Category Archives: announcements

The Fab Uplift Detox Program: Register today!

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If you missed it, I wrote about this cleanse on Christmas day. I’ve since registered for the cleanse and the booklet, which arrived today, is gorgeous.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN.

The four day transition is how I eat most days. I’m really looking forward to this detox, with a few modifications to account for my food sensitivities (e.g. I’m sensitive to fermented products and sometimes react to vinegar so I’m likely going to cut vinegar out, even apple cider vinegar).

I also intend to hit a hot yoga class this evening. Getting my health back on track starts today. Not that my health has suffered, as far as I know, but as I said in my first article about this detox, I have no desire to eat myself into illness or disease.

Registration gets you $5 off any ebook, guide or MP3 in the store. You can only get the coupon code if you register.

UPDATE (Jan 4):
I’ve now thoroughly read the book. I like it and think that it’s perfect for people who have never detoxed before or are new to the process. Because I’ve read most of Meghan’s other ebooks (I’m only missing The Veggie Transition now and yet have three copies of Everyday Superfoods), it’s also clarified the difference between “detox” and “cleansing” for me, though the two are used interchangeably. In “detoxing”, we’re removing toxins from our diet and lifestyle. More like “un-tox”. In cleansing, we’re removing existing toxins from our body. At least, that’s the distinction that I’ve chosen.

If you want to go deeper with the detox and cleanse, buy it, take that $5 coupon code and then buy the Green Smoothie Cleanse e-book and 21 Days to Health e-book and incorporate some of what you learn from those books. The Green Smoothie Cleanse book talks about other ways to cleanse your organs such as your skin, educates about cleansing herbs and gives lifestyle cleansing tips such as meditation, exercise and yoga, dry skin brushing, infrared saunas and enemas and colonics (in my opinion, people are way too scared of their own bums). 21 Days to Health gives 1 lifestyle change suggestion, every day for 21 days. They’re as simple as “drink lemon water” and “floss your teeth”. Nothing you can’t easily add to your daily routine and maintain.

Also check out Natural Body Care, because what you put on your skin absorbs into your bloodstream transdermally so what you put on it is as important as what you put in it.
Pro tip: I use coconut oil as my all over moisturizer (face, lips, body) and lubricant. I keep little jars that I refill from a big jar in my bathroom, on my dresser, on the table next to my bed (it should be in your “tickle trunk”) and in my purse. If I wouldn’t put it in my mouth I don’t want it other places on or in my body.

(Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate with Meghan so I do get a small 8% commission when people click links from here to buy her products, but I don’t promote any product that I don’t believe in. I like Meghan and her philosophy so much that I spent my money on a week in St. Lucia with her last year.)

California Walnut challenge: Time for dessert

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The contest ends tomorrow and today was as good a day as ever to create the dessert that’s been on my mind for days: A parfait made with raw banana maple walnut ice cream.

The ice cream idea’s been in my mind since September’s Vegetarian Food Festival, where Lisa Pitman demonstrated a healthier, vegan alternative to Dairy Queen Blizzards using banana “soft serve”. A lot of fruits could serve as the base. At it’s most basic, and the way that Lisa did it: Put frozen bananas in a food processor and let it run until bananas are creamy, like soft serve ice cream. For her demo, Lisa created mix-ins such as her take on mint sandwich cookies, raw “cookie dough”, and raw strawberry “cheesecake”.

I was inspired by banana soft serve, walnuts, maple and spice.

Mine made one portion that I couldn’t finish. I suggest making one and sharing it with a special friend. The contest rules say that the dish should be suitable for holiday gatherings/ winter entertaining. Well, You could always made smaller versions, I suppose, and make more. Use different types of glassware, as long as it’s transparent. I used a beer glass. And it’s always the right season for ice cream. This one is kind of comforting, and it’s got the spice in there. Spice is good for winter.

Raw banana whisky maple walnut ice cream

Ingredients

  • 3 frozen bananas
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp Spicebox Canadian Whisky (I considered Jack Daniels Honey, which might also work. Try it and see.)
  • 1/2 tsp each cinnamon,
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I make my own extract, you could use almond extract but for contest purposes I was only allowed to use one type of nut).
  • Maple California walnuts, reserved (see recipe in previous post)

Directions:

Put it all in a food processor (multipurpose blade) & let machine run until the banana mixture is smooth. Remove blade, fold in maple walnuts. (You can leave them whole, or crumble them in like I did.)

