So it’s a new year and I have decided to change from the inside out. I have made a pact with myself to eat healthier and radically change my diet.

I grew up in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Manhattan and was exposed to typical Latino/Dominican cooking. Stews, fried plantains, yucca, pernil, and tons of rice and beans. As easy as it is to get lost in the different spices and flavors, I know that with a long history of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol on my both sides of my family I needed to change how I eat in order to not follow in those footsteps.

So with that, I have decided to adopt a healthier eating style without compromising flavor or starving myself. I will share my accomplishments and failures as I try to recreate my favorite meals with less processed foods, creativity and lots of flavor.