Healthy Cooking

At Imwaytoobusy, we have a great appreciation for people who have fantastic careers and live fun, well-rounded lives. Kristin Porter, the blogger behind Iowa Girl Eats, is one of those people.

Kristin has a fabulous career in marketing, loves running, cooks healthy dinners on a regular basis, travels, and writes a blog post every day of the week. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Kristin about how she manages her career and fun, busy life. Here is what she had to say:

Take a moment to introduce yourself. What prompted you to start Iowa Girl Eats? How would you describe your blog?

My name is Kristin Porter, and I’m the woman behind the stove, sneakers and passport stamps at my blog Iowa Girl Eats. I started blogging two and half years ago after reading tons of cooking and lifestyle blogs for a few years before that. It looked like so much fun, I decided to join the party!

I mainly blog about cooking, running and traveling, and aim to post seven days a week. I usually try a new dish four to five days a week, and my favorite recipes are low-fuss, quick, easy and made with seasonal, readily available ingredients.

In addition to cooking I also love to run, so I try to occasionally post fun and interesting treadmill routines to use at the gym to help get through an otherwise boring workout. Finally, I have a HUGE passion for traveling, which I love to chronicle on the blog. I want my readers to feel like they’re with me on my trip, whether it be in Vegas, or at the Vatican!

You are well-known for your blog, but you also have a career. What can you tell us about what you do for a living?

By night, I am Iowa Girl Eats, by day I am a Marketing Manager at a local outdoor history museum. I’m a huge history nerd, so working for an organization that shows the changes in Midwestern agriculture over 300 years is kind of a thrill for me.

How would you describe a typical “day in the life of” Kristin?

Every morning (when there’s not snow on the ground!) my Mom and I walk 1.5 miles at the crack of dawn. Actually, earlier than the crack of dawn – 5:15am! I work four, 10-hour days, so I am usually in the office from 6:30am-4:30pm. I try and exercise 3-4 days a week, so I’ll hit the gym after work, then start dinner shortly after I get home. After cooking, photographing dinner, then blogging about it, it’s usually 7pm before I’m winding down.

For the remaining couple hours before I hit the hay, I close up shop and give my husband my undivided attention. The temptation to spend hours on social media and reading blogs is high, but spending quality time with him is the post important thing to me.

You have so much going on! How do you manage to write high-quality posts everyday?

I feel like I’ve been doing this so long, that it just becomes part of my routine. Cook, photograph, post, repeat!  Honestly, I do all my grocery shopping on Sundays then prep as many meals for the coming week as I can by chopping veggies and pre-making things like soups or casseroles, which can be reheated later. These couple of productive hours on Sunday save me gobs of time during the hectic week.

I do all my grocery shopping on Sundays then prep as many meals for the coming week as I can by chopping veggies and pre-making things like soups or casseroles, which can be reheated later. These couple of productive hours on Sunday save me gobs of time during the hectic week.

What has been the most rewarding part of writing your blog?

I absolutely love hearing back from readers who have tried a recipe of mine, and loved it just as much as I did. There’s nothing more satisfying and rewarding than that to me!

What are your tips for busy people who aren’t currently making time to cook healthy meals?

Make time! Life is not a dress rehearsal, and you only get one body. Treat it well and you will be rewarded. Also…this is easier said than done. Don’t stress yourself out, or set yourself up for failure, by trying to be perfect, or do it all at once. If you aren’t eating as healthy as you’d like, set a goal of trying to cook one or two meals at home a week. After that, try and work in more veggies to your meals, etc. Baby steps will get you there eventually!

Life is not a dress rehearsal, and you only get one body. Treat it well and you will be rewarded. Also…this is easier said than done. Don’t stress yourself out, or set yourself up for failure, by trying to be perfect, or do it all at once. …Baby steps will get you there eventually!

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Do you know someone who has a fabulous career and lives a fun, full life? Submit their story in the comments section below or send me a “tweet” @imwaytoobusy for interview consideration. I’d love to hear from you!