Meet Hope Maria

As we say in Louisiana, “Come on in; make yourself at home.”

Welcome to Urban Cajun Girl!

I’m so glad you are here. My name is Hope Maria. I am a Louisiana girl with a passion for organic living, clean beauty, authentic aromatherapy, and natural health & wellness, sharing my personal journey, discoveries, tips, bargain finds, and faves. Here, I share my love and discoveries for all things that inspire and support a natural and organic lifestyle mixed with Louisiana love.

My Blog

Living in Louisiana, I was challenged for years to find healthier, organic, eco-friendly, sustainable living and fair trade products that I came to desire for my family. My blog and YouTube Channel were born from my lifelong love of sharing information and resources with friends.

For many years, when shopping, I took pictures and texted finds that I knew friends would love to know about. Eventually, it made sense to put it all in one place to make easily accessible and without text friends at crazy hours. Since then, my blog has grown to a YouTube channel; because I quite honestly…I love to talk…a lot!!

Whether you enjoy reading, watching, social media feeds, or a mix of both, I hope you find Urban Cajun Girl both informative and fun.

What’s in a Name?

I’m often asked about the name “Urban Cajun Girl”; there is definitely a story behind it. It all started when my son asked me to make a Cajun spaghetti, and I went to Whole Foods to get the ingredients. Watch the full story on my YouTube Channel and get my very easy to make and incredibly delicious organic Cajun spaghetti recipe. Click here for video.

Where’s the Food?

Since the word “Cajun” is in my blog name, you may be expecting to see lots of posts on Cajun food. I certainly grew up on traditional Cajun foods like gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée, fried and boiled seafood, poor boys (not po-boys), etc. However, I now prefer more clean, organic and plant-based foods. I still get an Envie [ah(n)-vee] for our delicious traditional Louisiana foods which I occasion post on social media when dining out.

Can You Teach Me Some Cajun Words?

I am often asked if I speak Cajun French. Like most Cajun born children of my generation, we grew up with Cajun speaking grandparents and great grandparents, while our parents lost some of the fluency as they were forbidden to use it at school. Thankfully, we did grow up with some common words and phrases that helped to keep the language a part of our heritage.

If you are interested in an inexpensive, leisure reference book, I highly recommend this one.

Cajun French-English/English-Cajun French Dictionary & Phrasebook by Clint Bruce and Jennifer Gipson

For a quicker start, here are some links to some of the most common Cajun French words and expressions:

Thanks for being here. I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Merci, Hope Maria