Cooking Class in Port Carling

I had so much fun last weekend. Wellpath Clinic Muskoka hosted a wonderful interactive cooking class and detox seminar, led by ME!

We had a fantastic group of ladies help chop up all the veggies and prep for the Warm Spicy Sweet Potato Salad, Quinoa Tabbouleh, and the Almond Chicken. The group munched on the Hummus and Crispbread while I chatted about the importance of detoxification and healthy eating.

Wellpath had a great little kitchen for us to cook in and set up work stations and provided wine and beverages for a couple of hours. We all sat down at the end of the class and enjoyed a lovely meal together.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip up to Port Carling and to Chelsey and Richard for setting up a lovely space.

Michelle Obama Needs Delicious Detox

Well the First Lady does a little cleansing apparently - she needs a copy of Delicious Detox!

In an interview in September's Ladies' Home Journal, Michelle Obama mentions that she occasionally takes part in a cleanse. She meant, according to her press office, that she eats as much fruit and vegetables as possible and cuts out fats and oils, dairy, meat, caffeine, sugar and starch for a short period of time. Doing so, she told the magazine, helps "clean out my palate."

Well hopefully she has a licenced Naturopathic Doctor looking after her and she is doing these cleanses safely. There are a lot of myths around detoxification. The goal is to decrease the burden on the body. We're surrounded by toxins in today's society - in our food, in our water, in our air, in our cleaning products, etc.... Our bodies can only take so much.

I'm a huge fan of giving your body a break - for some this may mean no coffee and alcohol for a weekend, for some it might mean no sugar and coffee and alcohol for a week.... cleaning up shop for a week or two rejuvenates your body, boosts energy, and improves digestion. It is also a great way to kick start new healthy eating habits; and for some it can help in identifying food sensitivities.

Detox does not mean calorie restriction - it's about eating clean. The liver needs protein and certain nutrients for the process of detoxification to occur. This isn't for everyone. But what is for everyone is embarking on healthy eating to keep your body working optimally.

So Michelle Obama if you are reading this, have your people send me a note and I'll send you a copy of my cookbook, Delicious Detox. 80 recipes that are cleanse-friendly, easy to make and most important - delicious!!!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night there was a desire for something sweet after dinner .... so as usual I starting perusing my cupboards to see if I could make something to satisfy and surprise Chris with.

I ended up randomly putting some things together -- I didn't hold out much hope for my concoction but it seriously ended up working out. Typically with baking its pretty important to follow instructions and quantities. I had a bag of chocolate chips with a cookie recipe on the back but I only had 3 of the ingredients so I, the master of substitutions, did the following:

Instead of 2/3 cup melted butter I used 2/3 cup softened coconut oil (it wasn't oil and it was too warm in our house for it to be solid); instead of 2 eggs I used 2 tbsp ground flaxseed simmered in 6 tbsp water; instead of 2 2/3 cup white flour I used 2 cups spelt flour and 2/3 cup quinoa flour.

I creamed the coconut oil and flaxseed egg replacement with a little less than 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (I wanted to use agave nectar or honey but thought it would be too liquidy) and then added the flour, a little baking powder and baking soda and a pinch of salt and mixed well. I then added the chocolate chips and I threw in 1/2 cup of shredded coconut.

I was really surprised when they came out of the oven - they didn't spread all over the baking sheet, they rose a little and were delicious. You couldn't tell they were wheat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free, well other than the chocolate chips :)

I love using coconut oil lately - it's wonderful in baking and I'm using it more and more in stir-frying and roasting veggies. Yes it is a saturated fat but one that is mostly medium chain triglycerides, meaning that it it chock-full of health benefits: anti-microbial, immune-enhancing, and weight-loss.

"Researching" Turkish Hammam Spa

Last week I was in Winnipeg and decided it was my duty as a Naturopathic Doctor to do some research on a turkish hammam spa. Hydrotherapy is in my scope of practice and detox is definitely one of my specialities. The Hammam at the Ten Spa is a modern reinterpretation of the Turkish Roman hot air bathing ritual. Amazing experience. Turkey is now on my travel list.

