Welcome to The Small Town Foodie!

Hi everyone! I’m so glad you’ve visited The Small Town Foodie! My name is Ashley and I’m a college student living in Ohio, but originally from rural Pennsylvania. I’m a senior majoring in communication studies and minoring in marketing and public relations. Throughout my college career, I’ve discovered a passion for both writing and cooking, so what better way to express those interests than in a blog?

I decided I needed to change my lifestyle and become a healthier person during my sophomore year of college. I started religiously counting calories and going to the gym, but I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted—I still felt tired and unmotivated and the number on the scale wasn’t changing. That’s when I started doing more research and following blogs, and came to the realization that I was approaching it completely wrong. Being healthy isn’t about being on a “diet” or losing weight; being healthy is all about balance.

I learned that it’s more important to pay attention to the nutrients in the food I’m eating, rather than simply counting the calories, and that it’s okay to slip up every once in awhile and have a piece of cake or a slice of pizza.

I switched my mindset from restricting what I can eat and obsessively working out, to really listening to my body and focusing on being happy, and that’s when I found my love for food! Living in a dorm room with only a mini fridge and a microwave, I wasn’t able to cook as much as I had wanted, but I was constantly looking up recipes and learning all that I could.

During my summers at home, I started getting into cooking and learning more about healthy foods. I’ve tried hundreds of recipes and attempted my own and I hope to continue to learn even more about cooking through my blogging experience! Now that I’m a senior, I’m living in an apartment and cooking in my free time. Unfortunately I’ve been extremely busy with work and school, but I still make time to cook at least one meal a week.

I know I’ll be learning along the way, but through this blog I hope to share some of my knowledge with you and help you learn what being “healthy” is all about!

Thanks for reading!

– Ashley