I am Sonia, a 39 year old French Canadian from Québec (Canada), single mother of 2 [fully grown] kids, who’s recently turned her life around and decided to embrace a healthy lifestyle and clean-up her diet quite a bit.
My whole life I have struggled with my weight, and many times I have fallen victim to the diet syndrome. I would starve myself and / or eat “rabbit” food for months. Sure, I would lose the weight, but it would only be a matter of time before I gained it all back, because I never knew how to feed my body properly and stay healthy.
Then, about 2 years ago, as a new year’s resolution, I decided that I wanted to shed some [ahem 50-60] pounds and get back into shape. I had quit smoking 2 years prior, then the year after I had dramatically lowered my alcohol consumption, going down from several drinks a day to drinking only on the week-ends. Eventually, the need to drink alcohol lessened and I now will only indulge in the occasional drink.
My official resolution that year had been to be active for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, at least 6 days out of the week. I invested in a [don’t get me started, gosh I hate that stupid machine] elliptical trainer and bought myself a Wii Fit. I was extra motivated and the half hour a day soon became an hour, then an hour and a half, and that Wii Fit, which clearly wasn’t enough for me, eventually made way to a good set of dumbbells and a good resistance training program. The pounds would come off and I felt so much better, so energized, so pumped! I was looking forward to my exercise sessions, but I soon felt like I needed more, I needed a tangible goal…
That’s when I started running and set a goal to run 10km at the Marathon de Montréal in September of 2010. Well, not only did I achieve that, I surpassed it! I actually ran a half-marathon, which I completed in 2 hours, 1 minute and 40 seconds.
For sure you must think that I like exercising! Well, the truth is, I don’t. I don’t always enjoy it, but I know just how good it is for me. And it does make me feel so much better about myself, plus, it feels good to be in shape.
During all that time, slowly but surely, a change started to operate in me. I, the girl who used to smoke, drink, love junk food so much and considered herself as a hopeless carnivore, eventually came to realize that eating clean, healthy food didn’t have to be complicated or boring and didn’t mean that I had to sacrifice taste either. Heck, I don’t even have to sacrifice the yummyness factor. Seriously! I now absolutely LOVE everything I eat and look forward to every single meal. The best part is, I don’t have to feel guilty about it!
To help me stay on track and keep a record of recipes I’d created and meals I’d eaten, I eventually created a blog: Food Obsessed, which eventually became The Healthy Foodie, a name that I think is a much better reflection of what this place, and my life, is all about. What started as a “personal” online food diary soon became a real passion for me, and despite being extremely busy with work, commuting to and from work [again, don't get me started...] and exercising, it’s now become a very important part of my life. It inspires me and helps me expand my boundaries and make tons of new discoveries, through sharing recipes and ideas with others just like me.
You are more than welcome to join me, if you will, on this journey to a fit and healthy me. Feel free to flip through the pages of my food diary and, by all means, leave your comments and feedback! I absolutely LOVE hearing from my readers!
Beautiful pictures and the dishes look delicious. I am going to try the apple, goat cheese and walnut pizza this week. Some of my favorite things. THANKS!
Thanks to you! I hope the combination works for you too! Let me know how you liked it!
Intrigued by your recipes I read your ‘about this blog’ biography. Now I am subscribing…my mother is French Canadian too (me? I am just a half bred…other half being Polish/American). The pictures made my mouth water (even after eating). I can’t wait to browse some more! Maybe I will even open a blog of my own…dedicated to wonderful mouthwatering recipes I have acquired after almost 20 years in Turkey. Thanks. Happy cooking.
Hey thanks Sandi! Good to know my pictures are doing their job!
Where is your mom from, if I may ask? If you do start your own blog, make sure to share you drop by here and share your addie!
She was born in St. Donat but spent most of her life (before meeting my American father) in Montreal.
Oh! I love St-Donat. Such a beautiful place!! I spent many an hour fishing on Lac Croche back when I was a teenager. So many great memories! Ah, to be young again…
I found your site through a recipe posting on Tastespotting.com (congrats by the way) and I really enjoy your website. I’m interested in quinoa although I’ve never had it because i wasn’t sure what to do with it. I’ll definitely be trying one of your recipes this weekend. Great job and looking forward to following you.
Hey, thanks Bruce!Happy you found my site and that it is to your liking!
When / if you do try one of my recipes, please drop me a line to tell me about your experience… I always appreciate feedback!
Oh, and don’t let quinoa impress you… if you can cook rice, you can cook quinoa. Just don’t forget to rinse it thoroughly before you cook it.
