Browsing: Food Stores

Seven Natural Health Wonders of the World

June23

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Yesterday I had the opportunity to once again style for and learn from Michelle Book the in-house Holstic Nutritionist with the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA).

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Coming from every corner of the globe, the wonders that we displayed and she spoke of have been used for centuries in other countries to help with everything from soothing bug bites to achieving beautiful glowing skin. Although you may have heard of these natural health products you may not be aware of their secret benefits and how they can be used in our daily lives. We begin our tour in Asia.

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Turmeric (Asia)

Across the globe, turmeric is used for its anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to help alleviate joint pain and immune disorders and digestive aid. Michelle can demo a DIY turmeric face mask, as outlined below.

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Arnica (Europe)

Stemming from an ancient plant, arnica has been used extensively to help strengthen joints and muscles. Often used as a topical cream, rubbing arnica on a sore joint or muscle can soothe and provide fast relief.

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Tea Tree Oil (Australia)

This essential oil is a microbial that can be used to treat a number of skin conditions including dandruff and acne. It can also be used to soothe bug bites, making it a must to pack on the next family trip.

Argan Oil (Africa)

This rare oil boasts potent effects for improving skin elasticity in post-menopausal women and is proven to reduce the appearances of darkly pigmented age spots. Michelle can demo a DIY exfoliating argan face scrub, as outlined below.

Krill Oil (Antarctica)

These small crustaceans are found in the depths of the seas in Antarctica. For such a small species, it packs a big health punch. Rich in omega-3s, krill oil has been proven to help combat cardiovascular disease, and helps lower blood lipids and blood pressure.

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Chia (South America)

This seed is prized for its dense nutritional profile. It’s a complete protein that contains all nine of our essential amino acids. It’s a rich source of omega-3s and fibre, which helps to slow digestion and maintain weight. Michelle can demo chia pudding, a replacement for boring breakfast oatmeal, as outlined below.

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Ginger (North America)

Ginger is packed with phenolic compounds that help improve your digestive system, when consumed regularly. It is also able to reduce the feeling of nausea, and bolster your body’s immune system to combat the common cold, flu and other similar problems. A pot of water with ginger on your stove, provides your kitchen with a natural de-odorizer.

The recipes that Michelle shared for Tumeric Face Mask and Chia Pudding are both found at the Canadian Health Food Association Website.

Kath’s quote: “The greatest wealth is Health.”  ~Unknown 

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Love never fails.

 

Eating Resolutions

January8

Our last couple of chocolates are waiting to be consumed and then, we will be holiday-treat free. It has been a lengthy process as D’s Mom gave us an entire box of cookies and fudge and another of Reed’s candy (a family tradition). Boo’s chocolate cherries are in the fridge, stashed away for a very, very special time. D has the sweet tooth in our house which he is willing to offset by waking at 5:15 am to head for the gym. Me, not so much….

On the other hand, I have a salty tooth. I get a craving whenever we sit down to watch a Jet’s game or one of our favourite Netflix TV series. Typically, a zip loc of spicy, homemade “nuts and bolts” is waiting for me in the freezer but with the busyness of the holiday season, I have not had the opportunity to muster up a batch.

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Thank heaven for popcorn! We air-pop ours now that we know that the additives in micro-wave popcorn are a no-no. This way we can control the amount of fat and salt that we are consuming. But sometimes the Jet’s game is too close or we are too wrapped in in the villainy of Frank and Clare, to want to get the popper out. That is when it is nice to have a bagged snack at the ready.

Popcorn Indiana recently sent me two of their products to sample. Their Original Movie Theater (their spelling, not mine) tastes just like the big screen version  but with two added bonuses 1) it does not cost $20 including that extra large soft drink and skittles that you don’t even want and 2) it is made with the simplest of ingredients: popcorn, canola oil, clarified butter and salt. There are even instructions on the back of the bag as to how to heat it up (in the mic) if you so desire. I emptied the bag in a couple of sittings. One of my big thrills now that we are empty nesters and D is not always home for supper, is eating popcorn with a glass of wine as my meal, making me feel mischievous and naughty.

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In keeping with our resolutions for the new year, Popcorn Indiana also produces a “fit” version. On New Year’s day when D and I watched a marathon of “Newsroom” it was our sustenance. As the promo material indicates:

The skinny on fit: All the taste and crunch you crave, nothing artificial and…here’s the best part…only 40 calories or less per cup. All the taste without the guilt trip.

The delectable treat is available at Loblaw’s (assuming this means Superstore in Winnipeg), Sobey’s and Shoppers Drug Mart. We can’t wait to try the olive & black pepper and the parmesan & rosemary versions.

