Kickass Chicks: Ruth Bruten of Gourmet Girlfriend

I’m Ruth. Sometimes GG. Sometimes Mum.

What do you do?

I blog at Gourmet Girlfriend where I share recipes and thoughts on my world as a mum of five boys.  I run my own small business –  teaching cooking classes , making Gourmet Goodie bags, and I have some other things to add to the mix in 2015!

Why do you do it?

I do it because it is important for me to be ‘me’. Whilst my job as mum always comes first- I see one of the very most important jobs I can do as a Mum is to teach my children how important it is to invest in yourself.

Why is good food so important to you?

Good food is important to me because I believe in people and our planet –  and by eating good food we are doing both of those things a very big favour.   The health of ourselves is tightly meshed with the health of our planet. The two are inseparable & I think they deserve our attention for the sake our children.

Are there times where you think you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?

Every. Single. Day.

What was it like when your kids were small and you wanted to get nourishing food on the table?  

It was stressful – like it is for every single parent out there.  Only a couple of days ago a good friend was asking for advice about her picky toddler and how to handle her fussy eating. I sent to to a post I wrote right back at the start of my blogging days. It is still my most visited & referred to post. Essentially it is about letting go of the stress & focussing on the time together at the table.

(Ps here is the post! and this post “What Really Happens at Our Dinner Table” is the one I love and I know it’s helped a few of you. Weet-Bix for dinner FTW!)

Have there been rough patches where you doubted yourself? What did you do?

I doubt myself every day. I wear the Crown of Self doubt. Well maybe it is more like a PomPom garland of self doubt…….  It is always people around me that I admire (like you!) that make me feel better by telling me it is normal and to keep on keeping on.

How do you make creating good food work with your family and your lifestyle?  

For me it is a way of life.  It is my life. We shop together as a family- mostly at Farmers Markets. It is an unquestionably delightful way to gather the sustenance that gives us so much joy.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I get up at 5.30 to exercise and shower before waking my biggest kids at 6.30 to get them off to high school. We sit and eat breakfast together before they head off. Round two starts after they have left with the littlies getting up at about 7.30 to get ready for school at 8.45.

I work from my home office from 10-2 every day- sometimes longer. During that time I may be writing recipes, designing recipe cards, packaging orders, writing blog posts, designing or delivering classes. Then I pick up the littles at school at 3 and bring them home. I often have to travel across town to manage the high school lives of the big kids. I am often not home until 7pm. Then we have dinner. Then bed time for the littles and organisational stuff for the bigs before they go to bed about 9.  Somewhere in amongst all of this I cook and clean and do the laundry (sort of!) . Then I collapse in a heap in my bed & read for a while before I go to sleep. I’m tired just writing this schedule!

Would you recommend having five kids to others?

ABSOLUTELY.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

No kid ever grew up and looked back on their childhood saying  “My childhood was so happy because I grew up in a clean house”.

Vegemite or peanut butter?

Vegemite – I’m a Salt hound.

Thanks Ruth!

YOU CAN READ ABOUT OTHER KICKASS CHICKS HERE:

Mo Wyse and Shannon Martinez of Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli
Cath Young of My Bearded Pigeon
Lorraine Elliott of Not Quite Nigella
Cate Bolt of Foundation 18 and Pretty Fkn Embroidery
Kelley Sheenan of Peppermint Magazine