Hello! I’m La Gourmande; a Montréalaise living in Toronto. I grew up in a French Canadian family where food always played a pivotal role. Eating and enjoying food is the main focus of all family gatherings as well as every day life. I am not a trained professional chef but I share a passion for cooking and baking.
Over a decade ago, I moved out of my parents' home and settled into my very first apartment. Living on my own was great but I quickly realized that I had no idea how to make a grocery list or plan and prepare meals. Plain Ramen noodles, takeout, and food that came from a box became the staples of my diet. My vegetable intake mostly consisted of potatoes, carrot sticks or a small bland salad. Within a few months my favorite jeans were now too tight, my skin was dull and I lacked energy. It was clear: my eating habits had to change. Back then I believed that eating delicious, healthy and balanced meals was too time consuming, hard to prepare and costly. Was I ever wrong…
I decided to make an effort in the kitchen and cook at least three healthy and balanced meals per week. I searched through recipe books, read cooking magazines, surfed the web and of course called my mother for inspiration. The following weekend I made a meal plan and a grocery list. I bought all the ingredients and started chopping, dicing and marinating, dividing the meals into portions and freezing them for the week. As most of my diet came from frozen boxes anyways, why couldn't I do the same but instead of highly processed meats, incredibly high amounts of sugar and salt, my homemade recipes would be healthy and made of fresh ingredients.
Some meals required longer cooking time in the slow cooker, some only took a few minutes to reheat in a pan, and some other ones were popped in the oven. On busy week days, I could come home and eat a home cooked meal. No lengthy preparation was required, dirty dishes were kept to a minimum and I had time to unwind while my dinner was cooking.
Over the years I’ve tweaked a few recipes, added more to my repertoire and found tips to become more efficient in my preparation. This has become my Sunday morning ritual and in less than three hours I can prepare a whole week’s worth of delicious meals. I now eat delicious homemade meals seven days a week (with the occasional splurge on a decadent restaurant feast here and there).
This blog is not for Cordon Bleu trained chefs (although you are still welcome and yes, I'm flattered). It is for people who never seem to have quite enough hours in a day and want to eat healthy and delicious meals. I promise you will not have to slave away in your kitchen at the end of a busy day. The recipes you will find on La Gourmande do not require any advanced cooking skills and are easy to concoct. Every recipe is designed to be prepared in advance, frozen and then quickly assembled for a lovely and wholesome meal.
Happy Cooking!
