Robyn Davies
Robyn is a creative marketing consultant & personal stylist (and also our creative director!) who lives in NYC. This gal loves to eat, and has slowly learned how to eat healthy and indulge in moderation. Robyn chatted with us about her go-to breakfast recipes, approach to booze, and the cookbook that helped her develop a more balanced approach to eating below.
Do you have any restrictions on what you eat?
I eat whatever I want in moderation because the second I say I can’t have something, I immediately start obsessing over it, but I don’t eat fast food or a lot of packaged food because if I’m going to eat something indulgent, I want it to be worth it (and that kind of junk food just doesn’t do it for me).
A big game changer for me was learning how to just eat until I feel full. I used to stuff myself silly on the reg, but I’ve slowly trained myself to listen to my body, and just eat what I need. I still have moments when I overeat because something is so damn good or I’m having shit day, but it happens less and less frequently now.
What is your go-to healthy breakfast?
I LOVE breakfast. I have 4 breakfast staples that I eat on repeat, depending on how I feel in the morning.
My body craves and responds well to complex carbs. I’m obsessed with Whole Foods’ Swiss Health bread. It’s this really dense, nutty bread that feels like comfort to me. I’ll toast 2 slices, add a spoonful of almond butter to each slice, and then top it with a banana and sea salt.
If I want something lighter, I’ll make a Deliciously Ella smoothie: 1 cup of almond milk, 1 handful of spinach, 6-8 frozen strawberries, and a spoonful of almond butter.
If I’m hungover, I ask my boyfriend to make me avocado toast ;)
Lately I’ve been loving Tori’s chia pudding because it tastes like a treat and fills me up
“A big game changer for me was learning how to just eat until I feel full.”
What do you normally snack on throughout the day?
Carrots and hummus. I eat a lot of them because it’s a quick and easy snack. I buy carrot sticks at Whole Foods, and then my boyfriend cuts them up for me...I’ll eat a couple of sticks dipped in hummus throughout the day.
I’m also loving cottage cheese with a spoonful of maple syrup or raspberry jelly, and a spoonful or two of almonds. I used to be really particular about measuring things because I wanted to control how much I was actually eating, but I’ve chilled out over the years. Now, I just like to roughly measure things with spoons.
What time do you eat dinner?
My boyfriend and I eat late by American standards--between 8:30 and 9:30-- primarily because of our schedules (we both like to work out after work), and a bit because he’s Argentine and Argentinians eat later. I try not to eat past 9:30 on a weekday because when I was a kid, my mom told me you shouldn’t eat past 10pm, ha.
How often do you eat out or do delivery?
I eat out 2-3 times a week because that’s one of the main ways I catch up with friends, but I hardly ever get delivery because it’s expensive and never as satisfying as cooking at home or going out to eat (my two exceptions are Szechuan and Indian food, but we usually just get that in the winter on Sundays because it’s really heavy!). I’m the queen of just getting apps or a light bite because it’s expensive to eat out a lot! But it also helps me keep an eye on portions.
Cocktails, wine, or neither? What’s your drink of choice?
I have a love hate thing with booze. I really love having a cocktail or glass of wine, but after I have more than one, I feel it BAD the next day. I’m trying to drink less, but it’s hard when you’re a 20-something-year-old living in Manhattan! I did a sober January because I wanted to learn more about my relationship with alcohol. I found that I really missed having a casual glass of wine to unwind at the end of the day, but I didn’t miss drinking when I went out. In fact, I found it was a lot more fun to dance without the booze.
I love spicy tequila or mezcal cocktails when I’m going out, Aperol Spritzes, Rose, and Sauvignon Blanc in the summer, Manhattans in the winter, and champagne year round. I love to pour myself a glass of Malbec while I’m making dinner, and then I’ll nurse it all night long. It’s amazing how long I can take to finish that one glass when I’m at home, but how quickly I can finish it when I’m out, ha.
What’s your fave cookbook, website, or Instagram account for food inspo?
I get most of my inspo from ah.mi now! But I still go back to Deliciously Ella’s cookbook because so many of her recipes are my go-to staples. One of my former roommates introduced me to her 3 or 4 years ago--it was the first time I learned about a plant-based diet, and I was really into her book because she wasn’t preachy and her recipes are easy and inexpensive to make. Cooking her recipes helped me develop a more balanced approach to eating--favoring nutrient dense (and yes, more caloric) food, over fat-free, eh food.
