Recently, I read about The Sneaky Chef on a friend’s Facebook page when she was complaining about her kids not wanting to eat vegetables. It just made me stop to think — Why do we grow up hating veggies so much?

I’ll admit, I was a Spaghetti-O’s and mac n’ cheese girl myself. But as an adult, not a day goes by without a fresh produce purchase. Brussel Sprouts, asparagus, carrots, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas ….. the list goes on. I love them all. This hasn’t even been out of necessity: it was a naturally occurring food quirk. Luckily for my health, it didn’t stop there. I’ve traded sugary breakfast muffins and cinnamon rolls in for omelets, quiches, and whole-grain breads.

Have your food preferences changed? Are there foods that you love now that you once disliked and vice versa?  Or were you born with a sophisticated palate?

I don’t know what I’d do without fresh herbs. You’ll see a pattern here in the next week… lots of fresh produce!  This was supposed to be Bass with Herb Salad, but I substituted cod.  I also put it in a warm lavash.

No recipe for this one… just kinda threw it together. Pork tenderloin with a sauce of mushrooms, shallots, red wine, garlic and thyme.

No recipe for this one… just salmon topped with goat cheese, prosciutto, basil, and white truffle oil. Side of pasta tossed in marinara sauce.  And yes, that is a lot of pasta. I’m Italian, what can I say.

Lamb Meatballs with Cumin and Mint; Rioja flight. Meatballs can be made without breadcrumbs for a gluten-free meal.

Orange Olive Oil Cake