Kath’s quote: “Have you ever pondered the miracle of popcorn? It starts out as a tiny, little, compact kernel with magic trapped inside that when agitated, bursts to create something marvelously desirable. It’s sort of like those tiny, little thoughts trapped inside an author’s head that―in an excited explosion of words―suddenly become a captivating fairytale!” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

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Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

 

How to Cook and Eat Live Lobster

May27

Annie Hall-Lobster Scene

When you think about dropping a living thing into boiling water to cook it and then break its body apart and eat it, the very thought could easily dissuade you.  Even though Diane Keaton playing Annie Hall in the film clip above, indicates that she could never do so, neurotic and paranoid Woody Allen playing Alfie manages to.  I have never been the instigator of this action in our home but I love that D is willing to take it on, as the rewards are so delicious!

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Select your lobster according to desired size and also look for a intense colour and frisk movement.

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For the sake of the crustacean, bring large pots of water with a tight fitting lid. As soon as the shellfish has changed to a bright red colour, it is done.  Take a peak in the pot at about 7-8 minutes.

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As soon as it is cooked, plunge into cold running water.

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Twist off the tail and then with a pointed and heavy knife, make an incision down the middle of the tail.  The meat can be lifted out of the tail and placed on top of the skeleton if desired.

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Likewise, twist off the claws. With a heavy cleaver, whack the cleaver into the broadest area of the claw.

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In this case, D completely split the tail into two so that the meat could be easily lifted out.

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The claw is my favourite source of the sweet flesh.  I also love to suck the meat out of the lobster’s legs but D could not be bothered.  Either nugget of meat, dipped into some drawn butter, with a squeeze of lemon is a taste like no other!

Kath’s quote: Perfectly prepared lobster are “not unlike hot curds, juicy and tender, and sweet as scorched honey from ocean depths.”-Kenneth Robert

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Love-that is all.

 

Food Revolution Day & Sobey’s Potluck Challenge-Our Tastes from Home Dinner

May13

We were delighted to host a potluck in conjunction with Sobey’s Potluck Challenge.  When we invite this particular group of friends over, I am not sure who is the most excited: the parents because they get a breather from their kids (we take the kids off their hands for the evening) or the kids who are anxious to see each other and head down to our play area in the family room.

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But we always start the evening off with a family dinner.  The contributions to our “Tastes from Home” potluck were homemade chicken noodle soup, green bean casserole (a classic modified to be made without cream of mushroom soup) to accompany the macaroni and cheese that I had prepared,

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a make-it-yourself spinach salad and watermelon and brownies for dessert.  The hit in the dining room where D, myself and Sister #3 were supervising the little ones was the chicken noodle soup.  The noodles were lovely and fine and the broth had a hint of what we guessed was fennel in it.  We couldn’t confirm because the home cook that contributed it had to attend another event, but she sent a stock pot full of soup over with her husband and girls. We grown ups in the room loved the green beans and the spinach salad.

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My contribution of Mac and Cheese was modified from an old family favourite.  We have been preparing Best of Bridge’s Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese for years.  But recently, we had been saving the dish for special occasions because it was anything but low fat and low calorie.  I performed a test run of the recipe for Daughter #2’s birthday dinner.  When the original recipe and my version were tasted side by side, no one could tell the difference.

Gourmet Mac and Cheese, Healthied Up
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • canola spray oil
  • 2½ c fibre enriched elbow macaroni
  • ¼ c canola
  • ¼ c whole wheat flour
  • 2 c 1% milk
  • ½ t salt
  • 1 T monkfruit extract, 100% natural, 0 calorie sweetener
  • 8 oz. fat reduced old cheddar cheese, grated
  • ⅔ c fat free sour cream
  • 1 1 /3 c 1% cottage cheese
  • Topping:
  • 2 c grated fat reduced old cheddar cheese
  • 1½ c breadcrumbs made from whole grain bread
  • 2 T canola oil
Instructions
  1. Prepare a 2.5 litre casserole dish by spraying with a canola spray.
  2. Cook macaroni until el dente. Drain.
  3. Blend canola oil and flour over medium heat until it begins to bubble around the edges
  4. Add milk and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until sauce thickens.
  5. Add salt and monkfruit extract. Blend pasta, sauce, cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese.
  6. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

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The moist, dense brownies for dessert were perfection.  One bite could truly satisfy a chocolate yearning.

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Now, who wouldn’t want to cook for these adorable kids? They are well mannered, taste everything and have sophisticated palettes for children their age. This is, I am quite sure, because of the example and encouragement of their parents.  All the parents in our circle, simply place wholesome, home prepared foods in front of their families and let the kids take it from there. Soon there will be another little guy around the table, as they have a brand new baby brother!

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In the foreground are three sisters.  They all help their parents in the kitchen and one of their favourite pastimes is flipping through pages of cookbooks.  I kid you not.  When we were invited there for dinner recently, all three of them were on the floor by the cookbook shelf in the kitchen, oohing and awing over various recipe photos, sharing them with each other and then requesting of their Mom that they make the most popular items.

