By Michèle Duquet of Michèle’s Organics

So we’ve survived February. Barely. Between the snowstorms, weather extremes, and indoor heating, are you finding that your skin is now dry no matter what you do?

Want to know an effective way to keep your skin well hydrated during our harsh Canadian winters?

Oil. Yep, oil.

Last year while working for a few weeks in Banff, I experienced some of the harshest dry climate I’ve ever been exposed to. No matter how much water I drank and organic creams & lotions I used, my skin was still dry.

Thankfully I brought my favorite oils with me  (along with my parka!) in case my skin needed extra help against the -40°C temperatures. I mixed some of the carrier oils with a blend of essential oils and lavished this on my face and body as often as I could. And it worked!

Using oils on your skin, especially on your face may seem like a recipe for breakouts, particularly for those with oily or mixed skins, but if you use the right oil combinations and blends, you can survive winter with beautiful, glowing skin.

Here are my picks of the top 10 oils for skin hydration:  5 carrier oils & 5 essential oils.

For easy do-it-yourself home remedies, use any of the oils on the following list in combination, by mixing the carrier oils with your choice of essential oils.

Use a ratio of 10 drops of essential oils for every 50 ml of the carrier oils.

CARRIER OILS:

1.  Jojoba carrier oil:

Jojoba oil is a liquid wax, extracted from the beans of the jojoba plant. It mimics and dissolves sebum, the fatty substance produced by the body to protect the skin.

This is important because acne is caused by the over production of sebum. Adding Jojoba to the mix will not only hydrate the skin, but also help prevent breakouts. It is very stable, which is ideal if you want your mix to have a longer shelf life.

Can be used at a 100% ratio in your mix.

2. Apricot Kernel carrier oil:

If you are looking for a silky-smooth carrier oil that is easily absorbed by the skin without leaving it feeling oily, look no further.

Apricot oil has a lovely light texture and is wonderful for mature skin, prematurely aging skin, and dry or sensitive skin. I find it leaves my skin feeling silky and well hydrated. It is mostly used as a facial oil and has a long shelf life.

Can be used at a 100% ratio in your mix.

3. Sweet Almond carrier oil:

Sweet almond is a lovely oil to work with. It penetrates well into the skin while softening, soothing, and re-conditioning. It contains mono & polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins A, B1, B2 & B6, as well as a small amount of vitamin E, which will help it from going rancid too quickly.

Sweet almond oil is a wonderful choice for dry and itchy skin.

Can be used at a 100% ratio in your mix.

4. Macadamia Nut carrier oil:

Macadamia nut oil is one of my favorite anti-aging oils. It is to be used as an addition only, but well worth adding it to the mix because it contains palmitoleic acid, an essential fatty acid found in sebum (the fatty substance produced by the body to protect the skin), especially the sebum of infants, children and teenagers. Because its presence diminishes as we age, adding macadamia nut oil becomes very beneficial for maturing skin. It doesn’t clog the pores, instead it provides a barrier against moisture loss.

Can be used at a 5-10% ratio in your mix.

5. Calendula carrier oil:

Calendula oil is known as “pot of marigold”, and is extracted from the flower heads of the plant. It has a reputation as a wonderful skin-healing oil, and has been used in ointments and tinctures for centuries. It is well known for its ability to protect against dry, chapped and cracked skin. It is to be used as an addition only.

Can be used at a 25% ratio in your mix.

ESSENTIAL OILS:

(Important note: Please consult a health care professional if pregnant, breastfeeding, on medications or homeopathic remedies before using any essential oils).

1.  Rose Otto essential oil (For the face – high-end):

Known as the queen of essential oils, Rose Otto is soothing to all skin types. It is highly regarded as being especially effective with acne, dry sensitive skin, mature skin, wrinkles, and broken capillaries. Its toning and soothing effects make this essential oil a wonderful skin healer as Rose Otto is regarded as a powerful skin rejuvenator.

Because it is so expensive, it is often sold at a 10% dilution (10% Rose Otto, 90% Jojoba). This is a good option and can be used in your oils at the same ratio even if you buy it diluted

2.  Neroli essential oil (For the face – high-end):

Neroli is renowned for its cytophylactic (cell-regenerative) properties. It is excellent for stimulating cell growth and cellular activity, and is therefore very helpful in rejuvenating and regenerating the skin. Neroli is also considered to be wonderful for treating acne, dry, devitalized, oily, and mature skins. It is also highly sought-after for improving elasticity, fighting broken capillaries on the skin and preventing permanent scarring, making this essential oil ideal for both young and mature skins alike. If you’ve never heard of Neroli, it is produced from the blossom of the bitter orange tree.

Neroli is also sold at a 10% dilution because of its high cost.

3. Carrot seed essential oil (For the face & body – mid-range cost):

Carrot seed oil is one of my favorite oils for anti-aging and skin healing. It is known for reducing or preventing wrinkles and for its regenerative powers, particularly after severe burns. It is a good addition to a blend for treating and healing scars.

4. Lavender essential oil (For the face & body – more affordable):

Lavender not only has a wonderfully soothing scent but it is also known as a remarkable healer & balancer. It is considered to be incredibly versatile & adaptable for all skin types and skin problems. It is highly regarded for possessing cell-regenerating properties and is well known for healing sunburns or burns of any kind. This is a wonderful oil to use for all ages and skin types.

