Making Love in the Kitchen

Do you ever marvel at people who can breezily turn down ooey gooey baked goods or a melty slice of pizza without batting an eye? For many of us, sticking to that two-week cleanse isn’t so tough. It’s when the cleanse is over that we find ourselves drooling over chocolate cake and reverting back to all the vices that lead us to the cleanse in the first place. Just a few weeks ago, my sister-in-law asked me if there was something that I was dying to cheat with, something that was so pleasurable and enjoyable it was worth the negative effects later. Did I ever say screw it, I’m going to stay home, eat that baddie and position myself in front of the washroom when the inevitable consequences arrived? I honestly couldn’t think of any junk food that was worth compromising my health so I would be holed up in the bathroom hollering at my husband for more toilet paper. Believe me, I’m no martyr.

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Your first healing thoughts should lean towards nutrition. I will be celebrating my 70th birthday this August with family and friends. So what is so unusual about this? Well I have been given an incredible body by the powers that be but an immune system that basically sucks. It seems
to have a seven year cycle that looks for a new organ or system to attack, but I also seem to have the cat’s nine lives syndrome and win out each time. I have also been blessed with an incredible loving family, friends, doctors and specialists that have gone out of their way to bring me back to health each time. I have done everything in my power to aid in keeping myself healthy – by eating clean, exercising, yoga, meditation, gardening, and enjoying life with my children, grandchildren, and friends. So this last immune attack really sent me for a loop.

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Love my creed and want to shaaaaare the love? Enter the “Living the Creed’ contest and show US how you live the creed…you could win a signature creed poster + a whole bunch of other goodies! Yes! It is true. You think all we do all day is sing and dance and play in the [...]

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What fun I had when Wilder Weir from Oh So Cosmo! (airing on Cosmo TV) came back to the kitchen for a visit. Remember the last time he was here? I flirted my heart out with him and it seemed he wanted to come back for more. On the menu were our kitchen fave veggie rice wraps with almond dipping sauce and our conversation quickly went off course. One moment we’re talking flaccid cucumber and the next we chatted ‘poo juice’ and how pooping makes us pretty. Watch my love sweet lovers. Watch, laugh and learn. I often have a tough time watching myself on TV- but this clip even had me giggling. The peeps at Cosmo did a superfantab job of this segment and now I will just wait by the phone to see if I get called for a magical third date with Wilder.

This time, we were talking detoxing.

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Written by Odelia Benabou, CNE graduate, writer and lemon lover extraordinaire. Odelia here, reporting for duty on Meghan’s rad web kingdom to share some simple, back-to-basics tips about lemons! True, lemons aren’t terribly sexy or exotic. We squeeze their tart juice into a glass of water each morning for a revitalizing, alkalinizing and detoxifying effect. Yawn. But this new year, I thought it would be a nice change to chat up my folks for something decidedly less complicated than some of the strange extracts, peculiar foods and just plain bizarre beverages that we nutrition groupies often concoct for fun! So when life hands you lemons, do any of the following:

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Social situations can be awkward when you’re trying to be healthy. How do you navigate sticky circumstances without offending your loved ones? Find out how to say no to food without appearing like a self-righteous jerk. Plenty of people don’t see food as nourishment – they view it as a vehicle for socializing, spreading the love and bonding with others. But what is the best way to respond to well-meaning friends, family and coworkers when we’re presented with an item that doesn’t jive with our food philosophy or health style? Do you accept the offering and feed it to the family dog, or do you snort with haughty derision? Unless you have Meghan’s wit and charm, the latter will likely land you alone with only your kale chips and goji berries to keep you warm at night.

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Once upon a time I went to the bar. I lived at the other end of downtown Toronto, by my university and there were martini bars a plenty. Here there and everywhere. There was one in particular that was my go-to. The name escapes me and has since closed down- or so it seemed from my last drive by. But that is where I went on dates. I am sure the old man who ran the place, who took a sweet liking to me (and showed it by adding an extra chocolate kiss into my chocolatini) wondered what kinda lady I was. The place was perfect for first dates- close enough that I could walk there and equally close enough that I could ditch out and get home on my own. I feel like last time I had a real martini may have been on my 21st birthday. And I am pretty sure were I to have one, it would not end well. Yes. Even after just one. To be honest- I can’t even really imagine drinking that- like pure fire to burn down my liver or something. Now, that’s not to say I don’t enjoy a great cocktail once in a while. But who says a cocktail has to be fire on the liver? Not me. Not me! Since Maeve was on the full on Fab Detox last week, I wanted to help her jazz things up. So we made cocktails. Our style of cocktails.

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Working for Meghan and not making changes to my diet would probably be impossible. It has been two months, and slowly I have seen hemp seeds, MSM and vegan protein powder creeping into my morning smoothies, which is now consumed through glass straw. My once afternoon coffee was replaced by a big steaming cup of Dandy Blend. My meat and dairy intake has plummeted, being consumed minimally here and there and always via ethical supply. Overall, these small changes have begun to make a difference in me – and my health – and it only encourages my desire to take proper care and attention to my diet. I embarked on the Fab Uplift Detox – if for no other reason than to kick my caffeine habit and clean up my eating. Certain things aren’t an issue for me to cut out – meat, dairy and sugar are things that are on my sometimes but I won’t miss you list. Pathetically, it is potentially the worst vices that I realize I can’t cut out – like my beloved, beloved gluten (pass the pasta, please) and of course, coffee. (Oh, coffee…you are so warm and velvety and dark and…I digress. You aren’t good for me and I know this. We are like Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Lovers, but not meant to be… Or something).

