Making Love in the Kitchen

As a natural foods chef, I spend most of my day creating menus and cooking healthy meals for my clients and their families. All of my meals are whole foods based, local as possible and often all-organic. But by the looks of the dinner parties, cocktail soirees and celebratory brunches I put on weekly, you’d hardly know the food I serve is all-natural, or heaven forbid- healthy. Because you see, although my clients are often already on the healthy train (or well on their way, by hiring me!) their guests often are not. It’s my job to create a menu that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters, and impress even the most hardcore fast food addicts of the bunch. So when Meghan asked me to do some posts on healthy entertaining, I agreed without hesitation- this is my area of expertise. My goal is to show you how to impress your guests with healthy food- no arguments or wrinkled noses in sight.

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Psssst- have you heard the news? We are offering a sweet, sweet deal with the purchase of My Nut Sack! Check out all the details below and hurry on over to our shop-this offer will only be available until Monday. Can we talk about nut sacks? I can’t help but get a giggle from my peeps whenever I mention my Nut Sack- but really, there is no better name for it. Once the initial novelty (and shock, perhaps) of the name wears off, peeps are thrilled with this handy kitchen tool. Yes, it makes the creamiest most perfect nut and seed milks- but did you know it can also be used in place of cheesecloth to make your own sprouts? ‘Tis true, my lovers.

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There is more bacteria in and on our body, than human cells. We are outnumbered ten to one. You might even say that we are more bacteria than human. The implications of this are becoming more and more evident. Bacteria influence our health in hundreds of ways. Everyday there are new discoveries on how these microorganisms interact with human physiology. The benefits of consuming probiotics (“pro” meaning “for”, “biotic” meaning “life”) are truly abundant. However, the cultured foods that are available are usually of the lowest quality and advertised to consumers through clever marketing. An example of one of these products is Activia yoghurt by Danone.

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We’ve announced all the sweet, sweet details for the 2013 Nourish Your Soul retreat. If you like delicious and healthful foods, the beach, the rainforest and fun- this retreat is for you! Registration opens on Friday. Monday marks the official start of the Fab Uplift Detox! In honour of this awesometown new group of detoxers, check out these three detox worthy recipes to get the cleansing wheels in motion. As we saw this week on the blog, detoxing is a very important process for our bodies to ward off illness and disease. This weekend, instead of reaching for barftown healthwashed foods (like this), make these three delicious recipes!

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Yes, sweet cleansing lovers, our wonderful and wildly popular Fab Uplift Detox is coming BACK on March 26th. This is a super special program which has been described by former participants as a real “game changer”. Want to see all the kind words of love we have received from past participants and get the hook up to our pre-registration discount price? Read on!

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Labels are for tin cans. Given that we’ve been rocking the healthwashing theme all week- this next line in our creed fits like BHT coated cereal bag in a phthalate laminated box. I sincerely believe that labels should be reserved for tin cans and I advocate healthy eating whether it be vegan, vegetarian, raw, paleo, omnivore or whatever a person chooses. I choose to support people’s health, not mandate any one diet or regime, or expect that everyone should eat just like me. If a person is seeking education on incorporating more plants into their diet, well, that is where I come in. That’s what I know, that is what I eat and live and that is what I do and teach.

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I was in California last week- bet you didn’t even know- for a working vacay. One of the sites on the itinerary was the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim. This event was absolutely insane. In five hours and I only got through half the show. I had the amazing opportunity to catch up with the delight that is Julie Morris who was putting a smile on the Navitas booth (who you know I adore), kicked it with Jennifer, the founder of Wean Green who sponsored our giveaway a few weeks back, and even ran in to Mark from Giddy Yoyo- there all the way from Toronto- showing off his best ever raw chocolate bars. I chatted with the amazing chef, Frank Giglio, who I’ve met a few times, and made some sweet contacts for products I hope to soon be bringing to you.

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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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Food Rules Made Simple [ 13:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (967)

Ryan Storm, restaurant reviewer and food blogger based out of Toronto- his age may surprise you, since his wisdom is far beyond his 11 years. He has a simple approach to clean eating and he is a lover of locally sourced, organic foods that come in a delicious package. He was most recently featured in the National Post, and can be found reviewing some of the city’s best restaurants here. In addition to this, Ryan has once of the most interesting collections of deliciousness in his fridge. Curious? Listen up to his uber wiseness… “I am not your average 11 year old eater, so, please do not suggest McDonald’s, because I would rather starve than go there!” True that.

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Written by fantabulous mama extraordinaire and superbo sister in law, Carly Telpner. We are so pleased to have Carly share her tips for developing healthy eating habits in kiddies!

This morning my darling two-year old daughter, sweet little Mia, ate a breakfast that consisted of almonds, strawberries, homemade pumpkin muffin and a green-berry smoothie that had strawberries, blueberries, kale, and hemp seeds in it. Sounds wonderful, right? I’d love to be able to say that Mia’s eating habits just happened, but as any parent would know – it took a lot of work, perseverance and little person tears. Along the way I have learned some important lessons that not only apply to instilling healthy and nourishing eating habits in my kid, but to overall parenting.

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FUNderwear in the kitchen – you know that is what we are all about! Join us on Monday for Gluten + Dairy-Free Treats and learn to love your sweet tooth! Want the beauty care, minus the toxins? Edible Beauty Care is February 20th! The weekend is all about breakfast and brunch right? Here are three of our absolute favourite fantabulous breakfast recipes! (Go ahead, make them for dinner too!)

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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.

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We’ve had loads of interns and extra special helpers pass through this here fair kitchen of ours over the last three years. What I have come to discover is that each and everyone is special in her own unique way (yes, they have all been women). They each have their own area of expertise and interest and all seem to develop a fixation on a certain thing. I feel sad to say that I passed along my secret crush on rice cakes to Jill. I hear her crunching all the time even though we all know they should be just a once in a while thing.

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Thrive Foods with Brendan Brazier [ 20:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (190)

Guest: Brendan Brazier is a professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author on performance nutrition, and the creator of an award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called VEGA. He is also a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion. I had the opportunity to chat with Brendan about his book, transitioning to a plant based diet, the balance of our diet and the environment and did my best to find out some personal nuggets.

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Everyone who spreads a little of my All Purpose Edible Body Butter on their hands, lips, cuticles, or face is always so excited by it- declaring it good enough to eat. I, of course, remind them that they can. That it actually is good enough to eat, meaning everything contained within it is 100% edible. Then I suggest they get an extra jar to keep in the boudoir. Everyone has a bit of a nervous giggle and then they get a second jar.

At my recent Edible Beauty Care workshop (next one, sad for you, isn’t until April), I decided to impress my guests by whipping up, on the spot, without first testing it, a warm smoothie latte that would, in fact, taste just the same as my Edible Body Butter, and using nearly identical ingredients.

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