The Complete Plate. Lauren Klukas

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      What a whirlwind the past few years have been for this redhead! I became a mom. I created a food blog. I developed an effective eating plan to lose and maintain weight. I launched a pilot for a cooking show, and, if you’re reading this, you can see that I also embarked on a journey to write my first cookbook.

      The irony is that I only recently discovered a passion for cooking. In fact, if anyone had told me two years ago that I would write a cookbook, I would have laughed out loud. I was one of those people who only had a kitchen because it came with the house. Being very physic-ally active, I felt like I never had to worry about calories, eating out, or enjoying yummy pastry treats high in sugar and trans fats. I would just work it off later. Ergo, I had no reason to use a kitchen or learn how to cook healthy meals at home. When I did venture into this mystery room in the house, I was clueless: “What is braising?” “Seriously, you can make scalloped potatoes from scratch? I thought they only came in a box!” “You don’t flip your meat a thousand times while cooking?!” My greatest culinary achievement was pouring cereal into a bowl. So how exactly did I find myself in this paradoxical situation?

      Physical activity has always been a priority in my life. In my youth, I was a competitive swimmer, training up to nine times a week. I achieved many significant milestones during my swim career: set club records, obtained qualifying times, and attended high-level training camps with Olympic coaches. A healthy, active lifestyle was intrinsic to me and is what inspired me to attend university and complete my Personal Fitness Trainer (PFT) diploma.

      A Life Unrooted

      In 2012, my husband and I found out the very exciting news that we were expecting our first baby! But by week 15 of my pregnancy, I was having terrible heart palpitations. Following a multitude of doctors’ appointments and tests, and almost a month in the hospital, I was diag-nosed with a rare heart condition known as Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

      The cells of the heart muscle are bound by proteins, but for those with ARVC, our proteins cannot fully develop so the heart muscle cells detach and do not properly repair themselves. This prevents electrical signals from communicating with the bottom of the heart properly, which results in abnormal heart rhythms and improper

      Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller