Healthy Life Lessons

Yummy, but not overly sweet, these can be made with just about any fruit you have on hand and make a healthy breakfast or snack. Serve plain or with a dollop of dairy or non-dairy yogurt. They can be cut into squares, but definitely need to be eaten with a fork or spoon, like you would a fruit crumble. Fresh or frozen fruit (stone fruit, berries, cherries, etc.) to make 1.5 cups puree. I used 2 large apricots, 2 peaches and 1/2 cup blueberries. 2 tbls sweetener, or to taste, depending on how sweet your fruit is (I used stevia) 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbls arrowroot or corn starch 1/2 cup Earth Balance 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 flax eggs (2 tbls ground flax + 6 tbls hot water) 1.5 cups spelt flour 1 cup oats 1/4 cup granular sweetener (I used stevia) 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt Start by placing cut up fruit in a pot with cinnamon and sweetener. Cook until fruit softens and then add starch. Mix well and remove from heat. Dump cooked fruit in food...

If you live in Canada, you likely know that "It's in you to give" is the tag line for Canadian Blood Services. I have been wanting to donate blood forever, but for some reason haven't gotten around to it. Sometime last fall, I decided I wanted to do it for sure. This weekend I actually did it. There are a number of psychological theorists who have postulated that one of the keys to personal fulfillment and happiness is doing things that have social value. After all, how can you feel bad if you are doing something good for others, which generally makes you feel good about yourself? One of the reasons I left my old career was, in my opinion, it lacked much social value, and hence much value to me. My new career in counselling fulfills my desire to do something more meaningful for work, but why should helping/giving be limited to one's work? Donating blood is something which I think most people can recognize the value of. A medical emergency could happen to...

Most parents likely find mornings to be challenging. Getting your kids moving and ready to go by a certain time can often feel like a losing battle. Fights over clothes, fights over breakfast, resistance to teeth brushing, hair brushing and putting on appropriate outdoor clothes. It can all be a recipe for tension and stress for everyone. Adam leaves the house at 6am almost every day, so I am generally on my own to deal with these frustrations. Until a few months ago, it was usually Big A who created the biggest challenge in the mornings for me. From aged 18 months onward, she would wake up grumpy and sulky, and would battle with me over getting dressed, brushing her teeth and putting on her outdoor clothes. It was not uncommon for me to end up putting Little A in her stroller, pushing it out onto the front porch, and then throwing a hysterical Big A over my shoulder, along with her shoes and coat, and carrying her screaming outside where I either forced her into her outdoor clo...

This was an experiment that went deliciously wrong. I spied a bag of peeled chestnuts in my cupboard and was inspired to try and make a healthy nut-free alternative to Nutella. The result was nothing like what I was going for, but delicious anyways. Irish Moss is a sea vegetable with a number of culinary uses and wonderful health properties. To learn more about it and how to prepare it check out:http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2012/01/04/the-mystery-revealed-how-to-prepare-irish-moss-sea-moss/ This is one of those items I found in Kensington Market at House of Spice. I was not able to find it ANYWHERE else in Toronto where I usually shop. If you want to try it, you can buy it online from Meghan Telpner: http://www.meghantelpner.com/product/irish-moss-sea-moss/ That being said, I don't think it's necessary for this recipe, so you can just omit. Big A went absolutely CRAZY for this stuff and I love that it has all the nutrition of the chestnuts, unsweetened chocolate a...

What the heck is picadillo, you ask? No it's not the prehistoric-looking creature you've probably seen at a zoo silly...that's an armadillo! Besides, how would that be vegan? Picadillo is a traditional Cuban dish made with ground beef, lots of aromatic herbs and spices, and olives and raisins, giving it that irresistable sweet-salty combo. I'm recreated it here using tempeh instead of meat. I love using crumbled tempeh in place of ground meat, it is so versatile, healthy and yummy. Last time I made a dish this way, Adam said, "Yum, I love chicken!" before I told him what it was. Ha ha! 1 tsp olive oil 1 onion, minced (I did this in food processor) 1 carrot, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 350-400g package organic tempeh, crumbled (I pulse it in food processor) 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 2 b...

I finally got down to one of the downtown Toronto Lush Cosmetics stores last week and tested out their Gorilla perfume line. Unfortunately, I found them better suited to...well, gorillas. I really, really wanted to like them, since they are 100% natural, never tested on animals, and, as the heavily pierced, tatooed, dread-locked sales girl told me, they are not made with beaver anal glands. But just because I don't want any beaver anuses harmed in the making of my perfume, doesn't mean I want to smell like one. I'm just kidding, they aren't THAT bad. But they just aren't for me - they all smell too much like incense - and as any perfume lover knows, scents are highly personal. Fortunately, I went to Sephora yesterday and FELL IN LOVE! I discovered the LaVanila Laboratories line of fragrances and personal care products. I have always loved the smell of vanilla, and it should come as no surprise that I generally favour gustatory scents. My old favorite: ...

I know I have an unusual affection for vegetables that not everyone shares. I guess it isn't necessarily "normal" to get giddy over kale or to inhale a whole bunch of broccoli in one sitting. But hey, I never claimed to be normal! I always tease Adam because, although he eats everything I cook for him, his stomach seems to have half the available space for vegetables and grains as it does for, say, meat and chocolate. After far too much worry and anguish about the girls' vegetable consumption, a more relaxed approach to feeding them has resulted in both of them developing a fairly healthy relationship with this food group. Some of the strategies that have helped are: 1. Using frozen cauliflower and broccoli, instead of fresh, because they have a softer texture, and less pronounced flavour; 2. Using veggies to make "faces" or other designs on their plates; 3. Putting one bowl of their favorite veggies on the centre of the table. Sibling rivalry mak...