my story

I'm quite excited about being a part of this West Coast Cooking Blog, and I must admit it's making me feel inspired to start using salmon and wild mushrooms and seaweed and all sort of amazing foods that can be found along the west coast.

I'm mellybrelly, otherwise known as Melanie. I'm Canadian, born and bred. I live on Vancouver Island, but enjoy spending some of my time on the smaller Island, especially Texada Island. Okay, enough links.

Cooking became so much more enjoyable to me when I started creating my "cooking with Melanie" posts in my online journal. I try to eat as naturally as possible, I avoid as many processed foods as I can, and I also try to stay away from preservatives and hormones. In my day to day eating, I avoid wheat, dairy, refined sugar and chemicals. I also love eating wheat, dairy and sugar, so it's quite the balancing act. I tend to cook in large portions because I love bringing left-overs for my meals at work. This all changes when I'm cooking for other people.

I am lucky to live in a community that has farmer's market twice a week, the stores sell milk from local suppliers, there are local farms to buy fruits and vegetables, and of course food can be found at the shore, if you are willing to work for it. Fishermen sell their catch at the wharf, and many farms provide hormone free meats. I think the thing I'm most grateful for is the fact that organic foods are as common as non-organic foods in my grocery store, and for comparable (and sometimes better) prices.

I should mention I'm a fan of 'slow foods', and I recently made the decision to ditch my microwave.

I'm working on my first food post at this moment, nothing too exciting, just what I'm preparing for some meals for this coming work week.

Welcome!