Until now, through the end of my thirties, all that I have ever known was career and academics. And a bit of bohemian living, I suppose.  However, starting with 2019 I have a new project and a new challenge: parenthood. At first I imagined I will just have to readjust my life to raising a child and everything will be fine. But the reality is that I am not the same person anymore and readjusting becomes an improbable concept. I discovered I have to reinvent my life to raising a baby, following the recipe of all new inventions in the world: using the skills and the knowledge acquired previously, adding some creativity and risk taking, having some red wine and hoping for the best.

And while this happens, good food is still the magic wand that keeps me sane. Cooking good food or any kind of food through parenthood is quite a challenge, we all have to admit. I heard many people saying they don’t have enough time to eat even, not to mention cooking. And it’s true, time is one of the most expensive commodity one can have when raising a child, especially in the first few years. A baby comes with a personality and a lot of needs into your life story, you come with doubts and anxiety. Every time your baby cries you may wonder if you are a good parent. Every time you need to take a decision, the world spins. No recipe is perfect or universal. However, I have learned from my years of stress and effort that good food and especially mindful eating is a pathway to happiness, tranquillity and wellbeing. And therefore, it disserves a special place in our lives.

In this section I will be including recipes, hacks and thoughts about cooking and managing food preparation time for parents, their friends and colleagues…and, you guessed, for everyone who is in the business of being busy. I can’t stress enough the importance of being mindful eaters, passioned home chefs and conscious consumers when it comes to our wellbeing. And also, if you are one that cares about our planet, you will discover that your effort to create a mindful plate every day will be of value in the future and rewarded by nature.

I am someone who really enjoys cooking, I am blissful and excited when cutting vegetables or preparing the herbs and spices. I like to be precise about the preparation process and, in the same time, to be creative and artful. However, when time is extremely limited, I still try to prepare food from scratch, even if I am not following a ‘chef like’ process. Having a 6 weeks baby at the time of writing, I am not ashamed to admit I have been using lots of hacks to manage the time of preparation…and I plan to keep doing it for the moment. Even more, I plan to research for even more shortcuts into cooking amazing food at home and share with you, parents and those busy souls out there.

I have become aware that parenting is a state of being. Having started, it will continue to the end of my days. It is also a lifetime project of care, not only for my own child, but for children in general. And for all those who come in contact with my child and other children. And so on. I see food, with everything that it represents, as the fundamental of caring. Therefore, this section will also include debate, thoughts, actions and dreams about the practice of producing food, about hunger and consuming too much, about managing waste, about sustainability and good practices in the world.