5. Sweet-Orange essential oil (For the face & body – most affordable):

Sweet-Orange essential oil is regarded as useful for dull and oily skin, while its renowned cell-regenerating and hydrating properties work well on wrinkles & dry skin. It is also considered helpful with puffiness, strengthening to the epidermis, stimulating to circulation and melanocyte development (the cells capable of producing melanin) and calming to skin gland function. This is another wonderful oil to use for all ages and skin types.

TIPS on how to oil the skin:

Face:  

Massage the oils gently, until they start to penetrate. Let this settle in the skin for 30 minutes before applying your favorite organic facial creams.

Body:

Dermatologists warn against the use of hot water because of its drying effect on the skin, but I’ve always failed miserably at my attempts to bathe or shower in lukewarm water. When I’m freezing, I want hot water. So while it is excellent advice, I can’t very well expect anyone to follow it if I can’t.

Here’s a compromise: take shorter showers and baths, and follow the methods listed below. They work!

 (1) Baths:

In a bath, add 2 tablespoons of the oil mix to your bath water. A lovely residue will cover your skin and it will look radiant. If you find you need even more hydration, either add more oil next time, or apply the oil mix prior to entering the bath, massaging lightly to help its absorption. When toweling off, dab, don’t rub.

(2) Showers:

Try both of these methods to see which suits you best:

(a) Apply the oil mix before entering the shower, massaging lightly to help its absorption.

(b) Slather on the oil mix after washing, away from the water flow. Either stop the water or turn the showerhead away. Massage briefly and then rinse lightly. When toweling off, dab, don’t rub.

Always choose organic oils and soaps. Harsh chemicals in soaps can strip the natural oils from the outer protective layer of your skin and dry it out more than any hot shower can.

Essential oils should be therapeutic grade. Make sure to look for the following on the labels:  the Latin name, country of origin and whether it is classified as certified organic, organic, wildcrafted, or unsprayed, otherwise it is not therapeutic grade, and could be a false chemical replica.

A final note on skin hydration: when applying the oils, if they are absorbed too quickly, it’s your body’s way of telling you that you are dehydrated. Your body is literally drinking in the oils.

In the winter I find it difficult to drink water, so I hydrate with organic herbal teas or soups and smoothies. You’ll find lots of amazing recipes on naturalginger.ca!

Wising everyone a happy spring, it’s just around the corner!

Michèle is a passionate advocate for healthy living and organics. A lifelong vegetarian, organics enthusiast and environmentalist, she loves sharing with others her knowledge of all that is good for humans and the planet. Empowering people to make the best health choices for themselves is her passion.  She developed her own line of organic skincare and founded Michèle’s Organics, a company for those who, like her, needed more transparency, honesty and integrity when buying products. Michèle is a certified aromatologist, actor and a self-proclaimed ingredients list expert! You can follow Michèle on her blog, twitter and facebook. Her products can be found on michelesorganics.com.
 

My Experience with Mihaela

I first met Mihaela when we worked together at the All One Clinic on Roncesvalles.  As soon as I met her I could sense her groundedness and positive, compassionate energy.  Kindness and confidence emanate off of Mihaela which is why she is so great at what she does.

Mihaela works many different modalities together when working with her clients.  When I booked a massage with her I also received some reflexology.  It was very well received and my digestion started to react almost immediately (gurgling and growling away!).  Not only did I feel relaxed and loose after the massage, I felt balanced and well looked after.  Just being in Mihaela’s presence sets you in a very grounded and calm state.  She’s amazing!

Mihaela and Craniosacral Therapy

The remainder of this article was written by Mihaela which explains a bit more about her practice as well as a detailed description of Craniosacral Therapy, which is a modality Mihaela is specializing in at the moment.  Thank you Mihaela!

I work as a massage therapist and I am constantly taking courses to be able to work with my clients using different approaches. I see clients with various needs. Some of my clients suffer from injuries or traumas. Others suffer from stress, anxiety and depression. Massage and energy work has a tremendous beneficial effect on the body and nervous system.
One of the modalities I use in my treatments is Craniosacral therapy. Craniosacral is a non-invasive technique where the practitioner listens to the movements that are taking place in the client’s body and opens the space for potential change.

Our body holds a lot of patterns. These patterns are the accumulated events that occurred in our lives. If we have sufficient resources we are able to deal with difficulty more easily. However, if we do not have enough resources we hold to traumatic events until we are able to process them. Craniosacral therapy helps the client to get in touch with their resources in order to be able to process some of the experiences that are stored in their system.

Birth is one of the most important event in one’s life. During the birth process a lot of traction and pressure is put on the newborn body. These forces are oftentimes stored in our skull and spine and affect us later on in life. Bringing awareness to these deep imprinted patterns is part of the craniosacral therapy work. Just by paying attention to the forces in the skull and vertebrae we can start releasing and realigning them, giving space for substantial change in the body and mind.

The term Craniosacral describes a system of motion that cycles between the bones in our head (cranial bones) and the base of our spine (the sacrum). The cerebrospinal fluid is moved when motion happens and it brings life energy to all the areas of the body.

