MEET CARALEE
Hello + welcome! My name is Caralee Fontenele, and it is very nice to have you here. I believe at any point in our lives, young or old, big or small, that we can choose to push reset to become the best version of ourselves. I have done that many times in my life already, including in the area of improving my health, mindset and well-being around food.
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
I grew up Whangarei, which is in the North of New Zealand and spent much of my childhood as an outdoors kid in a food-loving family. I now live on the Gold Coast in Australia with my family and run several successful businesses, including a law firm called Collective Family Law, a coaching business where I help law firm owners and this blog and recipe site Delish Plate (formerly Real Food Pledge.) Which is seemingly unrelated to the law; however, to be successful, looking after your well-being is essential.
Now more than ever, I realise that intentional healthy living is imperative so that we take care of ourselves to continue to thrive as the best versions of ourselves, as well as take care of our families.
Real food and healthy eating play a huge role in how we can look after our well-being. But it is not always easy, and of course, it needs to be easy and tasty… or let’s face it, it won’t be achievable.
I wasn’t always a healthy eater, nor was I good at finding a balance in my relationship with food. I am still not always a healthy eater, but I try to be whenever I can.
I was a serial dieter and had a serious love, hate relationship with food. Like many women, I was busy with kids and working full time in an intense career, so I grabbed quick processed foods.
This left me feeling sluggish, having bellyaches and constantly struggling with my weight. I was in a yo-yo diet trap, which lead to major frustration and not a lot of self-love.
Everything changed for me in 2012 when my family and I went to Thailand for one month while we were there, we committed to living like locals and eat only Thai food. After four weeks, I felt incredible! Lighter and full of energy, I had a happy tummy; it was amazing.
I had always suffered from irritable bowel syndrome but didn’t know it at the time. I thought that was normal as my mother had also suffered.
When I returned from Thailand I slipped back into my old ways and soon enough felt sluggish, heavy and lethargic again. I knew that something had to change, and I committed myself to cut out processed food and pledging to a lifestyle of real food.
Since creating the Real Food Pledge in 2013, I have posted loads of recipes, had the privilege to speak at a Ted Talk and many other events, contributed to fantastic print and online magazines and have written and published three books, ‘Real Food Pledge’ (2014), ‘Real Food Everyday’ (2016) and Nourishing You (2020).
All of my recipes are gluten, sugar & dairy free, and they are full of nourishing goodness and love! They are also super easy because I am busy too, so everything is kept simple and doable. I don’t have all day to create recipes or cook for my family. So many of the recipes that I create are fast and simple.
The recipes that I share are dishes that my family and I love to eat. I develop the recipes from scratch using fresh, real ingredients and a pinch of creativity. Occasionally I have an epic fail, but that is part of the journey.
If you have a busy life as I do, but you still want to be as healthy as you can, these recipes are perfect for you!
We can all find happiness in unexpected small places, even a simple recipe.
Thanks for stopping by!
Caralee xxx