Kseniya Skrabovskaya, or Fierce Miles as she calls herself, is intensely passionate about physical fitness. She exercises regularly, runs competitively, and has a diet that’s compatible with her athletic lifestyle.
Her enthusiasm about staying fit spreads through everything she does. She has been running a blog about food and workout plans since March of last year, and a corresponding Facebook page full of inspirational quotes since April. Now she plans to pour this energy into yet another project: her fit foodie’s cookbook.
I had the opportunity to chat with Kseniya and ask her a few questions about her Kickstarter campaign and what she has in the works for the future.
My passion for eating clean began when I decided to get in shape once and for all. When I started running competitively, I started to look at nutrition from the performance side of things. I began studying nutrition from the scientific point of view and trying to dispel some of the nutrition myths that the fitness community seems to be plagued with. Fierce Gourmet: A Fit Foodie’s Cookbook is a culmination of my lifelong love affair with food in general, years of nutrition research, and personal struggle with overcoming my negative relationship with food.
Did you really create and develop all of the recipes yourself? How many years has it taken you to test them and get them to the finished state they are now?
Yes, all of the recipes in this cookbook were developed by me. I would say from start to finish it took me about two years to develop these recipes. However, the idea of writing this particular cookbook has been in the works for about a year.
What about your recipes makes them so nutritionally sound?
The ingredients that I use in my recipes fulfill nutritional needs of athletes as well as fitness newbies pre- and post-workout. I emphasize the proper combination of protein, carbohydrates, and fats as well as how and when to eat them in order to reach optimal fitness results.
What unique recipes can someone expect to find when flipping through your cookbook? What sets them apart from generic healthy recipes you can find searching the web?
Fierce Gourmet: A Fit Foodie’s Cookbook has unique creations such as healthy jambalaya, exceptional takes on classic Russian salads and soups, as well as some unexpected desserts. What sets these recipes apart from the rest of the clean eating recipes is that they are not boring. Many of these recipes taste and feel absolutely sinful and yet offer moderate calories, low fat, high protein, and high fiber. When you try these creations, you won’t believe that you are eating healthy!
What recipe in the cookbook is your personal favorite?
I think my personal favorite recipe is the Venison Stew. I love venison in any preparation, but there is something special about a long and slow process of stewing the meat and then gradually adding the veggies. Imagine your house slowly filling up with the enticing aromas of stewing meat and roasted veggies, and your anticipation of trying some of the most tender, lean meat you have ever had!
If you were to add more sections to your cookbook, what might they be?
I think I would definitely dedicate an entire section to soups and stew. In my culture we eat a lot of soups, and there are dozens of creative, healthy, nutrient-rich soups that didn’t make it into this book due to time constraints and preferences of the audience. There could be another book coming soon that will deal exclusively with soups, though.
Your cookbook is packed with helpful resources. Why did you decide to include them, instead of solely focusing on healthy recipes?
You know that old saying: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”? That’s the reason why I added sections that teach my readers how to cook. I want my readers to be able to use my recipes as a foundation to creating their own. I want to teach people how, what, and when to eat, not necessarily how to cook my food. After all, everyone’s body is different, everyone has different dietary needs, intolerances, and preferences. My recipes are designed to serve as jumping off points for bigger, bolder, even better creations. Although I’ve heard that my food is pretty good the way it is!
You seem to be just as passionate about eating well as you are about physical fitness. Would you ever consider writing a book about how to exercise and stay fit? If so, would you crowdfund it through Kickstarter as well?
I have considered it. I think that my journey from beginning to end can be very inspirational to those who have hit the absolute rock bottom and are trying to rebuild their lives starting from the inside out. When the time comes to put this plan in motion, I will consider crowdfunding through Kickstarter again.
If you feel inspired to support her, head over to her Kickstarter campaign! Even $1 helps, but for every level of funding, you could earn more rewards, such as a copy of the cookbook in ebook format, a signed postcard, a wristband, or a t-shirt!
Kseniya can be found elsewhere on the web at her blog or her Facebook page. Or you can follow her on Twitter @fierce_miles.
