I have been consciously changing the way eat during the past year. I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance more than 25 years ago  (back then it wasn’t trendy at all!) and my youngest son has suffered quite badly with dairy, which makes me feel terrible for being so relaxed about managing it. It’s one thing when it’s my body, but this little guy shouldn’t be complaining about a sore belly and showing up with rashes, etc just because I cannot be bothered to be vigilant. (Before you ask, yes we had this all tested with professionals.) Personally, I find that my sensitivity has gone up since having children and I am struggling with skin afflictions which go up noticeably when my dairy intake goes up. Something I probably just put up with before but which I have really monitored lately.

I have also noticed that since having children my body no longer works the way it used to. Without going into too much detail, let’s just say I work better without dairy and with a diet which is much higher in vegetables and fruit. And finally, with the untimely passing of a very dear friend just over a year ago to cancer, I became very aware of the reality so many of us are likely to face. I don’t want to be cashing in my critical illness cover! In fact, I don’t want any of my family getting something that makes me wish I had done something sooner. I haven’t the motivation of a full on illness or disease to make drastic changes immediately. But I can make changes slowly and encourage a different way of eating with my family. I am trying to be realistic as I go. I still love my treats. I also want my kids to eat what the other kids are eating at school when they can. What I am aiming for is a 70/30 split. Eating well and consciously most of the time. Obviously it would great to eat like that ALL of the time. I would also like my kids to learn to make those decisions for themselves. I believe this needs some balance and good habits. I also know when kids get together that they don’t want to have to be different or not be allowed what all the other kids are having. So for now the 70/30 split works (obviously for one of my boys this will be more like 90/10 given he should be avoiding the dairy altogether)!

What all of this means is my blog will not just be filled with moreish yummy baked goods and indulgent food stuff – like intended so many years ago! It will have a balance of delicious food recipes that are also consciously tailored to new eating habits. I will be tweaking some of my favourite recipes to cope with our needs (plus the eating habits of so many of my friends) and showcasing some of my favourite creations. I have also been working on my weaknesses and taking cookery courses to hone some of my skills, picking up techniques I didn’t even know existed. I have written about these and have a few more courses in the pipeline to look forward to. Then there is the daunting cooking with/for kids! I swear this is an area of pure torture for me too. How did I get blessed with fussy eaters? Like so many parents I have slaved over the Annabel Karmel recipes which only I end up eating.  I want to share some recipes which can be made with your children – and depending which way the wind is blowing they might actually eat!

I had grand notions about what I could do here, but I am coming to realise that I need time to pull this together. So for now, I think this is what I can deliver realistically. I hope some, if not most, of this will be of interest to you and thank you for stopping by!

Tx