Making Love in the Kitchen

Suuuweeeeeet Summer is coming! This weekend I’ll be running away to my fave place in the woods with a view of the lake and the smell of freshness. Freshness. That is right. Why? ‘Cause I won’t be grilling my homies. I am not a huge fan of the old BBQ. Not really. Once in a while we’ll light the flame and get some sweet potatoes grilling- but meat, no way. A barbecued burger? Hello cancer sandwich. I think I’ll pass. My bestest friends over at Harvard have this to say on the subject:

Read Full Post »

Written by Josh Gitalis, a sweet, sweet member of Meghan Telpner’s Superhero Posse. He is our Superhero Therapeutic And Evidence Based Nutritionist. Read Josh’s bio here. One of the most popular supplements on the market is the multi-vitamin Centrum. What many people don’t realize is that this multi-vitamin is probably doing more harm than good. A Few Centrum Facts: Centrum is a product produced by the company Pfizer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Read Full Post »

We are huge, huge fans of Marion Nestle here in the kitchen. When it comes to food rockstars- she is at the top of the list. Author of awesometown books such as Food Politics and What To Eat (plus tonnes more), she is also Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at NYU. Ms. Nestle is truly at the forefront of the food advocacy movement. Sounds like she might know her stuff, huh? We had a few Qs for her- check out her insightful responses below.

Read Full Post »

My love sweet loves. I know you are busy peeps- but you must take an hour and a half out of your day (or evening- Sunday is perfect for this, no?) to watch “Hungry for Change”. This amazing film – which is available for free! -is a real game changer. If you put food in your mouth, you need to watch this. The film features some of my most favourite peeps- including David Wolffe, Kris Carr, Dr. Christine Northrup and Daniel Vitalis to name a few. Truly, everyone must watch this film.

Read Full Post »

Dear Loblaws, I want to work for you. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a media/blogger event at thew new fancy pants Loblaws over at Carlton and Church. This was one event I couldn’t miss. A few weeks prior, I had been sent a document from the Dieticians of Canada- setting out to debunk what they were calling “Nutrition Myths”. I couldn’t help but notice that many of the ‘debunked myths’ were perfectly supporting many of the document’s sponsors including President’s Choice, Dairy Farmer’s of Canada, General Mills, Hellmann’s and Lipton.

Read Full Post »

How many of you would take your paycheque and throw 40% of it in the garbage?

Anyone? Bueller? Well, that’s what Canadians are doing with the food they buy and don’t eat – and it’s estimated that $27 billion dollars worth ends up in landfills each year. In Toronto alone, we blithely toss out a staggering 210 million kilograms of food annually, while people in our city and around the world are starving. Food waste is an enormous problem that costs us money, drives up food prices, depletes environmental resources like water and land, and is just downright unnecessary. But there is hope, my friends. There are tons of ways that you can reduce food waste in the kitchen that will save you time, money and your appetite.

Read Full Post »

Eat Real Food. What does Real Food mean to you? My dedication to Real Food came when my intestines caught a fever and got all hot and bothered (read: bloody, inflamed, and constricted). Despite my GI telling me that I should eat what I wanted and nothing I ate would affect a disease of the digestive system, I chose to differ. I decided to commit to Real Food. It may have been an obsession for a while, was a bit of a tough transition at first, but ultimately became an effortless lifestyle. The basic premise is this: we have a right to know exactly what we are eating. You can’t do this with potato chips, cantoned orange juice, tinned spaghetti or boxed dinners. Food manufacturers don’t have to put ingredients of ingredients. That means that things that sound harmless like ‘natural flavours’ could actually be a collection of synthetic chemicals derived from plant/animal sources. You heard the one about food manufacturers using a substance that comes from beaver ass- specifically the ‘anal sac’- to make vanilla flavour, right? That falls into the ‘natural flavour’ category reference.

Read Full Post »

Like the sound of an indulgent delights workshop? Of course you do, sweetie! Join us on February 13th for our Gluten + Dairy Free Treats workshop! Beautify from the outside in (and eat it up, too) at our Edible Beauty Care workshop! This weekend is all about snacks. Protein powered, sweet and savoury. Let me know what you [...]

Read Full Post »

Written by Lisa Borden, a sweet, sweet member of Meghan Telpner’s Superhero Posse.
How much heavier are you when you leave a restaurant? Dining out is one of life’s absolute pleasures and privileges, especially now that more and more local, organic cuisine is peppering the culinary scene. Restaurants are a key part of our culture – think celebrations, business meetings and first dates and it’s crucial for us and our world to eat off of greener menus (and we are not simply referring to a leafy salad). I find my own palate has changed as I stick to my own set of eating-values. I now want slow food (but sometimes when I’m out with all 3 kids, not too slow) and organic menus supporting local food providers. In fact, I’ll drive across the city for it (because there are but a few gems). I try to counteract the un-eco-ness of the travel in as many ways possible and hope that as we all demand more, there won’t be a “green restaurant” category, and it’ll be the standard because it just makes sense for all of us.

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

I feel like perhaps I am supposed to be embarrassed to tell you that I LOVE Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. I am not sure why. After a day of sunshine and rainbows in the kitchen, where 99.5% of the people who call, or write, or come play in the kitchen are delightful, there is something super fun about kicking back to a flood of F-bombs from old chef GR. What’s even more ridiculous about this affection I have for this show is that I don’t even have a TV. That means the man has to go hunting for an online version and we huddle together on the sofa to watch it on the micro computer screen. Yep. I’ve hit it big time for sure. Just wait ’till my episode of Cribs (yes, I used to watch that too). A wild Thursday night watching a crappy British TV show full of cloudy weather and F-bombs on a computer.

Read Full Post »

Calling all lovers of the good life! Live my creed – ya know, flirting with farmers, crunching on carrots, riding bicycles covered in flowers – then why haven’t you entered this yet?

Don’t know what to make this weekend? Three great dishes to get you through the week and have fun making them now. And of course- dessert comes first. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

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:

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

Did you know that most lubricants can harm those precious little swimmers? Even if you’re using an organic lubricant, the ingredients probably interfere with sperm motility and the pH likely doesn’t support their survival. If you’re not in the market for making a baby, this may be a good thing (although lube isn’t officially a spermicide) but for those trying to conceive, it’s best to switch to a sperm-friendly lubricant like Pre~Seed or YES Baby.
These lubricants are designed to mimic the fertility-enhancing qualities of a woman’s own cervical mucus. Pre~Seed has been around for awhile, so it’s better known by doctors and is often referenced on fertility websites and other resources. However, it’s not the most eco-friendly. It contains parabens, which many of you are probably familiar with (an icky preservative that’s a hormone disrupter and has been linked to health concerns such as breast cancer). Fortunately there’s now an alternative available that’s certified organic and paraben-free. We’re big fans of the company YES. The co-founders Sarah Brooks and Susi Lennox spent three years researching and testing lubricants before they released their line of personal lubricants. Their new sperm-friendly lubricant, YES Baby, is similar to Pre~Seed but is a more body-friendly and eco-friendly option.

Read Full Post »