IFBC SaMo Speaker Announced: Kimberly Morales!
By: Andie Mitchell
Published: September 7, 2011

The lovely Kimberly Morales, of Poor Girl Eats Well, will be leading the Eating on a Budget session at IFBC Santa Monica! 
I started Poor Girl Eats Well in August of 2008 as a way to show my friends & family how I went about enjoying tasty, nutritious meals despite being so incredibly broke. Though my financial situation was (and continues to be) quite dire, I didn't want to fall into the trap of eating cup o' noodles or Chef Boyardee all the time, just to save money on food. So I got back in the kitchen, rolled up my sleeves, and started cooking again.
On the blog, I feature original recipes, tips on how to change the way people approach eating on a budget, and the occasional restaurant review. I write everything from my personal point of view as someone who is struggling financially, and every one of the almost 300 recipes on the site are dishes that I actually eat at home. I discuss how to make the most of your shopping dollar at the farmer's market, how to stock your spice & dry pantries, and how to avoid many of the marketing traps that the food industry lays out to ensure consumers pay as much as possible for food.
My most popular feature (besides the recipes, of course) is the $25 Shopping Cart, a monthly feature in which I go to different stores in my area with a $25 budget and buy food that will last me between 10-14 days until I get that next paycheck. I break everything down by price, then give readers suggested recipes that one could make with those purchases. From local establishments to places like Whole Foods, I've left with some amazing bargains. It's definitely a reader favorite!
I'm grateful for the very loyal & ever-growing following of readers with whom I've struck a chord through my recipe & personal story. In early 2009, two of my recipes were featured on a CNN.com article, 10 Meals for $10 or Less. I was also interviewed for a couple shows on CNN Radio about how to eat healthy on a budget.
Over the past couple of years, I have been featured in a number of local Sacramento publications & news stations, and was eventually dubbed the "guru" of budget eating here in Sacramento. I have conducted workshops for single mothers on how to make better food choices for children without breaking the bank, and have been on a number of local panels on topics ranging from fighting childhood obesity to successful blogging. I was also nominated for the “Food Blogger You'd Most Like to See Have a TV Show” award from Foodbuzz in 2009.
In 2009 I self-published a mini-book called PGEW To Go! for which demand was quite high (it is now out of print). In 2010, I became a featured contributor on TakePart.com's Hungry for Change Blog (TakePart.com is the official site of the Food Inc. movie & movement). In March of 2011, I received my first opportunity as an official recipe developer for The Mushroom Channel, a website sponsored by the National Mushroom Council.
I am currently working on a proposal for my first real book, which will be based on Poor Girl Eats Well. I am also launching a 2nd food blog in June of 2011, which will cover a much broader range of food-related topics. I also run 2 other blogs & sing soprano in a professional choir. And in the remaining 2.5 seconds of my day, I love to read, practice my photography, and enjoy the company of my friends and three fabulous felines.
Follow Kimberly on Twitter @PoorGrlEatsWell