About Iowa Girl Eats
I’ve lived in Iowa for the better part of 26 years (minus a three year stint in Minneapolis after college) and while it may get a boring rap, Iowa’s a fabulous place to live! Great food can be found locally which lets me eat well, trails are abundant which allows me to run free and the cost of living is low which encourages me to travel far!
My Philosophy
Eat Well
Eating well is tough, isn’t it? Eating well with a major sweet tooth + a curiosity to taste everything = really tough!
I love to cook, and I love to eat even more. I am always up for trying something new (except if it contains mushrooms, bell peppers, or cooked carrots!) and feel the absolute best when I eat nutritious and healthy meals. That said, I am definitely a self proclaimed junk food junkie! Give me a bag of Doritos and Thin Mints any day and a happy girl you will find.
Obviously junk food does not do a body good, so I try and live by the 80/20 rule: 80% clean and healthy eating, 20% sanity-keeping splurges. Some days it’s more like 60/40 – but hey, we do the best we can. 
My favorite foods to cook and eat include Asian foods, 5 ingredients or less recipes and comfort foods made healthy. Most nights you’ll find me in the kitchen whipping up a scrumptious, healthy meal for me and my husband – always leaving room for dessert, of course!
Check out my Recipes and Restaurant Reviews!
Run Often
I “became” a runner when I moved to Minneapolis after graduating college and was able to take advantage of the incredible trails and lakes that Minnesota has to offer. They don’t call it the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” for nothing! In 3 years, I went from barely being able to run 1.5 miles, to knocking out 6 miles – no sweat!
After moving back to Iowa, I continued running on the trails near my home and eventually took those runs from 6 miles to 13 miles. All my training culminated in the Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon in September 2008…on the rainiest day in Chicago’s history! Finishing that race gave me one of the biggest feelings of accomplishments I’ve ever had, and is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
I absolutely love the feeling that running gives me, and I am proof positive that if you stick with something – it will get easier!
Travel Far
I’ve got the travel bug and it cannot be cured!
Some people work to get the latest and greatest gadgets and gizmos, I work so I can travel. I absolutely love exploring new and unfamiliar places – learning the history and mystery behind every new discovery.
Whether it’s searching around European churches that are hundreds of years old or trying to figure out the intricacies of the mysterious Japanese culture, I want to do and see it all. Every place I go I consider a “favorite”, but my favorites among favorites include Japan, Germany, New York City, and ALL of California. Destinations on my must see list include: Greece, Italy, Morocco, Alaska and India!
How did I not find your blog before?? Love to travel, be healthy, and RUN! yea!