When we thought about the best way to introduce ourselves and this blog, the first thing that came to mind was a meal. Delicious, healthy recipes. Beautiful pictures. A nice, hot and sunny L.A. Saturday with our boyfriends. This is us.

We always try to be mindful of keeping meals pretty well-balanced: some good protein and lots of veggies (egg white frittata loaded with colorful and tasty produce), a healthy grain (quinoa pancakes and whole wheat pasta salad), something sweet (greek yogurt and fruit) and some tasty, but still diet-friendly, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.

For us, it’s just as much about the process of making the food as it is about actually eating it. Of course we want to make healthy food that tastes and looks great, but making the food gave us a new perspective that we hadn’t considered.

Preparing the meals ourselves makes us more aware of what we’re putting in our bodies. For some of you, this might be common sense, but as 20-somethings who are just learning to cook balanced meals for themselves, we thought we stumbled upon pure genius. Instead of going out for brunch and not being in control of portions or ingredients, now we know exactly how much oil or butter is going to be used. We have control over how much salt is added, or we know that salt isn’t necessarily required to make a particular dish taste great, even when a recipe calls for it or when a restaurant may have used it anyway. We can calculate exactly how that mimosa (or two) is going to affect our day. It’s just another way of taking control of our situation and our lives, in general. We’re creating routines and setting habits that will stick with us in the long run, and that’s the most important part for us.

Frittata

2 cups egg whites

6 thinly sliced mushrooms

½ green bell pepper, thinly sliced

½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced

½ yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

½ yellow onion diced

½ cup light mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

1 head of broccoli, torn apart

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat medium saute pan with olive oil. While over medium heat, add mushrooms, onion and broccoli. Saute until onion begins to look slightly translucent, then add bell peppers. Continue stirring for another 5 minutes or so. The bell peppers will be getting softer and slightly crisp around the edges. Slowly pour in the egg whites. Run a fork around the edges slightly bringing the cooked egg towards the center of the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes and then repeat.  When the egg whites start looking mostly opaque, carefully move the pan from the stove to the oven. After about 10 minutes sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the fritatta. Leave it in just long enough for the mozzarella to start melting, and serve.

8 servings

WWPP: 15 total

points per serving: 2