Welcome to Caribterranean Eats Blog: Introducing 'Caribterranean' Cuisine

Wow, the moment is finally here - I'm finally deciding to take this seriously and take you along on the journey! So, I think the best start is to give you full context for what I'm doing, where it's coming from and to see if uncovering this type of cuisine is exactly the lifestyle shift you've been looking for!

WHO AM I

I'm Charmian-Marie Beedle, but you can call me Cee or CeeMarie. I'm a Jamaican Creative and Serial Entrepreneur who has recently decided to flip the script in the way I live my life.

I'm allowing my Multi-Passionate nature to breathe more by focusing more on shaping a living that honours my God-given talents more than the skills I've honed through life.

I am a disciple of Christ, wife, singer-songwriter, owner of 4 online businesses and a passionate woman, and I'm looking forward to creating MORE in this life according to my purpose and desire to uplift others for God's glory.

I also absolutely LOVE to cook and have been a food competition and creative cooking connoisseur for YEARS - from watching these shows with my Grandmother growing up, to enjoying them with my husband, to watching and saving videos on social media. So, now, I've decided that it's time to stop watching.

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

Throughout my life, I've been a very picky eater so I find that I've always been cognizant of the things I place in my body - yet somehow, I'm not interested in getting to a place of counting calories and all that jazz because I think that traps people, eventually.

My relationship with food, however, is unique as I was predisposed to clean eating because I grew up in a diabetic household. So, rarely fried foods, and things like that. Beyond that, I was also an athlete in track & field and based on the eating habits that required, my metabolism went through the roof (and I've pretty much maintained the same weight for 20 years - give or take 10 - 15 pounds here or there).

What became interesting, however, is that by the time I hit age 24 thereabouts, my food tolerance started shifting drastically. Red meat started affecting me terribly, as well as fried foods, eggs, chocolate, and more. In that time, too, I developed both eczema and acne and my skin took a major hit. I also started losing weight more because I was scared to eat certain foods and for other foods, my pallet still wasn't accepting of them. Weird conundrum, huh?

THE REALIZATION & RESEARCH

It all became apparent that as much as I was already a picky and clean eater - I needed to be more intentional about HOW I ate and WHAT I ate.

In 2022, I went on a gut health and skin care journey as I recognized that my skin challenges were directly related to the state of my gut. In being more intentional about this, I drastically reduced my red meat intake and also chose more natural/organic skincare products. Yet, I chose not to become Vegan, Vegetarian or Pescatarian, because, again, I don't like feeling trapped - I'd rather make personal choices to not eat something.

So, I began the journey and honestly, my body never felt better. But, I was still having challenges with some foods like eggs, and even chicken sometimes - so I knew that I generally solved the WHAT... now I had to focus on HOW I prepared my food.

I did extensive research about approaches that weren't too restrictive and allowed for some fun and dynamism while still staying healthy and I discovered that the Mediterranean cuisine lends itself to long-life-giving properties. About 1 year later, in late 2023, I chose to go all-in with a more Mediterranean approach to meals; a better balance per meal - legumes, protein, starch, etc. The answer was BALANCE.

THE CHALLENGE & THE SOLUTION

But, I still had one more challenge - I didn't always have access to a lot of the ingredients in most Mediterranean countries - but, I'm a Jamaican and I knew that fellow Caribbean nations also had dishes that were similar to the Mediterranean cuisine.

With that in mind, I created a fusion of Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisine, focusing specifically on the dishes and approaches to food preparation from eight (8) countries;

From the Caribbean

• Jamaica

• Trinidad & Tobago

• Mexico

• Belize

From the Mediterranean

• Turkey

• Greece

• Italy

• Lebanon

So, the dishes I create are dishes that are inspired by these very specific cultures. I've been eating this way for a little over a year now, and with overall improved eating for over 2 years now and my skin is 85% clear, my gut health is the best I've ever built and now, I have more rounded health goals now that I know HOW aaaand WHAT to eat.

SO, HERE WE ARE

With all that stated, I welcome you to 'Caribterranean Eats', where I'll be sharing recipes, insights, reviews, as well as MY way of cooking meals from these countries. I'll also be rolling out my Cookbook, Membership & Recipe Cards eventually so that you can dive into this lifestyle with me, for real.

I can't wait for us to grow and build together, especially if you've had a similar journey with food and are looking for a way to better improve your health WITHOUT feeling trapped!

Let's do it!

Chat soon!

CeeMarie