We carry with us most of our history of patterns and habits. It is stored in our tissue. Sometimes these patterns manifest as restrictions in flow of life force to certain areas of our body. Craniosacral therapy helps with that by allowing the client to get in touch with those patterns by creating the resources to be able process them. If you are interested in finding out more about Craniosacral therapy please email me at info@lovingcareclinic.ca or check out my website al www.lovingcareclinic.ca.

If you have not worked with Mihaela before I highly recommend that you do!  Make sure to visit her site listed above and contact her to book a session or to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks for reading! xo

By Jennifer Browne

My exhausting journey with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) began when I was about 20 years old, and in a very frustrating, stressful relationship. The relationship ended, but my painful, bloating, cramping, gassy symptoms did not.

I spent the next 9 years or so attempting to figure out my tummy trouble. I put myself through a series of tests, including laparoscopies, colonoscopies, enemas, and ultrasounds. When I was told I had IBS (around the age of 22, maybe?) I was disappointed that it wasn’t something else, because I had looked up IBS, and there didn’t appear to be any cure or tried-and-true method to solving it.

I was pretty pissed off.

Throughout my 20’s, I did try diet adjustments (I found that wheat made me feel more inflamed), and I got really into aromatherapy, which helped sometimes. Mostly though, I just learned to live with the fact that I would flare if I flew, wore tight clothing, or ate pasta. I never knew when I would have a good day, or a bad one.

Also, stress made it worse. When I had my 3 children, I would have very long flare-ups (for weeks, or even months at a time) when they were babies. I think this was primarily due to lack of sleep. (I am NOT okay on no sleep!)

Finally, when I was 29, and nearing the end of my tether with the restrictions that IBS put on me, I tried something I hadn’t done before. I decided to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet that eliminated all animal meat except fish, and most dairy. (I still to this day put half-and-half in my coffee every now and then.) I had been a vegetarian before in my teens, but had never attempted to eliminate dairy, processed food, or sugar. Within 6 days of me implementing this diet, my IBS symptoms were gone. I immediately went off the laxatives that I had been taking twice a day for almost 10 years. I lost weight, and my flare-ups completely disappeared.

Needless to say, I was shocked.

I know SO many people that suffer from digestive issues, so I decided to ask them to try the diet and see what happens. What happened is what I thought might happen: everyone improved almost immediately. With this newfound knowledge about food and it’s relation to digestive improvement under my belt (which I now had to wear!), I started to read about food and disease. I read about 40 books in the next 14 months, and when I was done, I started to write my own.

My book, which is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2013, is called Love Your Gut. The title is kind of an inside joke between my mom and I, because she had always suffered from digestive angst (she has diverticulitis), and used to always tell me that her “guts hurt.” I hated the word “gut!” It sounded gross. So, naturally, I had to use it in this book.

The title is also meaningful because I don’t think most people realize that what you put in your body must be processed by YOU and then make its way out. This sounds simple enough, but we still flood our bodies with sugar, processed ingredients, GMOs, and animal products on a regular basis. I had no idea that by eating these foods, I was making my body work overtime to process this junk which was completely void of actual nutrients. No wonder it was acting up—it was angry, exhausted, and definitely considering calling it quits.

Even if you think you eat well, you need to ask yourself if you know exactly what you’re putting in your mouth. Chances are…you don’t. We trust that food manufacturers produce food that is in our best interest to eat. Why would anyone make someone else sick, right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work this way. As an example food manufacturers use high-fructose corn syrup as their sweetener of choice, because it’s cheap. Did you know that it’s also genetically modified, and a terrible drain on our energy?

Love Your Gut discusses the importance of recognizing what we choose to eat, and how it will affect our health.

If you are suffering from a chronic digestive problem, then please know that you have the power to adjust it by being mindful about your food. You may not fix the problem entirely, but I absolutely guarantee that you will see improvement. Be your own best advocate, and treat yourself to some real food: food that will provide energy, not drain it. Food that will improve your health, not hinder it.

Board that train to Digestive Bliss Town! It’s a smooth ride, finally.

Jennifer Browne is the author of Love Your Gut (coming fall 2013 from Skyhorse Publishing), and an advocate for digestive health and nutrition education. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature, and a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition. Please visit her website at www.jenniferbrowne.org, her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/loveyourgut.ca, and follow her on Twitter @jennifer_browne.

Recently Deepak Chopra released a free online program called the 21 Day Meditation Challenge.  It was 21 days of free short meditations with daily mantras and centering thoughts.  It was an amazing program and I’m sure it was listened to by thousands of individuals.

I have been working on my daily meditative practice for most of this year.  It was something that had never meant much to me in the past until I recently became more interested in it and realized its amazing effects and benefits.  Meditation is not as easy as it seems as you do not just sit or lay down and close your eyes.  It is much more involved than that.  Meditation is a practice and an exercise in self restraint and control.  It takes practice and a little determination to get through a successful meditation.  When you do though, the outcomes and after-effects are amazing.

As much as I set out to complete the 21 Day Challenge from start to finish I did not succeed.  I would not say that I failed or that I let myself down in any way.  I was able to take so much away from the days that I did practice the meditations that in my mind there is no way I can call that a failed attempt.  Each day that I did listen I was awakened to new practices and new ways of thinking.  I feel that I was able to walk away with so much that I am confident it was all I needed to greatly enhance my meditative practice from this day forward.

