A Little About Kevin
Hi, I’m Kevin and I like to cook. I’m from Los Angeles, California and one of few natives who still live here. LA is a great city for me and other health-conscious cooks because of the active lifestyle. The weather promotes being outside all of the time, and there are always new farmers markets popping up in different neighborhoods.
I like to travel as often as I can. I’ve spent many vacations in the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands, going from sunshine to sunshine. One of my favorite vacation activities is scuba diving. It’s a lot of fun before exploring local cuisines.
For fitness, I spend most evenings boxing. It’s a great cardio workout and passes the time quickly. Weights and running make it into the weekly fitness routine, too.
Everything Starts In Your Kitchen
I truly believe that food is the center of our lives. Each of us relies on an intake of food and water to sustain our lives. What that intake looks like can differ by country, culture, and personal goals. Some countries, like our beautiful USA, are known for big meals. Most cultures celebrate with food, including desserts. Many have personal goals, such as weight loss, muscle gain, or training for a marathon.
The exciting part of cooking for your family, your friends, and yourself, is that you can play a bigger role in the celebrations, start traditions, and take control of your personal goals.
My Food Philosophy
In 2014, I finished my weight loss journey. I lost 130 pounds in about three years. I didn’t completely understand why it was referred to as a journey until I reached the other side. Like any journey that begins in one place and ends in another, there are countless moments of realization, learning, and obstacles. It was one of the most enlightening things I’ve ever done. I learned so much about myself, about others, about cooking, about nutrition, and about exercise. I learned what I am capable of when I care enough to achieve it. People ask me how I did it, but they should be asking how I’ve kept the weight off for over five years. They’re similar answers, but require different mindsets. Losing weight requires one to eat fewer calories than they burn; this is simple math. Keeping the weight off requires one to understand how their intake and exercise define their lifestyle forever.
Fitness, like everything else, starts in your kitchen. I learned to cook meals that aligned with my personal goals. I spent time exercising in a way that complemented my food intake. In simplest terms, I lost the weight and have kept it off with diet and exercise alone. I ate differently and exercised more. I never weighed my food to find out of I was actually eating less, but I was eating differently. From this came Healthy Comfort Food.
Healthy comfort food is satiating, delicious, and convenient. Sometimes it’s healthy takes on classics like Spaghetti, but using spaghetti squash instead of pasta. It’s not always low carb or low fat, but it is balanced and filling. It’s not about tricking yourself to hate sugar, it’s about filling your plate and appetite with vegetables, fruits, proteins, healthy fats, and the right amount of carbohydrates.
A major theme of my cooking is sustainability. I try to make food that relies on sustainable forms of protein. This means responsibly farmed or caught fish, free-range chicken and eggs, and plant-based protein. This isn’t a requirement to maintain fitness, but it will help you and your environment.
What’s Next?
I just got married to the beneficiary of my time spent in the kitchen. Jen is my taste tester, my biggest fan, and my favorite person to eat with.
A cookbook may be on its way soon. Enough people have told me that I need to write my recipes down that I’ve started doing it.
More European travel. I’m expecting to taste some of the best food in the world and find some more inspiration to share with you.
