(5/12) “Camila had started kindergarten by this time. I was...

(5/12) “Camila had started kindergarten by this time. I was trying to pack her lunchbox with healthy choices, but the grocery aisles were filled with crap: potato chips, sugar, processed stuff. I’d been reading about the dangers of the modern diet. I knew her body couldn’t handle those things, so I decided to cook everything myself. But only with real ingredients: no boxes or bags, no sugar, no dairy. And everything was organic. Sebas thought I was a crazy woman. He kept complaining that our grocery bills were too expensive. But something began to happen. The girls were using less pills, and fewer inhalers. There were no more 2 AM trips to the hospital. And when we sat down with the bills at the end of the month, it was clear as day. Yes, our grocery bills were going up. But the medical bills were going down even faster. I waved the papers at Sebastian. ‘Look at this!’ I told him. ‘I’m not crazy!’ But after that I did become a little crazy. Because I started to love the kitchen. I researched all the latest nutrition. Then I’d lie awake at night imagining healthy meals for my girls: black bean brownies, zucchini smoothies, mango and coconut cookies. And my dishes were more than just healthy, they were delicious. Sometimes Camila would share her lunch with friends, and I began to get calls from other moms. ‘How do you do it?’’ they’d ask. ‘My daughter hates zucchini. But she loves your zucchini muffins!’ I shared some of my recipes online, and there was so much interest that I began teaching classes at our home. Each morning a group of moms would gather in my kitchen, we’d cook recipes together, then afterwards we’d eat a big breakfast. Those were such happy years. I’d discovered a new passion. The girls were getting healthier. We added a third daughter to our family. Then a fourth. I loved being a mom so much. There was nothing I enjoyed more than spending time with my girls: being with them, helping them grow. That’s all I needed in life. But shortly after our fifth and final daughter was born, Sebastian pulled me aside one day. ‘Maybe you could turn your food into a business,’ he said. ‘Because it’s always nice to have a back-up.’”