Winner Profile Q&A

Tell us a little about yourself!

I love being active and creative, basically anything to keep busy. Outdoors I love going for walks with my dogs, jogging, biking and gardening. Indoors I enjoy making new innovative recipes that are healthy for my family, reading, writing and creating websites in my spare time.

Who do you cook for?

I love to cook for my family and friends. My husband and I are currently expanding our family and expecting our first child in September 2009. Having been the oldest girl in a family of boys, I learned how to cook at an early age, particularly making cookies with my mother. To this day my family gets excited when I offer to cook something new for them.

Why do you like to cook? What, if anything, do you dislike about cooking?

I love to cook a wide variety of foods constantly challenging myself; my top category to bake is cookies. My husband laughs at me when I throw a batch out because they aren't perfect to my standards. He knows I refuse to be associated with bad cookies! A close second category is making healthier versions of family recipes, or creating new delicious healthy meals for my family.

What are some of your cooking secrets or tips?

Aside from butter or shortening any recipe can be made healthier. Choosing fat-free or low calorie versions of recipe ingredients can greatly decrease calorie count while maintaining taste. For example, in the Fiesta Shrimp Tacos using fat-free sour cream, low-fat cheese, whole wheat tortillas, and loading up on vegetables like tomatoes are simple steps in making a healthy meal for your family!

Do you have any suggestions for cooking on a budget or in a time crunch?

To save money, my husband and I make large home cooked meals three times a week and eat the leftovers the remaining nights. Also, to save money I purchase multiple bags of frozen vegetables, especially those on sale, and keep them on hand in my freezer.

What is dinnertime usually like for you and your family?

My husband and I don't have coinciding morning schedules, so dinner is also our "together" time for the day. Not only do we get a delicious meal, but we get to catch up on one another's daily events.

How does SeaPak make feeding your family easier?

Talk about a time saver! I love buying the packages of SeaPack popcorn and butterfly shrimp, because they are easy to pop in the oven and add to any dish so easily.

What are your favorite ways to use SeaPak products? What are your family's favorite SeaPak meals?

Beside the Fiesta Shrimp Tacos meal, my family loves to either have seafood night and just eat butterfly shrimp as the meat dish or add popcorn shrimp to my homemade fettuccine alfredo recipe.

If you have children (or a picky spouse), how do you get them to eat more seafood? In what ways do you ensure that they get healthful, well-balanced meals?

Thankfully my spouse loves seafood, but I've had to get creative with my nieces and nephews. I fixed popcorn shrimp for lunch and did not tell them what it was before letting them try it. They thought it tasted as good as chicken nuggets and they now LOVE popcorn shrimp!