{a day in the life} Eat Yourself Skinny

I am beyond excited to be featuring Kelly today. She writes the amazing blog Eat Yourself Skinny–where she creates delicious, healthy recipes. She takes gorgeous photos of her food, and even includes nutrition information. It is so apparent that Kelly puts a ton of time into her blog and has such a passion for what she does. Plus, she’s adorable and incredibly sweet and nice. What’s not to love?

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Tell me about yourself and how you started food blogging.

I’ve ALWAYS had a passion for cooking which was definitely a love my Grandma instilled in me. While looking for recipes one day at work, I stumbled upon a food blog that had such gorgeous pictures along with some very delicious recipes. I thought that it would be so fun to do, especially since I was starting my diet for the summer and needed some healthy recipes. I started in March of last year and have been addicted to it ever since!

Take me through your day. 

• 5:30 AM: Wake up and head to spin class/gym for an hour
• 6:45 AM: Get home from gym, shower and get ready for work
• 8:00/8:30 AM: Arrive at work, start answering emails and publish my blog post for that day
• 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Work at my full-time job as a paralegal
• 5:15 PM: Get home and either take pictures of anything I had baked the day before or start cooking a recipe for dinner that I want to take pictures of (before it gets too dark out!)
• 6:30 PM: Eat dinner then relax for the rest of the evening or sometimes I’ll go for a run if it’s nice out
• 9:30 PM: Head to bed!

What is your one must-have kitchen tool or gadget?

Definitely my kitchen-aid mixer!  I don’t bake all that often, but I absolutely would be lost without it!

What is the most important part of your day? Why?

Most important part of my day are my mornings.  It’s the only time I can really have some “me” time where I can de-stress and begin my day fresh and renewed!

If you could choose one room in your house to spend the WHOLE day in, which room would it be? Why?

Not sure this counts as a room, but I would LOVE to spend my whole day outside on my deck!  There is a gorgeous lake view, all my plants are in bloom in the spring/summertime and I could just spend the whole day with a good book and glass of wine.

If you could choose one room in your house to remodel (on an unlimited budget!) which room would it be and why? 

Oh without a doubt my kitchen!  Right now I live in a tiny one bedroom apartment, and although I’m so proud of my very first home all on my own, I would love nothing more than a big gorgeous kitchen!  Either way, I’m still happy with my tiny kitchen and this is where I first developed my love for cooking.

What is your favorite day of the week? Why?

My favorite day of the week would be Saturday!  This is when I love to either host dinner parties or spend unhealthy amounts of time in my kitchen making recipes and then taking pictures.  I’m SO busy during the week with my full-time job that usually I don’t have time to cook until the weekend.  I do love going to wineries with friends on Saturdays (or Sundays) as well or just having the day to myself, my boyfriend and my pup.

If you had to choose one place to travel to every year, where would it be? Why? Have you been there before?

I’ve never been there but I would LOVE to travel to Italy once a year!  The food is amazing, the country is gorgeous and it really has something to offer to everyone.  If not Italy, definitely the Caribbean for a much-needed vacation!

What is your favorite quote or verse?

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe

What is your favorite cookbook?

My favorite cookbook is Giada at Home.  I absolutely love her recipes and she’s one of my favorite chefs!

What recipe on your blog are you most proud of? 

The recipe I’m most proud of would have to be my Chipotle Chicken Croquettes with Spicy Mustard Sauce.  This was a recipe I created all on my own that actually won 2^nd place in a cooking contest!  It tasted pretty delicious too, boyfriend approved!

What recipe on your blog do your readers seem to love most?

My readers seem to LOVE my Skinny Beer-garitas!  These are a lightened-up version I created by choosing to make my own limeade rather than buying the syrupy, sugary pre-made stuff at the store.  I also really loved how this picture turned out!

What have you learned since you began blogging?

I’ve learned that there is such an amazing community of food bloggers out there, many who have become my real friends!  They are encouraging, inspiring and extremely supportive!  I’ve also learned that there is more to food blogging than just whipping something up in the kitchen and snapping a photo of it.  There are so many elements to consider such as food styling, times of day to shoot, food props, etc.  It’s such a fun hobby!

What have you found to be the most challenging part of blogging?

It’s definitely hard to find time to cook, take pictures and write for my blog as much as I would like to while having a full-time job.  Photography and cooking are two of my strongest passions and I would love to have more time to work on both of those!

Is there anything else you would like to tell the world about yourself?

Aside from cooking healthy and being a paralegal, I absolutely love fitness and just ran my first race this past weekend!  I ran a 10 miler at the GW Parkway Classic in DC and it was probably the proudest moment of my life!  I think I may have found a new passion to pursue!

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Don’t you just love her? Find more of Kelly on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Thanks for letting us “spy” on you, Kelly! xoxo

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