This is why I wanted to focus on my favourite day of the meditation challenge.  Day 13: Abundance and the Law of Detachment.  This meditation and discussion by Deepak really hit home for me – and I wanted to share it with you as I feel it is something we can all benefit from.  In the recorded session Deepak talks about the law of detachment as the release of our control on the continual outcome of our actions – and of our lives.  He explains that the law of detachment in relation to abundance is our letting go of our outcomes and our trust in the abundance the universe will supply us.  Let me explain that further.  When you become more involved in spirituality and the belief that there is a presence greater than us, flowing through all of us and connecting all of us, there is a continual belief and trust that the universe will supply all of what we desire and need in life with a little trust, action, and loss of control.  Trust is created through the practice of having faith in a universal energy.  Action is the practice of acting on our intentions, intuition, goals, desires, and beliefs.  The loss of control is what needs to be explained further (and practiced more frequently for most of us).  In order to receive abundance from the universe, we need to have faith in the universe and put action towards our goals, intentions, beliefs, and desires BUT completely let go of our need to control the outcomes.  This is the beauty that really hit home for me.

We are so worried about the outcome of our actions that we grasp at anything we can to gain control of it.  We cannot simply let go of that control – it’s almost unbearable.  I think that is because we simply don’t have enough faith in the universe and enough faith in ourselves.  If you are living your life from your heart, doing something you love and creating good in the world, how could you not have faith in the universe to bring you all that you desire in life?  If we focused a little more on following our passions and dreams and loving what we are doing (and doing something that is helping others), I believe we would all live so much more in peace and in abundance.

So how could you try to live more in line with abundance and the law of detachment?  Can you find an example in your life where this law applied?  I would love to also share the mantra that went along with Deepak’s meditation for this day.  I would also encourage all of you to go visit the site and think about purchasing the recordings for all 21 days of the challenge.  It could be one thing that greatly enhances your life.

Deepak’s mantra for Day 13: Abundance and the Law of Detachment is Om Anandham Namah.  This mantra means “my actions are blissfully free from attachment to outcome.”  Try sitting for a few minutes and reciting that mantra.  Try to believe that there is a universal energy that provides all that we desire and that it will bring everything we ever wanted if we just let go of the outcome.  Start to really find what makes you happy in life and what your true talents are.  These true talents are what you can give to the world to make it a better place.  Find these things and watch how abundantly your life can grow!  Speaking from experience that is

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.  I truly hope that it ignites something within you to start letting go of the outcome.  I know I am going to be working on this!

Lots of love to you all!

I absolutely love courses, books, lectures, practices, etc. that help you to reach your higher self.  Personal development and growth has been extremely important to me in the last few years.  Some practices are extremely challenging and others we soon can’t live without but above all they feed our souls and help us to learn our life purpose; our ultimate life goals.

It is very easy for us to get lost in the day to day, to push our passions and our desires aside in order to make money and support ourselves.  We get caught up in the mundane aspects of life that neither make us happy nor feed our souls.  In my life I want to be able to say that I practiced the art of self growth and self discovery.  I want to be able to say that I dug a little deeper and followed my passion to create a life of abundance and grace.  It is important to me to know that I work doing something that I love and believe in because I feel that I am physically unable to do any other work – and now that I know what it feels like the river between those two worlds has grown wider and wider.

In my personal practice of self growth and discovery I have come across an amazing discovery that I couldn’t keep to myself.  I couldn’t discover something like this that I feel has amazing potential to help each and every one of you in amazing ways.  That would be against my practice.  This amazing discovery is en*theos.com.  en*theos is an online resource that envelops many courses and projects that help you delve into your self discovery and help teach you how to live with more purpose and passion.  It was created by Brian Johnson, an amazing individual that you can read about here.  en*theos is many things and has many different avenues that can help you in profound ways.  My personal experience was with the en*theos Academy which provides many different online courses covering self growth, self empowerment, health and wellness, abundance, positive psychology, relationship guidance, optimal living, meditation, and so much more!

Not only is en*theos amazing and wonderful through its variety of subjects, it is built on the notion that this kind of education should be available to anyone and everyone, no matter what your financial situation is.  With each course you have the option to choose between three different prices, depending on which is a viable option for your earning bracket.  There is also an option to apply for a scholarship of you’re in a really tight spot.  Brian personally goes through each and every application and hand selects those individuals who he believes are most in need of the scholarships and most in need of the information provided by the courses.  A company that is built on generosity, optimization of self, and goodwill gets an A+ in my books! So go on over to the en*theos academy and see if there are any courses that could jump start your path to self discovery and happiness.  I guarantee you will find a slew of courses you would love to take and a slew that will make a huge impact on the way you think, act, and ultimately live your life!  I have gained so much from the en*theos Academy and I want to share this with you so that you may gain greatness from it as well!

As always, sending you lots of love! Now go discover!

Here are the courses I’ve taken that I loved!

