The Skinny Chef
Jennifer IserlohMeet Slashfood's newest blogger, Jennifer Iserloh, a.k.a. The Skinny Chef. Twice a week, Chef Iserloh will be sharing smart, savory ways to make your favorite dishes healthier, without sacrificing flavor.

I was raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh in my Granny's little brick house, complete with a large dine-in kitchen. Granny is an amazing cook and almost all our meals were from scratch. ­ She began passing all her knowledge and cooking traditions on to me when I was tall enough to reach the counter. Cooking became an integral part of my life, but overeating and serious weight issues were another, unfortunate part of my family's heritage.

As I grew older, I steadily gained weight from my teen years into my early 20s. I felt a real dissatisfaction with the way I looked, and more importantly, being overweight really hurt my self-confidence. I knew that I had to make changes, and I began to learn about nutrition - mimicking my slender female friends' healthy habits. I started to lose weight, but I never lost my love for food.

After I moved to New York City, I finally had the courage to follow my dream to become a chef and truly honor my passion. After graduating, I studied with the masters of New York City restaurants. As my professional scope widened, I experienced food on many levels, working as a private chef, learning how to style foods for photo shoots, and starting a career in food writing. To this day, I combine my best experiences from the food world into delicious, healthy food that is also beautiful. As an ashtanga-certified yoga teacher, I have applied my second healthy passion as another way to help people find balance between their eating and mental habits. Yoga transforms both the mind and body, and I quickly learned through yoga and healthy cooking that lasting transformation is a journey, not a destination.

Making subtle changes in your diet and lifestyle can be incredibly manageable and easy, and will improve weight management, well-being, and overall happiness. I'll share all these things with you, in bite-sized, easy-to-digest ideas that you can use right away.

To start our journey together, let me ask you about your obstacles and wishes. How would your life be different if we could toss away your problems and put you within reach of your dreams?