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It’s 2021 and You’re Invited; To Terreeia’s Morning Reset Page

If you’ve been following me for the past six months, you’ll know that my wife Terreeia has been on a major transformation and healing plan! To date, she has lost 66 pounds, is almost pain-free and off most of her medication. Her blood pressure is back to normal and most exciting of all (for me the life-long vegetarian) is her palette has changed too; see her Instagram stories for highlights of 2021.

See the IGTV video where she’s sharing more about it here.

Terreeia says a whisky and steak is still in her future at some point but in the meantime, her ability to add flavour and make anything taste good has moved to her new whole foods, plant based diet.

This is Terreeia’s guest post where she’s introducing her brand new, Morning Reset Facebook page. 

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What does it take to really go after what you want in your life?

This is about having the life you want, being confident, and in control of your life. I didn’t get obese from an eating disorder, or because I ate too much. I had a medical condition that caused sudden extreme weight gain. 

Then the extra weight put strains on my body which caused more illnesses. I lived like it wasn’t my fault so I became a victim.

I was in a loop. For years I tried almost everything to get back to my normal and nothing worked. So I became resigned about it and gave up hope until I read the next book or saw the next Youtube video or heard from a friend who heard from a friend about a doctor who has the answer.

And if I’m being honest, I didn’t help myself and refused to diet because I knew in my heart that I would have to do something extreme and unsustainable, so I avoided it all, while secretly wishing for the next miracle to help me.

The turning point

At the Fresh Start retreat I made some discoveries about myself, the food industry, the body and how it manages toxins. When that happened, I couldn’t unsee it and I was catapulted into a path of wellness.

When I got home I knew I needed to find a way to be in control of my new life direction and it started every morning where I had a talk with myself that went like this:

This is HOW it’s going to go today, this is WHAT you are going to do and this is WHY you’re going to do it.

And it’s working! I owe it all to Flavour. 

Terreeia at 5 years old

How I learned about flavour

You see, when I was 7 yrs old my parents divorced and my Mom was a single parent with three kids until she re-married 5 years later. Those 5 years were some lean times and I remember the cupboards were often bare. When we opened the fridge, we learned to be creative with what was there.

When I was 8, I remember making what you would call rice pudding. We didn’t have all the ingredients so we called it rice & milk & sugar so I added blue food colouring to liven it up. It was glowing and delicious.

My mother is a beautiful black woman from Nova Scotia who moved to Toronto, married a Hungarian Jew and quickly had to learn to cook Kosher and Hungarian food. We lived in an Italian, Portuguese and Chinese neighbourhood and after the divorce she became obsessed with what our neighbours were cooking. 

My Mom trapped my friends

Whenever I brought friends over after school, she would pull them into the kitchen saying “Now tell me dear, what did your mother make you for dinner last night? How did she make those broad beans?”, or “What did your mother put in that dumpling? Trapped, they had to start talking fast.

My Mother had a wok before anyone knew what a wok was. Not only did she have a wok, but she had multiple cast iron pans used for different dishes. Food became an adventure and she was obsessed with learning how to cook anything and everything.

Our cupboards were filled with herbs and spices from around the world as she took us on a daily culinary experiment.

Then she found Julia Child

Enter Julia Child and she was off again but now with a French accent!

Every day we were on a food journey in another country right at home with the dishes she would make from around the world. I learned at a very young age, how to elevate anything, by mixing foods and seasonings and spices and adding flavour.

My mother was famous in her circle and family for mixing cultures, serving up Hungarian cabbage rolls, potato latkes, black eyed peas and rice, collard greens, bouillabaisse or fish cakes.

She always had ready made staples in the fridge so if there wasn’t any cereal, we’d just have black eyed peas & rice for breakfast. To this day, I can eat anything, anytime of the day, which is why it’s not unusual to see me eating salad for breakfast.

The day my stepfather challenged my cooking

I’ll never forget, I was 12 years old. At the time, we lived in an apartment building, above a European bakery with the best bread and rolls. All I ate was sandwiches. I liked them because they were fast. I was athletic and on every team and in those days, we didn’t get driven to games, we had to hop a city bus or a streetcar so I was always in a hurry. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, sandwiches became my go-to food, I became known for them. 

As a result, I ate so much peanut butter that I haven’t been able to eat it since.

One day, my stepfather was watching me make a sandwich he said ‘Girl, I’ve never seen anybody eat so many sandwiches. You better hope the man you marry likes sandwiches or learns to cook, because no man is going to marry a woman that can’t cook’.

