Flowfit

This past Wednesday was the first snack served post  holiday break at John T. Tuck School.  I have found in the past (read Healthy Snack – Veggies and Hummus) that the best intentions aren’t always successful.  When it comes to healthy snack, my best intentions usually include pumping the kids full of essential vitamins and nutritents, especially after a holiday break.   A good idea, yes?  Agreed.  However, it is not always so well received when their pallets have been used to such decadent fare.  When in doubt, go with tried and true. What is the number one most requested snack at John T. Tuck School? – JC’s Bagels and fruit.

Mention this post and receive 8 bagels for the price of 6! (for a limited time only)

If you’ve never tried a JC’s Bagel, you are truly missing out.  They have that perfect texture, chewy, dense (but not too dense), and when toasted create the perfect crunch!  You can dine in JC’s and try one of their made to order bagel sandwiches and home made soup or you can buy bagels to take home.  Joe, one of the owners of JC’s kindly offered this limited time deal.  Just mention this post and receive 8 bagels for the price of 6.  Wonderful!

IDEA!!  Kids lunches are always a struggle… 5 days a week trying to come up with something creative that they will actually eat.  Here is an easy one – simply cut up one of JC’s bagels into quarters (which is how we serve them at school).  Add in some fresh cut up veggies and hummus and fresh fruit and lunch is done!  How easy is that?!

Win win!

Speaking of winning…. Flowfit is doing it’s first GIVEAWAY!!  Respond to this post with your idea of a healthy snack (could even be used at our school!) and one lucky winner will receive a dozen JC’s Bagels delivered right to your door!  Nice!

Another wonderful thing happened last Wednesday while perparing healthy snack.  As the six of us were busily washing, chopping and plating the bagels and fruit, a little knock was heard at the door.  When I opened the door, there were three smiling faces holding handfuls of colourfully decorated paper.  They handed them over explaining they were thank you cards for the volunteers of the healthy snack program.  BIG SMILES!

How AWESOME is that?!  Never underestimate the power of giving thanks.  These lovely little gems were very well received indeed.  We all enjoyed taking a moment to stop and read through the carefully written and decorated cards.  It is nice to know your hard work is appreciated.  Big Thanks right back at ya grade 4′s!!

First, I’ll explain my lengthy absence…. back track to two weeks before Christmas – illness hit our house, first with my daughter, then me.  And it didn’t end there… from stomach bugs to headaches, ear infections, kidney infection, laryngitis, body aches and chills (not necessarily in that order), it was a hellish month!  Add to that our trusty van dying, the dog nearly dying and all of it sans hubby.  Let’s hope there is something to be said for ending a year with difficulty.  Out with the old and in with the new!!

Hello 2011!

01/01/11 That date has a whole lot of ones…. does that mean this year will be full of firsts? New beginnings?  I’m sure an astrologer would have an answer to that question.  For me however, 2010 had a lot of firsts… starting with this blog!  That was a huge first.  Followed by adopting a strict vegan diet (I lasted 8 months), my husband started a new business which took him to China for 3 weeks at a time… a HUGE first for both of us.  From the two of us working from home side by side 24/7, his absence was a big adjustment.  2010 was the first year I did NOT send out Christmas cards.  Sometimes, you have to let things fall in order to get through a challenge.  So, if you noticed you didn’t get a card from me, you were not on my naughty list this year, I simply had to lessen my load.

Now, looking into 2011, I can see a lot of firsts already…

First #1 – a renovation – my kitchen!!  A long awaited venture (16 years!!) for which the hugely exciting planning process has already begun.  Look out cookbooks!  A new space is being created just for you…. ;o)

First #2 – Paris France – a place I’ve longed to visit… a foodie heaven…THE most romantic destination in the world!  I WILL see Paris this year!  Two firsts already and January has just begun.  I say 2011 looks like a pretty exciting year so far!

What about resolutions?  People always talk about resolutions come the new year…. I hear a lot of talking about diets, cleanses, new workout routines, less wine, more family time and personal promises to make big changes…. .  Although starting a new routine is good, especially one that will improve your overall health, it’s important to go into such big changes with the right attitude and expectations.  People often ask me, “how do you stay so thin when all you do is cook and eat?!”  Well, I am not a certified nutritionist, not even close actually, but I do love food.  I always have.  I remember loving watching my mom cook, then my sisters.  Watching, helping and learning and tasting.  Paying attention to their ease and imagining myself one day in a kitchen of my own, cooking and feeding friends and family.  Whenever I was in a waiting room, it would be the Gourmet or BonAppetite magazines I would pick up.  I would read the recipes and dream of creating them one fine day.  Today my cookbook collection covers many different countries and ethnic cooking methods.  Over the years, my cooking has changed from trying to create fancy gourmet meals to making clean, wholesome, comfortable food.  ”Fancy” as my husband would stay still happens sometimes, but it’s more about balance and awareness.