When my name was called I sat in a robe and pestemal (a large tea towel that is dress code in the hammam) in a tiled heated room to acclimatize to the heat. I was served a traditional bitter and sweet treat that serves to sustain me through my treatment. I had a cup of moroccan mint tea and a turkish delight sweet. After 10 minutes or so I had a quick shower in the heated spa before I proceeded to the aromatic salting area where I self applied salts while seated on a heated bench. I really started sweating now and the salts were very rough at the same time being rejuvenating.

Then the fun began. There was a huge heated communal marble slab in the middle of the heated room where I laid down while the hammam attendant rinsed me off with different temperatures of water for the next 60 minutes. During this time there was also a foot and scalp massage ..... ridiculous.... now if this wasn't enough I then proceeded to a private room where I had a traditional soap scrub treatment.

For the first 20 minutes I was 'gommaged' - a full body exfoliation with kese, a rough cloth mitt that scoured my pores. I couldn't believe all the dead skin cells!! After the gommage a pure olive oil soap, in some sort of pillowcase that lathered up like crazy, was massaged into my skin. It felt like a feather and I was covered in bubbles. Warm, cool, and then cold water was then used to rinse me off for the next 20 minutes.

I then proceeded to the acclimatization room again where I self applied aloe vera gel, and drank and ayran - a salty yogurt drink to replenish.

Wow. I was in a daze the rest of the day and will never forget this experience at The Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg. (www.tenspa.ca)

Fish Friday Change-Up

Fridays usually means fish in our house. Today I went to see Tony at Snappers as I do every Friday to pick up some treats. The salmon steaks looked great today so I picked 2 up as well as some fresh Ontario tomatoes, and some broccoli that looked nice and crisp at Fresh and Wild next door.
I usually do dill, olive oil, and a touch of sea salt and pepper or lemom pepper and a quick broil for the fish. Today I wanted to shake things up a little and do a quick sauce instead. I did 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and pepper on the salmon steaks. I put it the oven on broil and wham bam a nice saucy fish dinner.
We're also having crunchy broccoli (from Delicious Detox, page 75)and a fresh tomatoe salad (touch of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lots of fresh basil).

Took me 5 minutes to prepare everything and in 15 minutes we were sitting at the table eating. YUM.

Chatelaine Online

Totally forgot I did this piece for the online version of Chatelaine. It's a little interview I did on weekend detoxes.

http://en.chatelaine.com/english/health/article.jsp?content=20100708_153730_0015

If you haven't checked out the online version of Chatelaine before, toot around the site. I was really impressed with how concise and clean the information is. It's super easy to read, the style blog is great as its short and sweet, and the health section has a couple of good tools including a BMI calculator.

Mark Your Calendars!

Mark your calendars for the most up-to-date list of media and appearances for the me and Delicious Detox (www.deliciousdetoxcookbook.com):

1. On Thursday August 5th in the morning I will be chatting detox with Billie Jo and Jay from 102 ClearFM in Winnipeg.
2. On Thursday August 19th (6 pm), Friday August 20th (noon and 6 pm), and Saturday August 21st (noon) I will be in Port Carling at Wellpath Clinic for a detox seminar and cooking demo. http://www.wellpathclinic.com/img/pdf/Muskoka_CookingClasses.pdf more information.
3. Saturday September 11th I will be at the annual health fair for The Apple Market here in Mississauga to chat and sign books. For more information: http://www.theapplemarket.ca/
4. Saturday October 23rd I will be at The Five Tibetans Boutique in Kitchener for a 2 hour detox seminar and book signing. For more information: http://www.fivetibetans.ca/main.cfm?id=B08532CB-BEB0-18B1-AB7923B5C8B461FB

I'll keep you all posted when new appearances are booked. All the best... I'm off to Winnipeg!