10 Oct Inside the Fridge welcomes yoga instructor Megan Faletra

Megan is a passionate Nutrition and Public Health Graduate Student living and working in Boston, MA. She is also a Certified Yoga Instructor with the National Yoga Alliance as well as a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Weight Loss Specialist through NASM. Megan believes that a honest, healthy, whole life begins on the inside and works its way out. As a seasoned cross-country runner, a healthy-fit lifestyle filled with whole, nutrient rich foods, has always been a big part of her life. For more of Megan’s health and fitness tips, check out her blog, Eat Simple Love Yoga. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Where do you shop for food?

I shop for food in a variety of locations, but mostly I try and purchase all of my produce at either farmers markets or outdoors markets. Living in Boston gives me the great opportunity to stop of different markets everyday in order to get the freshest produce, fish, and dairy products local to the area. For semi-processed foods such as dry goods I usually with shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, both of which I could spend hours just wandering around looking at all the incredible options.

Do you love food shopping or dread it?

Love it! Each week I plan out what we will have for snacks, lunch, and dinner and then on the weekend I do a big shopping from one of the best outdoor markets in Boston. The whole process is so much fun to me and I look forward to it each week.

What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?

Quality is always first and foremost, my number one priority. I will never buy food for the cheap factor if it means compromising quality. Specifically, I pay very close attention to the kind of meat, fish, and dairy products I purchase, which most of the time are coming from local fish and meat markets.

How often do you shop?

I go food shopping one big time a week and then stop at a variety of local farmers markets throughout the week for specific items.

How many times a week do you eat out? (based on 21 meals/week)

I eat out no more than twice per week in a typical week. I always eat breakfast and lunch at home or I will bring it with me to work or school. Dinner Sunday – Thursday is very rarely eaten out and usually only one weekend night is dedicated to eating out.

Do you believe in leftovers?

To an extent. There are some types of leftovers which I love, for instance, I make a fresh bean salsa, which is actually better the day after. I feel the same way about some soups. But for the most part I do not over make a meal in order to have leftovers the next day.

What brands do you swear by? Why?

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Products, So Delicious, Justin’s Almond Butter, Larabar, Trader Joes. All of these brands are very health conscious and tend to be processed as little as possible. I love that I usually do not need to worry about processed items being added into my food when I use these brands.

What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?

Hands down my favorite appliance is my Vitamix. I make everything from smoothies, to nut butter, to soup. It can pretty much do anything and I have used it everyday since I purchased it.

How have your cooking/shopping habits changed over the last 10 years?

My cooking and shopping habits have changed a lot over the past 10 years. I am only 25 so, when I was 15 years old I really wasn’t purchasing any of my own food and relied completely on my mom’s cooking. While my mom is an incredible cook and very healthy, we tended to have a little more processed food in the house than I purchase today. I also was not a vegetarian or gluten free at that time. Now, I eat 100% gluten free and have not eaten meat since my senior year of high-school.

What are your go-to food/nutrition/culinary/cooking website/s, book or cookbook?

I absolutely love Angela from ohsheglows.com, a vegan blogger and I would recommend everyone check out her recipes. I also follow the Whole Foods recipe blog as well as Cooking Light for ideas surrounding meals I can manipulate into my own.

What was the last meal you cooked from convenience products?

Shrimp Tacos. This is probably one of the easiest meals I make and also probably the one, which comes from the most convenient products. In order to make these tacos I use 100% Corn Tortillas, Frozen Shrimp, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, and Salsa. Basically, I thaw out the shrimp and then cook them for about 5 minutes in a pan. During this time, I chop up my vegetables and heat the corn tortillas in the oven. The entire meal comes together in about 10 minutes and is absolutely delicious and healthy.

What are you working on these days that you’d like to tell us about?

These days I am a busy graduate students working towards two Masters Degrees and my Registered Dietitian requirements. When I am not working on school work I teach yoga, run around the beautiful city of Boston, and enjoy visiting all the farmers markets Boston has to offer.

 Thanks Megan! 

If you would like to be featured on Inside the Fridge, please email Robinsbite intern, Jaime- Jaime@robinplotkin.com