This week's Candid Canuck is Karen from Nourish With Karen. Check out our interview with her..
What prompted you to start your blog?
I started to blog because I love food and I want to share my ideas about healthier options! There is such disconnect between food and health right now. As a Nutritionist, I know that what we eat becomes the foundation of our health and wellbeing. So many of the medical symptoms we treat with drugs can be alleviated with proper nutrition. I want people to know that!
How do you meal plan when you have the challenges of food tolerances in your home/family?
When you first figure out that food intolerance plays a part in a family member’s health and you realize that the cure is changing what they eat, you are relieved! Then you start thinking about the logistics of meal planning.
There is a desire to replace products with like products. People, and children specifically, want the foods they are familiar with, but with time you find new favourites. Quite honestly, food intolerances were a blessing in disguise. We eat so much better now that we are aware of the food issues. There is much less dependence on packaged food. We eat fresh food, much less sugar and more fruits and vegetables. If you are travelling you often end up taking food with you.
It is amazing the baked goods you can make with wheat flour substitutes like almond flour and coconut flour, which are high in protein and fibre.
If you could give our readers one piece of advice when it comes to healthy meal planning, what would it be?
My advice regarding healthy meal planning is to stop relying on manufactured products like salad dressings, meals in a box, packaged cookies, etc. These products are high in salt, sugar and preservatives and low in nutrition. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. This is where you will find whole, fresh foods which are so much better for you.
What do you think of as the ultimate Canadian comfort food?
I think of “one pot meals” as the ultimate Canadian comfort food. There is nothing better than coming home to a hot crockpot meal that is ready to serve on a busy weeknight.
Do you have a recipe you are particularly proud of?
I make a delicious chilli, which I have been tweaking for years. The flavours are complex and delicious. This is in part because of the play between the sweetness of the molasses and honey and the sour flavour of the tomatoes and apple cider vinegar. The smoked paprika and chipotle pepper add a smoky, rich flavour to it as well. It is the ultimate comfort food and can be prepared the night before, refrigerated, and then popped into the crockpot on low for 4-5 hours. (You can find this chilli recipe HERE, at Karen's website.)
Share with us a few other Canadian bloggers you think our readers should check out.
There are so many awesome Canadian bloggers in the blogosphere to choose from and the sense of community is overwhelming. I am grateful to the hosts of Canucks Rock: Did you know Canada?, Tales of a Ranting Ginger and Maple Leaf Mommy! These ladies are dynamic for their promotion of others!
Other websites I enjoy are: Satori Design for Living, Shauna has great ideas, gorgeous pictures and I always come away inspired. Just a Smidgen is another beautiful site which is described as a lifestyle blog filled with recipes, photography, poems, and DIY. It oozes creativity! Angie at Echoes of Laughter dabbles in all sorts of ideas, and I love her bright, sunny disposition. Of course being a foodie, I am drawn to all kinds of food blogs as well, Ceci n’est pas un food blog and Dan’s Good Side, to name a couple.
Thanks so much Karen!
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