Whoa. Just “Stumbled Upon” your site, literally and I think we are indeed kindred souls. I’m thinking we should get some of your articles up on my site!! Let me know! Btw, your hummus looks ridiculously smooth, I’m like drooling right now..
Thanks Ande! I will look into that and get back to you for sure!
*hands you a napkin… to wipe that drool off your face
Hey Sonia! I just discovered your blog from the Women’s Health website. I love your story of how you transformed in to “The Healthy Foodie”! So inspiring! And really, a lot of people don’t realize that transitions into healthy living are usually a gradual process. I used to smoke and drink pretty heavily in college, I practically LIVED off processed junk and I never exercised. Now I rarely ever eat anything that comes in a package (besides my beloved Larabars) and I go stir crazy after more than 2 days without physical activity!
Your photography is absolutely amazing! I’m still trying to find my way around my DSLR. I know I’ve come a long way from what my pictures used to look like, but I’ve still got a lot to learn.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go explore more of your gorgeous foodie concoctions!
Thank you so much Heather! Looks like we’re very much alike, you and I… I think I will have to go and do some exploring of your website too, looks like there is a lot of VERY interesting stuff on there. And your pictures aren’t that bad at all…
I’m happy that I stumbled upon your blog! I’m also a health food nut : ) You photography is great, do you mind me asking what kind of lens you use?
Not at all, Hannah! I use a 50mm 1.8, mostly. Thanks for the compliment, that is appreciated. I hope you will find a few recipes that you like on here! I have quite a few of the healthy kind
You’re a ridgie lover!!! Just read your latest blog post about Ikea and chocolate cherry buckwheat cake, and I was thrilled to see those faces in one of the pictures!!! My Ridgeback is only moderately helpful at keeping me active…he’s a bigger couch potato than I am! He also happened to come from a breeder just outside of Quebec City, any chance our pups are related?
Hehe, a fellow ridgie lover! They can be quite the couch potato indeed, if you let them. But they don’t need much coaxing to get out and let her rip! Wow can they ever run! My male would be the fast as lightning guy, while my female has the endurance of, well, 10 of me! I think she could run a marathon with scarcely any training at all. My rigdies aren’t from the same breeder, I got them in Ontario, so I don’t think they wouldn’t be related! They are actually father and daughter!
Just a word of warning to you… you know what they say about ridgebacks, hey? They’re just like potato chips. You can’t have just one!
I used to work for a cancer support community in New York City called Gilda’s Club. I know these locations are in Toronto, and you’re in Quebec, but maybe their online resources will help http://cancersupportcommunity.org/General-Documents/canada.aspx. I know this is a very sad time for you, but I hope this helps with the whole cancer experience. My thoughts are with you.
Wow, you have made some major changes in your life! I looked at some of your recipes and they are wonderful with beautiful pictures. I love your story about “Murphy’s” pizza. And I love the idea of grilled peaches on a pizza. My family, well my great-parents and ancestry, is from from Quebec. I haven’t visited yet but want to take my children, especially to Quebec City. My great-grandparents on my mother’s side are from St. Maurice, Champlain, and Trois-Rivieres, St. Maurice. Glad I found your blog and look forward to visiting again.
By the magic of pinterest I was led to your site, and I’m so very glad was. I’m huge lover of food blogs (with having started my own quasi food blog not long ago), but it’s rare to find one that has healthful food as the subject! Your recipes look amazing, and the photography is swoon-worthy. I’m definitely becoming a follower!
Oh, I am so addicted to Pinterest, I have to stay away from that site… it’s like I can’t just spend a minute or two, I always get lost in the thousands of amazing pictures that the site has to offer. Glad that fabulous site led you here! Thank you for your great feedback, I hope you find tons of recipes that you like on my site and end up trying a few of them!
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Found you on Flickr! I love your site and I just started a similar blog about healthy cooking as well. Your photos are beautiful and the recipes sound delicious. You’ve got a new follower
So happy to hear and right back at you! Your blog is really great, love your pictures and contents. You have a new follower in me as well!
Your story resonates with me very much. Whilst I don’t drink, I can relate to the yo-yo dieting and losing weight only to gain it all back and then some. I am not a healthy eater at all, but reading your story is inspirational. I have been quite inactive lately. As a matter of fact, I’m supposed to do a half marathon this weekend that I’m not doing after all because I didn’t train for it at all. I am putting your blog on my blogroll an inspiration. Thanks for sharing your story.