Oh yes ladies and gentleman, it’s another fun tool for the kitchen!  This time it’s not an appliance and it’s easy to store on your counter or tucked away in the cupboard!  This fun fantastic tool is a cork cutting board!  Cork can be sustainably harvested and made from the bark of the Cork Oak tree, found mainly in parts of Europe and Africa.

I absolutely love this cutting board because it is made from sustainably materials and because the material is so soft it won’t wear down your knives so they will stay sharp for longer periods of time!  Before I got myself one of these cork cutting boards (the very one pictured above) I was using bamboo cutting boards.  Bamboo is another great sustainable material but it is one of the hardest woods out there.  It is really hard on your knives and you end up having to sharpen them almost every time you use them.  Apparently you’re supposed to sharpen your knives after every use (something Gordon Ramsey said I believe) – but who actually does this in their own kitchen?  Ya, not too many folks.

So if you love working in the kitchen and have a great set of knives you want to make the most out of, I recommend getting one of these cutting boards!  It’s just such a great idea!  They don’t show wear, they’re hard to damage, they’re resistant to water and stains – as well as smells!  So cut, cut, cut that garlic away and don’t worry about contaminating your fruit with the scent of garlic!

I’m not sure how well this cutting board would do with animal products – I wouldn’t recommend it for anything that could harvest bacteria.  Though I’m not going to be the one to recommend any animal products to you am I?!

If you’re on the look out for a new cutting board – try to find one of these.  I purchased mine on Roncesvalles in Toronto.  The shop is called Ecotique.  It’s a great little shop with amazing eco friendly and sustainable goods!

Thanks for reading!

Love you all!

2.  Make a weekly meal plan – I know that not everyone is a fan of meal planning and maybe a lot of you are unsure how to make a meal plan (I’ll go over that in the near future!) but this tip can save you SO MUCH TIME!  Take a day in your week when you usually have some extra time in the evening – maybe the day before your usual grocery shop.  Plan out a full week’s worth of meals – most people have the hardest time with dinners.  As you get through the days on your meal plan, make sure you are varying the foods you are eating – types of grains your having, types of veggies.  Make sure you’re getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables as well as hearty grains and pulses.  If you want to include animal products – try not to have them more than twice per week.  A meal plan can be a great tool to use to sort out your week and to keep a close eye on your diet.  It’s also a fantastic tool to use to save TONS of time at the grocery store!  If you know what you’re cooking throughout the week then you know what you need to buy and you don’t need to hum and haw over which foods you should purchase.  This is probably the most beneficial out of all ten tips!

3.  Cook enough for a few meals - I know sometimes eating leftovers is boring and uninspiring but if you make the meal kick ass the first time, you’ll want to eat it again and again!  Soups, stews, and bakes are all great choices when it comes to large portions.  These are easy enough to reheat on the stove or in the oven, and if you need to add a little kick or a couple more ingredients, it’s easy enough to do so and it still turns out great!  Another great tip is making large batches of grains and pulses.  These are the foods that take a little longer to cook we get impatient waiting on them to cook while we’re preparing a meal.  If you make a large batch of rice, or quinoa, or lentils, or beans, you can use them a few times in a few different ways.  Say you make a large batch of rice.  The first night you cook it you decide to have it with a vegetable stir fry.  You let it cool and stick the rest in the fridge.  The next day you can have that same rice in a soup – it’s already cooked and ready to go – just throw it in the soup just before it’s done!  You could even use the rice to make a homemade rice pudding or use it again as a side dish to another veggie plate…There are a lot of options and you save a lot of time only making it once!

4.  Cook the essential and leave the rest raw – I do this all the time and it’s a great options for dishes using quinoa or beans or other grains.  You just have to cook the basic ingredients that can’t be eaten raw (or taste way better when they are raw), then add a bunch of chopped veggies and spices – voila!  Try cooked quinoa with chopped peppers, mango, green onion, celery, zucchini, and cucumber.  Throw in some cinnamon, sea salt, and cumin and you have my delicious Comforting Quinoa!  You get the magnificent benefits of delicious quinoa with the live enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients found in the raw veggies and fruit!  Super delicious, super quick, and super nutritious!

5.  All hands on deck – If you have more hands hanging around – get them to help out!  Get your kiddies or your partner or even your roommates involved in the preparation of the meal.  It can be a great way to bond, learn, and create an amazing meal together!  “Don’t just stand there, dive in!”

6.  Prep what needs preppin’ before you start cookin‘ – Sometimes prepping ingredients while your cooking can turn into a fiasco.  Some recipes call for only a few ingredients at a time, making it a little easier to prep as you go but you can end up feeling rushed to finish prepping while cooking the first ingredients (sauteing the onions or browning the spices for example) and this may lead to burning or things not turning out the way you had hoped they would.  Instead, try prepping all of your ingredients before you turn anything on – having everything ready to go when you start.  This will also reduce the risk of panic and stress if anything calls you away from the meal while you’re preparing it (ie: kiddies, phone call, etc.).  You know that everything’s ready to go and going smoothly in the process!  Aww yeah.

7.  Clean as you go – There’s nothing better than having a meal ready and the kitchen cleaned!  Sure you’ll have a few dishes after the meal but the rest of the mess you made while preparing the meal is already cleaned, tidy, or put away.  Plus, if you follow tip #6, you will have lots of time in between steps to clean because you already prepped everything!  Look at you go!!