I love the word awareness… being aware of  your surroundings, your body, your feelings and your instincts.  So… getting back to the question (how do you stay thin?)  I am aware of what I eat – I eat real food, unprocessed food, local and chemical free food as often as I can.  I read labels always.   I rarely eat fast food and I never drink pop (that’s soda for my American friends).

I am aware that the world we live in has families that eat pizza, hot dogs, chicken fingers and fries, hamburgers and kraft dinner most nights of the week.  I am aware that the companies that make these foods tell us it is good for us (shame on them!).  I understand that not everyone has the time to make a perfect healthy meal every night of the week,  but you can start by making simple changes:

• omit white bread, buy wholesome whole grain bread without chemicals.  No excuses.  See Rudolph’s Bread
• include a variety of fresh local fruits and vegetables daily
• don’t buy soda pop, don’t even bring it into the house.  No excuses.
• read labels on everything you buy – if you don’t know what it is, it probably isn’t food.  Don’t buy it.
• refined sugar – it’s nasty.  Look for it, watch for it, stay away from it.
• visit local farms, meet the farmers, find a home delivery resource, it makes life sooo easy.  See Plan B Organic Farms.  Support local sustainable farmers as often as you can.
• Eat less meat.  Pay attention to the amount of animal products you are eating – eggs, milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, lunch meat, chicken for dinner.  You don’t need that much in your daily diet.  Attempt one, then two, three or four days without any animal products.  Your body will thank you.
• Create a new habit of eating salad every night with dinner.  It’s a gift to you and your children.

Even if you can only manage two or three things on that list and make them your new normal, you have done good.

I will never be a true “vegan”.  This I discovered when I broke down in tears in a local cheese shop.  I spent eighty dollars on cheese that day and was happy I did!  It was over just like that.  Eight months of a vegan diet ended in eighty dollars worth of wonderful cheese.

SMILES

Maybe the word “Vegetarian” feels more comfortable?  It did until my husband said we eat fish, so we’re called “pescitarians” and if we eat turkey (or chicken) once in a while, we’re called “poulitarians”.  He added, we could also be called “locavours” because we eat local food.  He smiles.  Okay okay!!  Enough of the labels.  I never did like labels, so I’m removing labeling what we may or may not be because of what we may or may not consume from my vocabulary.   Done.

I’ve been seeing this poster popping up on quite a few blogs lately and I think it sums it up quite nicely.  Such simple wise words.  Can you believe it was created in about 1917?  Amazing, isn’t it?  I think I will have it framed and hung in my new kitchen!

Lastly, (my rant is nearly done, really) I am also aware of a shift in awareness.  Do you feel it?  More people are reading labels and asking questions.  They are listening to their instincts that prompt them to make a change in the way they eat and feed their families.  Awareness is spreading it’s lovely wings and creating a change for the better.  Excellent!

Oh!  I forgot to mention…..I believe in having  one (okay, maybe two) hotdogs a year – on that perfect summer day, by the pool, with the kids.  So there!

Rant officially over.

I wonder what November the 11th will bring?  How rare are those numbers?  11/11/11

Say goodbye to summer shares and hello to fall shares!  The fall shares from Plan B are honestly the ones I look forward to the most every year.  This will be my third fall with Plan B. The boxes truly hold all that autumn harvest has to offer….

Each fall share contains:

Root Veggies – for example, local carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, & squash.

Fresh Veggies – for example, broccoli, celery, peppers, zucchini, leek, tomatoes, chard & kale.

Salad Greens – for example, local greenhouse grown lettuce, salad mix, arugula, & herbs.

Fruit – for example, local apples, oranges, banana, pears, avocadoes, mangos & lemons.

(Examples of 1 item are: 1 bunch broccoli, 2lbs potatoes, 5 pears, 1 bag salad mix, 1 bunch of basil etc.)

What is Plan B?

Plan B is a local, family run organic farm – Melanie, Alvaro and Rodrego and their children are passionate and honest about what they do.  Their passion is contagious and their authenticity admirable.  Years ago, people had to eat local, seasonal foods because that’s all that was available to them.  But with today’s technology and  ever growing grocery chains, we are eating strawberries in December (which scientists are now saying is not such a good thing after all).  Things always seem to come full circle, don’t they? and we continually learn from our mistakes.  Sadly, these lessons often come through illness or environmental concerns.  Regardless things are changing….we are learning and we are becoming more aware of the effects that the foods we eat have on our bodies.  More and more people are supporting our local farmers, eating organic and aiding in the overall health of our planet (and our bodies) YAY!  It makes me giddy when someone tells me how much they love their Plan B Box because it means there is a greater understanding.  An understanding of how beneficial eating local seasonal organic foods is to not only our health but also to our environment.