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It almost seems to me that these creed topics come up at some kind of exactly perfectly timed moment. I am going line, by line, in the order to which they appear. But somehow- it’s always just the right one. Yesterday, I had an appointment with a personal shopper at Anthropologie to pick out my ensembles for my book shoot that’s happening next week. Colour was the theme of the day, let me tell you! My parents had me in montessori school for pre-school. Part of the philosophy of the school, if you’re not familiar, is letting kids find their own way and their own path. Part of this means that parents are encouraged to let their kids pick out their own outfits. And did I ever!
I remember so incredibly clearly, walking into my parents room, my face barely coming up to the edge of their bed and modelling my latest ensemble for them, asking “Does this go?”. It never did, but looking at old photo albums, it is clear that my parents just lied to me and said “you bet!”. I can remember being asked by a boy in my class in grade three or four, why I had so many barrettes in my hair. I used to try and wear as many hair accessories as my little head of hair could withstand. I wore tap dancing costumes to school as my outfit of choice, and believed it a personal flaw if I ever had the same article of clothing as someone else. Wearing clashing, ridiculous, colour combos seems to have been born and bread in me. It’s just more fun that way. (And you’ve met my dad, right? Genetic maybe?)

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My sweet mango pies! It seems like eons upon eons since I offered you fresh off the skillet (or in this case, fresh out of the spiral slicer) recipe for you. It actually has been. Well the next few that I have for you are uber awesome treats. For New Year’s eve, the man was feeling a tad under the weather and the yoga evening I had wanted to join was all full up. Instead I decided to cook up the best ever from scratch dinner. The inspiration started with these treats we had on Kauai- tofu potstickers. I’ll get to those next week. In order to fill out the meal- there needed to be more. So I scooted along the Thai theme until I came up with two other dishes. Green mango salad was one of them. As I was researching recipes and dressings, I came across an ingredient I had never heard of before. I love when that happens. Even after doing this for five years, I love that I still get to keep exploring and discobering. It’s a bit like being a painter and discovering a new colour exists and then you want to go back to all of your past paintings and splash it on. The ingredient that kept popping up was sambal oelek. You know it? When I first read it, I was all negative nelly thinking I was going to have to run around the city trying to track this down. Sambal is really just a blend of chili peppers. I never actually use is a chilis because of the time I nearly exploded my whole face.

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I have weird collections. It used to be shoes. Now it’s foraged mushrooms, and sea weed. Everywhere I go, I check out the local sea vegetables. People now send me gifts of seaweed from their own fair shores too (feel free!). Nothing, however, has stolen my heart quite like Irish or Sea Moss (twin brothers from different mothers). This unsuspecting superfood has been my top of the charts seller since I started carrying it. Not an easy thing to find but an absolute smoothie essential, if you ask me. Also a top, top, top food to eat to help with all your daily detox efforts. Cleans up the thyroid, sheds radiation, strips the gut of excess mucous buildup and other fine jazz. Makes the drinks so silky smooth, keeps all the goods you throw in there in solution, and heals the gut and thyroid like nothing else. You have been asking for it and at long, long last- I have put together my how-to video for Irish Moss. Now, save your Q’s ’cause I now have your A’s answered. All in this video…

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After reading Meghanʼs blog post, Iʼm sure you all want the dirt on what us CNEʼers made. Iʼm up first! Since Iʼve been Fab Detoxing the past couple of weeks, I figured it was only appropriate to tie that into my presentation. So here you have it, my Detox Guac. I make this all the time, actually Iʼm pretty much famous for it. My friends call it my signature dish. In university I would eat it every other day for lunch with a toasted whole wheat pita or even right out of the bowl with a spoon. I believe that it is probably one of the best things that you can eat to detoxify and boost your immunity. That must be why I never get sick! Really, I donʼt. It must be all the super powered ingredients I use…

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Two years ago I decided to go off the birth control pill. I had been using this convenient way of keeping babies away for 11 years. A few years ago I asked my doctor if he was sure it was okay for me to still be on the pill. I was concerned there may be some long term consequences of artificially regulating my cycle for such an extended period of time. He said, “There is absolutely nothing for you to be worried about, it is completely safe”. Though I didn’t quite believe him, I didn’t feel I had the necessary knowledge to challenge him. Fast forward a few years and I found myself discussing this very issue with the peeps in Meghan’s 4-week cooking class. Meghan was pretty clear about her distain for these magic little pills and I left thinking it was time to kiss these babies goodbye. With the help of the amazing women at the Red Tent Sisters I learned how to monitor my cycle and keep any babies for baking in my oven!

It took awhile for my body to adjust to being in charge of regulating itself; in the beginning she was a little confused. I didn’t get my period for 6 months so was fully relieved when things seemed to settle into a more regular pattern. Then the pain started; the kind that makes you double over and want to cry. I knew something wasn’t right.

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Just when LA schools put a ban on flavoured milk, a Canadian chain of fitness centres, Goodlife Fitness has declared it their official recovery beverage.

Hey there Healthwashing, didn’t expect to see you here.

Their healthwashing claim is that that consumption of chocolate milk after physical exertion is excellent replenishment for muscles. What is needed for recovery is carbs and protein to boost muscle repair. Being high in water, they also state that chocolate milk provides hydration. Well so do a lot of things, um… like water? What one seems to be considering is the amount of sugar in chocolate milk. As soon as there is an insulin response in the body (caused by refined sugar intake) the body will switch into a fat storing mode.

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Perhaps we’re too extreme? This article was rejected from The Huffington Post.

Is There Something Wrong With Government Regulated Food Guides?

Do you look down at your dinner and see 680 calories? Perhaps a healthy ratio of carbs to proteins to fats? Maybe you see some fibre, vitamin C, beta carotene and just the right amount of Omega 3’s.

This is weird right? Looking at a plate of food without actually seeing the food.

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