Its that time of year again.. lots of social gatherings, and of course what comes with social gatherings?! Food!! And lots of it!! I am giving you some tips to stay healthy, energized, and enjoy every minute of the holidays without the guilt, extra pounds that sneak their way in, and without depriving yourself!

• STAY HYDRATED! Drink lots of water throughout the day and in between those fancy alcohol bevvies! If you are going for the alcohol, make sure to drink water in between and go easy on it!

• Eat a healthy small meal or SNACK before you go to events so that you aren't STARVING when you get there! This will maintain your blood sugar since sometimes there won't be food put out for awhile and will also keep you from over eating when it is time to eat. 
  
• If there's something you would like to eat but you know its not good for you.. have a little. Don't deprive yourself, just don't GORGE either!! 
• Since it's Cold and Flu season and you will be in contact with many different people, make sure to SUPPLEMENT with Vitamin C (also great for STRESS!!), Probiotics, and Vitamin D to keep your immune system strong. Refer to my Blog, Tips to Beat That Cold and Boost Your Immune System!! for more tips! 
• Schedule time for YOU to manage stress. Exercise time and down time, these are equally important for this hectic time of year when things get stressful. Schedule it in like any other event and make it happen!
• If you are asked to bring something, make sure you are the one to bring a HEALTHY option! Try my Black Bean Brownies recipe! 
• Stock up with lots of FRESH REAL FOOD and make sure to have easy to grab and go snacks available. Some suggestions: apples with almond butter, homemade trail mix ( goji berries, raw cashews, brazil nuts, almonds, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds), cut up veggies with hummus or bean dip, smoothies, etc)
• SLEEP! Everything can wait until tomorrow. Your body needs rest and thats the best way to ensure you will be able to do all of the things you want to do. Make sure to be getting your proper rest and when you start to feel run down, take the time to rest. 

Hope these tips help you through the hustle and bustle of the holidays! Enjoy the great food, company of friends, co workers, and family, and the magic glow of Christmas lights at night! What are your tips for staying healthy throughout the holidays? 

Pomegranates are a wonderful addition to any juice, smoothie, salad, or dessert this Holiday Season since they have amazing health benefits and are in season from September- January. 

The juice and the seeds are the only edible parts of pomegranates. A trick I recently learned for getting the seeds out of a pomegranate is to cut it in half, hold it over a large bowl with the seed side down, use a thick wooden spoon and hit the outer edge to knock out the seeds. It works great! Next time give it a try!

So Why Pomegranates?! Pomegranates have amazing health benefits! They are so rich in Antioxidants and flavonoids which fight free radicals in our bodies protecting us from heart disease, cancer, etc. One glass of Pomegranate Juice has more antioxidants than 2 glasses of red wine or 10 glasses of green tea. They also contain higher amounts than blueberries and cranberries. They contain large amounts of Vitamin C which we all use a lot of this time of year in cold and flu season. Our bodies need constant replenishing of Vitamin C since when we are stressed we use our supply and our bodies can't make it on their own. They also contain Vitamin B6, Potassium, and Cancer-Fighting Polyphenol content. 

Where to Use Pomegranates: 

• add the seeds to your water or pitchers of water you are serving at parties for a beautiful presentation
• add the seeds to a fruit salad, yogurt and granola parfait, and oatmeal
• use the seeds and juice in holiday cocktails, mock-tails, and punch 
• throw the seeds in a salad: some toasted or candied nuts, seeds, and diced red pepper with some mixed greens or arugula
• cut the pomegranate into wedges for decorating a fruit or dessert platter to add colour and texture
• use in juicing and smoothies
• add to a vinaigrette, stuffing, pie filling, or cranberry sauce at your holiday meal

So, What about you? Let me know how you like to use pomegranates and if you try any of these suggestions this Holiday season. :)

Orange Movember? No, that is not an orange pop moustache!! It's a Fresh Carrot, Apple, and Ginger moustache from a fresh juice I made with my 4 adorable nieces and nephews! 

