meet the eaters.

Hi friends, Jessi here.

So, I started this blog (semi-secretly) a few months ago for two reasons.

A) I enjoyed the accountability. As I'm on a quest to lose-weight/become healthier, I noticed that they accountability of writing about my food spurred me on and helped me to avoid too many servings of veggie chips and hummus. It also made me want to be so much more creative in the kitchen.

B) I loved what I was reading. I fell in love (language too strong? oh, who cares) with other food blogs and specifically ones that chronicled someone's journey from unhealthy to healthy or overweight to healthy. As discouraging as it is to not be exactly where you want to be on the healthiness scale, it's encouraging to think someone else could be encouraged by what you're writing. Er, eating.

But, now! We've got a whole 'nother thing going on entirely and I love it.

We've got two other writers, lots of updating going on, and literally - hundreds of readers!

So let's back it up and introduce ourselves.

I'm Jessi.

Mom of three very small children. Wife to a sexy church planter.

I blog over at Naptime Diaries.

Formerly obsessed with weight loss, now on a quest for lifetime healthiness.

Used to love pizza, now I love quinoa.

If I had a word for what I want to write about it would be nourish.

The definition of nourish is

"to provide with food & other substances necessary for life & growth; to feed".

I want what I do in the kitchen, in my exercise, on this blog to feed the rest of my life - my real life. To feed my body the real food that enables me to live the healthiest possible. Not to idolize food or worship it or to be obsessed with what my body can or cannot do. Just to do the best I can, with what I've been given, so that I can worship the One who's given it to me.

Now, on to my sweet friend Carissa.

Carissa and I met through a mutual friend and we became fast internet-foodie-friends.

After emailing about our favorite meals and skyping while cooking, it seemed just perfect for her to join pizza to quinoa.

Here's her story:

My name is Carissa.

I have two very crazy dogs who

perfectly mirror my partner's and my personalities.

When I remember to, I write about their antics at 8 Paws and a Train Wreck. In case it wasn't clear, I am the train wreck.

Tim Gunn would love my kitchen; it's all about "Make it work!" I am a professional at making mistakes, then making them awesome. I want you to be too. Just give in; join the train wreck.

Lastly, my great friend Lauren joined the group.

We've known each other through several seasons, lived together, and shared more meals than most nuclear families ever do. I love her and her sweet perspective on food. She is all about celebrating food in a healthy way, and her voice is the perfect way to round out this blog. Here's what she has to say.

okay, so here's the thing. food and i have a long and harried past. like, we've-been-divorced-two-or-three-times-and-spent-the-majority-of-the-marriages-living-in-different-houses kind of messed up.

though, like a lot of dramatic relationships, we love each other deeply.

madly, even.

maybe some of you can relate? but, after years of trying to out-smart food, i found redemption. but that is another blog for another day.

i now take great pleasure in the process of food. dreaming up a meal to fit the mood of a day, buying each item with great care, and making a big mess in the kitchen with a few friends. wine sloshing freely into each person's glass as we chop, taste, and season. what is better than that?

so, hey everyone, i'm lauren.

what do you say?

wanna make some food together?

i'll bring the wine.

..............................................

Alright, ya'll. Welcome. We're the eaters.

Pull up a chair, some lunch or a cup of coffee and come back often.