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 with 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 Real Food Pledge where I create recipes, write books and programs to help people reset with real food.
Now more than ever I realise that intentional healthy living is imperative, so that we take care of ourselves to allow us to continue to thrive as the best versions of ourselves, as well as take care of our families.
Real food and healthy eating plays a huge roll in how we can look after our well-being. But it is not always easy!
I wasn’t always a healthy eater nor was I good at finding a balance with my relationship with food. 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 the family and I went to Thailand for one month and while we were there we made the commitment to live like locals and eat only Thai food. After four weeks, I felt incredible! Lighter, full of energy and I had a happy tummy, it was amazing.
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 made a commitment to myself to cut out processed food and to pledge 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 amazing print and online magazines and I have written and published three books, ‘Real Food Pledge’ (2014), ‘Real Food Everyday’ (2016) and Nourishing You (2020).
Now I also have a program called Real Food Pledge Reset where I help others to cut out processed food and reap the incredible benefits of a real food way of life.
All of my recipes are gluten, grain, sugar & dairy free and they are full of nourishing goodness and love! Oh, also they are super easy, because I am busy too, so everything is kept simple and doable. 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 like I do but you still want to be as healthy as you can, these recipes are perfect for you!
We can all find happiness from unexpected small places, even a simple recipe.
Or for a little glimpse into my daily life you can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
Thanks for stopping by!
Caralee xxx