A New Kitchen Leaf (As it were)

I'll let you in on a dirty secret: while I may not be the MOST health- or nutrition-conscious person and I may not be the world's GREATEST cook, I do have good intentions, I swear!

....at least until I stopped working.

This is probably a common phenomenon, but I found it MUCH easier to eat healthily (or healthier, at least) when I was NOT at my house for 8+ hours every day and had to plan out the foods I bought with me.

This all went to hell in a handbasket (or handbag, as my friend Stephanie would say) over the summer. For the first half, I was home all day with access to parent-sponsored grocery trips (which is not a bad life, to be sure). This continued when I went to Boston and had NO access to cooking supplies or even a microwave - my entire diet relied on the (often inedible) food in the dining hall or restaurant outings.

But now that I'm in London I have a grand plan of Grown Up Nutrition! See, I have the beautiful thing of a Blank Kitchen Slate, just waiting to be created.  My grand plan is to intentionally buy foods that are nutritious - crazy, right?!

My new (empty) fridge - isn't it so mod?

I'm also cognizant of two unique facts: I will be spending a lot of time working out of my house, or at the most within 10 minutes walking of my house, so I can easily run back home for a salad instead of bringing one to work.

View of my walk on my way to work...

HOWEVER, I won't be able to cook nearly as often as before, both because I will have a lot of evening commitments and because of the unpredictable nature of my position. So I'm looking for foods that are either stand-alone snack foods or quickly and easily prepared.

The fanciest looking hob I've ever seen. It's a touch-screen stovetop!

My good friend Becca proclaimed that before she studied abroad a few years ago she was going to reinvent herself. I don't know if she really did, since she was awesome before and is still awesome now, but I'm taking her words to heart - total reinvention! (Or at least partially).

Obviously this isn't to say I will suddenly be a health goddess. Cereal is the BEST and I'm as big a fan of frozen pizza as anyone. But I'm hoping to take this new opportunity to make some smart, adult choices - won't it be fun to see me struggle with this?! Stay tuned!

And if you have any suggestions for healthy foods or good recipes, let me know!

For good measure because I had a request (from one friend and my mother), here's a picture of my flat! Cute little seating area, dining area, and very importantly - three beds. So I can rotate if I am in the mood for whimsy. Also a little kitchen off the side :-)

What it doesn't have: