About

Welcome to Running to the Kitchen!

Running to the Kitchen is all about good food. What’s good food? Well, we define it as wholesome, real ingredients with a seasonal focus. Because the site was started at a time when founder, Gina Matsoukas, was into running (our name is a bit of a play on words) — there’s also an underlying fitness angle to many of our recipes. You’ll find snacks to fuel workouts, meals high in protein, easy ways for the fit-minded person to stay active and healthy along with a robust kitchen resources section to guide you through it all.

Our Story

Cooking can oftentimes feel like a chore. Cooking healthy can feel even more burdensome. It doesn’t have to be this way though. The recipes you’ll find on Running to the Kitchen help you overcome the overwhelm by providing nourishing meals with accessible ingredients and none of the junk.

You won’t find processed food on this site (ok, maybe the very occasional shortcut) but that doesn’t mean our recipes are pretentious, difficult or expensive. Good, wholesome food can be attainable even for the busiest of lives. If taking care of your health and your family’s health is important to you, we’re here to show you how to do that through food.

Our Philosophy

Running to the Kitchen has been a trusted resource for almost 13 years. We love helping people make delicious food by embracing the beauty in real ingredients.

Our principles are simple:

  • The foods we eat should be pronounceable.
  • Ingredient lists should be short.
  • Seasonal eating always tastes better.
  • Meals should be simple, nourishing and enjoyable.
  • Food doesn’t have to fit into a specific “diet” to be healthy — although we have recipes for all of them!
  • Your health is your greatest asset.
A woman in a denim jacket sitting at a kitchen counter, preparing wholesome fresh recipes.

Who We Are

Gina Matsoukas is the Associated Press syndicated writer, photographer, recipe developer and founder of Running to the Kitchen. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including the Associated Press, MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network magazine.

She also writes for Food, Drink, Life, a digital lifestyle magazine, and contributes to both Punchfork and Tastes Delicious.

Fun Facts About Gina

  • Loves food, hates the term “foodie.”
  • Thinks Weimaraners are the coolest dog breed. She’d have a pack of 10 if she wasn’t so crazy about a clean house and didn’t have allergies — her other site, What Can My Dog Eat? is a fun mash-up of food and dogs, her two favorite things.
  • Married 17 years, no kids, by choice. Her mom still hasn’t accepted this.
  • Grew up a sports junkie, stopped playing sports and gained weight in college, got her act together in my late 20s, started to eat healthy, got hooked on running (you can read her full running story here) and lost the weight.
  • Transitioned from running to a CrossFit and weight-lifting junkie.
  • Lives for a rare steak and a dark, chewy glass of red.
  • Herniated a disc in her lower back at age 16 (from sneezing!) and has dealt with back issues her whole life since.
  • Highly sarcastic and her mouth tends to get her in trouble. Often.