Lisa advised that a Vitamix/Blendec won’t work. If you try it in a Vitamix, use the plunger and add some liquid such a coconut milk. I don’t know Blendtec.

When it’s creamy, if it looks too melted. you might want to put it in the freezer for a little bit to solidify a bit. I had no room in my freezer.

Mostly-raw parfait layers

(Suggestions only. Create your own. Ideas: Crumbled cookies, candied ginger, dried or frozen fruit, cacao nibs. My layers were not all raw.)

Layer 1 (from bottom):

Sliced bananas

Layer 2:

Ice cream

Layer 3:

Jam/fruit preserves

I used cherry peach, made locally by Sausage Partners, acquired at the  preserve tasting party that I attended at the end of September, hosted by Joel and Dana of Well Preserved. Jam is not raw.

Layer 4:
More ice cream

Layer 5:

Maple California walnuts

I added California walnuts because I’d forgotten (until a few days later) that I’d been thinking of using Mum’s Original coconut cacao nibs. It’s another not raw layer.

Layer 6:
More ice cream!

Layer 7:

Pomegranate seeds

The tartness helped balance out the sweetness of the entire thing.

Layer 8:
More ice cream! But now we’re getting near the end.

Layer 9:

Raw, vegan chocolate sauce

(recipe below)

..and..

coconut

Raw vegan chocolate sauce recipe

I think that I read a recipe like this on Meghan Telpner’s website awhile ago, though I felt like completely winging it when I made this one and went on instinct rather than looking at other recipes for guidance. She inspired it.

Mix together:
2 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp agave or maple syrup (I used agave, which I rarely use due to its highly processed nature) because I didn’t want the maple to overpower the chocolate)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp each of cayenne pepper & cinnamon*
(It probably could have used 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of coffee powder to bump the chocolate flavour. I’ll try it with the remaining sauce.)

And that, my friends, is my 9-layer raw banana whisky maple walnut ice cream superfood parfait inspired by two very cool women I know, Lisa and Meghan.

P.S. Dinner was raw too. I spiralized (yes, it’s a word, it means to use a spiralizer) Japanese turnip and celeriac – and, unsuccessfully, apple – added kelp noodles and tossed with the California Walnut pesto that I made earlier this week.

Full photo set:

Essential Pepin: Composed Salad

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If you don’t know who Jacques Pépin is, here’s a little primer:

Chef Pépin has been cooking since he dropped out of school at age 13 to apprentice at a restaurant. In the 63 years since, he’s been chef, author and TV host. One of the original “celebrity chefs”, he was hosting cooking shows and writing cookbooks long before the Food Network. His 1976 book, La Technique (left), is still used in culinary schools. The success of La Technique prompted him to launch a televised version of the book, resulting in an acclaimed 1997 PBS series, The Complete Pépin. Pépin co-starred in award-winning 1999 PBS series Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home with Julia Child. Together they won a Daytime Emmy in 2001.

Jacques Pépin has earned a reputation as a champion of simplicity. His recipes are classics. They find the shortest, surest route to flavour, avoiding complicated techniques.

Now: Pépin serves as Dean of Special Programs at the French Culinary Institute, part of the International Culinary Center, in New York City. He is also an active contributor to the Gastronomy department at Boston University. Pépin also writes a quarterly column for Food & Wine magazine.

This is Jacques Pépin’s website.


In his new book, Essential Pépin, Jacques Pépin shares a lifetime of food and techniques. For the first time ever, the legendary chef collects and updates the best recipes from his six-decade career.

Publisher Thomas Allen & Sons is holding a contest for home chefs and bloggers. As a contest participant I was able to choose from three recipes:

  • Composed Salad of Greens, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Pecans
  • Chicken in Tarragon Sauce
  • Chocolate Mousse

See? Simple classics. I made the salad. Of course I made the salad. Salads are what I do and I don’t make meat at home (though I must might also make the mousse before the contest closes on Sunday).

