Making Love in the Kitchen

So last Sunday, I was feeling the pain. Everyone around me was sick and I could feel the ickyness hovering over me. Had so many plans for the day. I was going to work for a bit, go to yoga, and out for dins with my man and his fam.
But no. There were other plans in store for me. Seems my immune system was the cruise director of my ship and had decided it was going to try and take me down. Na- ah! No way. I had the photo shoot for my book and a million things to get done this week. There was no time for sickness. So instead of doing what we all like to do- push on through until we have no choice but to lay in bed incapacitated, I took a hot, hot, hot long steamy bath and made the grossest concoction that has ever been concocted, and I rested. Now, when I say this drink was gross- I mean gross in the most potent, healing way. You know I am all about delish balancing with healing- but when it comes to the risk of cold and flu, delish goes right out the window. The ONLY thing that allowed me to get this baby down, was my glass straw. This straw is as good as an IV drip when it comes to getting the goods in as quickly as possible. Want to know what was in the mix?

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Sit through the storms, for the sunshine and rainbows will follow.

Have you noticed this yet? Have you noticed that even when you think that thing that happened is the worst thing ever in the whole world to ever have happened, you might also be able to find the most unbelievable thing that came from it? That’s what this line of the creed is about. Things happen, and they are icky and sticky and crazy tough at the time, but no matter what, you will learn something, if you want to, and if you look hard enough, you will see the bright spot, you will find your grace and be grateful.You know the phrase “in a perfect world…” or “in an ideal world…”? We use it all the time. Here’s the thing, my little coconut, this is the only world we have. Yes that storm cloud is going to come by once in a while and dump that rain (usually in the form of disaster, crisis, upset, disappointment, illness, pain and struggle) all over us right after we’ve put on our best new party dress. Does this mean then that there is no point getting dressed up? Of course not!

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Written by Brent Bishop, a sweet, sweet member of Meghan Telpner’s Superhero Posse. He is our Superhero KickAss Fitness Trainer. 80% of all New Year’s fitness resolutions fall short of completion. What makes such a large number of people quit so early and what is it that keeps those who are committed from dropping off? It all lies within finding your internal trigger – your Think Factor. Read on to learn how to make this year your fittest year yet using tips and tricks from the trade on sticking to your fitness goals. Many people go about exercise in the wrong way. If you are approaching exercise for the mere reason that you know you ‘have to’ do it, chances are you will become another New Year’s resolution statistic. You cannot maintain motivation without being inspired. Motivation through inspiration is an important concept that if embraced purposefully, pushes you to seek out activities that inspire you; therefore keeping you motivated and attaining results. Not only should your goals be realistic for your current fitness level and lifestyle, they should also be tangible. If you are just starting out or just getting back into a routine, try starting with 30min or more of exercises 2-3x/week instead of trying to commit to a 5-6 day exercise week. You can always ramp things up as you develop some momentum and consistency. Remember to have a game plan; in order to do so you need to know where you are at – so get a fitness evaluation to set some benchmarks then map out your plan before you get going.

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We often hear from peeps who tell us they are going travelling but haven’t a clue what they’re going to eat. That’s one kind of problem. I choose to go places where I can’t decide what I am going to eat. In Hawaii- I didn’t make a choice. I just ate it all! It has been a long time since I have adventured somewhere brand shiny new. A whole new environment to explore and loads of crazy weird fruits to eat! I figure pictures say loads and so I will just share some of the best delectables! Honestly- if this were available where I lived, I might actually turn into a fruit platter! Enjoy the show!
Every morning started with cutting up the market finds. I’d either make us smoothies, or a fruit plate and pack some up for our day out.

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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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We’re busy bees in the kitchen today- or more accurately, on our computers as we manage your Q’s with our A’s and all the deets and registrations for our Fab Detox. Yep. It goes on sale today at 10:00am EST and we have just 45 spots available. We sold out on our pre-registration in just 24 hours and we expect the same to happen today. Remember- $79 when you buy today, up to $89 if you hum and haw and wait until tomorrow (and there may not even be any left). Back in November we sold out in a crazy five hours! Now, on with the show. I cooked up a storm for our New Year’s eve dinner with three amazing brand new recipes that I will be sharing soon. For now, though, I will share a little post-holiday detox juicing loving. This drink is a treat and a half whether you are in post-holiday recovery mode, ready to get started on your Fab Detox adventure or just want some new smoothie or juicing inspiration.

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Isn’t that a picture to start the year off right.

Those are my feet. They obviously don’t always look like that. usually they are rather nice, I think. Clean, small, evenly coloured. These are my feet after an 8 mile, 7 hour hike in the Northern paradise of Kauai.

