Welcome!

Welcome to my Get-Healthy-Foodie-Photo-Blog! This blog has been a long time in the making...about two and a half years, actually. What's taken me this long? Well...it all started as kind of an experiment with an unclear outcome. I really didn't know where to start, nor did I have any knowledge about what I was doing, nor did everything go as planned. So what's this Blog about?

"Flavor Is Free" is about getting healthy, about eating well, inspiring you to cook, and about sharing enthusiasm for life - it's a bright spot in your day, about all things culinary and aesthetic. But most of all, it's about healthy eating and living habits.

This blog is in large part a cooking blog - I will share recipes, ways to prepare healthy foods, kitchen tips and tricks, ideas on how to make food attractive, healthy, and delicious. It's also a blog about how to lose weight, and keep it off; I've been overweight my entire life, and in the last two and a half years I've learned a few things. The world is full of rich, oversized, huge-portioned, and decadent foods - in the media, in restaurants, in Supermarkets...it's everywhere we look.

The last two and a half years have been just about my health - not because I planned it that way, but because it turned out that way. I got a lot better because I decided to get healthy. Then I got a lot worse because I got sick. Now I'm getting better, again. Throughout it all, I've learned how to eat properly, I've learned about how the body works, I've learned a thing or two about cooking technique, and about photography, too. But mostly I've learned how to look forward to a healthy life...and that's just something you can't put a price tag on.

It turns out that if you take the time to prepare your own foods, with love and care and know-how, you can be a world-class chef in your own home...and get healthy, and stay healthy. I will share everything I've learned here, and if you've ever struggled with your weight, trust me - you're going to want to stick around. "I got you." One of my aims is to keep each recipe under 500 calories. It's not a promise, but it's goal...so let's see where that takes us. And yes, there will be a cookbook, too...eventually.

I created this blog to share my experiences, my excitement about what I'm doing, to encourage you and entice you into a healthy lifestyle by showing you gorgeous images of really healthy food you can cook in your own kitchen...food that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, food that is beautiful, easy to make, and above all, food that is healthy and nutritious. In short, food that makes you feel good about yourself. And you deserve to feel good about yourself. Everyone does. And that's what "Flavor Is Free" is about. I want to share that with you. "Flavor Is Free" is my comeback, and my third act. "Flavor Is Free" is the road home.

Some of you may have followed my Facebook food exploits over the last couple of years. I am so incredibly grateful for your support, your kind words, your encouragement and your compliments, and the excitement I got to share. Thank You, from the bottom of my heart. You're the best! You really kept me going in many ways. I will do my best to honor your kindness and support by trying to spread more of the same. My hope is that you join me, that you participate and make this blog interactive - I hope you'll let me know what you want to eat, give me suggestions, let me create some meals and cook for you. Don't be a stranger - reach out and tell me what you're craving. Together, every week, we'll create meals which I will post in this blog, with pictures in the gallery and recipes in these pages. Let's get healthy, together!

So, without much further ado - I invite you to browse these pages, soak in the deliciousness as it drips off your screen and through the flavor centers of your brain...into your stomach, kindling the sweet and savory spark of healthy eating by lighting your taste buds on fire, and making you crave what's good for you. Much can be said for high quality ingredients, elaborate recipes, choosing uncommon proteins, culinary prowess, hi-tech cooking gadgets, outstanding kitchen products, counting calories and carbohydrates...we're going to do it all on our journey. But if there is only one thing I could ask you to remember, one thing that binds food and life together in your senses and makes them worth every moment...it would be this:

As in Food as in Life...FLAVOR IS FREE!

So, let's do this. Let's get healthy. Together. See you inside.

Chris