8.  Pack that pantry - If you have a well stocked pantry full of dried beans, grains, spices, herbs, oils, pasta, etc. then you will have a lot more to choose from when you’re making your meals.  It will also save a lot of time if you didn’t make a meal plan and want to throw something together.  I like to go for a pantry shop maybe once every two weeks – or more in the summer – and a veggie/fruit shop every couple of days.  Veggies and fruits are a must for me and I like to be well stocked.  I also like to have them as fresh as I can!  A full pantry is just more inspiring then only having a couple of things to choose from.  You can also keep lots of nuts and seeds on hand as well – these are also very important! – but make sure to keep them in the fridge to keep them fresh and to preserve they loving, good fats!

9.  If you have time, prep the night before – This is a great tip for a hearty pancake breakfast or something like that.  You can prepare the batter the night before and store it – covered – in your fridge for the next morning!  This can also apply to fruits or veggies that may need prepping for breakfast or another meal in the day.  You could even make a smoothie the night before – though I suggest making and eating those fresh as you loose enzymes once the fruits and veggies have been pulverized.  This step may not be applicable to most meals but it does have its place!

10.  Prep your garlic – Peeling and mincing garlic has to be one of the most time consuming and all-round disliked preparation steps out of any.  When that garlic skin does NOT want to get off of your sticky garlic fingers?!  Hahaha.  I have a great little video to pass on to you that can save you SO much time and is totally fun for you and your family!

You can also prep you garlic by peeling it and mincing it as soon as you get it then store it in your fridge in a tightly sealed container (if you’re using it within a day or two) or in a jar with olive oil (to preserve it for longer).

I hope that all of these tips have been very useful.  I have clients and students asking me this question all the time.  It really helps motivate you and get you organized to have tips to keep you on track and saving time!  No one likes to be a slave in their own kitchen!  Cooking should be a fabulously fun and educational task and each time you cook you should be inspired to try more and more new things!  Keeping things fresh and fun!

Thanks for reading!  Love you all!

As a practitioner within the Alternative Medicine field I am always keen to learn about – and often experience – alternative therapies.  There is an ever expanding field of alternative therapies out there to discover.  Some which resonate with me and my beliefs and practices, and other that do not resonate with me as much.  The BodyTalk System is one that I experienced first hand and have been fascinated with ever since.  When the day comes for me to expand my therapies BodyTalk is one I am keen to learn.

This is the first in a series of articles I hope to write about that will discuss a variety of healing modalities and their amazing practitioners.  In this particular article I want to tell you all about BodyTalk and the amazing work of Linda Marlene Eales.

Linda is a member of that rare breed of personalities that have the ability to do it all.  They have endless energy and an incredible presence of being.  If you are looking to expand your alternative therapy entourage, Linda is the gal to include.  She’s the kind of person who “get’s it” and can express it in many profound ways.

My Experience with Linda and BodyTalk

We had our first few sessions together about a year ago where I experienced some incredible shifts.  Even though I had never received a BodyTalk treatment before and didn’t know what to expect, I knew I was in good hands.  The most remarkable block came up that sounded crazy when I heard it but made so much sense when I thought about it.  We discovered that I had an allergy to people.  What that means is that I had high anxiety around other people and had created an emotional blockage in my heart.  Even when I walked down the street my heart rate would increase as I passed by individuals.  I hadn’t even noticed it until after the session.  Here’s where the really cool part comes in.  A few days after the session I realized that I no longer had that tense feeling in my chest when I walked by others.  I felt nothing at all!  It then became so clear to me how much anxiety I was creating within myself every time I walked by another person!  It was crazy!  Since then it has been so much easier for me to approach others and feel connected to others without an overwhelming anxiety ridden response from my body.  I can’t even tell you how much that changed my ability to do my life’s work and connect with others!  And that’s just one experience I had with Linda!

What is BodyTalk all about?

Now, you may be asking yourself (if you haven’t experienced it for yourself) – well what is BodyTalk?  BodyTalk works by getting the body to literally talk.  It works as a way of accessing the various systems in the body and reconnecting any broken links that may be present, limiting their potential to communicate with one another.  It is a scientific fact that the body has a profound ability to heal itself and BodyTalk harnesses this ability by helping each system and each of the cells in the body to work together to help heal you from the inside out.  The practitioner will tap into your body through a series of steps and ask your body what needs to be addressed.  As the communication pathways are found and restored, a series of physical tapping techniques (similar to the Emotional Freedom Techniques) are completed to remind the body to re-establish and re-engage these communication pathways.

If this isn’t really clicking, maybe this short video will help!

In this era we are stressed to the max and pushed to the edge of our mental, physical, and emotional limits.  With all of this stress comes side effects and in relation to BodyTalk, these side effects include impairments to the communication pathways in your body.  The miscommunication can breed side effects as all of this stress creates physical changes in the body.  Who here has experienced headaches, back ache, colds, or flu due to stress?  Maybe you didn’t link it at the time but when we go through periods of high stress, we see physical changes in our bodies and disable our body’s ability to heal itself – until you hear the messages loud enough for you to STOP.  Did that cold work?  How about that flu?  Was that headache a loud enough message?  BodyTalk can help reconnect the communication pathways in the body so that it can work to heal itself and relieve you of these symptoms.