Oh Daisy, I’m sorry to hear about your half marathon. Maybe you could try again next year? It is quite the feeling, I can tell you that! Very well worth all the effort that you put into it! Thank you so much for adding me to your blog roll, I am honored. Happy to have you as a reader. And never forget, every step towards better health counts! Take this one day at a time.
Hi Sonia. My family is about 5 weeks into our healthier lifestyle journey and it has improved ALL areas of our life, some of which we never expected! For instance, the most frequent thing I hear from people is how organic food is so expensive. But when I look at how much money we save by not going out to eat (and paying a premium price for toxic food), we are actually saving money while buying about 80% organic. Not to mention i feel absolutely spoiled by our premium, healthy, delicious fare these days! What have your experiences been in regard to grocery spending?
Hey, congratulations on choosing to take the healthy route, Muriel! I totally agree with you. Eating healthy does not cost more at all. If anything, I find it costs me less since I’ve left all “prepared” items out of my cart, and also cut down on meat quite a lot. I’ve learned that bigger is not always better. I’d much rather buy a smaller piece of good salmon than a gigantic package of fatty ground beef. So yes, I am totally with you when you say that eating heatlhy doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
Greetings from Puerto Rico!!!! I just found your website while browsing the internet and it is great. I’m excited about trying some of your recipes. The photography is also fabulous, makes you want to dive right on in. I know this is a lot of hard work for you. Thanks!!!!!
Awww, thank you so much, Nancy! That is incredibly nice of you to say and I really appreciate your taking the time to leave me such great feedback! You are awesome!
Just wanted to say that I love your blog. I discovered you on pintrist and had to check out your site. Lovely photos and stories to go along with them. I am trying my best to eat a clean diet and unprocessed foods. You are an ispiration and I will continue to follow you. Keep up the hard work and the fantastic job that you do. Linda
Awww, thank you so much Linda, I really appreciate your taking the time to leaving me such great feedback. It’s comments such as this one that make keeping this place alive so worthwhile. Glad to hear you will keep following me, I can only hope that I will keep inspiring you!
hi LOVE your website/photos/recipes/amazing descriptions! what kind of camera and lens do you use? and any tips for a new food blogger? I just started and you’re my inspiration!!!! Thanks!
Thank you so much, Melissa! All the pictures that you see on my site were taken with my old faithful Canon EOS RebelXT, some with the original lens that came with it (not even sure what the specs are, it’s a 28-55, I think, but I never really paid attention) and the more recent ones were taken with my 50mm f-1/8 lens. I just recently upgraded to a Rebel T3i, but I have yet to post any of the pictures that I’ve taken with it. I have to say that I really love it, it’s a brilliant camera, but it will take some getting used to!
And the best tip that I can give you is read, read, and read some more. Check out food and photography blogs, look at pictures, analyze them, look at their composition, the lights and shadows, the placement of the elements. Buy a couple of books on the subject if you can, and most of all, get cooking and snap away!
You can say that you’ve gained a new/obsessed follower of yours! I started a change in my lifestyle almost a year ago, with some ups and downs but i get in the right track and i’m so happy i did it
I ADORE your blog because it has it all: amazing photos, funny descriptions and the recipes are the best because you always “healthify” every food in every way..
I’m all egg whites now so i wanted to know if you have any ideas or suggestions to use the yolks because it doesn’t feel right to just throw them right? I would so appreciate your help, thanks honey!
Wow, thanks a bunch Oriana! So, so happy to hear! I am extremely flattered, too!
As for the egg whites, I too use A LOT, but I do mean a lot! What I do is I buy it in a carton. It has many advantages, but mainly, I don’t waste yolks, and since the packaged egg whites are pasteurized, I can use them “raw”, so I always throw some in my smoothies for a little boost in protein… Make sure to look for them at your local grocery store, I’m pretty sure they would carry them. Here in Quebec, they are commercialized under the name Simply Egg Whites, but I’m sure you would have an equivalent where you are.
I read about your site on Pinterest so decided to check it out. I, too, feel the need for a healthier lifestyle and love to eat. I’ll be sure to try some of your recipes. Actually, considering something w/chicken tonight! Thanks for your blog and continued good luck.
Thanks a bunch Miki! Happy you found me…
Make sure you tell me how you like the recipes you end up trying! I always like to hear people’s feedback! Thanks for your good luck wishes, and right back at ya! Just keep at it, and you’ll see that eating healthy can be just as fun, if not more, than eating all that commercially prepared “junk”. Rock on!
