My views/soap box

I was going to nose dive into my first recipe however I thought it best for me to take this time to briefly express exactly what my views on "health foods" are. Be prepared, I may not be the most conventional in my thoughts nor do I pretend to carry a nutritional degree. I'm just a girl that has been through every diet, every turbulence and every emotion when it comes to body image and eating issues.

I feel very blessed to have been pulled out of that darkness, and later to have been motivated to attend culinary school. From day one at school I knew that I was partaking in that degree to learn the delicious, over the top fatty goodness of traditional French cooking so I could later pull from those techniques to create mindful, delectable, beautiful food.

I've come to find that a healthy life style consists of feeding your mind as well as your body. If you run around all day/week/month/year depriving yourself of the foods that you have once so loved. You've automatically pushed those comforts and natural cravings onto the forbidden list, which from the beginning of man has been the fall of us all.

You will continuously be falling back and forth, in and out of different 'I can eat this, no I can't eat that' mentality. You will never find stability. All the while missing out on that fantastic balance that you so need to sustain a normal and healthy lifestyle.

The great news about all of this? This balance is something that you are to decide for yourself and for your family's needs. I cannot exactly tell you what will work for you in the long run. I can pass along tips, suggestions, information and recipes but ultimately you will be the judge of what fits best. You will be the one that notes the differences that these foods have physically and emotionally in your life.

Personally, I have found the most strength in the words moderation, moderation, moderation. And then in fresh, variety, fresh, variety....

Variety unfortunately is the one thing that I have been struggling with the most in Lagos. I always find myself day dreaming of the rows and rows of inspiring fresh ingredients back home. Anything from the finest cuts of meat, to the sweetest sea scallops. To the most colorful of tomatoes, to the highest prized cheeses and oils.

But all this has done for me is push me into one very stubborn corner with a heavy sign around my neck stating: "If I can't find exactly what I am looking for, then I refuse to try at all."

And all that has gotten me is lazy and distracted from the greater picture which is simply this: just because something is difficult does not mean that it cannot be possible or even enjoyable.