Welcome To My Blog!

Hello from Little Miss Cornucopia!

My name is Maria.

I'm a 30-something mom, daughter, sister, and friend living in Ottawa, Ontario CANADA.

Little Miss Cornucopia is a personal blog that I started in the hopes of encouraging myself and all of  you to make choices that benefit your body, animals, and the planet.

With any luck, you’ll be inspired to think harder about the food on your plate, to be respectful and compassionate of all the living things we share this planet with, and to get cooking!

Country Mouse

Born in Cornwall, Ontario but raised in the country, in a family with 7 brothers and sisters, I grew up with my Mama's home-cooking. Meals consisted of whole grains, breads, fruits and vegetables, milk products, and small amounts of meat a few times a week.

We rarely ever ate food at a restaurant or from a fast food outlet, however, we still ate a lot of canned soups, stews, fruits and vegetables, pasta and homemade sauce, peanut butter, and potatoes. My favorite meals included fresh vegetables, especially fresh ones that Mom pulled out of her annual garden. They were simply the best! As far back as I can remember, I always enjoyed and felt best when eating fresh and simple meals.

I never learned to cook (I didn't even know how to boil an egg) but I always loved to bake. I was only 12 years old when I bought The Joy of Cooking cookbook and fell in love. It explained everything I needed to know about the kitchen, including boiling an egg. I leaned how to make Peanut Butter Cookies and Scottish Shortbread, Chocolate Cake, Carrot Muffins, Apple Pie and Cranberry Scones from scratch, and they were perfect.

During my troublesome teenage years, I moved away from home and fell into a trap of eating processed foods. As a result, I became unhealthy, lethargic, and depressed. I soon developed disordered eating habits that I secretly struggled with for many years. Sometimes, I'd restrict my diet to the point where all I needed was coffee, cigarettes, energy bars, smoothies, and water. Other times, I would eat ALL day long, filling up my stomach to the max.

It was never really about my weight or shape, but rather a way of dealing with something deeper that was going on inside of me.

Helen Keller said that "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

I was in my second trimester of pregnancy when I started having major sugar cravings and I was baking non-stop. I had no problem polishing off an entire Lemon Meringue Pie. I gained so much weight (85 pounds to be exact) that I was considered a high-risk pregnancy.

Luckily, my little "Taste Tester" is healthy, happy, and loving.

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."

When "My Little Taste Tester" was born, it was so important for me to ensure that all food was natural, organic, hormone/chemical/pesticide free, with no additives, fillers, sugars, or salt.

I was facing my first major food challenge: homemade baby food. Fortunately, a book called The Baby's Table by Brenda Bradshaw saved me! Cooking, blending, processing, pureéing, and storing homemade baby food became my specialty. It was ALOT of work...but it was DEFINITELY worth it!

I've been reading food blogs since "My Little Taste Tester" was born. Seven has always been my favorite/lucky number, and now that "My Little Taste Tester" is 7 years old, I figured it's the perfect time for me to start a blog.

To be completely honest though, I'm a little timid about sharing so I thought I'd start off by sharing something I found. In short, the article explains that sharing things about ourselves is important to our health. Holding things in and choosing not to share can actually "lead to poorer immune functioning, and increased health problems".

I realized that I'm only human, and that my thoughts and feelings are pretty normal. As humans, we can be our worst critics!

That being said, I started Little Miss Cornucopia as a personal blog where I can share the many magnificent things that fill up My Life; My Cornucopia: healthy living, nutritious foods, tasty treats, fun fitness ideas, healthy tips & advice, and other things that I love to help keep me motivated and inspired.

Please follow me as I fill up my cornucopia. 

I hope that my blog is worthwhile, and of some assistance in your own search into your own life.

Best wishes, and thanks so much for stopping by!

With Olive My Love,

XO Maria