The Liebster Award

Yesterday I was lucky enough to receive the Liebster Award from the gorgeous Eloise over at Eat Like Eloise!! It was an honor to accept the award from her. Eloise has a passion for wellness and creating nutritious, fun and healthy meals! She is truly an inspiration to me.

The Liebster Award is given to bloggers by other bloggers to show their appreciation and encouragement. The giver of the award asks 10 questions related to the receivers' blog and life. Eloise has been kind enough to send me her questions, so read on for my answers!

Who/what was your main inspiration for starting your healthy recipe blog?

Around this time last year, I really started to focus on what I was putting into my body and how it affected me. I never thought much about the link between the foods I was eating and how they would impact my IBS and Celiac Disease. At the time, I wasn't eating as well as I should have been to manage these conditions, and one day I just decided I wanted to feel my best! So I began to look up easy, healthy, and nutritious recipes that might lessen the side effects of my IBS and CD. I started cooking more meals for myself, experimenting with flavors and ingredients. I stumbled across a couple blogs that really inspired my love for breakfast, those being The Oatmeal Artist and Chocolate Covered Katie. These fabulous blogs are definitely my go-to's when I need breakfast inspiration!

What is your "show off" dish when you have company over?
When we have company over, my dad is usually the Master Chef and prepares the "main" meal, but I have made different varieties of sweet potato fries that always get rave reviews! 

Who do you cook for the most?

Myself!! I always take the time to make myself a nutritious meal because I know how much better I will feel. Early preparation is key for me, if I know I'm not going to be home during the day, I prepare a lunch box and snacks the night before so I won't be rushing the next day!

Which ingredients do you always have a large stock of?

FRUIT. Apples, berries, peaches, plums, pears, kiwi, BANANAS, dried figs and dates, you name it! I always have sweet potatoes, peanut butter, various superfoods and superfood powders, coconut oil, buckwheat flour, Greek yogurt, protein powder, cinnamon, and spinach.

What do you think is your signature dish?

I would say my Popped Amaranth Porridge! The idea for it literally just popped into my head one day (no pun intended), and I ran with it! Thankfully it turned out exactly the way I had hoped and now I love creating different flavor combinations for a new and exciting breakfast every day.

What is your favourite holiday to cook a banquet for?

I only realized my love for cooking about a year ago, and I studied abroad in London over the fall of 2013 so I wasn't around for the Thanksgiving feast. I have really only cooked for Christmas, so by default, Christmas is my favorite holiday to cook for! I can't wait to experiment with different traditional holiday dishes now that I have more time.

Asian or Mediterranean cuisine?

Definitely Mediterranean. I am a firm believer in eating lots of healthy fats like fish, nuts, seeds and oils, as well as whole fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The Mediterranean cuisine checks off all these categories. I love the variety of spices and herbs used in Mediterranean cuisine, there are so many mouth watering flavor combinations!

What else do you enjoy doing other than blogging?

I am all about summer. I love sailing and kayaking, going to the beach and just relaxing under the sun with a good book (usually Harry Potter). That's another one - I LOVE to read! The Harry Potter series is definitely my favorite. I also enjoy cooking (obviously), lifting weights and exercising, visiting farmers markets, going for bike rides, and shopping at flea markets.

What is your biggest kitchen related failure?

This is easy - I was making a gingerbread cake for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary, and I forgot a couple very important steps in the process. First, I forgot to warm the liquids to room temperature before adding the melted coconut oil, so the oil hardened and crystallized in the batter. Then I forgot the baking powder. So when the whole thing was done and cooled, it turned into a thin, dense slab of chewy dough that had about 1/4 inch of hardened coconut oil on the top. Epic failure.

And what is your biggest kitchen related success?

Well I sort of feel like I've already answered this with my idea for Popped Amaranth Porridge, but I also think my Raw Chocolate Banana Cups were a huge success! So rich and chocoaltey - the perfect healthy dessert!!

Another big thanks to Eloise for nominating me for this award!! You are the best!

Now, I would like to send this award on to my gorgeous friend and fellow blogger, Jenny over at The Healthy Pursuit! Jenny's determination to find her perfect balance with food, health and happiness shows in her beautiful blog, and her hard work to overcome an eating disorder is truly paying off! Well done Jenny, keep up all your amazing work!