I’m Rachel, a small-town girl born and raised in Oklahoma. I’ve spent the past four years living in Japan, but now I’m back in the U.S.!
I love all things food related, and am particularly interested in nutritional, whole-food cooking from scratch. This blog is where I record all my cooking adventures, recipes, packed lunch ideas, weekly menu plans, healthy/whole food cooking advice, and brief updates on my life in general (which is the most exciting part of all right? Right?! *cough*).
If you want to know a bit more about me…
When I was a university student, I majored in East Asian Studies and minored in Japanese language. My junior year I lived in Japan for one year as an exchange student. Upon graduating from university, I decided to return to Japan, this time for work. I worked in Japan for about 2 years as an English teacher, then decided to quit so I could focus on studying Japanese, traveling, cooking, and learning karate at a nearby dojo. Oh yeah, I also got married in there too. Teehee. My husband and I recently moved back to the U.S., where we plan to settle down. Maybe…
If you want to know a bit more about him…
My husband is Japanese, but we met in Oklahoma when I was a student, and he was a researcher at my university. After I graduated and moved back to Japan, he found a job in Japan and followed shortly after. We were married in spring 2010, and have been ridiculously, shamelessly, and nauseatingly happy and in love ever since. My husband currently works as a scientist, doing research about things that I don’t understand (What? I didn’t like chemistry in high school, okay!). He works very hard everyday to support us and wears a lab coat in the process (which I’ve actually never seen! Darnit!). He also loves any and all sports, and can beat me at any and all sports (including wii sports) (update: It’s recently been established that I’m actually better than him at gun shooting and archery. The deadly sports! Ha! Booya Baby!)
About life in Japan…
Living in Japan had it’s ups and downs, but it’s was an amazing experience with many lessons learned, including how to ride a bicycle after several glasses of wine how to hang out the laundry to dry, how to go to a doctor that only speaks Japanese, how to drive on the left side of the road, how to cook with chopsticks, etc. Japan will always be a place I call home, and with the family and friends we have living there, it will always be somewhere we frequently visit.
How I came to love cooking…
Although I do love Japanese food, sometimes I just need some good ‘ole southern food. Unfortunately, finding a lot of the ingredients and foods available in American groceries stores (ex. frozen pie crusts, whole wheat bread, etc.) in Japanese grocery stores can be next to impossible sometimes. After my husband and I got married, out of desperation (i.e. repeated intense cravings) for a taste of something familiar, I was left with no option except to learn how to cook many things from scratch. Through this process, I learned not only that homemade food tastes a million times better than the stuff from the store and is a lot better for you, but also that I truly enjoy cooking for my family, and what a joy it can be to make a good, healthy meal for those I love.
What’s this “natural/whole foods” business all about?
I try to cook/bake with as natural ingredients as possible, and make things from scratch whenever I can. In other words, I use real butter, real cream, and real meat. I love fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a wide variety of whole grains. I try to use organic, locally grown/raised foods, and meat that is from pasture-fed, organic, and hormone free animals. I avoid processed, pre-made foods, and if something includes scientific-sounding words in the ingredients list, then I don’t buy it.
Although tiny, my kitchen has been the place where I’ve discovered my love of cooking, what joy it brings to me and my family, and how to really make our apartment into our home.
Why don’t you stick around for awhile? Sit down, have a cup of coffee, let’s chat. You see it all starts with a cup of flour…
Great site Rachel. I’m studying to become a health coach and need to expand my base of whole and fresh food recipes. Although lately I’m personally on a 30-day no meat challenge, I still prepare dishes with meat for my family. Keep the recipes coming.
Albert
Hi Albert! I’m glad you enjoy my recipes!
Learning whole/fresh food recipes is definitely a step-at-a-time process, but I enjoy it a lot. There’s something very satisfying about learning to cook a dish from scratch that you never made from scratch before. Good luck!
Hi Rachel,
Hi! I’m Judy from Niigata. I just found your blog through your post on MIJ. Love it, love it, love it! I’ve fallen into that rut of making the same things over and over that you spoke of. We share the same philosophy about food. Also many of the same tastes, it seems. I’m scrolling through your recipes and my mouth is watering! Hmmmm… which to try first?! The packed lunch ideas are also going to be very helpful. Please tell me you’re going to keep your blog going after you move in December!
Hi Judy!
Thank you for your comment! It’s always so nice to here when someone likes what I’m posting! :)
And to answer your question, yes! I’ll definitely be continuing this site after going back to the U.S.! It’ll be harder to find a lot of Japanese ingredients, but I’m hoping to hunt down an Asian or Japanese market after moving back.
I found you via MIJ too. I love your meal plan Mondays. I am toying with starting to meal plan and they are good references.
Thanks! It definitely takes some time to sit down and plan out the week’s meals, but it’s such a huge time saver during the week. I love not having the “What should I cook for dinner?” panic around 5pm every night, and I also love not having to run to the grocery store to get random ingredients for some dinner I just thought up.
One thing I find helpful is to make an index of the meals you usually make (or would like to make again). Mine is categorized by different cuisine types, plus I have a separate list for packed lunch food ideas. I know some people, however, categorize theirs by preparation time (like all day slow cooker meals, 30 min. or less dinners, etc.). Having an index makes it a lot easier, as you can just refer to it whenever you need some dinner ideas.
I’m glad you like my meal plans, and good luck starting your own meal planning! Trust me, it’s worth it!