Growing up our family ate a blend of home cooked meals and fast foods. My father enjoyed cooking and I loved to watch him make habichuelas con arroz, chuletas and other yummy dishes. We had the privilege of having at least one home cooked meal a day for dinner, other meals were fast meals and never any veggies. Sliced tomatoes and salt or iceberg lettuce was a veggie go-to. Other days, we would go to Wendy's to get the $5, $5, $5 or frozen dinners, a family favorite - I can literally smell the boxed Hungry Man Salisbury steak heating up in the microwave as I write about it. Hey, it was "affordable".

Although I enjoyed most things we ate, my body really struggled. As a child, I can recall spending hours in the nurses office because going to the bathroom was a huge issue and one I never talked about. Bowel movements were never a topic of conversation at the Rivera household. Moving forward years later, my eating habits have changed and I have learned to be aware of how my body reacts to food. Learning what works for your body takes a LOT of time, with patience - I've spent many years learning how to treat food as medicine AND found ways to keep my meals feeling "home cooked," just like my dad did.

You don't have to get rid of the meals or the things you like, only learn how to adjust them a little bit. I created this blog to share my recipes and what makes my body feel good. I hope you can create new memories with them and feel like home in every bite.