WHOLEFOOD FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
{ Combining food, friends, family and facebook. }
Bianca Slade was a stay-at-home mum with a passion for cooking when her cousin suggested she start a blog.
She had no idea what that meant.
Two years on, this mother of two is best known as the creator of Wholefood Simply – an award-winning recipe blog with a Facebook community of almost 130,000 followers.
Each recipe is accompanied by tantalising photography, and an often emotional, personal memoir.
“It really was done without much conscious thought or planning,” Bianca recalls.
“I chatted with some friends, got a little help with the set up and literally took things one post at a time.”
Hundreds of recipes and three cookbooks later, Bianca’s original vision hasn’t changed. She is passionate about serving up simple, wholefoods for her family, and helping others do the same.
“I always say ‘keep it simple and enjoy the journey’. You don’t need to jump in thinking you have to make everything from scratch,” she notes.
“I suggest picking two basic recipes each week. That way you will gradually build your pantry and find what works for you and your family.”
Both Bianca and her daughter have followed restricted diets for most of their lives. Having always lived in small and often isolated towns, Bianca learnt to cook using simple and readily available ingredients, without using traditional grains, refined sugars and dairy.
To ease the transition into allergy-free and wholefood diets, Bianca recommends involving children in the cooking process.
“A little bit of planning and a few on-hand favourites can prevent you getting overwhelmed or caught out.”
Members of the Wholefood Simply community are vocal in their appreciation for Bianca’s recipes and narratives.
Both the Wholefood Simply website and Facebook page are filled with messages of praise. Mothers of children with gluten intolerance and food allergies are especially grateful.
“Mostly it’s to say they enjoy the recipes, and that their children feel like they can eat ‘normally’.
One of the most common requests Bianca receives is for allergy-free ideas for children’s birthday parties. The Wholefood Simply website is filled with sweet and savoury party dishes, with gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free and vegan options.
“How I personally go about parties depends on the age, but last year my daughter had a high tea at home and she loved it so much that she has requested the same this year,” says Bianca.
“This is easily kept allergy friendly and can look gorgeous as well as being a lot of fun.”
Allergies or not, Bianca encourages everyone to try wholefoods and constantly reassures people ‘it’s not as hard as you think’.
“I often receive photos and feedback from people who have catered for parties entirely with our recipes,” she says.
“I have met many beautiful people and heard inspiring, heart-warming stories. I feel blessed to do what I do.”
