My Food Philosophy

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When I meet new people, they ask, “What do you do?” I respond by letting them know I work as a Registered Dietitian, which almost inevitably leads to their next question, “Oh, cool—so what kind of a diet do you have?”

I tell them, “None, I just eat well.” To which they give me a puzzled and confused look. So here’s what I really mean by eating well and not dieting:

I eat everything: I’m not a vegan, a lacto-ovo vegetarian, not a raw foodist nor do I eat follow a “Paleo Diet” (mostly because it doesn’t exist). In our home, we enjoy eating meat and we do our best to source organic and local cuts. Even still, we chose not to eat meat a few times during our week to encourage a higher intake of legumes, lentils, and plants. In the summer time you’ll catch me nibbling on fish here and there. And eggs – eggs are a staple in our home (and yeah, I eat the yolk too).

I enjoy dairy milk and cheeses—not only because my digestive system can tolerate them, but also because the taste is nostalgic and I feel its properties are nourishing.

I don’t have much of a green thumb; one year I tried to garden, it was an epic fail. But I am determined to master it one day soon! In the mean time, I try to purchase organic produce when my budget allows for it, and take pride in centering my meal around what’s in season. When the Farmers’ Markets open you’ll find me frolicking around with fresh produce, lemonade and kettle corn from local vendors.

And, probably to everyone’s greatest shock, in our home we are not carb-phobics (intense fear of carbohydrates). In fact, we usually include a grain or starchy food in every meal of the day. For some it may not feel right, but grains are a staple for our family. I often enjoy experimenting with quinoa, barley, and wheat berries, but also stick to basics (whole wheat flour, rice, oats, corn flour).

You’ll find very few packaged and processed foods tucked away in my pantry. I do my best to prepare fresh meals but when time is my worst enemy we don’t mind a bowl of Kraft Dinner with a fizzy Coca Cola.

After struggling with creating and maintaining a balanced lifestyle, I feel like I’ve finally got it. It’s taken me years to get past the calorie counting, the myths and fads and now more than simply eating to live, I now live to eat. The kitchen is the heart of our home, it’s where I spend most of my time and where I feel the most empowered to be the best me.

So, what’s your food philosophy?

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Truly Tabbouleh

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I think I’ve come pretty close. I wish you could smell it looking at the photo.

It was all thanks to the Shop & Save book that enticed us to take a trip down to Winnipeg’s Exchange District to enjoy some eats from Shawarma Khan. Here we enjoyed their infamous lamb shawarma, a delish chickpea salad and tabbouleh. Everything served was delectable and certainly worth our dollar. The tabbouleh got me—it was the perfect mixture of fresh, flavor and zing. I came home anxious to try my hand at replicating the recipe.

Truly Tabbouleh
 
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Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • ½ bulgur wheat
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 2 bunches flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 bunch mint (approx ⅓ cup)
  • 2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled and finely diced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat in a shallow bowl. Use a fork to quickly stir the water into the wheat, then set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. Fluff the wheat with a fork, then place lid over the bowl and set on the countertop.
  3. Wash the leaves of parsley and mint. Dry completely and then finely chop up your herbs. Combine with the tomatoes, cucumber, green onion and bulgur.
  4. Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice and add in salt and pepper, to taste.

Tip: This salad is great when paired with a soup, pita or kabobs. It lasts in your fridge for 3 days
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Tasty and fresh!

The salad itself will last in your fridge several days—it almost tastes infinitely better the following day once the flavors have had some time to meddle. For those of you that haven’t experimented with bulgur—it’s a form of a whole wheat grain that has been dried and cracked. It can be used as porridge, in baking or as a side dish.

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Confetti Quinoa Salad

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When we’re stuck dead center in a Winnipeg winter—what do we do? How about make colorful summery salads? This quinoa salad won my heart over. I’m a pesto fanatic so I was happy when the Fresh Juice magazine featured a quinoa recipe that was all dressed in a basil dressing and could be assembled with minimal cooking. I’ve adapted the recipe a bit from the original (which, I couldn’t seem to find online)!

4.5 from 2 reviews
Confetti Quinoa Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced (optional, great especially if you want to increase your veggie intake)
  • 1 cup diced English cucumber
  • ⅓ cup chopped red onion
  • 1 can (19 oz) no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Toasted pine nuts for garnish (optional)
  • Dressing:
  • 2 tbsp prepared pesto (I love the Classico Pesto)
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. In saucepan, add quinoa and water (if quinoa isn't pre-rinsed, first rinse and drain well). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork; transfer to large bowl. Let cool for 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, for the dressing, whisk together pesto, vinegar, oil and pepper.
  3. Add to quinoa with yellow pepper, cucumber, onion and chickpeas; toss gently to coat. Fold in feta and tomatoes. Sprinkle with pine nuts, if desired.
  4. Substitutions/Tips
  5. Feel free to add in other veggies you may enjoy, or sun dried tomatoes for additional flavor.
  6. This recipe makes a large batch so you may want to cut the ingredients in half if you’re just feeding yourself or a small group.

Substitutions/Tips

Feel free to add in other veggies you may enjoy, or sun dried tomatoes for additional flavor.
This recipe makes a large batch so you may want to cut the ingredients in half if you’re just feeding yourself or a small group.

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Look at the array of colors—pretty, huh?

Quinoa; it’s an ancient grain that seems to be all the talk as of lately, and with good reasons. It boasts itself as a great source of protein, making it worthwhile for vegetarians to incorporate into their lifestyle. And, for those with a gluten sensitivity, it’s a dream come true. Quinoa can be purchased in different forms—whole grain or as ground flour. You’ll even find them offered in an array of colors: white, black, red—but really, they’re all the same. We typically consume quinoa 2-3x week as a hearty salad like this one, as a side or in the form of patties. How do you enjoy your quinoa? Let me know, in the mean time give this recipe a try.

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Ready or not…

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I’ve dwindled the thought of starting this project for nearly five years. FIVE YEARS. I’ve spent five years mostly procrastinating, but also trying to determine what this would all be about. In the last few months I’ve realized that perhaps all along the only thing that was stopping me was fear. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of opening myself up and being vulnerable.

This is how I'm currently feeling

This is how I’m currently feeling

With help and encouragement from my family and friends, I’ve mustered up the strength to dive in. So after five years I’m still not all too sure what this blog will contain. But I can tell you this: I hope this platform offers my clients and readers a chance to reflect not only on the foods they eat, but how and why they eat. It is my sincere aim to provide readers with opportunities to learn more about our food, where it comes from and how it’s properties can nourish our body (or not).

And most importantly, I hope that sharing my experiences will serve as a connection to me as both a Dietitian and a “normal” person.

More than this being a place for my readers to gain access to recipes and information, I also anticipate there will be moments when my heart is heavy and I will just to need vent frustrations I have with my career in being a Dietitian. Though I may not write things in the most “lady-like” manner, I hope it will encourage people to be naturally curious but also critical about our food. Lastly, what foodie-nutrition blog wouldn’t be complete without the opportunity to dispel some silly nutrition myths. Bam!

So here I come cyber universe.

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