About Me

Welcome to Cait Plus Ate (full name credit goes to my witty friend Rachel), a place for me to share my musings about all things food (restaurants, nutrition, daily eats, recipes, products), fitness, fashion, marketing (especially social media), books, and just life-related in general! I hope you stick around

I’m a 23 year-old girl in the full-time working world, also attending night school part-time to get my MBA. I graduated from UConn in May 2011 with a major in Marketing and minors in Communications and Statistics. I hope to be a marketer in the food world someday!

My Foodie History

I used to be the pickiest, most mundane eater of all time. My relatives always joked that I only ate things that were white or tan – aka any white carb imaginable (Wonder Bread junkie), lots of peanut butter (two crust-less sandwiches every day for lunch until post-high school), any potato starch (fried? baked? mashed? yes please), and SWEETS (vanilla, and eventually warmed up to chocolate, though even that took some time).

Like we’re talking, the only veggie I’d touch was a carrot and the only fruit I’d ever dream of eating was a banana. Oh, and I wouldn’t even consider trying any meat til age 15 when I took a bite of my first burger (and yes, my family took a photo).

But once I got to college and had unlimited dining hall access, and a job at UConn’s Student Union Food Court, I started trying more foods. Only greasy or sweet ones, mind you, but still more. Wings, where were you all my life? Cream cheese muffins, why weren’t we friends before?

So I gained a little weight (I was never overweight, just your typical freshman ten or fifteen). Junior year was when I started taking an interest in the lighter side of things. My mom has always been into healthy dishes, and once I started trying her versions of meals I realized that healthy doesn’t have to mean tasteless. Healthy can mean SO many delicious things, like the foods I love now: huge salad, cottage cheese + fruit combos, beans, Mediterannean fare, veggie pizza, and SO much more. I also got into working out thanks to my college’s awesome fitness programs.

Trying to Balance

The summer after junior year, I have to admit that I got too rigid with eating healthy, and to this day am still working on becoming more flexible. Eventually I had the idea in my head that there were a ton of “should eats” and “should do’s” to follow in terms of food and working out. I lived my life by these rules, not by my desires and feelings. Rules are good – to a point. My life was way too structured and way too determined by things that shouldn’t have been determining it.

The blogging community has taught me that healthy ALSO means knowing indulgence is a part of life and fun! Rigid rules about what we “should” and “shouldn’t” eat aren’t what we should guide our lives by – after all, I would have totally regretted not trying the BACON ICE CREAM in the photo above! This is something I am trying to teach myself and I hope that I can help others live that way too I am always open to talking to anyone about this topic because it is near and dear to me!

First bite of a wild boar burger at Ray’s Hell Burger in DC.

Same with being active – I love to work out, but I need to remember that working out isn’t as healthy mentally if it’s a “should” thing. Keep trying different ways to be active and you’ll find something that works for you! And the more you try the better – boredom never helped anyone. So join me in moving in ways you want to, and resting when needed. I often need reminders to do that, from myself and from others. I am NOT perfect. But I’m trying to learn that I don’t need to be.

Dominating the cold pikilia platter + pita at Cavos Tavern in Newington, CT.

Please feel free to contact me anytime via email, comments, Twitter, or Facebook! I’d love to hear suggestions, critiques, or just musings on subjects I write about. Thanks for stopping by!

More About Me:

• 11 Things survey
• I Am…
• 7 Random Facts

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