I was offended. And I responded “I can cook and I will prove it”. So one day, I made a plan when my parents were out and I made dinner for the entire family.

My debut dish was chicken cacciatore with egg noodles. It was a jaw dropping hit and I was never teased again but it sparked something in me.

I know a lot of people say this about their Mom’s food, but she really is the best cook and made the best food I’ve ever had. I’ve tried many times to make her signature dishes and I still can’t make them as well as she did but I learned some of her magic.

Here I am at 40 right before I was diagnosed with low thyroid

Let flavour be your saviour

Fast forward to today and my extreme healing regime, my ‘no’ list for the past 7 months is no dairy, coffee, caffeine, alcohol, meat, fish, gluten, sugar, salt, oil, or anything refined. I eat whole food plant based only and I needed help if I was going to do this for a year. It turns out that Flavour is my Saviour!

The bottom line is this: Flavour. You don’t have to be fancy or wild in the kitchen. Just add Flavour.

Everyone can learn to make food taste great with a few simple techniques with food you already have. Start with staples in your cupboard or fridge or start with beans and rice or a noodle.

If you’re not a scratch cook, even basic condiments like mustards can be added to a pan sauce or a cream sauce. You can doctor up ketchup. Mayonnaise is a canvas that you can add any flavour too. Add flavour to mayonnaise and now it’s called aioli. 

Maria’s two cooking ingredients

Some people get in a rut, where they only have certain spices, or they never use herbs because they don’t know what to do with them. 

Maria’s not a cook, so she was fascinated to learn that you would rarely just add dried basil AND oregano to the same dish. Since basil and oregano are often standard in any kitchen, she would sprinkle them on food that she thought needed flavour without giving it a second thought. She didn’t like it and everything started to taste the same. If you’re like her, I am here to tell you that you can change that. And I’m happy to show you how.

The key is to discover the flavours you really like; buy those and start experimenting with them and be disciplined to not put them on everything. In addition to herbs and spices you can buy readymade spice mixtures, sauces, pastes to give instant flavour to anything you make.

Before I became an executive coach and consultant I was in the hospitality industry for 30 years serving food from first class to fast, so I know my way around kitchens and restaurants and over the years, I’ve helped many people set up and organize their kitchen so they could make good food for their family.

I can help you

Because of my restaurant background, I have helped friends with menu planning and prep and helped clients with weight loss plans, however no one goes to an overweight person to learn how to lose weight, I wasn’t credible, until now.

Down 66 pounds since June!

So join me on my Facebook page for a minimum of 30 days to immerse yourself in a plan to fulfill your goals! I will be going live every morning starting January 6 at 7:00 am PST time to support, celebrate and make each day a great day!

This will be an interactive community, please bring YOUR gifts, talents and insights to contribute to the group as well! And this isn’t just about weight loss, bring your goals and dreams that you want to have happen in 2021 and at the same time, I’ll also be talking about how to add flavour to a whole food, plant based diet as a bonus.

How to sustain and maintain focus on what you want to accomplish in any area of your life!

I’ve been alone on this journey for 7 months and I’ve done really well but I’m lonely and I’d like some company so come join my MORNING RESET Facebook group here.

Related posts:

Our First Date

7 Things I Love About My Wife

Best Healing Recipes from Terreeia’s Kitchen

24 Comments

  • Fran W. says:

    You look fantastic, Terreeia! Best of all, you’re healthy and feeling good. So happy for you!!!

  • Cheryl says:

    This will be a fun, well-rounded group. I live in Dallas Texas, USA and look forward to meeting motivated people from around the world. Thanks for sharing your blog with Terreeia today

  • Nikki says:

    Hi Terreeia!

    You look fantastic! Just joined your FB page – can’t wait for January 6th!

  • Jean Herron says:

    Well done, Terreeia! Something like 40% of cancers and Alzheimer’s could be avoided by lifestyle changes, I’ve read. We need you to live a very long life!!!!!!!!

  • Ryan says:

    💚 this is great, you look so happy! I may have to get back on social media now…

  • Jacki says:

    I’m not on FB, please post here sometimes. Sounds fascinating!

  • sandi davis says:

    So proud of you Terreeia!! You look great!

  • Brooke✨ says:

    Congratulations on becoming healthy and adorable. I’m in!

  • Gwen Hemer says:

    Terreeia! Such a sincere Happy New Year to you!!! hooray for all you know and have shared with us regarding healthy paths of nutrition and well being! You have the look of true satisfaction on your face and I wish you continued happiness in this coming year and beyond! You go girl!!!!