Of the composed salad, Pépin says,

A composed salad consists of greens and any of an almost endless variety of other ingredients, from cooked vegetables to fruits, nuts, poultry, lamb, beef, fish, or shellfish, arranged on a plate or platter, rather than tossed. In this one, I add cheese, apple, and caramelized pecans to tender greens. The combination makes an ideal summer supper or lunch main course or elegant dinner first course

Sounds pretty much like what I do almost daily, except that I usually toss mine rather than “compose”. Another thing I do is modify recipes. Here’s what I changed:

  • I had to replace the pecans. I’d thought I had some so I didn’t buy more. I did, however, have almonds, cashews, walnuts (from my California Walnut contest – but they’ve been assigned to another dish), pistachios, and hazelnuts. I chose almonds.
  • I don’t think that the apple I used was a Golden Delicious or a russet, as called for in the recipe. I don’t know what kind it was, but it was grown at Everdale Farm (about an hour from here) and I picked it up from the CSA.
  • Since I’m on a walnut kick with the California Walnut contest, I used La Tournagelle‘s roasted walnut oil (recipe dictates “1 1/2 tablespoons oil, preferably a mixture of walnut, hazelnut, and/or canola”)
  • Instead of sherry vinegar I used coconut vinegar from Upaya Naturals.
  • For the salad, Pépin directs, “salad greens, preferably mesclun”. I used Earthbound Farms‘ “Half & Half” spinach & spring mix.
  • Also to the salad I added pomegranate seeds and two types of Everdale Farm’s beets, candy stripe and golden, that I’d roasted with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, birch syrup from Forbes Wild Foods, and salt.

My version of the salad wasn’t only simple, but pretty local. I’d have used local greens if they were available but Everdale is down to mustard greens. If this is what it’s like to cook like Pépin, I want an entire collection of Pépin cookbooks. It’s great for a lazy cook such as myself.

I’m already feeling an allergic reaction to something in it (goat cheese? Vinegar? The sugar I used for the caramelized almonds?). I’ve been yeast-free all week. Oh, the things a food writer does for a story and, in this case, a chance to win a KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer. Every food writer needs one.

I was going to make a California walnut dessert this evening but I was too full. Same thing happened last night. I think that tomorrow I should just have dessert for dinner.

Check out Everything Pépin offered by Amazon. (I want my affiliate code to work for me, darn it. Food blogging doesn’t pay).

Seriously, Pépin could change your life.

Blogger challenge: California walnuts, squash course

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See my previous post about the California walnuts blogger challenge.

Next up: Baked spaghetti squash with California walnut watercress pesto

Spaghetti squash has a high water content and is not as dense in vitamins and minerals as other winter squash, such as acorn or butternut, but does provide 3 percent of the Daily Value for calcium, 5 percent of the DV for Vitamin A, 9 percent of the DV for Vitamin C and 8 percent of the DV for dietary fiber. Spaghetti squash supplies modest amounts of carotenoids, plant substances that the body turns into Vitamin A and that may help protect against some diseases. (Source: Livestrong, which got their information from the USDA).

Squash is abundant this time of year so it seems like a seasonal dish. I baked the squash the day before. It really would be better baked same day and served warm. 1 squash serves 2-4 people, depending on size. (Or in my case, 2-4 meals.) Double the squash if you’d like. The sauce easily makes enough for 4.

Squash

Ingredients

  • 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush cut sides of squash with oil, and sprinkle with sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Place squash, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly on sheet on a wire rack, about 10 minutes. This will give you time to make the pesto.

California walnut & watercress pesto

Ingredients

1 small clove garlic , peeled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup California walnuts, toasted*
2 cups packed fresh watercress leaves (can also use arugula or spinach or any combination)
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese & more for sprinkling on top.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions
In a food processor or blender,  add about 1/2 of the walnuts, watercress, basil, and olive oil. Blend until paste forms.

Stir in Parmesan and lemon juice.

*Toast nuts in toaster oven or oven at 400°F. Watch carefully because they burn easily.

Makes 1 cup

To put the dish together:

Scrape squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands. Place in a large bowl. Top with pesto. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts and one tablespoon of cheese.

Leftover pesto should be transferred to an airtight container. It can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

…I have one more walnut recipe to try and 2 more cups of walnuts (1 in shells).

Update: A few days later I put the pesto on Japanese turnip and celeriac “noodles” that I made with my spiralizer along with kelp noodles.

Final recipe here.

