Hi! So glad you’re here! I’m Laurin and I’m a newlywed living in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with two pretty handsome fellas, my sweet husband Robert and our fluffy, energetic and all around adorable wheaten terrier, Renly.

     I am a speech pathologist by day and a wannabe chef by night . I love what I do and my life here but I also love to get up and GO!

     Experiencing new places both near and far is a passion dampened only by how long I can bear to be away from my dog (Just look at that face!).

     Atastytrip is a place for me to share recipes, document adventures, write about life and connect with YOU!

 

 

Why I blog:

I have been an avid food blog reader for several years and often thought about how fun it would be to have my own. After lots of cooking and several trips that I hated not to be able to document in detail, I decided there was no time like the present! I am at the beginning of my “blogging journey” but my hopes are that it will prove to be a creative outlet, a travel memoir, and a way to connect with like-minded (or not so like-minded but still wonderful and unique) souls.

 
My Food (and life) Philosophy:

Balance. I won’t claim it is new or profound, but it is important. Balance is important in every aspect of your life, in your diet, in relationships, at work, in exercise…everywhere!
I love Michael Pollan’s manifesto, ‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.’

     I love food. I love that it gives us energy and fuels our lives, I love what it represents both culturally and personally, and most of all that it tastes so darn delicious. And it should taste delicious, but I also believe it should be as healthy and whole as possible, most of the time. There is no such thing as the ‘perfect diet’ and trying to achieve it will make you crazy and cause you to miss out on some wonderful experiences. I shudder to think what life would be like without wine on girl’s night and no cake on your birthday. There is a time and a place for everything, including pizza and ice cream. Definitely ice cream.

     I think that if you make the healthiest food choices you can while you are in control (e.g. dinner in your home or what you bring for lunch) then it’s fine to make less strict (or more fun!) decisions when you are not in control (e.g. at a restaurant or on the road). I try to prepare healthy meals at home so that when Robert and I enjoy a meal out, I can order whatever I choose to without guilt. For me personally, this looks like an 80/20 balance. I try to be conscious of my food choices 80 percent of the time. I spend the other 20 percent of the time caring a lot less. Because I also exercise regularly, this works well for me, but your individual balance may be closer to 70/30 or 90/10.

     If it makes you happy and you feel good and energized then that is probably what is right for you. Most of the recipes I share with you will be healthy, but some will not be, because like I said…balance.