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For me, my food journey has been life long, for as long as I remember I’ve been totally in love with eating and as for cooking, that began when I was old enough to reach the stove. Through disaster and constructive criticism to where I am now, a chef of 18 years having worked for some fabulous restaurants around Sydney, including my own Italian Trattoria, I spent some time working in the UK and now I am a proud mother of two beautiful girls who I have been just dying to take on a life long adventure of delicious nourishment.

Since reaching my 30’s I have taken a huge interest in health and have become a big believer in using food as medicine. Since bringing my two girls into this world it has never made more sense, that maintaining good health through food really is best when addressed from a very young age, from the beginning, only then will a child grow with a deep understanding that real food is indeed that. Whole foods are real foods.

At age 33, recently engaged to my partner Chris and pregnant with our first daughter I was inspired to take on yet another challenge (because a business and a first baby wasn’t about to be hard enough!) I spent a year studying holistic health through the Institute of Integrative nutrition. Here I learned about over a hundred dietary theories and lifestyles and if I was to take away anything from the course it would be this, not everyone is suited to one theory and not one diet is right for everyone. But one thing is for sure, eating as many vegetables and fruits that we can squeeze into our diet is nothing but beneficial for our health no matter who we are or where we’re from. Eating free range, grass fed and organic where ever possible is best and also that love and happiness, movement and breathing and finding activities which fill your cup are just as essential for good health as the food that you choose to eat.

What does a chef do once children are on the cards? I have had some work writing recipes for Marley spoon but I now I spend my days cooking for close to a hundred small children at a childcare centre, and can I say, going to and from work with my own two girls is a privilege that not a lot of women get the opportunity.

Please let me take you on our journey of exciting, healthy and delicious food ideas, recipes and experiences for you and your little ones to enjoy together.

And just so you know, I don’t believe in deprivation when it comes to treats but I do believe in restraint.

Subbing in healthier options where ever possible so our food can be beneficial even when it tastes naughty is how I like to cook.

Healthy bodies are happy bodies.

Much love, Beck x

 

Fig season calls for a truely special breakfast...

Fig season calls for a truely special breakfast...

Rebecca Hodges
Food & Drink, breakfast

Since having my own children and also having always had an enormous passion for food, there is nothing that excites me more than introducing new foods to my girls and watching the pure joy on their little squishy faces when they taste something they really really like.

My husband and I are chefs, always have been, so these two babies and there love for food was no doubt ingrained deeply while in utero. I like to keep that love strong for them, I do that by surrounding them with fresh foods, a fruit bowl always overflowing with a delectable variety of seasonal fruits, a well displayed pantry of jars and bottles full of healthy and exciting tastes and textures, and as much as I feel like I am constantly shopping to restock the fridge so there is fresh food on hand, this can only mean that we are simply a family who loves to eat and eat well.

My eldest is three. Her and I were recently flicking through some cookbooks together and we came to a page which had a picture of beautiful and plump purple figs and my daughter said “can I please have them one day mummy?” It had been a long time for her, she didn’t remember that she had eaten them around this time last year, so I surprised her with a paper bag full when returning home from my morning out grocery shopping, when she saw them she remembered straight away and she couldn’t wait to taste!

The next morning we shared a special moment at the breakfast table. We ate sweet juicy figs, halved and lightly caramelised in a hot pan, piled on top of some good crusty grain toast smeared with creamy Meredith valley goats cheese, cracked walnuts, a drizzle of pure local honey and balsamic vinegar. OMG.

Maybe some people may think its a bit nuts to offer small children such decadent foods, probably half expecting that they’re not appreciated or will likely be waisted, however I think, why in the world would I want them munching down on sugary, non beneficial supermarket cereals, so many of those which are marketed for children, for breakfast when we spend so much of our adult lives steering clear of those foods because they’re so bad for us?!?!

Breakfast is such an important meal of the day, and when we have the opportunity to share moments of bliss over amazing and healthy whole foods together, wouldn’t that be best way to start our day?

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