Meals designed to fit your life, not the other way around…
Hi, I’m Chelsea – nutritionist, dog momma, girlfriend, meal planner and recipe creator extraordinaire! This blog is made up of the meals of my life – meal plans I follow, recipes I create and cook, and even meals out (because, let’s be real, we can’t cook all of our own meals!). Occasionally featured on here will be my boyfriend, Ben (aka my tech/web guru helper) and our pup Guster.
My food philosophy is healthy but balanced! My background in dietetics and as a nutritionist serving clients with various health and nutritional needs have honed my ability to “healthify” recipes without sacrificing flavor. That being said, I wholeheartedly believe in the 80/20 concept – eating healthy most of the time, but indulging without guilt when the occasion calls for it.
Meals With Intent was born from my love of healthy cooking, but has evolved to become something so much greater. Leading a healthy lifestyle, especially in terms of a relationship with food, really comes down to intentions. Healthy eating can be done by anyone, regardless of food intolerances, budget restrictions, time limits, cooking skill, and more. My recipes and meal plans are designed for myself and my life – a busy young professional, with a dog, and a social life, and hobbies outside of the kitchen. But, they are also modifiable! With just a little thought, and a focus on intentions, anyone can cook healthy meals and live a healthy lifestyle.
So, I talk a lot about intentions. What do I mean by that? Well, intent is defined as “having as one’s purpose or objective; plan”. Meal planning is, in and of itself, a form of intention – just sitting down, planning your meals for the week, and buying groceries is a big step on its own. However, I’m going to take it one step further – each meal I create will be labeled with one or more specific intentions.
Money: focus on ingredients that give the most bang for their buck
Ease: focus on easy recipes for beginners or busy nights
Time: focus on time saving techniques, under 30 minutes
Nutrition: focus on nutritious ingredients, limiting empty calories
Soul: focus on feeding the soul – comfort foods
Innovation: focus on trying something new – a rare ingredient, new technique or tools