How cool is it to be able to tap into your body and talk to it on a deep level?  We should all check in with our bodies on a daily basis but we don’t always remember to do this – that’s why practitioners like Linda and I are around though!  To remind you and show you ways in which you can check in with your body!

If you live in West End Toronto, I highly recommend booking an appointment with Linda.  You can find more information about Linda here.  Oh and by the way, you don’t have to live in the Toronto area to practice with Linda.  She is also able to perform distance healing!  Isn’t she amazing?!

There is also BodyTalk available for animals as our little loved ones can also very much benefit from this therapy!  At the beginning of October (Oct. 5th and 6th) Linda will be participating in a BodyTalk Access for Pets class in the Roncesvalles area.  Please click here for more information

There is also a by-donation fundraiser for Animal Rescue dogs on September 28th at the PawsWay on Queens Quay, where Linda will have a presentation on Animal Access!  Please click here for more information

And now to leave you with a practical BodyTalk exercise you can perform at home – or anywhere you like!  It’s called the Cortices Technique and it is something I do every day!  It’s fantastic for clearing your head and bringing you back into balance, increasing your ability to focus on the tasks at hand!

Thanks so much for reading!  Don’t forget to check back for more great info and more Alternative Therapy posts!

Love you all!

 A high speed blender is another kitchen tool I highly recommend.  I’ve only had mine for a few months now but am loving it!  When I’m talking about high speed blenders I’m talking about blenders that have the power to pulverize nuts, seeds, hard vegetables, etc.  These blenders have very good quality motors and can withstand a lot of use.  Many people purchase high speed blenders for smoothies and raw food recipes.  With a high speed blender you can make nut milks, nut butters, raw sauces, raw soups, or just about anything you want to be smooth and creamy.  For years I was using a hand me down Oster blender that has limited potential.  It was perfectly fine for everyday smoothie use but it didn’t really have the power to make much more than that.  As I have become more and more interested in raw foods I have been expanding my recipe collection and have built up a long list of recipes that call for a high speed blender.  I thought it was time to hunker down and invest in one that will last me a lifetime.  I had dreamed of getting myself a Vitamix for some time but when I did some research found that the Omni Blender was just as powerful and had twice the number of blades.  It’s about half the price of a Vitamix and is well worth the investment!  

If you are ready to invest in a high speed blender I will give you some suggestions.  Shop around and do some research to find the one that resonates with you the most.  The three that are top of their class are Vitamix, Blendtec, and Omni.  I have had the pleasure of using all three and would say that Vitamix ranks first, Omni second, and Blendtec last.  The characteristic that ranks Vitamix first is its design.  The shape of the blender is ideal for blending small batches or blending dry ingredients like nuts and seeds.  It has a narrow base which keeps the contents close to the blades.  That’s where the Blendtec fails in design.  Its base is very wide and when blending small batches or dryer batches (mincing garlic, blending dry nuts or seeds, etc.) the contents fly out to the outer edges of the blender and you have to constantly start and stop it to bring the contents back towards the blades.  It can be tiring and time consuming.  In regards to power I think all three are very similar and have the power and endurance to blend any recipe you have an interest in making.  All three also come with an awesome 7 year warranty.

The last recipe I made in my Omni was a red pepper cheesy sauce that I found on goneraw.com.  If you’ve never been on Gone Raw I highly recommend you check it out.  It’s a community based website that allows you to share and connect with heaps of different raw fooders.  The cheesy sauce was one of many that I have found and one of many that I have enjoyed!  So in telling you, surely I have to share right?

  Red Pepper Cheesy Sauce

Adapted from ‘Vibrant Living’ by James Levin & Natalie Cederquist

1 large Red Bell Pepper
3/4 cup Cashews, soaked
1/2 cup Water
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1/2 Lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp Tahini (raw or regular version)
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt

1. Soak the cashews in water overnight OR in hot water (not boiling hot) for 3-4 hours.
2. Place all of the ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.
3. Place in a tightly sealed container and use within 3-5 days.

When I used this recipe I made a Taco-esque Salad that was absolutely scrumptious (the picture is posted below)!  The base was organic romaine lettuce with guacamole and salsa freshly made from scratch and some seasoned refried beans.  I topped it with the red pepper cheesy sauce instead of dressing and it was divine!

This example right here is why I love raw food.  You can create your own beautiful and nutrient rich versions of all of the terrible sauces, soups, spreads, and dressings you find in the grocery store.  Those versions are full of additives, preservatives, chemical flavour enhancers, and altered dairy products.  The raw version is tastier, more vibrant, and nutrient dense – better than any grocery store version out there.  You can take that recipe and pair it with a mix of other raw and cooked foods.  Whenever I teach raw food I always stress that you have to find your own comfort zone.  That can be your starting point and you build from there.  I personally feel better when I eat a high percentage of raw but still include a good percentage of whole grains, beans, peas, and lentils.  These foods make me feel balanced and fully nourished.  If I lived in a place like California I would be much more comfortable living off of 85%-100% raw foods.  Those kinds of places have an abundance of fresh food all year round and weather warm enough for your body to balance the cool, moist conditions that raw foods bring about.  Ontario, Canada is a different story and though our summers are hot, our winters are terribly cold and do not support a high raw diet.

