Interview - Martine of Whey Beyond the Naked Truth

I am happy to introduce Martine (or "Marti" as her best friends call her) Shoemaker of Whey Beyond the Naked Truth. You can also find Martine through Facebook and Twitter, and Pinterest.

Martine of Whey Beyond the Naked Truth

I read that you eat natural foods. How difficult is that to do with a young child?

My son is the very reason why my family eats natural food! We were breastfeeding but had to supplement it with formula and I could not bare the thought of giving him all of the chemicals.

This lead to researching homemade formula, which led to reading about traditional foods, which led to the realization that we would all be better off living a naked foods lifestyle. Besides, not only will it be better to get my son to eat his broccoli if we are eating it too, it will certainly make things easier to only have to cook one meal for everyone.

Any recommendations for incorporating more natural foods in one's diet?

I say be sneaky and creative. There is no reason why you can't hide kale in a smoothie or use eggplant instead of lasagna noodles. Yum.

Do you have a favorite natural foods recipe that you'd like to share?

Oh boy! There are so many! One of my favorites is Sausage, Kale, & White Bean Soup. Yes, I try to sneak kale in whenever I can.

What has been your favorite handiwork project that you've completed?

If by handiwork you mean fixing things around the house, I'm am not much of a handyman. I am more of an organizer of such tasks.

If you mean the craft projects that surround me, then I would say it would be the wedding quilt I made for myself and my husband. I had guests sign a piece of white fabric and I later went home and assembled them into a quilt. It wasn't my finest work, but it is certainly the most sentimental.

You mentioned in your blog profile that you write as a way toward healing. Could you explain that a bit more?

After having my son I was desperately trying to find my voice. I didn't want to just be known as "Corban's Mom." Simply succumbing to such a title and all that it implied was too much for me. I needed something that was for me and that I enjoy doing. Writing is just that thing.

How has blogging brought you joy?

It has provided an outlet for me. I have the opportunity to combine all things I love--my family, food, and writing. For what more could I ask?

I was always so jealous of my husband for having so many "things;" things he's could at, things he can't wait to do, things that define him, things that just make him feel better. I was in search of my "thing" when I found blogging. Maybe I can stop the search now.

You started your blog profile by joking that you went to Julliard to study drama and dance; that you were an orphanage nurse in Cambodia, and served in the Peace Corps planting trees and building houses for single mothers and widows. 

Imagine for a moment, that time, money, and resources were all readily available to you. What one thing would you absolutely love to do that would make an impact on others?

I would absolutely love to write a novel - fiction. My dream is to write something so epic that it moves to people to write about it, makes movies and coumentaries about it, and, ultimately, make the world a much better and interesting place. It may sound silly, or maybe even selfish. Nevertheless, I want to inspire. I look at people like J.K. Rowling and think, "Wow. Why can't I do that?" I want to move a generation.