Me:
Hello, all. My name is Christine, and I am the writer, photographer, baker, cook, recipe developer, taste-tester, and administrator behind The Weather in Cascadia. (Whew! I've never written all of that down before.)
This is a blog centered around a whole foods approach to the gluten-free lifestyle, which I happily live, combined with the flavors of the Pacific Northwest, the region of the U.S where I reside. Now throw all that in a cocktail shaker and BAM! You've got a food blog.
I focus on simple, budget-friendly recipes featuring whole ingredients that I source, whenever possible, from the huge number of local producers, farmers, fisherpeople, and artisans here in the great PNW.
Some things about myself:
This is a blog centered around a whole foods approach to the gluten-free lifestyle, which I happily live, combined with the flavors of the Pacific Northwest, the region of the U.S where I reside. Now throw all that in a cocktail shaker and BAM! You've got a food blog.
I focus on simple, budget-friendly recipes featuring whole ingredients that I source, whenever possible, from the huge number of local producers, farmers, fisherpeople, and artisans here in the great PNW.
Some things about myself:
- I was born and raised amidst the industrial cornfields of Ohio.
- I high-tailed it out of said cornfields at the ripe age of 19, traveled around, slept on some beaches, lived on some farms, called a few places 'home', and finally settled in Seattle, WA.
- I love food.
- I've been gluten-free since April of 2010.
- I am currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where I am training to become a certified Holistic Health Coach (see below for more info on that)
- I'm obsessed with magazines (especially ones with glossy, yummy photos of food).
- I'm a writer. I've been one for as long as I can remember.
- I live with my partner, you'll get to know her as 'Sweets', and we share a teeny kitchen.
- Sometimes Sweets writes love notes on napkins and puts them in my lunch bag.
- I always leave a few plantain chips or bites of ice cream in the container, because then I didn't just eat the whole thing. (Uh, huh. I'm clever too)
- Our cabinet does not have boxed mixes or canned meals anywhere inside, nor does our freezer contain any TV dinners.
- We cook 95% of the food we eat at home.
- I dream of the day when I will have a yard overflowing with herbs, veggies, fruits and chickens. OK, so maybe not overflowing with chickens, but a few would be nice.
- I'm a smart ass. Sorry in advance.
- I hoard clipped recipes. Sweets isn't impressed by my stash.
- I love love love to travel, see new places, and find great places to eat.
- Nothing beats a sunset over a large body of water. Except maybe a sunrise.
- I collect salts, vinegars, and red kitchen appliances.
- I never, ever feel as if I'm 'living without' on a gluten-free diet.
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| By the Skykomish river in Goldbar, WA |
Health Coaching
So what is this health coaching thing?
As a Holistic Health Coach, I will be helping people to reach their health and wellness goals by teaching them, through gradual lifestyle changes, how to create the life they desire.
I work on a whole foods/whole life approach, meaning that ALL aspects of life, including relationships, career, and spirituality, as well as diet and exercise are considered equally important to happiness and healthiness.
I aid clients to design their own personal path to wellness.
Check out my website at christineblubaugh.com for more info and to schedule a free initial consultation.
My Food Philosophy:
Some guidelines that I live by, and some questions that I ask myself.
- What you eat affects your energy levels, moods, sleep, skin, weight, digestive health, and cardiovascular health, to name a few things. Those few things affect your self-esteem, job and home performance, risk of disease, and life expectancy.
- Why not just make it yourself?
- If you're buying it pre-made, then the fewer ingredients, the better.
- Always, always, always, read labels (especially if you have food allergies or intolerances)
- Focus on the foods that you CAN eat, not on those that you can't.
- Fresh, whole foods taste better and are much healthier for the bod.
- It's often cheaper to cook your own meals than to eat out.
- Leftovers are god's gift to the Earth. Make a lot and have lunch for tomorrow.
- If you don't have time to cook, then you're watching too much TV.
- If you don't have time to cook (and you aren't watching too much TV) then find 30 minutes to sneak in a pot of soup or a casserole to munch on for more than one meal.
- Don't fear the kitchen. Become friends with it (if you aren't already besties). Delicious situations will ensue.
- Buy produce IN SEASON. It's usually cheaper, it always tastes better, and you may be able to buy it from a local producer.
- Go on now. Go cook something!
The Weather in What?:
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| Seattle's Lake Union |
Sometimes when I tell people the name of my blog, I get blank stares in return. The Weather in Cascadia? What does that even mean? Well, The Weather is my way of expressing “What's goin' on.” People tend to include the weather when talking about what's happening in their lives. It's my subtle reminder that the Earth rules us, not the other way around. Cascadia is the region west of the Cascade Mountains where I reside.
Put together, The Weather in Cascadia is short for, “This is what's happening in my corner of the world.”
Put together, The Weather in Cascadia is short for, “This is what's happening in my corner of the world.”
Maybe that's a stretch for some minds, but it makes perfect sense to me.
