Food Guilt

Empty Fridge

January is a good time to talk about resolutions, making commitments, and change, don't you think?  I am in favour of change and find myself often saying that this is the week to start... workouts, clean eating, being a vegetarian, making the bed... you get the idea. 


The problem that I struggle with is the great power that food has over me. Yes, sometimes feelings like happiness and joy are derived from a good food experience for me (quick, call the shrink!). Homemade food, healthy food, restaurant food, new food creations, all excite, inspire and interest me. I am also aware that over-indulgence is bad for my waistline and my health. I like my coffee with cream and sugar. I would rather eat lasagna with garlic bread than steamed broccoli, but hey I like steamed broccoli too! Like most cooks, I prefer butter to almost anything. I am in constant battle with how what I want to eat differs from what I should eat.

Clean Food Filled Fridge

I would like to strive toward a healthier lifestyle, and for me, this must include less meat, more veggies, more local and more care in preparation (aka cooking).  Last weekend, I watched the TEDx discussion on Changing the Way we Eat, which motivated me so much. I am also ignited by writers like Michael Pollan and Kris Carr who tout the benefits to your body and the environment of choosing better food. With their powers combined, I am committing myself to a couple of "better for all" strategies; Meatless Mondays, 30 day work out challenge and bring my own lunch to work. To kick it all off, I have started an Herbal Detox that includes a food program free of dairy, gluten and sugar for 12 days. 

Brown Rice Pasta & Puttanesca Sauce

Over the next few weeks, I will bring you some original recipes inspired by the changes that I am making. I hope they are interesting, flavourful and help make an easy time for a person like me, who needs variety and BIG flavours to be satisfied. And, so that I can still manage my insatiable need to find food innovation everywhere I go, my overhaul will be subject to change.


I would love to hear your stories of food changes. Have you kept your New Year's resolution?

Creating for Those we Love

Brunch on Mother's Day. Sounds cliché right? It is. In spite of that, I like to host a brunch every couple of years. It beats making reservations, eating buffet food, and dealing with the throngs of people. Plus, for our family, that seems to get larger by the moment, an intimate brunch was the perfect way to celebrate all that is MOM.


My challenge this year was to create a menu that was entirely gluten-free, but that all of my guests would enjoy. I had to present it in a way that would make our mothers feel honoured, and feed the dads well. Luckily, I picked up a few grocery items, and inspiration from a new store that opened recently called the Gluten-Free Marketplace. This store provided me some brunch favourites in GF form like English muffins and graham cracker crumbs. They even have perogies! (I understand that this is not a brunch food unless it is Christmas morning at my parents house, but hooray for GF perogies nonetheless!). 


Our menu consisted of favourites with a twist. Like the Roasted Red Pepper Eggs Benedict with Pesto and Shrimp, or Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus with Smoky Mustard sauce. But, the knock-out favourite dish of the morning was the Strawberry Melon Gazpacho that I served as a starter course. Check out the recipe from Whole Foods. I added fresh mint leaves and S&P to create this remarkably refreshing cold soup. 


Surrounded by beautiful food we created a small moment in our sometimes chaotic world. And, while that day we celebrated how grateful we are for Mothers, we understood that we were in essence celebrating the great importance of sharing our time with the people we love.