Here are some of the great reasons to order and enjoy Plan B produce all winter long!

Why buy produce from Plan B in the fall instead of the supermarket?

• The best selection & value of local and imported certified organic produce – directly from farmer to farmer
• Keep your food budget on target – I’ve saved money ordering from Plan B!
• Plan B “puts local first” in the shares, with stored root crops, local greenhouse greens, and local apples all season long.
• The imported foods in your share are as fresh as you can get. They don’t sit out on a store shelf losing valuable nutrients, they go straight from the ground to the cooler to you.
• Supporting Plan B in their ongoing work of developing a local organic farm business helps your local farmers AND your environment!
• Best of all – opening your weekly Plan B box is like opening a gift from the earth.

I hope that many of you will choose to support Plan B through the fall, winter & spring instead of returning to the supermarket, for your fresh certified organic produce.  This off season income is a crucial part of this family run farm business and is what makes it possible for them to keep farming year after year!

Mention this post when ordering and receive $5.oo off your first share!

For more information or to order your share, please visit:

http://www.planborganicfarms.ca/

Do you feel it?  I do.  It’s been slowly creeping in over the last few weeks.  It started with a sense of urgency, almost panic – like forgetting your purse on the counter at Starbucks… but that wasn’t it.  What was it?  I had no idea…. then it hit me.

Back to school.

I am so totally and completely not ready!  Not ready for the schedules, rushed mornings, homework battles, heaps of paperwork from the school and most of all, I’m not ready for the quiet house.  Not ready to say good-bye to my daughter entering grade one.  SO not ready for that!  Sniff sniff…

It’s been a great summer.  A good old fashioned laid back, do what you want kind of summer.  We had many lazy days, just hanging around.  This summer my kids learned how to play gin rummy, Rummoli and how to dive.  They learned not to swing sticks at bee hives, spray the hose directly into your mouth or try the slip and slide before it’s wet.  I learned to relax more and care less about the things that were hard lines before summer came – They tried cola for the first time (gasp!), went skinny dipping before the sun went down and ate popcorn in our bed watching a movie.

We’ve made memories this summer.  Ones I know I will never forget.

Lollygagging with the kids hasn’t been the only thing I’ve done this summer.  As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve also been blogging!  What a simply wonderful outlet it has been creating, documenting and sharing my recipes and thoughts.

Cook.  Photo.  Eat.  Blog.  Repeat.

It has truly has been a joy and I’ve learned many things and made many friends (fellow bloggers) along the way.  Thank you to you, my readers for following along with me, commenting and experimenting with healthy meals.  I’ve loved every moment of it – well, there may be one exception…..my only grunt would be continually eating cold meals.

Along with September’s arrival came my thoughts for the upcoming school year.  I’ve already met with the Principal and VP of our school and chatted about the new food and nutrition memorandum (150) –  See this article for more – Food for Thought. What I shared with them was my on going search to find a healthy hot lunch program that tasted great and was reasonably priced.  It came down to two companies that touted fresh, healthy, tasty choices. We shared a sample lunch from one and sadly none of us were impressed.  It didn’t taste fresh, it didn’t look fresh and we didn’t think it was a healthy choice.  One down, one to go.  Fingers crossed.

This fall, I will be adding something new to my blog!  With the kids back in school, my focus will change (have I said I’m not ready?) and I’ll be making two packed lunches five days a week.  Naturally, something that happens as often as that will appear on my blog.  I am pretty sure I am not the only one that feels occasionally uninspired when it comes to packing daily healthy lunches for kids.  Honestly, as creative as I am in the kitchen, I sometimes feel challenged to come up with something exciting and nutritious that the kids will actually eat!  So my next challenge is this:

What to do for lunch Wednesdays

Every Wednesday I will post a healthy, kid friendly and fuss free lunch idea.  I like the sound of that!

What I don’t like the sound of is that the day after tomorrow…. the day after tomorrow….. the day after tomorrow is the first day of school.  Have I mentioned I’m not ready?  Sigh….. like the Green Day song says…. “wake me up when September ends”…. maybe then I’ll be ready.

This video of Jamie Oliver speaking out on obesity gave me goosebumps!  Please take a few moments and watch this…

“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”

Obesity is a global, preventable problem. This is a must watch especially if you have school aged children.

Did you ever wonder…