The beginning...

After spending some time setting up my blog, it is well and truly live! I wanted to create a recipe blog to help other people who might share the same experiences as me when it came to eating well.

In 2011, my skin specialist suggested I remove all gluten, dairy and processed sugar from my diet in an effort to help my body overcome the acne condition I had. I found this extremely challenging at first - not only did I have cravings for sugar and pastry, but so many products at the shops contained sugar, and when they didn't, they were twice the price. And everything tasted quite bland! I lost some weight to begin with, probably because I didn't know what I could eat.

Things got easier with time. I now have a repertoire of ingredients and recipes to draw from. I feel a lot healthier and a lot less bloated. I don't suffer from stomach aches anymore either, which used to be a daily occurrence. I have also found an excellent naturopath who has given me invaluable guidance on what is best for me.

I never shop at Coles or Woolworths (for political reasons as much as health reasons), but buy organic produce as much as I can from our local markets and independent grocers.

These recipes are not only loved by me, but also by my husband who hasn't restricted his diet, but will eat all of these recipes without feeling like he is eating healthy. It's true - healthy food can be tasty too! My use of herbs and spices has certainly grown since my diet overhaul.

I also run my own business with my husband - so it goes without saying that as a small business owner, we are extremely time poor. That made eating well even harder! That is why this recipe blog includes recipes that I have tried and tested myself, and are easy for enough for anyone to try.

Oh, and did I mention I have a nut allergy? So this is a nut free environment too.

Over time, I will keep adding more recipes. Whether they are old time favourites of mine, or new ones I discover.

P.S. Why is this blog called "Poppy loves pear"? My husband and I currently have one fur child, an 8 year old West Highland Terrier named Poppy. This dog will do absolutely anything for some pear! We even managed to train her into dinging a reception bell whenever she wanted to go outside or come back inside using pear.