The Challenge

The Challenge - To feed my family "clean cuisine" for 8 weeks. No processed foods, preservatives or scientifically engineered ingredients. Once a superyacht chef and now a stay-at-home mum pining for days lost in the kitchen, I will return to my roots and try to recreate the supermarket junk food my kids adore with homemade, healthy cooking in the hopes that they will never again ask me for alien-like food such as Monster Munch!

The Rules -  

No Processed Foods My criteria here is - if there is an ingredient on the list that I could not add myself we are not eating it. I am not claiming that I will make my own whole wheat pasta and can my own tomatoes (I'll just buy organic) but absolutely no processed snacks, meats, breads, etc..

Emphasize fresh produce and whole grains in our diet

Replace refined sugar when possible with natural sweeteners

Limit our dairy intake

Limit our animal protein consumption to only non-processed meat and fish (Bye Bye Knacks!)

I have promised to serve my family delicious vegetarian meals Monday through Friday and reward my husband for his willingness to go along with my latest endeavor on the weekends with his favorite carnivorous meals from my days as a chef.

Who am I? - A stay-at-home mum who adores her new role in life as caregiver, chauffer and cleaning lady but who pines just a bit for the 12 years she spent hidden in the galleys of yachts. Forgetting the long hours, sore feet and demanding guests I miss the days that just slipped by in a cooking trance with a sky's-the-limit supply of fresh ingredients and hungry bellies waiting to be filled.

Why Now? - I have always been a "healthy chef." While the food I cook tends to be on the healthier side, the food I tend to grab from my pantry when rushing out the door is not. The busier I became with my girls the more I came to rely on store-bought snacks and fast meal fixes. I knew this was bad but took comfort in knowing that all other mums did the same.  Recently, someone very dear to my family and me was diagnosed with cancer. I am no stranger to this disease as my mum died at the age of 52 and her mum at the age of 54, both to breast cancer. While my mum was ill the only treatments we discussed were radiation, chemo, mastectomy and hysterectomy. But this time, when I speak with my loved ones in the US dealing yet again with the dreaded C word, they are discussing "clean cooking" and sugar-free, sulfate-free diets as part of his treatment. Last week, I was invited to attend a raw food workshop. It was enlightening and while I don't see myself converting to a raw vegan anytime soon it got me thinking even more about diet and its impact on our health. Are my little girls and I doomed to the same fate as my mum and hers? If so, what can I do to change it? So, this morning, while sipping tea and feeling sorry for myself as my husband snoozes away I have vowed to make this change. And, it sounds fun.

Why Blog? - So I don't quit! I am excited about this now but know that in a week the junk-food aisle at Intermarche will be luring me in with promises of easy-fixes and more time spent on other things. Do I really have time to make homemade cereal bars when there is a mountain of laundry that needs folding and when Special K do it so well themselves??? I figure the more people I tell the less easy it is for me to quit!