Project Food Blog #1-Ready, Set, Blog!

Ever since I can remember I have been singing and cooking. What better hobbies to have in ones life than these two? Well, I can think of a few more, but when I look back in my life, I remember my mother keeping us involved either singing and cooking.

My Chilean grandmother was a great cook and usually served us more than once even if we were full. Both my mom and my grandmother were inventive and creative cooks. None of them wrote down too many recipes but were able to make the same dish the exact way. I learned how to make a Chilean Papa Rusa (Russian Potato Salad) very well just by watching my grandmother.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

In comes the singing. My mother had me involved in music from kindergarten where I remember being part of a duckling quintet, all dressed up in yellow leotards. From there it continued to church choirs, school choirs, and then on to voice lessons and musicals in junior and senior high. When I think about how much music has been a part of my life, I begin to realize that I love to sing and act and dress up. My mom would say I was a little vain, but she kept me under wraps making sure that I knew what I wanted to do.

Once I finished college with my Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance I decided to try to see how I would warm up with opera. Actually, college was my first exposure to opera and even though I went through 5 different voice teachers in college, I learned a lot from all of them. What I could not decided was what exactly to do with my music degree, so even though I am one class short of a minor in chemistry, I ended up working as a pharmacy technician while I dipped my foot into the world of opera. At Houston Grand Opera, I learned how to be even more of a better singer while learning how to be a better actor. Even though I as an associate chorister for 7 years, I loved dressing up, learning music in different languages, and even meeting famous stars. Can you tell how much I love this?

I even had some opportunities to sing with a large orchestra!

Along with this joy of singing, I also continued to enjoy cooking and even sometimes with friends. The best way to enjoy good food is with good company, so I would have friends over to my mom's house all the time coupled with delicious food and laughter. In this picture I was teaching my friend to make Mole' (Moleh) from scratch.

Fast forward a few more years later and I am married and not in the same place I am living, but I continue cooking, singing and learning a lot in my new lifestyle.

As a year ago, I decided that I needed to focus on having a healthy lifestyle. I had lived a very FAST paced life in Texas with lots of TO-GO meals and way too much sugar consumption that led to an unhealthy way of eating. As I transitioned being married and going from vegetarian to a regular carnivore within a year, more changes continued to take place in my body. Thus the reason this blog came inIto existence.

The blog was inititally an inspiration after watching Julia and Julia, so I decided to make decadent meals but I still did not feel like that was the best fit for my body. In 2 months, this blog will officially be a year old since becoming An Opera Singer in the Kitchen  and vegan at that! Even though the title does not read VEGAN Opera Singer, many have come to know that my blog is about creating a balance between a busy music schedule and a healthier eating lifestyle coupled with exercise in order to keep my voice and life healthy.

Recipes are daily created based on the changes I need to make to keep me within a certain calorie intake but only because I crave discipline in my life and order. A variety of raw, vegan and even gluten-free recipes are shared and created to inform others that a healthy eating lifestyle can be attained EVEN with a busy schedule as a musician / clinical analyst / wife / and more. I continue to strive to arrive at my next goal, so I hope you continue reading my life of music, singing and healthy living through vegan recipes.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen