Welcome: A New Year a New You!

Welcome to the Thyme to Spice It Up blog and website!  I’m Siona, founder and owner of Thyme to Spice It Up.  I live a whole foods lifestyle and am eager to share my philosophy about cooking, eating and nutrition.  My degree is from Bastyr University, in Nutrition and Culinary Arts.  I practice using whole foods and bridging the gap between cooking and eating.  I believe that food is our best medicine, and that cooking and eating should be enjoyed in order to fully nourish the body, mind and soul.  My expertise in both whole foods cooking and nutrition will help you learn how to make food look beautiful, smell amazing, and taste delicious, engaging your senses and exciting you to eat. 

Allow me to introduce myself by bringing you into my favorite room in the house, my kitchen. 

Entering my front door you’re immediately comforted by sweet, aromatic cinnamon.  The warmth is reminiscent of your grandma’s or mother’s house growing up.  Stepping into the kitchen citrusy lemon, smoky cumin and warming garlic and onions pull at your senses.  Looking to the stove you see the onions dancing in the pan, browning in hot butter, sizzling with joy.  Vivid colors and differing shapes draw your eyes to the cutting board.  Decorating its top you discover, purple cubed beets, ribbons of green kale, half moon-shaped orange carrots, yellow lemon wedges, and circular white and green English cucumbers.  If you’re not used to cooking with such variety you may find yourself wondering, “What is she going to do with all of those?”  Stepping into the image, I open the oven door and pull out some gooey hot apple pie.  The sweet smells dance on your senses, gently sweeping past your nose and allowing your mouth to water.  The pie is full and flakey, with steam poking through the top, offering rich goodness.  The complete smells, lovely appearance and anticipated taste are incredible.  Engaging in curious discovery we continue the preparation; sharing smiles and laughter, while embracing the experience, each spice and vegetable bring to our senses.     

Taking in a full breath, you may perhaps make an effort to imprint this experience in your mind, hoping to recreate it in your own kitchen.  Together we can enter this food fantasy, cooking bright vegetables and other vibrant whole foods.  This dream is what I hope to make a reality for you.  I’m inviting you into this heaven, wishing to share the smile that fills my face as I combine, create and enjoy so many delicious whole foods, always finding fun in the task. 

As mentioned above, I wish not only to help you find the fun in the task of cooking, but also in the joy of eating; from using your favorite linens and dishes to giving thanks for wonderful food to embracing the texture and fullness food provides. 

Cooking and eating can require a bit of patience, but when we can sit back and enjoy the moment, we can find great nourishment and joy in the entire process.  When we engage our senses in the kitchen and at the table (and even the garden, farmer’s market, or grocery store), we reconnect with ourselves.  Through improving one’s relationship with food, a great sense of calm and joy in life can be gained: discovering that food tastes better, and benefitting from better digestion and health. 

I will help you reconnect with healthy whole foods cooking and eating and encourage you to embrace a balanced perspective in doing so.  By doing this, you will feel vibrant and re-energized, gaining freedom from “dieting,” and be ready to embrace a healthy relationship to food, as cooking and eating become a way of life.  I welcome you into my kitchen and encourage you to slow down and enjoy food again with whole foods, the Thyme to Spice It Up way.  Get ready to put spice back into life and start living a more nourished and vibrant life today!

Please visit my “About This Blog” page to view the many topics I will be writing about.  Let’s dig in and enjoy every bite and every moment, creating new memories and soothing our bodies, minds, and souls! 

Yours In Cooking and In Health,

Siona Sammartino