Some of the common questions I get asked is how to get kids to eat healthier. I am planning a 2 part session "FuN, CrEaTive, and deLicIous FoOd 4 KiDs" workshop, with the first session explaining and educating parents about the importance of nutrition, balancing blood sugars, and creative, fun ways to get them helping in the kitchen and eating the delicious masterpieces in the end! The second part is a hands on cooking class where parents bring their children with them and let them take part in all of the fun! We all create a yummy, healthy meal that we enjoy together and have practical knowledge to go home with and use. My approach is to involve them in some of the preparation and that way they will feel like they contributed, they are proud of their efforts, and they (hopefully) are excited to taste what they created!! 

Here are some tips and suggestions to get you started:

• Practice what you preach!! You can't expect your child to drink water if you're drinking pop? This is so important! Kids look up to their parents and if they know you don’t like it they will follow in your footsteps. 

• Try it again, and again. If it doesn’t work the first time, try a different way next time. Don’t give up. Try adding veggies raw, lightly steamed, in a soup, dips, smoothies, fresh made juices.. just keep trying. 

• Expect that they will like it. If you go into it saying that you aren’t sure if they’ll like it, or make a face while serving it, they likely will already sense they won’t like it. Make sure to try it and say how much you like it first. 

• Include them! At the grocery store, planning and preparing meals let them share ideas and help out with tasks. When you are making a smoothie, let them put some ingredients in! If they are a part of the process they may show more interest. At the grocery store let them pick a new or exotic fruit or vegetable and then you are forced to try new things! The Organic and Local food baskets are great for this since they deliver new produce each week, so every week its a surprise! Kids love surprises!

• Have healthy food available! Spend Sunday afternoons grocery shopping, meal planning, and prepping your week’s meals. Wash and cut up veggies and fruit, have all of your produce washed and stored so that it is ready to use for meal times. Have pre cut veggies and fruit on hand that they can grab at snack times. Make sure that the unhealthy foods are removed and replaced with tasty, healthy ones. Instead of chips and cookies have nuts, seeds, fruit, healthy dips such as guacamole, hummus, bean dips, salsa, veggies, and whole grain crackers, muffins, and trail mix. 

• Make each meal Fun, Creative, and Colorful. Different colors of foods all provide varieties of nutrients growing bodies need and crave.

Cold and Flu Season is here, unfortunately, and I have a few tips and suggestions to help you avoid it!! If your immune system is strong enough you should be able to fight whatever bug comes your way! Eating a healthy balanced diet is one of the best ways to boost your immune system. Here are some foods and supplements to increase during these seasons:

GINGER: Fresh is best. Ginger can be used in a tea, stir-fries, curries, soups, salads, salad dressings, etc. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory (great for relieving mucous build up) and a powerful Antioxidant to fight free radicals in the body.

GARLIC: Antiviral, Antibacterial, and increases cell activity. Use this in dips, dressings, and if you're already sick, crush one garlic clove and add it to honey for a natural "Cough Syrup like" remedy. 

ANTIOXIDANTS: Have a rainbow of different colours in your diet with a variety of flavours and textures and you will be sure to get lots of antioxidants to fight free radicals which can cause cell damage and even cell death.

VITAMIN C with BIOFLAVONOIDS: Since we can't produce our own Vitamin C in our bodies and we use ALOT we need to supplement it during periods of Stress and Cold and Flu Season. When we are stressed our adrenal glands use up more Vitamin C as well as when we are fighting to stay healthy. Use Vitamin C throughout the day to keep an ample supply in your system.

VITAMIN D3: Since we aren't getting the Vitamin D from the sun anymore (Has anyone seen the Sun this week?!) we need to supplement. Vitamin D deficiencies are very common in the colder months since we don't have the sun on our skin directly, which is needed to absorb it effectively. 

PROBIOTICS: Probiotics are important to feed the healthy gut bacteria in our systems and help boost your immunity, improve digestion, and help to eliminate toxins efficiently. 

ECHINACEA: Echinacea has Antiviral and Antibacterial properties as well as increases cell production and cell activity. This is very helpful when fighting off foreign invaders. 