As much as I would love to deliver you a fresh new detox loving recipe on our first day back at it in the New Year, the truth is that I have nothing for you. I’ve been on holidays and before that I was finishing my manuscript. Without any kind of excuses, I am telling you that I haven’t got a single new recipe to share. Wowza- how’s that for pressure? I probably will tomorrow though…

Today, with our first day back at it, what we are talking about is the WORST DISEASE there ever was.

This is the disease that keeps you from getting sh!t done, that keeps you from chasing your dreams, that keeps you from being your best, your healthiest, your most amazing. This disease is epidemic. We like to blame the symptoms of the disease like not having enough time, or space, or love or money. But those are just the symptoms. They are not the cause.

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I want you to have the absolutely best holidays ever! I really, really, really do. Sometimes though, we have a little too much fun and that too much fun can include a few too many boozy bevvies, a shenanigan of sugar, late into the night nights and not nearly enough care about our health. Not to worry my friends- you can have all the fun you like (within moderation of course), because I will be here and ready at you service to help you clean things back up. By popular (and sold out and waiting lists out the wazzooo), we are bringing the program back! Yes! Perhaps you want to get this for yourself as your New Years New You gift to yourself. Rather than toot the horn about how awesome this program is and the OUTSTANDING results people experienced with the first round of it, I’ll let them share their words.

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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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We have stressed time and time again the importance of knowing where your food comes from. Farmer’s markets are great for this, because often the person selling the food grew it themselves or is related to the person who grew it. So, our salads are chock-a-block full of locally grown, organic foods…but what about our nuts? Nuts and seeds are such quintessential aspects of healthy diets, but rarely do we consider where our favourite nuts and seeds come from – where they are grown, how they are grown and who distributes them. Seems, dare I say, a little nuts right? It is essential to understand where our food comes from but that must extend further than fruits and veggies. Deciding on where to purchase your nuts and seeds doesn’t need to be a difficult decision. Firstly, ensure the nuts and seeds you purchase are organic to avoid any use of pesticides in the growing process or irradiation in the importing process. While there are some varieties of nuts that are grown in Canada, some of the most popular are not – and so it is important to trust the importer/distributer of nuts and seeds as well.

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How well do you know your ABCs? How about a different alphabet, the Alphabet of Avoidance? Lisa Borden – owner of Borden Communications and Super Hero Posse member extraordinaire – has written her first book called The Alphabet of Avoidance. The tagline of the book reads “If you aren’t outraged, then you just aren’t paying attention.” No truer words have been said. And trust us, once you read through this book you will be paying attention and fast. Borden points out what should be obvious about some of the most common used products – but obviously isn’t, considering they ARE the most common used products!

Borden began her company at the tender age of 22 and focuses on marketing products that no only better our lifestyle but better the earth. She is committed to responsible living which manifests itself in her career and personal life. And so came her first (but not last) book, The Alphabet of Avoidance.

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Right so I saw snow last week and the holiday party invites have started to roll on in. What does this mean to me? It means only one thing. It is time for me to pack up and get out of dodge. I often talk on the blog about how we can’t control external things in our life but what we can control is our response to them. I can’t control that it is about to get unbelievably freaking cold and gray, but I can control whether I choose to spend the whole winter shivering in it or not. I choose not and work my bottom off all year long to make that sunshine my winter reality. See, my feeling is that to make the most of the holiday season, you either have to choose to embrace the holiday party circuit or run away. I host parties all year long in the form of cooking classes, workshops, events and other such shindigs.
When it comes time to not working, I am very happy to be very quiet. And so I run away. I’m one of those extroverted introverts- I think anyway.

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Have you ever had that thought, oh, why didn’t I marry a massage therapist so I could get a massage every night? I fear that my love sweet love might have once upon a time wished to find a nutritionist to make amazingly creative healthy meals every night.

Something happens sometimes when you do something all day, that when you get home at night, its not always what you feel like doing. I’ve been a wee busy at work lately, and our dinners on the nights that I am home, have been a little less than AwesomeTown.

So I hired a private chef. Yep. I did. Once. And I am telling you, I am hooked!

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Sugar, my sweet coconut lovers, is a drug. A delicious one, but a drug all the same. We get hooked as kinder and we stay on the substance all the live long day- only until we grow old enough to add caffeine to the mix. Getting off processed or even natural sweeteners is one sweet challenge and those playing the Fab Uplift Detox are gonna win that game! With a little help of course.

Some argue that refined white sugar is the most addictive substance on this planet. You might even admit this yourself. You have a little, you want a little more and than you find yourself needing your daily fix, whether it be in your coffee or tea, soft drink, muffin, breakfast cereal, bread, pasta sauce, salad dressing, fruit juice or after dinner cookie. Sugar is in everything and we are consuming more than we think.

The average person now consumes roughly 135 pounds of sugar per year. Holy moly! A person’s weight in sugar? Hello obesity epidemic and hello cancer! Sugar is the number one fuel for those pesky cancer cells.

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