Damaris Phillips

My journey was never hard; it just happened. From the second I held a knife, from the second I was in culinary school, it's all felt too good to be true. 'This cannot be my job, my life. Somebody has to be kidding with me!' ”

I was going to be a writer, and that turned into journalist. And then that turned into a career in children's literature, which turned into early childhood education, which turned into psychology, which turned into premed, which turned into nursing school, which turned into communication, which turned into marketing and advertising. ”

Meatloaf was a pretty big part of our family, and the meatloaf sandwiches were even more. ”

I loved the minute I realized I was good at cooking. Like, I had a moment - I made a roasted chicken, and I remember watching people's faces as they ate it, and I thought at that time, 'Oh, I am good at this.' ”

For me, love always means spending time with people. And whenever you spend time with people, you're going to end up getting hungry at some point - so I bring food. ”

For a food lover with a big imagination, there's nothing worse than eating the exact same meal several days in a row. ”

Almost everyone loves to eat, and when you're able to make people feel more involved in that process, it feels really good. I think it's an incredible gift to be able to give people. ”

The tradition of canning is still very close to my heart; that's why I'm so excited to team up with the Ball Home Canning experts at Newell Brands to share how truly rewarding the process can be. ”

Instead of focusing on what my body looks like, I try and focus on how my body works - how strong my body is. ”

For me, meal prep is about doing the work when you have the time, which is usually on the weekend. ”