Blogger challenge: California walnuts, salad course

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Last month I was invited to participate in a California Walnuts Holiday Blogger Challenge.

A nutrition lesson about walnuts

  • Walnuts are rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and ellagic acid. Research has shown that the regular consumption of walnuts appears to improve cardiovascular function following high-fat meals.
  • The form of vitamin E found in walnuts has been found to provide significant protection from heart problems.
  • Studies suggest that the addition of walnuts to one’s diet may be a useful adjunct in lowering elevated LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
  • Walnuts contain antioxidant nutrients, with approximately 90% of the phenols in walnuts found in the skin. Research shows measurable anti-cancer benefits to walnuts. Similarly, research has found measurable anti-cancer benefits.
  • Walnut oil is an excellent source of omega-3

 Some of the contest rules:

  • All recipes must be original creations.
  • Recipes must use at least one cup of California Walnuts, no other nuts can be used.
  • California Walnuts must be listed in the ingredient list.

Also: Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, flavour profile, ease of preparation and the use of at least one cup of California Walnuts.  The recipes should be suitable for holiday gatherings/ winter entertaining.

“Why not?” Said I.

“Why not”? Because I’m not much of a cook. I mean, I do like to cook and I’m good at it, but I’m kind of lazy when it comes to cooking for just myself. But, most of my recipes are original. Often they’re based on other people’s recipes but sometimes they’d indistinguishable from the original(s). They’re all easy to make (like I said, I’m lazy). I trust my judgement of flavour profile. I think I’m fairly creative. So, I started brainstorming on paper, with pen. Diagrams. Arrows.

I settled on a few ideas. I’m making them over a course of a few evenings.

The first one, which I made last night, was a salad with maple walnuts. As this is a walnut challenge, I could consider maple walnuts the recipe with salad as one of their uses, but you can’t eat a meal of maple walnuts. You’ll be tempted to, but you can’t.

I’ve been making a version of this for holiday gatherings for years and each time I’ve been asked for the recipe. The original recipe called for cashews. In the past I’ve used toasted pecans. For dried fruit, I’ve used a combination of cranberries & dried cherries in the past. I think that dried currents and Saskatoon berries would work too. It’s the tartness you want. Last year I added pancetta to a version and it worked. If you’re making this for a crowd you might want to do dressing on the side.

Salad with lemon poppy vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup maple sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 shallot
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I used Kozlik’s regular Dijon this time but considered using the tarragon variety).
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/3 cup La Tournagelle roasted walnut oil (handcrated in California )
  • anchovy paste to taste
  • 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Salad

  • Romaine lettuce and spinach (original recipe calls for a head of romaine)
  • 4 ounces shredded emmental, blue or old white cheddar cheese*
  • 1 cup candied maple California Walnuts (see recipe below)
  • 1/4 cup or more dried cranberries*
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1 pear, diced

*I used emmental this time, sliced, because it was on sale at the supermarket & I didn’t have time to buy cheddar from the farmer yesterday. Had I used cheddar it would have come from Monforte Dairy, bought at a farmers’ market.

Directions:

  1. In a blender or food processor or with an immersion blender, combine sugar, lemon juice, shallot, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth.* Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.

2. In a large bowl combine the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, cubed apple and cubed pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

* I used my new food processor, which came with a 3-piece food pusher. Each pusher is a different size and are nested together. Small holes in the bottom of the narrow pusher are for drizzling oil into ingredients. You just fill the pusher with the amount of oil needed. It worked, unlike the egg whip attachment which does not whip egg whites into a useable form as promised.

Maple walnuts

1 cup California Walnuts
2 tbsp maple syrup (I use Forbes Wild Foods #3 dark).
1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Combine walnuts, maple syrup & spice in medium bowl. Spread out nuts on sheet. Bake until brown and dry, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Cool. Coarsely chop nuts if you want, crumble them into  salad with your hands, or leave whole.
Store airtight at room temperature.

I didn’t get a good photo of the end result. Instead, I offer you photos of the lovely package of California walnuts, cutting board, pot holder and nut cracker that I got, as well as the salad-making in progress.

Up next: Tonight’s meal of spaghetti squash with watercress California walnut pesto.

