Nice to Meet You!
Hey there, thanks for stopping by!
I’m Allyson, and that’s my Main Squeeze and Full Time Recipe Tester (we call him K β€οΈ). I started this blog after I began my own journey to understand how powerful real food can be.
All throughout my college years I dealt with health issues, but I never really made the connection between what I was eating and what was happening with my body. I got by, but I was constantly having to put a band-aid on those issues.
Then, as a final qualification before graduating from UNC, I traveled abroad to Greece–and I was so excited to cross that trip off my bucket list!
But a funny thing happened to me there.
Pretty much the minute my feet hit the ground in Athens, I felt a lot of my stubborn health issues start to ease up. I felt light and unburdened…my skin cleared up, my digestion improved, and I just felt LIGHTER. Not in the sense of weight, but an overall lightness in my body.
And then, another funny thing happened.
I met a man–tall, dark, handsome, accented. And our souls connected like we’d been looking for each other all of our lives. I still remember the night I met him as clearly as if it were last Friday.
My plane was scheduled to take me back to my life in the US 5 nights after that.
I did get on that plane. It was the saddest day of my life. As soon as I made it home, I began arranging details to leave my life in the US behind and start a life with a man I’d only spent 5 days with.
Leaving the US meant leaving my family, friends, and sense of security. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was also leaving behind the things I’d become dependent on, like processed food and band-aid fixes for my health issues.
What I found in Greece changed how I thought about food and medicine forever.
Two years later my Greek Kebab and I returned to the States together, and my body crashed.
Was it the stress? The change in diet?
Probably both. But that suffering is what drove me to really understand the connection between the food I was eating, and how it was affecting my body.
It’s been a tough journey (I’m still working on some health issues today) but I’ve learned so much along the ride and I’ve become really passionate about using food to heal–and taking the time to listen closely to what our bodies are telling us.
We were designed to be happy, healthy creatures, and I really believe we can all get back to that place (or stay there!) by trusting our bodies and listening to nature.
What is Reclaiming Yesterday?
Modern advances have brought us a long way, but abandoning the traditions that our ancestors thrived on for thousands of years has really had a negative impact on our health and well-being.
Reclaiming Yesterday is about getting back to basics, eating and treating our health problems the way our ancestors did, and incorporating those things into the hectic and fast-paced lives we lead today.
And for any of us who feel that too much time has been spent not living the healthiest versions of ourselves, I hope this space can provide encouragement and proof that we CAN reclaim our health on our own and be better for it in the end.
Real Food Revival
Forgetting how to make food for ourselves has left us overfed, undernourished, and out of touch with our food system. Cooking doesn’t have to feel like a chore. It’s a way to nourish our bodies and connect with those we love and the food we are eating.
In our house, we focus on using real food ingredients; ones that have been ethically sourced, are the least impactful on the environment, and serve our bodies the way nature intended for them to.
I don’t believe in counting calories.
I don’t think eating healthy should leave you feeling deprived.
I do think that you should eat damn delicious food every day.
And if you mindfully choose to eat real food, your body will NO DOUBT repay you for your efforts.
Thank you (times a million) for visiting Reclaiming Yesterday! Please, feel free to drop me a note, Iβd love to hear from you! You can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest and
You can contact me at: Allyson@ReclaimingYesterday (dot) com
21 responses to “Nice to Meet You!”
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This is wonderful, Allyson. Very inspiring….can’t wait to see what you do next!
Excited to come to your blog more and learn – thanks for sharing!!
A lovely story Allyson. I look forward to following along.
Hi Allyson. You are a cool chick. I think your blog has excellent ideas. I’ll be reading. Thank you.
Rob
This is so great girl! Loving it π
Just found your blog and I love the recipes already! So yummy but simple and easy to follow. Butternut and Apple Latkas are being made this weekend!
This blog was just what i was looking for, its perfect!
At least someone understand the importance of eating healthy and delicious food
Allyson, your blog and website are wonderful and the dinner you prepared for us last night . . . SUPERB!! Thank you for such an inspirational, educational and deliciously fun evening. I can’t wait to share this with my daughter, Amy Scott.
Thank you, Marsha! I’m thankful to have had such a great group of ladies to run my pilot on! π
Allyson – you’ve discovered early one of life’s key secrets – taking care of the vessel that God gave you. As you continue on your life’s journey, eating to nourish your body will always be paramount — for the ability to not only sustain your health but potentially nurture new life. And then, you’ll come to where I am — in menopause, where your body seemingly reacts counter to everything you’ve known. It is at this point, where I’ve come to the realization how important nutrition is to well-being and I thank you for sharing your story, recipes and thoughts — greatly appreciated!
Hi Barb, thank you for the thoughtful note! I still struggle with my health issues, but the silver lining in it all is that I’ve had to take a closer look at that fuel I’m putting in my body, and I have a greater appreciation for health. A lot of my health issues are hormone related, so I’ve actually been very familiar with the symptoms of menapause for most of my twenties. It helps to be kind to those around me because we never know what someone else is going through π I’m so glad you took the time to say hello.
You are speaking my language! I groan inside when I see the popularity of foods that begin in ‘low’ and end in ‘free.’ I believe that we’ve been duped about the meaning of ‘healthy’ and, in the United States, we have our health and waistlines to show for it. I agree completely that we need to look to the traditions of our ancestors for that ever present question of what to eat. And that includes paying attention to the practices that bring food to our table – how animals are raised and how produce is grown. Excited to have found you!
Hi Marissa! Thanks so much for dropping in, we definitely have a similar mindset! Glad to have connected π
The last few years have been a time of discovery for me as well. It started when I recalled how my grandparents ate living back in the boonies of northern Miss. a big garden, pork and chickens they raised, plenty of real dairy from their own cows but mostly the vegetables of boundless variety from that garden. They lived to old age active and independent. I love your blog and recipes. They are right in line with my search for that kind of old time eating. Fortunately I live near Earth Fare and itβs like going out in my grandpaβs garden … and then some. Thanks for sharing, I wish you much success.
It just makes so much intuitive sense that we would be better off eating things the closest to nature as possible! Glad that you’re finding your way on this journey!
Hey Allyson! I l very much enjoy and have learned a great deal from your instagram posts, so I’m excited to explore your blog. I, too, recognize the deep connection between what I put in my body and how I feel. Thank you for continuing to share this valuable information!!
Thanks so much for the message, Jill! I loved your meditation class last week – so much of what you said hit home for me! Looking forward to filling more of my Sunday’s with that positivity π
Thanks for sharing the lovely recepie for genuin mousaka! Just love itπ will try out more of your recepies in the future πΌgreatings from Sweden
Iβm so glad you liked it! Itβs one of our favorites ππ
Beautiful story, thank you for sharing π also: βmy Greek Kebab and Iβ ππ» LOL
ππ