AVOID SUGAR!! Processed and Refined Sugars suppress the immune system for up to 8 hours after consumption!! Thats a long time! Natural sugars found in fruit and vegetables are fine.. I'm only talking about the ones found in a package, a slice of white bread, peanut butter and jam, or in preserved orange juice. I know when I was sick as a kid, my mom would give me Jello, flat Ginger Ale, popsicles, and ice cream.. these are the worst things you can have!! (Not to diss my Mom, she did the best she could with what she knew how, raising 7 kids!!) If you are feeling like something sweet, go for raw, unpasteurized Honey which is a powerful boost to the immune system. It contains 27 minerals, 22 amino acids, and 5000 LIVE enzymes! It also contains natural antibiotic and anti antibacterial properties to support healing, reduce swelling, and prevent infections. 1 tbsp a day is all you need to reap all these SWEET benefits of Honey! Now... don't go overboard!! Its still sugar so make sure if you're consuming more than what you would have in your tea to have it with fibre and protein to stabilize your blood sugar.

If it's too late and you already got the cold or flu bug, its never too late to support your immune system and use these tips. My favourite tea this time of year and when I'm sick is a Lemon Ginger Tea. Try this recipe and let me know what you think!! What are your favourite remedies for fighting a cold or boosting your immune system? 

Lemon Ginger Tea
1 inch of fresh garlic sliced
1 lemon juiced
2 tbs raw honey
5 cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon

In a small pot add ingredients and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!! 

Over the Thanksgiving weekend and the many meals to attend spending time with friends and family kept me thinking of how great it is to share yummy food with loved ones and how much there is to be thankful for! Food seems to always be the main part of every function or gathering... (at least the only ones I attend..lol)
 
On Thanksgiving day we were given a garbage bag full of goodies straight from the garden of my mother in law who fills her backyard with delicious veggies and herbs every year. If my balcony had sun, I'm sure I would be doing the same! 

We are now fully stocked with celery, collard greens, fresh oregano, sage, and green and yellow peppers. I'm drying some of the fresh herbs and celery leaves to use for spices. So exciting! We were also lucky enough to be given a Sprouter and are finally sprouting our own Sprouts! Here it goes.. Wish Us Luck! I'll keep you updated.. Oh and Please leave me your experiences with sprouting and any tips or suggestions.

So.. It felt a bit like Christmas this week when I arrived home after a long day of work and opened up my brand, spanking new Vitamix!!! Not sure how, I, of all people could be so excited about a BLENDER, but let me tell you my friends, This is much more than just a blender!! When I made my Green Smoothie the next morning which I am used to chewing my way though the kale, by the way, It was amazing!! No more chewing! Smoothest Smoothie Ever!

So far I have managed to make almost every single meal with somehow using the Vitamix! I've made soups, sauces, dips, iced lattes, and lattes, yes.. steaming, hot, frothy, lattes!! Wow you would think someone is paying me to say all this.. but no this is a true story. I can't tell you how important and life changing it is to me to have a blender that takes a lot of the work out of making healthy, amazing tasting meals. 

If you asked me what the most important kitchen appliance to invest in was, I would hands down say a decent blender, and not only because my previous one was older than me!!

I'm excited to start trying some new recipes and creating some tasty foods to share with you! I look forward to hearing from you with all of your favourite blender recipes! 

Now... What can I blend for Thanksgiving?!!

Try this this yummy Smooth as can be Green Smoothie in my Recipe Section!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend Everyone!! 

Laura

Those crisp fall days are here! I absolutely love this time of year. What I love about it are the gorgeous sunny days that you need a light jacket for, the air feeling so fresh, the beautiful, vibrant colours of the leaves, and the fall harvest with the abundance of fresh produce in season!

Tonight I grabbed some Butternut Squash, Fresh Ginger, and  a can of Organic Coconut Milk for this yummy, Thai Curried Soup. It had just the right amount of spice to it to keep you wanting more and warming you from the inside out. Nothing garnishes better than my all time favourite herb, Cilantro, which gives such a fresh taste to any recipe! 

Thank you for joining my Blog, I'm excited that this is my very first post!! Enjoy these fall days everyone and check out this recipe on my website under Salads and Sides.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Laura