Chew on This, ep 2: This time with advanced notice

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Vintage Television

Image by gelund via Flickr

Back in August I was on an internet TV chat show with four other people. I didn’t give any advance notice because it was our first one and I didn’t know if it would go well. Most of us kept it quiet. Our insecurities ended up being invalid, as insecurities tend to be. The show was fun to do and it didn’t look so bad. After I’d viewed and approved it, relieved, I posted the edited video. Read that post here.

We’re doing it again tomorrow (Thursday) on UStream. It’s taken this long because there have been five personal schedules and a TV studio schedule to coordinate, and three of us – plus studio people – are Jews who had high holidays in September & October (maybe it should be called “Jew on this“?). With that there were travel plans, and other stuff going on.

This edition of Chew on This will be streamed, LIVE, from 8-9pm. I will do my best to stay awake. Sadly, Adam had to cancel and won’t be joining us. It will be an all female panel of me, Shana, Jen and our hostess Sari. We almost had a special guest but he had to back out. We hope to have guests in the future and make this internet TV chat show a regular series.

Potential topics for episode #2 include connecting to your food by foraging or killing it yourself (I might bring my copy of Hunt, Gather, Cook even though I haven’t read it yet), using food for social change, and some fun topics that I won’t reveal.

I will once again be wearing purple and hopefully won’t be schvitzing in the studio this time.

Though it would be cool to get multiple live viewers this time (only Shana’s husband watched live), I imagine that only one specific reader of my blog will be watching. I’m not sure that he wants to be mentioned by name here, but he’d probably acknowledge it tomorrow whether or not I included this paragraph. :)

Watch Chew on This here, Thursday November 3, from 8-9pm ET. We won’t be monitoring the stream and if you miss it you can catch the edited version that I’ll post.

Stay tuned, as they say.

Introducing Hockley Valley’s Summer Giveaway

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Remember that time I went to Hockley Valley Resort with a bunch of bloggers last November? Open the post in another tab and read it when you’re done this one.

The golf course in the fall.

Hockley Valley is running a contest to people who ‘Like’ the page on Facebook. Introducing Hockley Valley’s Summer Getaway promotion:

At 500 fans – Pasta Sociale dinner gift certificate
At 750 fans – Round of golf for two
At 1,000 fans – Round of golf and dinner for two in Babbo

They’re currently at 493 fans.
(Update: 7 more likes in 11 hours. I like to hope that some are due to this post. :) )

There are also some exciting things happening at the Resort in the coming months. I’ll keep you posted.

Eat well, be well.

WIN THIS: Forks Over Knives double pass

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Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

The major storyline traces the personal journeys of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist from Cornell University, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. Inspired by remarkable discoveries in their young careers, these men conducted several groundbreaking studies. Their separate research led them to the same startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented—and in many cases reversed—by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. Despite the profound implications of their findings, their work has remained relatively unknown to the public.

Bringing these scientific concepts to life, cameras follow “reality patients” who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes, and are taught by their doctors to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments.

The film features leading experts on health and tackles the issue of diet and disease in a way that will have people talking for years.

…I’ve been looking forward to this movie. I became a fan on their Facebook page months ago. Recently I entered to win a double pass to an advanced screening. I won. GREAT, but it’s tomorrow evening and unfortunately can’t go because I’ve got 2 consecutive appointments.*  Instaed, I’m paying it forward.

You can win my double pass to the free advance screening! All you need to do is visit the film website, then come back here and tell me the name of one of the filmmakers.

Contest closes tomorrow (Wednesday May 18) at 3pm EST.

Details:

Wednesday, May 18 at 7 PM
Cumberland Cinemas
159 Cumberland Avenue, Toronto

Maybe the Forks Over Knives people will see this and either send me a screener or get me tickets for another screening?

Related articles

(The 5 articles are just the first 5 of 13 that appear in the “related articles” plugin that appears in my WordPress post page.)

*Don’t feel too bad for me – the second one is a massage that I paid for 2 months ago and they want to get it off the books.

Tickets won by Rebecca S.,

One smooth spring cleanse!

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Green Smoothie

Image by Mercury Jane via Flickr

Experts in fields such as nutrition and Chinese medicine say that spring is the ideal time of year to detox/cleanse. Here in Toronto  April snow turned to April showers that have continued into May, but it seems like spring might have arrived after a long winter. I’ve even seen a few May flowers.

