Happy 3rd Birthday, PGEW.com!

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Once again, the swift passage of time has caught me off guard and here I am, facing another blog’s birthday. Watching PGEW grow and reach more & more people is what I imagine it must be like for parents watching their kids grow up: one day you have this brand new little thing, then you blink and poof!  It’s all grown up with close to 300 recipes and tips to help others change the way they think about eating on a budget.  (Okay, so they’re not exactly the same, but you get the picture.)

As I’ve done in the past for other blog birthdays, I’ll be taking a trip down memory lane and sharing some of the highlights and recipe favorites that have filled this little blog since last August. (I know it’s something most folks do at the end of the calendar year, but I always like to take time & reflect on what I’ve accomplished in my own personal year, so I apply it to my blog as well.)  It was a rough ride at times, but there were some definite highlights!  From fun celeb sightings to conquering cooking fears, PGEW’s second year was truly jam-packed.

So, without further ado (figured I’d save the sappy moments for the end of the post, lol), here’s some of what really made this past year in PGEW-land so incredibly awesome…

August 2010

  • PGEW heads to her first International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle.  It was such an amazing experience that I can’t possibly resist going again this year (with a little extra fun thrown in this time… tell you about that in a different post! 😉 ).  Still, wondering if you should go?  Check out the fun we had last year…

September 2010

  • PGEW enters the Project Food Blog contest in the hopes of winning $10,000 (obviously, I didn’t win, lol)
  • Anthony Bourdain comes to town and I share all the details.  If you ever get the chance to see him, be sure to go!  Definitely an evening worth remembering.
  • PGEW is part of a panel of experts on health & fitness on Capitol Public Radio’s Fall 2010 Health Forum: Childhood Obesity: Moving out children from fat to fit.
  • PGEW becomes a featured contributor for TakePart.com’s Hungry for Change blog.

December 2010

  • PGEW prepares a tasty Salvadorean treat for Sac & Co.’s “12 Days of Christmas” special!
  • Poor Girl finally gets a JOB!  Then she makes special fajitas in celebration.  🙂

January 2011

  • Poor Girl goes to her first Fancy Food Show and meets Ina Garten!  *does happy dance*

March 2011

  • PGEW becomes an official contributor for the Mushroom Channel!  (My first paid writing gig… I feel like a real girl! lol)

May 2011

  • PGEW & Good Day Sacramento’s Mark S. Allen check out some of yours truly’s favorite places to eat in Sacramento.  I also discover just how comfortable I am in with a microphone in hand!  Check out this post for all the fun video clips…
  • Poor Girl heads to Hotlanta for her very first BlogHer Food conference!  Another amazing weekend filled with great food and great company…
  • Poor Girl discovers the joys of making ice cream at home without an ice cream machine.  The PGEW dessert section will never be the same…

June 2011

  • Yours truly scores her first freelance writing gig for CBS Local!

July 2011

  • Poor Girl makes her very first pie from scratch.  What I was so afraid of, I have no idea…
  • PGEW joins The Kitchn as guests of Oregon Fruit Co. for the 1st Annual Oregon Berry Festival in Portland!

August 2011

  • Sacramento Magazine’s Dollarwise Gourmet features PGEW in a fun, engaging piece that breaks down what allows Poor Girl to Eat so Well.
  • And the fun doesn’t stop there!  Later this month I’ll be speaking on a blogging panel hosted by News10, and I’ll be doing a couple more TV spots & speaking engagements later in the fall.  It’s heady, amazing and overwhelming, but most of all, it’s fun!

And because it wouldn’t be a proper recap without some noms, here are some of my favorite recipe posts from the past year in PGEW…

1# Kiwi Basil Granita


Kiwi-Basil Granita

2# Bobotie (Classic South African Minced Meat Casserole)


Bobotie (Classic South African Minced Meat Casserole)

3# Pu-pizza!


Pu-pizza! A Salvadorean Spin on Everyone's Favorite Pie

4# Turkey Shepherd’s Pie


Turkey Shepherd's Pie

5# Southwestern Baked Potato Skins


Southwestern Baked Potato Skins

6# Polenta Mini Pizzas with Mushrooms & Olives


Polenta Mini Pizzas with Mushrooms & Olives

7# Linguine with Creamy Scallion Pesto


Linguine with Creamy Scallion Pesto

8# Baked Eggs & Herbs in Portabella Mushroom Caps


Baked Eggs & Herbs in Portabella Mushroom Caps

9# Sangranita!


Sangranita!

10# Poached Tilapia with Strawberry-Pineapple Salsa


Poached Tilapia with Strawberry-Pineapple Salsa

11# Mini Peach Pies


Mini Peach Pies

12# Encurtido (Colombian Style Pickled Vegetables)


Encurtido (Colombian Style Pickled Vegetables)

Whew!  What a year!

As always, I want to thank each & every one of you who takes time to read PGEW, try the recipes and comment here, on Facebook and on Twitter.  These past 3 years have not only been an incredibly personal journey for me but a fantastic adventure into a community of caring, supportive people that continues to grow every day.  Sure, I write the recipes for myself because this is what I actually eat every day; but I also do this for you guys.

I never dreamed I would actually help people lose 30+ pounds or shed $50-$100 off their monthly grocery bills; I never thought I would save an unemployed single mother night of grief because one of my recipes was able to feed her family for a couple of days; I didn’t know that college kids would learn how to cook because of the recipes I post, or that they’d shared my tips with their friends who were also struggling with how to eat well on a tiny budget.

In short, I had no idea Poor Girl Eats Well would turn into what it has – a resource for anyone who’s trying to change the way they eat for the better, whether that’s by cutting calories or cutting costs.  I started out doing it for me and will continue to do so (because Lord knows I’ve become a better cook through all of this!), but I am also doing it for you.  The more I can help people, the longer I’ll continue to do this, whether it’s in blog form, book form, world tour…  well, you know what I’m getting at.  🙂

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.  And Happy 3rd Birthday, PGEW!!!

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