~Hello
And welcome to our little corner of the web! I am Rita, the foodie and amateur cooking nuts behind this blog. I am the graphic designer and artist responsible for all the design and illustrations you will find around here. And I am André, the photographer and author of the Cocoon's photos and Rita's right-hand on all the cooking (and eating!). We are a Portuguese couple in their late-twenties and early-thirties, thriving on whole, plantbased foods and doing our best in living and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Together with our baby boy Simão, we live in a lovely house Rita inherited from her parents in the south of Portugal.
The idea for this blog came to be after an unfortunate deadly cancer struck one of our closest family members. The harsh reality of this disease shook our beliefs and routines and we soon became passionate about health and plantbased holistic nutrition. When we started our journey through this path, we relied on whatever information we could find online and in books and absorbed as much as we could. This blog is our way of paying it forward and hopefully letting others know how easy it actually is to make healthier choices everyday. And it is also our journal, through which we will be able to realize how much more we can still grow and better our own lives. As time goes by, Cocoon Cooks will be packed with vegan recipes, travels, dreams, memories and all sorts of goodies. We cannot wait to share them all with you!
You will learn more about our journey as this little project of ours grows. Below you can read some more about what cocoon means to us and why we chose it for the name and concept of this website.
co•coon /kəˈkuːn/
A silky case spun by the larvae of many insects that envelops the pupae in a protective or comforting way.
Sounds simple, right? But it means so much more to us. Whichever day we decide is "a cocoon day" will be spent at home, wearing comfy clothes we would not allow anyone to see us in and enjoying each other's company. We talk about what we would like to do, dreams we would like to fulfill, places we would like to go... And of course, we cook and eat some yummy treats. After a cocoon day, our batteries are charged and we feel like we could take on anything!
Our cocoon is a place of comfort, protection and nurture. And it is also a moment of growth, self-discovery and change — change for the better. As we learn more about ourselves and make daily choices on how to live a fuller, happier and more conscious life, it seemed only natural that our little retreat should be named after this concept. Besides, it is Nature-related, so ah-ha! Everything ties together.