About

My passion for healthy eating sparked when I took an introductory nutrition class in college to satisfy my degree's biological science requirement. I'd watched my calorie intake a few times before, but all I did was exactly that: count calories. I never gave a second thought to nasties like trans fat or sodium, or looked to see what kind of unpronounceable chemicals were lurking on the ingredients list.

But when I learned that in France, citizens buy their bread daily because it goes bad by the next morning while Wonderbread stays good for weeks without a speck of mold in all of it's chalky whiteness, I knew something had to change. I knew my body deserved better than to be filled with chemicals and preservatives. I made a promise to myself: that I would treat my body the way it was made to be treated, not with Twinkies and soda pop but with fresh fruits, vegetables, and delicious water.

I walked out of that class for the last time in May of this year, and three months later my life has changed drastically. I feel better about myself and my body. My energy levels have skyrocketed — no more daily naps for this gal!

As I began changing up my diet for more natural goods (my most basic rule is that if God Himself put it here, it's good to eat), I noticed just one unfortunate side effect: as I got healthier, my wallet got thinner.

Being a college student means you're usually running short on quite a few things: time, brains, and money. That last one poses quite a threat when you're trying to eat healthy. After all, what's more tempting to a tight budget: ten packs of ramen noodles or a jar of organic mushrooms?

The more I researched healthy eating, the more I realized how hard it is to eat good foods with bad income. That's why I started Flat Tummies, Fat Wallets: for ordinary folks like me who don't have or can't afford to go to places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

All recipes on this blog are made with ingredients you can buy in places like Walmart and Target without breaking the bank. Can't afford to attend exercise classes or hire a personal trainer? Don't worry because we'll talk about that, too.