It’s all about finding your own balance and finding the place within you where you can communicate with your body.  If you listen carefully, your body will always tell you what you need.  Now I’m not talking about that voice in your head that is telling you to go buy a tub of ice cream – that’s not your body talking, that’s your sugar cravings or your emotions.  What you CAN get from that voice is that you need to balance your blood sugar levels and you need to check in with yourself to see why you feel like you need that ice cream.  Are your emotions being supported?  Are you feeling a lack of love?  Or have you just eaten a heavy, rich, protein based meal that wants to be balanced with a load of sugar?  Check in with your body – not just when you have a massive craving for something – but multiple times a day.  We need to support the connection between our minds and our bodies to keep them in alignment and keep us on our path to great health.

So if you’ve been on the fence about a high speed blender for a while, I suggest doing the research and finding the right one for you.  Make sure that you’re going to commit to using it and using it often.  There are so many resources out there that will give you some great inspiration.  Take advantage of that and start collecting awesome recipes you want to try out.  Make small batches the first time to see if you like them, then try them out on your friends and family.  It can be a lot of fun exposing people to new ideas and new flavours.  Have fun with it and don’t forget to leave some comments!  I’d love to hear your experiences with high speed blenders and some of the ways you’ve used yours!  I always love hearing from you!

Lots of love!

I can’t tell you how much I love my food processor; how often I use it and how much it helps to inspire me to make delicious and extremely nutritious food in my kitchen.  If you don’t have a food processor or have one and rarely use it, I’m hoping this post will inspire you to get one or clear the dust off of the one you have!

Food processors can be used in many different ways – to make sauces, dips, pates, grated vegetables or fruits, sliced vegetables or fruits, dessert fillings, creams, soups, spreads, and much much more!  You can create beautiful dishes from fresh ingredients that are no comparison to the ready made version found in the supermarket.  Take for example, hummus.  The ready made versions vary quite a lot.  Some have too much garlic, some have too much tahini, some are lacking any flavour at all…  When you can literally make hummus from scratch at home in 5 minutes, why would you ever want to settle for a more expensive version that’s flavour is severely lacking?  All you need is a can of chickpeas (I recommend organic but they don’t have to be), a lemon, a couple of cloves of garlic, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, a dollop of tahini, some sea salt, and any other flavour you want to add – cayenne or chipotle, roasted red pepper, fresh cilantro, a dash of cumin, olives…  Whatever your own pzazz may be.  Throw the ingredients into the processor, make sure the lid’s on tight, hit the on button, and in 2-3 minutes you will have flavour explosion hummus with your own melody of tastes.  It’s just too easy!

Another super easy recipe that can be made in a food processor in 5 minutes and is no comparison to store bought is pesto!  I love pesto.  I love anything with fresh basil and pesto is so simple and literally takes 2 minutes to make in a food processor.  I love to use kale or other leafy greens in my pesto because it bulks the recipe and amps up the nutritional content!  All you need for your own beautiful, delicious pesto is a handful of greens (spinach, kale, or chard – destem the kale and chard first), a lemon to juice, a handful of fresh basil, a handful of your nut or seed of choice (sunflower, pumpkin, walnut, brazil nut, pecan, or a mix and match of a few), a pinch of sea salt, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, a couple of cloves of garlic, a pinch of dried oregano, and a bit of water.  Throw all of the ingredients in, make sure the lid is on tight, hit the on button, and in 2 minutes you will have glorious, vibrant green, nutritious, delicious pesto!  Spread it on toast, have it in pasta, have it in bakes, on potatoes, however you choose!  Seriously no comparison to store bought.

So you can see how easy it is to make these recipes at home when you have a food processor.  You get to retain the nutrients, say no to the preservatives and flavour enhancers, and brag to your friends about how great a cook you are!  They are so worth the investment!

I have a KitchenAid 12 cup food processor that I use at home and for cooking classes.  If you have a family I would say a 12 cup is great but even a 9 cup will do.  If you’re on your own I would go for a smaller version like a 6 or 7 cup.  I find the smallest versions (3 cup) to be a little bit of a waste of time.  Sure its great to only make a small version but for such a small quantity you are probably not going to be encouraged to pull it out and clean it all up afterwards.  Find which variety is right for you. 

I love my KitchenAid but Cuisinart are also a great brand.  I’m not sure about other brands like Hamilton Beach as I’ve never used one and don’t know anyone who owns one.  I think if you really want to invest in your health then invest in a really good quality food processor that you know will last you a life time.  A one time investment that will last me years to come sounds like a pretty good investment to me!  Prices range from around $60.00 CAD for the smaller versions and up to $350.00 for the larger versions.  Shop around though!  I purchased mine from Amazon.ca and it was a quarter of the price.  They often have sales and free home delivery – within a day or two!

If you have a food processor let me know what your favourite recipes or creations are.  I’d love to hear from you!  I have quite a few recipes that use a food processor in my Recipes section so check those out too!  Or if you would like some hands on experience, come out to our cooking classes!  We’re ALWAYS using the food processor!

Love you all!