  • Lynne says:

    Wow, Terreeia, you have done an amazing job of resetting yourself. You are a great role model!
    I’ll be signing up to your Facebook group. Looking forward to it.

  • Linda says:

    Sounds fantastic! You look great. Your hard work is paying off. I couldn’t help but notice you matched the tree and presents. 😉

  • Liz on Oregon says:

    Congratulations Terreeia! You look great, but even more inspiring to me is that you have reduced your pain level. Well done!

    • Kay Perret says:

      SO happy for you, Tereeia! There’s nothing like taking the wheel of your own life, no matter which part of your life it is. You just glow!

      With so much admiration,
      Kay

  • Beth says:

    Such a wonderful, uplifting and energetic post – thank you! I left FB many years ago and won’t rejoin or joining your program would be a great kick (and kick in the pants). I wish you a wonderful, continuing journey in 2021 and beyond! (And ick to oregano, Maria.) 😀

  • Caryn S. says:

    Good for you, Terreeia, you look great and you are glowing with health!
    I second the request for posts here or on a site of your own. I don’t do Facebook or Instagram anymore, and am returning to following a more selective list of blogs and sites. It would be so good to have an alternative to social media.
    Happy New Year!

    • Nancy says:

      Congratulations Terreeia!!! So glad you are going to share… You have so much to be proud and grateful for- truly inspiring! I am very impressed! I am not a FB’er except TCE and that is because of Maria!!! We really want to expand and enhance our whole food, plant based choices…looking forward to that and more…….TY

  • Lynne says:

    I would like to say – your smile makes you beautiful. I have been reading since almost the beginning but have never commented. If this shape is the one that is best for you – and that is to say without pain – then this is the best one. I would love to learn about more of what you have to say and learn more about how you make it full of flavour! I gave up social media when Covid hit – I couldn’t figure out how to eliminate the stuff I didn’t want to see and only see the stuff that added good to my life. I miss some stuff such as Maria’s posts but not enough to go back. I am an essential worker in health care and didn’t have the time or the energy left. Reading this blog makes me happy and although I now have nothing to do with decorating, I love it! I found Maria’s website in the middle of my own major reno. I have a few regrets about a few mistakes but mostly caught on to Maria’s process of timelessness or at least surrounding myself with what I love. Hopefully Maria will let you share a little of your knowledge or journey, more often, or could I hope, a section on her website 🙂

  • Carolyn says:

    Your 5 year old picture is so adorable.

  • Diana says:

    Good morning and Happy New Year! I love the idea of a plant based whole foods food plan. Love cooking with spices as well. Unfortunately I gave up Facebook this year. Please continue to post here or perhaps start your own blog. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

  • AmyG says:

    Great post – I don’t have a thyroid – it was removed in 1990 and I have been on the roller coaster of levels up and down since. I can’t wait to join in. Your knowledge and writing style make me smile.

  • Diane says:

    Hi Terreeia, from HoustonTX! Love this idea to help others start the year with positivity.
    I’ve almost never thought much about food or weight..til now. I’ve dealt with some physical issues ( surgically) and am on a low dose of a med that helps chronic pain BUT can cause weight gain, unfortunately!!!
    So for the first time, I’m aware of the need to shed the pandemic malaise, move more, eat better, drink less wine(!) and hopefully, lose several pounds! I doubt I can be quite as disciplined as you have and as a widow, with grown sons, I’m SO not interested in cooking anymore. (And I do love a steak!)
    Looking for inspiration to eat better and start moving again and only “gain” self-acceptance! Thanks, Terreeia..you look amazing!!

  • Sunshine says:

    Food can be poison or it can be medicine. When we’re adults, it’s our choice. As a child, my parents didn’t know about nutrition, so I ate what was placed in front of me. Mostly meats and starches, but way too many sweet drinks. The soft drink industry is a billion dollar industry and it shows in our bad habits.

    Luckily, I have naturally pretty teeth, but I carried into my adulthood a dozen molar fillings due to cavities as a youngster. I moved out when I was 19, started learning about proper nutrition in nursing school, and haven’t consumed sugary drinks for the last 35 years. Habits modeled in childhood are hard to break, so I applaud anyone who takes control of what they put in their body. If I smoked cigarettes and worked with lung cancer patients or Covid-19 patients, who would really value my advice as a nurse? We can’t control all environmental or genetic factors, but it’s so good to see motivation modeled by you, Terreeia! Keep up the good work.

  • Janice says:

    Terreeia, I agree with the other folks who said how adorable you were at age 5! And you’re looking pretty good today at 29+! 🙂 I’m joining the Facebook group, too, and look forward to an uplifting experience.

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