My love affair with food began at birth. As long ago as I can remember, I was obsessed, gobbling almost anything, but particularly sweet things as a little girl. According to my parents, I was a great eater as a baby too. My dad started calling me Pumpkinhead at a very young age. You get the picture. I was also the kid who, at breakfast, was asking what we were having for dinner, and at dinner, was asking about the following day’s lunch — and not just the main dish, but all side dishes as well. Little Erin came up with the theory that she had one stomach for main meals and one for desserts, thus a full main tummy had nothing whatsoever to do with a full dessert tummy (brilliant, if I do say so myself, even though many a child may have similar ideas). My mom did most of the cooking at home, except for a few specialties by dad such as our weekly crepe pancake ritual. My dad was the fun guy who took me to the local ice cream shop and out for other treats. He inevitably took a bite, as I looked on, horrified at the gaping hole left in my ice cream cone.
I credit my mom (who I lost when I was 15) with encouraging (read: forcing) me to try a variety of foods as a young girl with a developing palate. Dad was involved in this nutritional effort too, but Mom, who always cooked extremely simple but good, healthy meals, led the charge. I recall — as many of us do — sitting at the kitchen table staring at the broccoli (or rice, or dreaded lima beans, etc) as my parents watched me, waiting patiently for the requisite three forkfuls to be consumed. Minutes often turned into half-hours, which turned into me downing the food in question, because I was usually a good girl. Some of you may have yelled and moaned or thrown food under the table. But this prodding toward trying different flavors and nourishing myself well led me to an even greater appreciation for food than already existed. And, the kind of tastes that sought out and enjoyed new foods, which I’ve continued to do to this day. With this passion, I’m grateful that I’ve been blessed with a generally lean physique (and that it’s balanced with a passion for health and wellness). More than one person has been taken aback by it, whether it be my family members aghast that I ate an entire “trucker’s breakfast” once, or a coworker exclaiming, “look at her, she eats like a horse!” LOL.
Read more about my philosophy around nutrition on my services page.