Hi everyone, I wanted to introduce myself as one of Big City Moms’ new contributors. I’m Jessica, a mom of three, ages 5, 4, and 2 and I live in New York City. We’re downtown dwellers, and love living in Chelsea. There are so many neighborhood attractions to explore: Chelsea Market, the High Line, Madison Square Park. But we also love to see the city from a tourist’s point of view. I confess that I’ve been on the Red Bus tour more times than most, and we’re huge fans of the city’s museums.
Aside from exploring the city, we also like to hang out together at home. We throw some high-octane Friday night dance parties in our living room, and spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
I’m the author of the blog Feed Me Dearly (http://feedmedearly.com), a food and lifestyle blog focused on family life. Food is important to me. After having been diagnosed with cancer in 2001, I realized how critical it is to eat well, and taught myself (http://feedmedearly.com/fearlessness) to cook by watching cooking shows on television. I learned to visit the farmers’ markets to buy fruit and vegetables at their peak, and how to choose the right products at the grocery store.
These days, I don’t have hours of free time to prepare meals, so my cooking style is quick & easy. But I still make time for the farmer’s markets; cooking brings out my sense of adventure and it’s important to nurture our passions. To me, nothing is more inspiring than the shapes, textures and colors of our locally-grown produce. And I’m continually inspired by the foods that I see in the online world. Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, you name it – I’m willing to experiment.
My healthy approach to food extends the kids. We eliminate the processed stuff as much as possible (although I’m not an apple pusher on Halloween by any means!)
In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll cop to the occasional grilled cheese with American cheese, leftover Halloween candy, and Dairy Queen blizzard. I’m not a purist, it’s all about balance, and food guilt is never a good thing. Especially when you’re making primarily the right choices.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I’ll share more of the tips, tricks and lessons I’ve learned in the kitchen, and most important – how to do it with a busy family. Although my posts lean towards food, I’m open to writing about anything family-related. Whether it’s a great museum to visit, an out-of-the-way park to explore, or general thoughts as I work my way through the stack of parenting books beside my bed. How does that happen? I blame Amazon.
If anyone has questions, or topics they’d like to see covered, feel free to let me know.
All the best,
Jessica