I had so much fun last night hosting a conference call with women all over the country on tips and tricks to eating healthy. It’s been rewarding to share what I have learned over the past twelve years of pursuing a healthier life for my family. What I may not have mentioned yet on this blog is that I have not always known how to live a healthy lifestyle. When I got married in 2001, I only knew how to make spaghetti and meatballs. Literally. Ask my husband. That’s pretty much all we ate. Oh and bruschetta. I had become so proficient with anything that included noodles and tomato or pesto sauce that I could have been nominated as the “least Italian, Italian cook.” After a few months of weight gain and feeling pretty crummy, we knew we had to make a change. (Well, honestly, Ryan knew we had to make a change and suggested I learn how to steam some broccoli).

From that time on, Ryan and I have ventured, more slowly at some times than others, into health. As we have learned more and more we’ve made changes to our diets, our fitness, our home, and our supplementation as we continue (even now) to learn more. At other times it has been a slower process as we have worked to overcome bad habits from a lifetime before or gone through periods of trial and error to determine what kind of nutrition, exercise or lifestyle changes fit our life and biology best.

The other thing I have not shared here is that I don’t love to cook. (There’s a reason my default cooking mode was boiling noodles and stirring a can of sauce on the stovetop) I shared with my guests on the call last night that I often laugh that I have a blog with recipes on it. It’s pretty hilarious. So even learning how to cook and how to have fun with it—it is a process.

I want this platform at WarOnAverage.com to be inspiring to my guests who read it, not discouraging. Some change can be instant and other change HAS to be gradual. So, as you continue to see me talk about nutrition, food prep, and how my family eats please remember these things:

1. My cooking career started with a cardboard box of penne & a powder that turned into pesto sauce.
2. It took trial and error and more burnt and crispy broccoli than anyone should consume to teach myself how to cook vegetables.
3. I spent my teen years living off box pasta, Market Day chicken patties and fast food.
4. We did not make all the changes cold turkey, it’s been a gradual process.
5. I do not love to cook.
6. I cook a few times a week and then serve a lot of leftovers because I don’t have a ton of time.
7. We eat really healthy 90% of the time (we have weekend cheat meals, we go out to eat with friends, we let our kids have ice cream and cake at their birthday parties). We strive for balance.
8. If we ever have a meal at your home we will enjoy whatever is prepared and never expect others to cook anything special for us. We just eat a certain way at home, most days, and don’t stress about the rest.

As you explore your own ways to change your diet and live a healthier life, I hope these realities encourage you, that this process is doable—for anyone.