Irene Stafford is a Tucson Medical Center doctor, mom of four, foodie, businesswoman and fitness junkie.
“Every woman is different, but as women, we are superheroes,” Stafford, 43, says about staying healthy in the midst of a busy life. “We have so much on our plate and so much to juggle and do, but there are little cheat ways.”
Oh really? Do tell. We wanted to know more, so we picked Stafford’s brain about what fills her plate — eating well, staying fit and loving life.
Petrou Foods. For 20 years, this family business has specialized in the flavors of Greece: Olive oil, olives, vinegar, garlic and recently a line of feta spreads. Stafford’s parents began the business in San Diego mom-and-pop shops and farmers markets after moving from Greece, where they were dress designers, in the 1960s.
Stafford got a job in Tucson about six years ago and decided several years ago to bring the good stuff to Tucson and Phoenix farmers markets. The new feta spreads are particularly popular.
“They are thick and flavorful and low in carbs,” she says. “You can bake with them, cook with them or just eat them with chips. We started really having fun with those. Then we got into AJ’s (Fine Foods), and we are rocking and rolling.”
The business was also featured in 2013 on “Official Best Of,” a show that airs on Discovery Channel, according to Petrou Foods’ Facebook page.
Family dinners. As a kid, Stafford cooked with her family. It’s no different now.
“I’ve always cooked at home, but it’s also part of being Greek,” she says. “There is something sort of wholesome about coming back around and prioritizing your lives that way,” she says. “We all say we don’t have time to cook, but it’s a humongous way to connect with your husband and kids.”
With four kids to feed, Stafford has never fixed special plates for picky palates: “I sneak eggplant so the kids don’t even know. You puree it with olive oil and lemon and put it on their burgers and they have no idea. You gotta be stealthy. In macaroni and cheese, I put feta, not Velveeta.”
Even after a long day, Stafford prefers to cook. Fish is her go-to. It takes her 15 to 20 minutes.
“All you need is a fresh herb — fresh dill, mint, basil — and a little garlic olive oil or vinaigrette and put it on top of toasted goat cheese and pistachios,” she says.
Fitness competitions. For Stafford, Tucson fits in with her health goals.
“It’s nice to drive home and look at the mountains and look at the serenity; I’ve never been healthier,” she says. Stafford loves hiking and running on desert trails. “The desert is a playground. This is a completely humongous playground for fit people.”
She would know. Stafford does fitness competitions for figure, which she calls “the ultimate challenge because you have to be lean,” and won one in December.
“I get up before the children do,” she says. “You have to beat your kids to the chase. To be sneaky, I get up before they do at 5 a.m., and I work out like crazy. I go in the garage and go for runs in the desert. Whatever I gotta do, you just gotta get it done. While other people have lunch at TMC, I go do a quick, 20-minute workout. I’m always moving.”
Maternal fetal medicine. As a doctor who works with pregnancies, mothers and babies with problems, Stafford wants to be an example of healthy living for her patients. It all comes together.
“I love food, and I’m so passionate, and I know what quality is, and I understand the health benefits,” she says. “Not to be gross, but I operate on these people. I know what their tissue looks like on the inside … I know the importance of eating well.”