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The Wee One (our Granddaughter) is also a part of this group.  This weekend she tried grilled eggplant for the first time!

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After our successful potluck, the kids donned t-shirts which served as painting smocks and made painted terra-cotta pots for their Moms for Mother’s Day.  These children are truly blessed with amazing Moms who know that time invested in the nurturing of these little ones is their most important work.

So as far as a Food Revolution is concerned, the need is not great amongst our particular circle.  But please do not misunderstand me; we know that we are a privileged group.  We have the luxury of time and can afford a variety of wholesome ingredients to prepare for our families.  Such is not the case the world over and indeed not even throughout our own neighbourhoods and communities.  We try not to take our blessings for granted and know that our responsibility is to share our knowledge with other families by example, with hospitality and with contributions of money and time to organizations that help feed families nutritious food.

I applaud Jamie Oliver and his efforts through Food Revolution Day-a global day of action celebrating the importance of cooking good food and inspiring in children a love of healthy food that will last a lifetime.  Sobeys wanted all Canadians to get involved and show off their cooking skills and that is why they created the national potluck challenge.  I encourage you to host your own potluck but also to tweet and/or post to Instagram about your potluck event with the #PotluckChallenge hashtag.  Sobeys will be donating $1 to the Cooking Towards Independence Project-a joint initiative between Sobeys and the Children’s Aid Foundation that will set up cooking workshops with children across Canada.

Kath’s quote: “As soon as I was old enough to peer over the worktops, I remember being fascinated by what went on in the kitchen. It just
seemed such a cool place, everyone working together to make this lovely stuff and having a laugh doing it.”-Jamie Oliver

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Love-that is all.

It is Time to Grill!

May3

D and I are empty nesters for a couple of weeks while Daughter #2 is in Nicaragua on a study trip with the Canada Food Grains Bank.  She is not much of a meat eater.  So, when we don’t have to take her preferences into consideration, we have meat, primarily beef at most evening meals.  Our favourite treat to have with a steak is a fleshy/steamy baked potato with the “works”, as we learned to write it on our orders, when we both worked at The Keg Restaurant.  The “works” means both butter and sour cream and chopped green onions and real pieces of bacon.  Mushrooms are another favourite to have with a steak.  I saute slices in a hot skillet with butter and garlic.

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This week though, I changed things up a bit and seared a couple of thin New York steaks and then sliced them up to have over a salad of mixed micro greens with a fig and balsamic dressing.  I found that corn on the cob is now in at Sobey’s so I steamed up a couple of cobs and placed a loaf of bread into the oven to bake.  I typically make my own dough in a break-maker, but I recently found frozen bread dough (also at Sobey’s) that I used to buy, before I received my bread machine.  It is the easiest thing in the world to place a frozen loaf under a tea towel on a prepared pan and throw it into the oven at the last minute.  And what a treat-bread so hot that the butter just disappeared into its pores!

The steaks this week were the excuse I needed to try Earl’s Signature Steak Wet Rub that I received as a gift when I could not attend the preview of their spring menu event.  The rub is made with olive oil, soya, garlic, lemon juice, porcini mushrooms and cayenne pepper. To this, roughly chopped fresh basil, rosemary and parsley is added.  The wet rub tenderized our steaks and added such a depth of flavours.  I had never enjoyed the taste of lemon on beef before-brilliant.

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Of course the only archived steak photo that I have, depicts it smothered in barbeque sauce….

D started his career behind the broiler bar at The Keg and prepares a perfect steak.  We are typically purists and only season a steak with Montreal Steak Spice which we enjoy on a variety of foods as well.  I think that the exact ingredients are a closely guarded secret but our best guess is that it contains (in addition to coarse salt and pepper and dehydrated onion and garlic), paprika, crushed red pepper, caraway, dill and coriander seeds and perhaps some mustard.

With D’s flare (no pun intended) for steaks, he often pulls out all the stops for celebrations like birthday dinners.  I recall one year when he offered up two choices of “toppers”.  One was sauteed garlic shrimp and Bearnaise sauce and the other was a balsamic tomato salsa and goat cheese.  Both were divine and it was impossible to choose between the two, so most of us had a nibble of each.

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It has been a very long winter on the Canadian prairies but spring has finally arrived.  D has his special tongs polished up and the barbeque has been moved into position.  Let the grilling season begin!

Kath’s quote: “It is a very beautiful day. The woman looks around and thinks: ‘there cannot ever have been a spring more beautiful than this. I did not know until now that clouds could be like this. I did not know that the sky is the sea and that clouds are the souls of happy ships, sunk long ago. I did not know that the wind could be tender, like hands as they caress – what did I know – until now?” – Unica Zürn

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Love-that is all.

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