Oh i so wish we had these here! Because i’ve actually hear lots of things about them but.. no we don’t anything even similar to that in my country. I’m from Venezuela and we have the minimum really! I’m always a little sad when i found this delicious recipes and then i found that they’ve a bunch of stuffs i don’t find here
but i always try to replace them with other things.. not the same but, oh well. So, do you have any other ideas? THANKS A TON
Oh boy… the old me would’ve have answered, whithout hesitation: custards, crème anglaise, ice cream, buttercream, crème brûlée, flan, sabayon, Hollandaise sauce, mayonnaise… there are so many things that you could do with egg yolks. Unfortunately, none of these options would be of the heatlhy kind. So the new me, I guess, would probably suggest to, erm… condition your hair?
Hi Sonia!
I am very excited about coming across your site! Was led here through Pinterest and finding it difficult to leave! My mouth is watering as I browse through your delicious recipes. I was wondering how you are able to come up with the Nutrition Facts? I like to cook for my dad who has to watch sodium intake and curious as to the facts accuracy.
Thank you!
Thank you very much Hanna, that is quite the compliment! I use various sources to come up with the Nutrition Facts and enter my own recipes and custom food products (I input the information that appears on the labels of the foods that I use) in a recipe analyzer to generate the labels. I try to make sure they are as accurate as possible…
Great! Thank you Sonia, I love that you do provide the Nutrition Facts to provide the whole picture. Great work, I will be visiting often
Sonia, I know most of us rave about your healthy recipe inspiration and creative ideas, but I think its about time we learnt about your photography. It blows me away, and is what keeps me coming back for more inspiration. Is there anywhere on here already where you’ve posted about your camera and lighting set up? I’d love to know, plus your collection of props and fabrics. I know this stuff is normally “behind the scenes” but, well, if we like knowing whats in your fridge, we would love to know about your studio
I have shared bits and pieces here and there, but I never did a dedicated post or a page on the subject. Probably because I feel very ill equipped when it comes to taking pictures. I’m no professional, you know! So I guess I don’t feel very comfortable giving people tips or advice on a subject that I don’t really master.
Maybe I could do a page very similar to my cupboards and fridge pages though, just showing you guys what it is that I use and how my usual set up goes. That could very well be done.
I’ll add it to my list, Christina! Just for you!
Yay please do! Just so we can get an idea of what you’ve got, what you use, how you edit. I guess you don’t struggle with lack of light in Quebec as we do here but I would love some advice on your lighting for sure!
Not sure about that, Christina… we don’t get much light at all during the winter months! Most of my pictures are taken in almost pitch dark during that time. I can’t wait for summer to be here again. I so much prefer to work with natural light!
I’ll try and come up with something soon!
Hi Sonia! I’m so thrilled to have stumbled across your website. Everything here looks absolutely delicious and I’m very much looking forward to trying out a few recipes! I’m just about to finish my last semester of my junior year and I have struggled all through college with making healthy food choices (shocking, I know… ) Although I’m not very experienced in the cooking department, I am ambitious and determined to change my overall lifestyle, and I think a lot of your suggestions and ideas will help me so much! I just want to say thank you for the inspiration, and happy cooking!
- Hillary
Hillary, you totally rock!
Thank you so much for your kind words. Glad to hear you’re planning on trying some of my recipes. They shouldn’t give you too much trouble, most tend to be rather simple, for you know what? I used to think that I couldn’t cook myself, before I started experimenting, and I soon came to realize that cooking isn’t that complicated after all. Especially not when you keep it quick and simple! Make sure you let me know how you liked the recipes that you try. I always appreciate getting feedback, stories and substitution ideas!
Again, thank you for dropping by and please, don’t be a stranger! Come visit anytime!
Just made some homemade almond milk today, and I’m in love with it! I’m really looking forward to using it in my breakfast smoothies. I’m also planning on using the almond pulp for making the baked apple cinnamon quinoa squares, I can’t wait to see how they turn out!
Thanks again Sonia!
Thanks Hillary! Glad to hear you liked the milk. Much better than the storebought stuff, isn’t it? I hope you like the apple quinoa squares! Make sure you let me know how they turn out!
Hi there! I am your newest follower. I found you via Pinterest (your recipe for orange rosemary pork tenderloin). and I am soooo pleased! I love your blog and am planning on including some of your recipes in my menus for next week. I also have a blog, and would love it if you stopped by. I post a clean lunch menu for the week and also a menu for healthy suppers.
I am also from Quebec, but now live on Vancouver Island.
thanks for the inspiration! so nice to meet you!
thanks
Kim
Hehe! Nice to meet you Kim! Glad you found this place, I really love having fellow Québécois around! You bet I’ll check out your blog! I’ll go and do that right now! Thank you for considering adding some of my recipes to your weekly menu next week. I hope you that will like those you decide to try and that you will take a minute to let me know how they turned out.
