Today’s guest post comes from my client and friend, Shelley Hudson.  While she’s an extremely talented interior decorator, and can fix/improve just about anything, cooking is not really her thing…or wasn’t, until she got some tips from Eating Made Easy.  Here she shares what she’s learned, and how it’s changed her food life for the better!

Eating Made Easy.  Seriously.

Although Amelia is now a close friend, our relationship started as a professional one.  I was introduced by another girlfriend, who had hired Meels as a personal chef.  I heard wild raves for weeks, so I had to taste for myself what this “phenomenon in the fridge” was about.  After three forkfulls, I was sold.  I hired Amelia a week later.

Here’s what happened.  I’m a vegetarian, and I thought I had been eating a fairly healthy, varied diet.  When I actually ate the full spectrum of grains, dairy, fruits, and vegetables every day, however, I noticed a significant difference in my energy level.  Also, now that I had ready-to-eat fruit in my fridge, that’s what I grabbed between meals instead of something in a bag or box.  Pre-Meels, I had a short list of go-to dinner options, and one that was high on the list was frozen lasagna!  Once I got my taste buds on real lasagna made with layers of seasonal veggies and tomato sauce, there was no turning back!  My first lesson from Amelia: freshly prepared foods are always better, and they’re just as easy.

 

Alas, all good things must come to an end.  I’m single now, and I had to take back the responsibility of feeding myself.  Amelia’s advice became even more important.  Luckily, the second lesson was just as delicious to learn: seasonal produce is cheaper and tastier. It hadn’t occurred to me to plan my menu around in-season produce.  I mean, when can’t I buy a tomato?  I learned the difference between a pink, mushy thing and an almost candy-sweet in-season tomato.  Now I’m a farmer’s market snob.

This next lesson took me a minute:  cooking for myself every week will save time and money. Huh?  It’s true, people.  By preparing a few entrees, a couple of sides, and a few snacks in two hours, I save many more hours of shopping, prep, cooking, and cleaning for the rest of the week.  If I have delicious food waiting for me at home, I don’t even think about ordering take-out.  That’s a lot of shoe money!

Those are three big lessons I’ve learned from Amelia.  Here are the little ones:

1. The bread maker under my sink makes bread.
2. Every vegetable tastes better roasted.
3. Roasting is easy.
4. Figs can be served in forms other than Newton.
5. Beets are not born in a can.