Things Julia Child has Taught Me (That Have Nothing to do With the Art of French Cookery!)

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Career Change, Cooking, Friendship, Health, Health Coaching, Julia Child, Learn to cook, Passion, Quotes

Isn’t that the BEST pic?
(Original image by Paul Child)

I’m a little bit in love with Julia Child. You could say I have a girl-crush on her.

Don’t know who Julia Child is? – Where have you been?

In a nutshell, Julia was a TV chef and author. She is most famous for adapting complex French cooking for everyday Americans, in a time when cooking was not in vogue, with her groundbreaking cookbook ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’.

Mainly, I love the paradox of Julia – so very sensible and yet, at the same time, so wonderfully kooky and eccentric.

And, I love that she was middle-aged before she found her true passion. She may have started cooking in her thirties (like me!), but it was much later that this became her driving force. And, she found such joy in her cooking.

Julia Child gives me confidence that I can change direction. In a big way, too.

So, today’s post is a celebration of Julia…

I totally relate to this. I didn’t really start to cook until my thirties, either. But I have always loved to eat! And if you haven’t yet really mastered cooking, it’s never too late to learn!

And, it took me a while to find my cooking mojo. Like any craft – learning to cook takes practice. It’s only by trial and error that you gain confidence.

But, the really great thing about being able to cook is that everybody has to eat.

Sure, some people enjoy food more than others, but everyone eats… And, it’s a skill that will ensure you never have to eat another take away meal again (unless you really want to!).

I’m not a fancy cook. Nuh-uh! In fact, my preference is to keep things pretty simple. Unless it’s a special occasion, of course.

But I do insist on good ingredients. The best I can find. By this I mean – as Julia says – as fresh as possible, minimally messed with (preferably organic), and locally grown if I can get it.

That also means I head to my farmers market every weekend. LM comes with me. So does Bella. And, anyone else I can drag along. I love it. I talk to the farmers. I buy what’s in season. And I get ideas for my cooking experiments. LM is a willing subject!

While I’m a big advocate of keeping things simple, I have learnt that some level of planning is key. Having a good stash of homemade stock (bone broth) at the ready in my freezer means I can always whip up something healthy and tasty, even on those nights I can’t face cooking from scratch. Once a month, I make a big jar of fermented vegetables (TSL’s House Kraut), which keeps my gut happy! And, I’m a fan of batch cooking.

You’ve heard me say it before – Cook once to eat twice or thrice. That way, there’s always something in your larder as back up.

I’ve discovered that I’m really passionate about getting healthy. I’ve been doing this by applying the principles of Sarah Ballantyne’s Autoimmune Protocol.

Over the past two years, I’ve changed the way I eat. I’ve changed the way I approach sleep (hint: it’s a priority!) And, I’m pretty committed to managing my stress levels, too.

Along the way, I’ve been voraciously reading, learning and trying out realistic ways we can apply healthy changes to our every-day lives.

And, it’s been so successful for me that I now want to share that knowledge by working with others to effect healthy changes to their lives. I’ve recently qualified as a Health Coach. I’m in the process of designing my website. And, this blog will eventually migrate over to the new site.

So, you’ll notice a few changes heading this way at Casa TSL in the coming weeks. More on that in a later post. I hope you’ll stick with me…

The more I explore this healthy living gig that we’ve adopted here at Casa TSL, the more I realise that I will never know everything there is to know about it. Impossible.

And, I’m not alone. New discoveries are being made every day.

For example: – even five years ago, we had no idea just how important the health of our microbiome was to our general well-being. We hadn’t made the connection between gut health and how it has the capacity to affect such diverse aspects of our physiology as our mental health and our immune system.

And, I’ve discovered I really like learning about health. It’s such a positive topic – especially when small changes can have such dramatic effects.

So, the wonderfully ebullient Julia Child has taught me a lot. I’ve followed her advice and found something I’m passionate about. And, I AM tremendously interested in it. It’s inextricably tied to cooking real food well. Which is mighty convenient – because that’s also a passion for me. 

Have you found something you’re passionate about?

 

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Make Cooking Your (Next) Hobby

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Cooking, food, Healthy Cooking, Hobbies, Hobby, Learn to cook, Sugar

If you want to get healthy, make cooking your(next) hobby!

I’m going to get mildly provocative for a moment and just put it out there that I believe you need to cook if you want to get really healthy. And, the corollary of that is, of course, that this will involve spending time in your kitchen. Unless you have as much money as Oprah, and have your own personal chef.

I have discussed this belief of mine on more than one occasion with The Paleo PI, most recently at our last Autoimmune Protocol Picnic. I quite like talking with PI. He’s male, and I’m not. He lives in a different city to me. And, there’s almost 20 years between us. He almost always gives me a different perspective. And he happens to be a great guy…

PI reckons he’s not much of a cook. I think he’s a little on the modest side. He’s successfully cooked for me, after all.

And – like anything – cooking takes practise. The more you do it, the better you get. And, given I happen to have a few years on PI, I’ve had a little more time to practise!

I didn’t start really cooking until I turned 30. Until then, I just ate!

I’ve mentioned before that my Mum is a great cook. We ate very well as a family growing up. My Mum’s chicken liver pâté remains a firm favourite for all of us. My annual birthday meal request was always filet of beef with Mum’s béarnaise sauce, usually served with duck-fat roast potatoes and green beans. And, I am still mourning the fact that I will never experience one of her 100% homemade Christmas mince tarts again (made with the shortest of gluten-filled pastry). They are so, so, SO good!*

But me, I didn’t really start to cook until I turned about 30. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to eat. Still do! But, cooking wasn’t really my thing during my traveling 20’s. I was too busy to do much more than reheat.

And, reheating is not cooking.

Now, I can’t help but wonder if I had cooked more and eaten out less; if I had taken more notice of what I was choosing to put into my mouth; if I had been more mindful about my food choices, would I still have had the same autoimmune issues…?

I suspect the answer is: probably. It’s never that simple. But, it has definitely contributed.

(Image from here)

I happen to quite like the actual craft of cooking. I definitely love eating good food. But, for me the real enjoyment is about the whole process – selecting the freshest seasonal and local produce at the markets, talking with the farmers (and sometimes the butchers) to understand where my meat comes from, learning about the nutrient density of the food I am ingesting, and the knowledge that the food I am preparing for those I love is doing them good.

And, occasionally, I like satisfying LM’s sweet tooth with a healthier version of traditional deserts and ice creams. And, in his case, this always means dairy free.

But, you don’t have to love cooking to make it your hobby.

You just need to want to make healthy choices. And, you can’t make healthy choices if you are always dining out or eating out of packets.

I dragged LM off to see That Sugar Film earlier in the week (I recommend the film!). Did you know that there is sugar added to approximately 80% of all products sold in an Australian supermarket? And that’s before we even start talking added preservatives, GMO foods, trans fats and other nasties.

‘That Sugar Film’ Q & A at the Orpheum cinema
(Image by TSL)

Do yourself a favour and spend some (more) time in your kitchen this week.

Commit to it. If you’re not a cook, start slow. Start easy. Make some bone broth. Make a frittata. Make a Jamie Oliver Inspired Four Hour Lamb (If you leave off making the gravy, it only has 3 ingredients!)

Do you cook? Have you made cooking your hobby? I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this topic!

*Maybe I’ll start working on a gluten-free version…?