Nutritionista Meghan Telpner is coaching the next round of her “famous and ever popular” Green Smoothie Cleanse group program starting this Saturday, May 7th. It was announced on the day I wondered to myself whether she was going to be leading another this spring.

This round will be a little different. As Meghan explains,

My goal is to consume 7-10 green smoothies and/or green juices over the course of 3 days. If that is ridiculous to you, I will extend that deadline to seven days. Our goal is to drink 10 green smoothies in seven days.

Buy a copy of the cleansing guide (e-book).

This time there’s also a Vitamix discount as an incentive, and a chance to win one of two amazing gifts.

I have both versions of the Green Smoothie Cleanse book and it really is amazing. Not just a recipe book or a guide to smoothies, it’s a thorough and education guide to detoxing/ cleansing in general, written in an accessible format with humour and passion. The first edition, 44 pages, was expanded to 104 for the 2nd and includes a wide variety of smoothie recipes from blog readers such as me and my sister. It’s also priced at only $18. When she was only charging $10-$12 I felt she could charge more. Even $18 seems financially accessible for most people, and health is a worthy – no, the best – investment. See her website for more books and guides, including package deals to make your Making Love in the Kitchen collection of lifestyle guides even lower in cost.

From the introduction of the Green Smoothie Cleanse, 2nd edition (emphasis in bold is mine):

Originally, I had intended for that tutorial to be about 20 pages. When interest grew and grew, so did my plans for the book. That first edition was written rather quickly and over the last year and a bit, with all your feedback (some of it included in this book), I decided it was time to update, reorganize and revise the tutorial to make it even more fully delicious and complete.

Since the success of that first tutorial, I have developed many more on various nutrition topics and food themes with the sole motivation being to offer this information in a succinct and practical way that would easily enable you to take what you love and what works for your life and slip it right in, seamlessly….

Health is absolutely our birthright, and something only we can truly nourish within ourselves. The only way to live the life of your dreams, is to be, in the moment, your most vital, your most energized and that comes from eating foods, thinking thoughts and taking part in activities that are vital and energized.

The guide offers tips for transitioning into and out of cleansing with sample meal plans and recipes as well.

I can do 14 in 7 days, including blended soups. I drink a smoothie every morning. I’ve recorded every smoothie I’ve made since October. I used to tweet them all (hash tag #SmOTD) and will do so for the duration of the group program (#greensmoothie).

As a boost to the vegetables in your smoothies, or in place of if you’re out of green veggies, I recommend Progressive Nutritional Therapies’ VegeGreens. I sometimes add two scoops rather than the recommended one. Toronto-based Progressive is one of my favourite brands. Why? I like the ingredients and trust the integrity of the brand. Each product is developed with the help of a naturopath. Products are energetically tested for optimum compatibility.

While recently researching whey protein I compared labels and chose Progressive because of its whey source. It’s from Kiwi cows. New Zealand has an outstanding international reputation for sustainable agricultural practices. The cattle that produce the milk used to create these proteins graze in open pastures and are raised without the use of hormones, including rBGH. New Zealand proteins are considered to be the cleanest and purest in the world. They don’t contain antibiotics and are routinely screened for over 250 agricultural and chemical contaminants including pesticides, fertilizers and PCBs. It’s the hormones and contaminants that make some people wary of whey protein despite its high concentration of protein. It’s also high in the branch chain amino acids and is quickly absorbed by the human body. So, some experts highly recommend whey protein, others advise against it. Note that it’s also highly allergenic due to the main protein fractions in whey (beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, and bovine serum albumin). It’s also high in cholesterol. This is unrelated to smoothies unless you choose to add whey, but it seemed like a worthy tangent.

Another reason to like the company: Progressive supports the David Suzuki Foundation, so I guess that makes their greens even greener. If you’re in the U.S., Trader Joe’s Super Green Drink Powder is quite similar. I bought it last year and liked it.

Read more about Meghan’s Green Smoothie Cleanse

Here’s a list of my blog posts about Meghan’s Green Smoothie Cleanses from 2009 and 2010:

Live green!

Lastly, while you’re greening your inside, how about being conscious about greening the outside? Do at least one thing each day that’s good for the environment. For example: I take my organic waste (everything from food scraps to loose tea to used tissues and paper towels) home from work every day & add it to my green bin.

Eat well, be well.