Hearty and Healthy

Job: Editor — twice a week in the office, three times a week at home

Lives: Beit Shemesh, Israel

Family: Seven kids, ages three to 15

My Cooking Philosophy:

I try for nutritious while still being delicious, so I serve at least two vegetables with every meal and only use whole wheat products.

We’re also very budget-conscious, so what’s on sale determines the meal plan. Even when I have something on my menu and I know my family likes it, if we can’t get it for a good price, we do without. I just recalibrate and cook something else.

My food style is heavily influenced by my Hungarian roots and the fact that I’m from Down Under, where kosher fish and chalav Yisrael products were hard to come by (when I was a girl; it’s improved now) and meat (think lamb chops) was plentiful and considered a staple.

Living in Israel also plays a role in how our tastes and menus have developed — kudos to Danielle Renov’s cookbook Peas, Love, and Carrots (and my sister Malka for buying it for me) for bringing the Middle East into my kitchen. I’d never touched a jalapeño pepper before that.