Feedback is always MUCH appreciated!
Thanks again for dropping by and for taking the time to say Hello, Kim! You’re a star!
Bonjour Sonia!
I found your blog through Pinterest as I was looking for Paleo-friendly recipes. I had this weird feeling while going through the recipe that you might be Canadian and I was surprisingly happy to see that you were indeed! I am also Québécoise (although living in the US now) and look forward to be inspired by your many recipes!
Hehe! Bonjour Johanne! C’est toujours un plaisir de faire la connaissance d’autre bloggers Québécois! Bien contente que tu aies atterri sur mon site et que tu en apprécies le contenu. Pas certaine que tu y trouveras beaucoup de recettes qui soient en accord avec le régime Paleo par contre… j’avais commencé à étiquetter les recettes qui étaient “Paleo Friendly”, mais je trouve cette “diète” tellement compliquée que j’ai bien vite abandonné l’idée. Les adeptes sont bien rapides à te laisser savoir que tu es dans le champ aussi quand tu fais la gaffe de mettre l’étiquette Paleo sur une recette qui ne l’est pas. Finalement, je préfère m’en tenir à manger ce qui fitte avec ma philosophie et laisser les gens décider si c’est en accord avec leurs croyances ou pas…
J’espère que tu trouveras tout de même plusieurs recettes pour t’inspirer, quitte à les adapter au régime Paleo si besoin est. Et stp, n’hésite pas à me faire part de tes commentaires / résultats si tu essaies certaines de mes recettes. Ça me fait toujours excessivement plaisir!
Je comprends ce que tu veux dire! Même si j’essaye de suivre les règles Paléo autant que possible, je ne suis pas aussi intense que d’autres sur le sujet. J’essaye de suivre l’idée générale mais il y a beaucoup de bonnes choses que je ne suis pas prête à sacrifier. J’ai bien hâte d’essayer tes recettes dans mes journées “de triche”.
So glad to have found your blog! Great desserts & beautiful pictures!
Also, I love the fact that you don’t sweeten EVERYTHING with artificial sweeteners, aka splenda or alternatives — i cant stand them! Have a great day!
Thanks Rachel, glad you like! Looks like you and I are on the same page, too! For the record, I don’t ever use artificial sweeteners, save for stevia in protein powder (and stevia would be natural anyway… only still a tad too processed for my liking). Apart from that, it’s only natural for me, and I tend to lean more and more towards sugars from natural sources, i.e. fruits! I’m loving the results
After getting hooked in by the chestnut cheesecake, I decided to try the Whole30 too. I am starting week 2 on Monday and am loving it so far. After nagging at him for years about eating out every day for lunch, my husband has loved everything I’ve cooked so much and the way he feels eating clean that he is on board too. Thanks for sharing, I’m a big fan!
YAY!!!! That is simply AWESOME, Cambrey! Congratulations on taking the plunge. Took me forever to work up the courage to do it, but now that I am “in” it, I am loving it! I almost don’t want it to stop. For sure, it will have had a significant impact on my diet and the way I eat. So happy to hear that you are loving it also AND that your husband is on board too. It doesn’t really get any better than this!
Thank you for sharing this, Cambrey. You just made my day!
Your blog is awesome. Like you, I love the clean, natural and wholesome recipes and all for healthy and unprocessed food. I am looking forward to trying the wholewheat pizza dough next weekend. Keep it up! I will definitely be following your website closely for more great recipe ideas! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so very much for your kind words, I truly appreciate them! Be sure to let me know how you like the recipes that you try. It’s always such a pleasure for me to get feedback from my readers!
Bonjour!
enfin un site santé et québécois!!!
Je suis de Montréal, auriez-vous d’autres blog ou sites à me conseiller du genre qui viennent d’ici? 
Merci de toutes vos magnifiques recettes et peut-être est-ce juste mon quartier, mais des fois j’ai de la difficulté à trouver tous les bons produits que vous avez!!!
Ha! Merci Valérie, j’apprécie vraiment tes bons mots! Je ne connais pas vraiment d’autres sites de gens du coin, vraiment… désolée! Par contre, je peux probablement t’aider à trouver certains produits! Y a-t-il quelque chose que tu cherches en particulier? Pour être honnête, je ne m’approvisionne pas vraiment dans des endroits trop étranges, alors ça ne devrait pas être trop compliqué. Laisse-moi savoir ce que tu cherches, et je te dirigerai avec grand plaisir!