Continue reading »]]>

An Interview with Mother Earth Meals

I had the pleasure of meeting MaryAnn Gaughan and Penny Waugh, the founders of Mother Earth Meals at a blogger cooking class at Alice and Louise’s Cooking School last month.  I was impressed by their healthy and positive message, and when I visited their website, I found amazing monthly meal plans, recipes and cooking tips, information on nutrition, and more.  Read their story here:

1. What is the background behind Mother Earth Meals?

MaryAnn: It’s been 2 years since Mike (my husband) was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma—kidney cancer. After treatment from Johns Hopkins and a quick recovery, Mike was back to work, feeling like a new man and committed to doing everything he could to be healthy and cancer-free for himself and our family. Thanks to a good friend and the gift of a life-changing book, Anti Cancer, A New Way of Life, by David Servan –Schreiber, we began to embark on a new way of eating healthy. But that challenge became overwhelming for an average cook like me.  When my dear friend Penny offered to try her hand at some recipes, we realized it was possible to eat healthy if someone would just tell us exactly what to do!

Penny:  We found many wonderful and informative resources available to those who wanted to embark on a cancer-fighting diet.  The intent of Mother Earth Meals is to take those resources and turn them into practical solutions for our readers and their families.  So here we are today, sharing our ideas, our recipes and our enthusiasm for healthy eating.

2.   Where do you get your inspiration for meals/recipes?

It comes from a variety of sources and our culinary cultural areas.  Greek, Southern, and Midwestern comfort foods are the genesis of most of our recipes, but we are also inspired by what we find at the local farmers market and organic and health food stores.  We also get inspiration from other cooks and chefs and all of the wonderful cooking shows on television. 

Our goal is to replace added fats, sodium, and sugar with fresh herbs, spices and other natural ingredients to create healthy but also tasty recipes. Even though we use some unique ingredients, all recipes are designed to be recreated by the typical home cook. 

3.   Were you always fans of weekly/monthly meal plans?

Yes, we both love the idea of being organized and keeping it simple. It’s even more important in today’s busy environment because life is so very hectic and convenience is key to how we do things. We believe the main reason people don’t eat healthy is not because they don’t know how, but because they can’t take the time to do so.  So by offering meal plans to our audience we hope to eliminate the burden of figuring out what to eat and when. We know it is important to our community to eat healthy on a consistent basis, not just occasionally but day after day, week after week – thus developing a lifestyle change.

4.   How do you partner with local businesses?

Officially, our web-based business has an international following, however we are interested in strengthening our ties to our local community as well.  We are meeting with dietitians that are affiliated with cancer centers and we have also partnered with a local cooking school, Alice & Louise, to bring our style of cooking to the local community. We hope to do more in our local community in the coming year.

5.   What are your favorite family friendly ideas for summer meals?

SALSA! We LOVE salsa!  We put it on everything!  Grilled chicken, salmon, quesadillas or tossed in with our favorite salad.  It’s quick, nutritious and packs a high flavor-filled punch!  We also love grilled fish and seafood – wild salmon and shrimp to name a few- always on the grill and even better when served with fresh grilled vegetables.  Finally, for dessert, you can’t beat fresh berries drizzled with our dark chocolate for a little added decadence.  Add a sprig of mint and you’ve got the perfect ending to a great meal!

6.   Please share some of your favorite places to visit in the Northern VA area. 

First, you have to start with exercise.  You cannot beat a hike through Great Falls Park.  It can be as easy or challenging as you want to make it.    When we can’t make it to the park, our neighborhood will suffice! 

For shopping we love Trader Joe’s.  Their prices are cheap and the quality high. For produce and specialty items we like Lotte and Whole Foods and of course our local Farmer’s Markets!

Up until recently, we haven’t been fans of fast food, but with places like Baja Fresh, Chipotle and Sweet Green, our opinions are fast changing!  When we are in the mood to indulge, Passion Fish, and Bonefish are favorites for the high quality seafood.  And on the rare occasion when we feel like sinning, you can’t beat a burger from Five Guys!

Find out more by visiting the Mother Earth Meals website!