to say goodbye to my vices, and everything changed for memore clarity, happier moods, and the best hair days. Then the light blub went on in my head. Food was healing me. How come this wasnt public knowledge? I had a choice. I could go on living life in my little Kim bubblea pizza addict with an unhealthy tan. Or I could invest in a new lifestyle and tell the world that food has the power to change your health. What would it be, blondie?
I think you know how this story ends.
Though choices are ours to make, I realized I never had much of a choice at all. After doing tons of research and completing a masters degree in holistic nutrition, how could I not open my big mouth? So, I did. I became a Skinny Bitch. I set out to uncover what was plaguing me and ended up stumbling on what was plaguing a nation. Call it Pandoras box. Call it nonsense, if you will. But for me, and for millions of people who have fallen victim to our immoral food industry, this journey was a revelation. Halle-freakin-lujah.
Since Skinny Bitch hit the shelves, a lot has changed. For starters, I have become a wife, a mother, and a pretty damn good chef if I do say so myself. I guess I just grew up. But, deep down, Im still the same wise-ass with a mouth like a sailorjust more refined. I still drop profanities at my computer screen, forgetting my impressionable four-year-old son is standing right in the doorway. And Im still the same girl who has a few choice words for my girlfriends who still drink diet soda. What can I say? Some bitches just never change.
But, beyond that, I have realized there is a much bigger picture working for me here. Its not just about a book. My purpose is to guide women in making positive changes in their lives to help themselves and the people they love, like my husband did for me. Once one person makes a change, they have the power to trigger the domino effect throughout their household.
Today, Im campaigning for yet another change. I am proposing for us to get back in the kitchen.
For some of you, there is no getting back in the kitchen. Cooking is an everyday activity, and you enjoy it. Good for you. As you know, it took me a long time to figure this out, so I hope this cookbook gives you some new ideas and tips on getting creative in the kitchen.
But, for the greater majority of us, cooking has become an event reserved for major holidays, graduations, and homecomings. Food is not where we have gone wrongculture is.
It seems we have taken huge strides backwards when it comes to the way we think of food. Weve all gotten busieradopting a Work Hard, Work Harder mottoand our meals have suffered as a result. Lack of time and money have certainly played their parts. Trust me, I get it. But theres a bigger cost to all of this.
Without even knowing it, we have devolved into a culture that rushes through life, and quickly gives in to the lure of a cheap, quick meal courtesy of the ubiquitous neighborhood fast-food joints. We continue to put in twelve-hour days, skipping from the office to parent-teacher conferences, dashing to soccer practice and ballet rehearsal, and then opting for a preservative-filled cheeseburger here, a fried chicken finger there. All the while, we exhaust the excuse that we dont have enough time to cook. Somewhere along the way, this has developed into a modern framework of efficiency, the product of a new generation. Long gone are the days when we enjoyed cooking meals with loved ones, followed by hearty family conversation: The jibber-jabber of Dads promotion, Juniors batting average, Sallys test scores, and Moms slightly embarrassing obsession with General Hospital. Not only have we lost precious family bonding time, weve also lost our health.
For that convenient, cheap thrill in a wrapper, we are doing some serious damage to our bodies. The rise of heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, and cancer isnt just a pretty little coincidence. Use your noggin. These diseases are just another by-product of our food industry. Experts even suggest that up to one-third of all cancers are related to diet. Were ordering it right off the Value Menu.
