Making Love in the Kitchen

She turned her can’ts into cans, and her dreams into plans.

Read Full Post »

I came across this on a blog I love, SweetOnVeg, run by Jennifer- a woman I adore over in Vancouver. I had to share. Everyone you meet comes with baggage. Find someone who loves you enough to help you unpack. Image courtesy of Nightwolf Graphics  

Read Full Post »

Last week- this whole book thing became very, very, VERY real to me. We shot my book! Yes we did. I had a whole crew in the kitchen with me. My amazing kitchen fairies, my editor and the designer from my publisher McClelland and Stewart, my photographer Catherine Farquharson and her assistant Nicki, Amy Lam, my make-up artist, and Ashley Denton, the food stylist. Wowza did we zip through loads of goodness. It was so much fun. Day 1 of the shoot was all about me in action- playing in the kitchen. Day 2 and 3 we shot all the amazing food shots. On Sunday, I invited some ladies over for a fantastic brunch and we rounded out the four day shoot with a visit to my home to catch my man and I just hangin’. The book is all written. Handed in my last chapters before I left for Hawaii. Now I just have to edit. I can’t believe I have to wait a whole 11 months before I get to show off the prize of all these efforts. Wanna to me a favour and start getting excited right along with me? Maybe these pictures from the first couple days of the shoot might help.
(And before you ask- all clothes from my fave store ever- Anthropologie)

Read Full Post »

September 7th 2010, will be a day that I will always remember.

My life changed that day. At 1:30 pm about one year ago, I heard those four words…you have prostate cancer. I guess my life actually changed before the 7th. It was on August 25th that I had my biopsy at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

It was not a pleasant experience.

Read Full Post »

Eat fruit, lots of cherries, while thinking good thoughts. It is pretty darn easy to get caught up with trying to do every single thing just right in this whole healthy eating game. We read so much, we learn so much, and then we want to do so much.

You may have noticed that I like to take a bit of a light approach to this whole food and nutrition thing. Now, it has nothing to do with me not taking it seriously. I do, obviously, but I also don’t adhere to any ridiculous strict regiment. I could easily spend a good nine hours in the morning getting ready for my day, employing every healthy living practice I know of.

Read Full Post »

The Fab Uplift Detox Program Is Coming. Registration starts on Monday, November 7th! get excited!!! This is the best thing ever (next to joining my Veg Transition workshop this weekend) The creed series has just begun. Each week (or two) I will be breaking down my creed, line, by line. Phrase by phrase. This is my manifesto- that [...]

Read Full Post »

The four words “You have prostate cancer” are shocking.

I heard those words over a year ago and it has taken me this long to feel comfortable writing about this journey. When most men hear those four words they rush to eradicate cancer from their bodies. They want surgery or some other form of treatment. They pray they’ll be one of the lucky ones who does not experience erectile dysfunction or incontinence. I have chosen a path of active surveillance and hope I will never have to have anything more invasive.

Read Full Post »

The creed series has just begun. Each week (or two) I will be breaking down my creed, line, by line. Phrase by phrase. This is my manifesto- that I learned to live by to heal from an incurable disease and that I turned into this here sweet health loving inspiration I offer you. I will tell you what the creed means to me, I hope you will share what it means to you!

There’s my momma and I up there, celebrating my 32nd birthday on Tuesday. I spent my birthday playing all day, and got to thinking- what would the world be like if we treated everyday like our birthday- a day to have the most fun, do what brings us joy and do it all with a spirit of sweetness and gratitude. With that thought, I decided that since I am now officially older and wiser than I was last week when I was just 31, it is time to start breaking down the creed. Here we go.

Read Full Post »

What does your handbag reveal or conceal?

We carry around a lot in our purses: our personal belongings, our personalities, our fashion sense, our common sense and our actual cents. We lug our lives around in our handbags and you must admit, there is something fascinating about seeing what others have underneath their flaps and inside those zippered compartments.

Most women (and some men) live by the motto, “Be Prepared”, making their handbags an essential accessory for every outing, as it holds all essentials. Simple purse-o-nomics – the more we demand, the more they supply. We do need to face the often unattractive truths behind the stuff we buy because being connected to our purchases will help us make better choices and that matters.

Read Full Post »

Oh the joy. The fun. The writing I will be doing with a whole weekend free. Sort of. In my imagination, I booked this weekend off so that, I would have it free and easy to travel the globe, leading up to my 32nd birthday coming on Tuesday (yep, the 25th). I was going to go to New York, or LA, or Fiji (in my dreams anyway)… And then decided that instead I would check in with reality because this mamasita has a book to write. And write like the wind I will.

Another great week over here in the nutrition front. We ran five classes in eight days which made this kitchen a mad, mad house.

Read Full Post »

Getting our bottoms in gear is no easy task. Having a trainer help push us along, intelligently is money and time well spent, if you choose the best one for you. As a trainer, my job is to motivate people to achieve and surpass their goals.

Why Get A Trainer?

Motivation – we all need it! Having someone be there to externally motivate you can do wonders for your success. Not to mention undergoing regular fitness evaluations and goal setting will help in ensuring your are tracking your progression.
Proper training/program planning – maximize your time and effort – you will be challenged to get outside of your comfort zone.
Accountability – there is power in having an appointment set, someone waiting for you and money already spent on that appointment.

Read Full Post »

It was a 5 Star event in the mud, a gathering of Ontario’s best chefs, food and volunteers in the name of saving 2300 acres of prime farmland. It is estimated that over 20,000 people gathered in Melancthon Township at the aptly named Foodstock event to protest the proposed limestone mega quarry.

In a nutshell, an American-financed company, Highland Companies, has big plans for our prime potato farmland 85 km north of Toronto. Below the beautiful soil there is approximately 1 billion tonnes of limestone and Highland wants it all.

Read Full Post »

We work our patooties off around here- as you may have noticed, but we also cook a little here and there, and do our best to laugh until we cry once in a while. It’s part of our creed really. Up there I am rocking the awesome onion goggles Alexa introduced to our kitchen. Speaking of Alexa, I am pretty sure she never wants to look at cauliflower again.

And Jill, she is so over squash.

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

Magic seems to happen around here quite often. It’s a sweet thing. I truly believe, perhaps more than ever, that you if you give, give, give without expectation, you will get, get, get in more abundance than you can believe.

As the creed says, we must “Offer the planet what you want the planet to offer you in return”. The creed I developed for my life and my work is how I strive everyday to live. In the coming weeks, we will be breaking down that creed step-by-step, almost as a guide, so I might explain what it means to me and you might decide what the words mean to and for you.

Read Full Post »