Monday, December 24, 2007

Happy Holidays

Happy holidays Eat-Clean Diet bloggers.

Keep your spirits high. Enjoy this time with the ones you love. Remember the little things are as, if not more, important than the big.

I will be taking a few days away from the blog to spend with my family while they are home for the holidays. I will return soon.

Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and a Happy New Year!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Holiday Dinner Parties

Hello Everyone,

So glad you could stop by today. I have been hustling and bustling all week in preparation for Christmas. I know we're all on the same page here. Of course, I've had to squeeze in my workouts, too. I love that half an hour of solitude each day where I can focus on me and my personal health. Makes me feel like a million bucks!! You too??

I had a close friend of mine over for dinner last night with her children. I made a delicious sea bass entree with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes (left out the butter). Everyone enjoyed it and I felt great about putting a clean meal on the table. You can do it, too. Check out the cookbook for a plethora of clean recipes for your holiday dinner parties. There are even "cleaner" desserts in there.

We got into a heated discussion after dinner about the North American mindset on food. It's interesting to hear the opinions of others. We in the Eat-Clean world are the lucky few who are really getting an education on eating well. Have you had experiences like this? People always seem interested in learning about eating clean. Let's keep spreading the word.

I am so glad you can join me on this journey to optimal health. Enjoy it and do all you can to keep you and your family healthy over the holiday season.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Only a Few More Days...

The countdown is on and with it comes last minute shopping and last minute errands. I drove off to Prince Edward County last night to pick up my daughters from their various schools. I ended up throwing on the rubber gloves and rolling up my sleeves to do some much-needed cleaning in my daughter's apartment. Student living... those were the days. Although, I don't remember my mother coming over to clean my toilet.

Now the car is packed to the hilt with gifts and suitcases and kids. We're on our way home to start the Christmas holidays.

While it can be a stressful time of year, it is certainly a great time, too. I love having all of my kids in the house. I admit to experiencing a bit of empty nest syndrome now that some of my daughters have left for higher education. There will be noise and mess and fun and drama and laughs and tears and all the joys of having a serious imbalance of estrogen vs. testosterone in the house for 2 weeks. My husband and stepson have to be pretty strong to deal with all of us girls.

What are your holidays like? Is the house bustling with people? Or is there a peaceful atmosphere?

I am very much looking forward to the next few weeks and hope that you are, too. The one message I ask everyone to remember this season is that even though the holidays only last for a few weeks, the spirit should last year round.

Enjoy your last few days of shopping madness. I'll be there with you in spirit as I am doing the same. Of course, I'll have some Eat-Clean protein bars on hand for sustenance...

Monday, December 17, 2007

Monday Humor... Don't Try This At Home...

Living up north in Ontario, Canada can be challenging in the winter. Not the least of these challenges arrived on the weekend when we got nailed with another snow storm.

There was so much snow that is started pouring into the house into my dining room. I have to say I was more than a little upset... and deep breaths did not help.

In my anger and frustration I decided to take matters into my own hands. So there I was up on top of the roof after 3 feet of snow had fallen. I had decided to shovel the snow.

I knew it was risky, but my anger outweighed my sanity.

I was heaving and hefting and literally throwing the snow off the roof. My frustration in EVERYTHING caused me to be careless and, you guessed it, I fell off the roof.

Luckily, I landed in a snow-covered bush and only suffered from a bit of shock from the cold.

Moral of the story: Don't Try This At Home!!!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

To You...

Good morning bloggers.

I apologize for the delay in an update, but it has been a busy week.

I hope some of you were able to catch my appearances from this week. As I posted earlier, Monday was a whirlwind in Tampa. Tuesday was a riot making Tofu Chocolate Mousse with the team of Studio 10 in St. Petersburg. And I had a great time in Washington yesterday making Trifle with the team of 9 News, Roasted Root Vegetable soup with the team of Retirement Living TV, and chatting it up with my favorite XM satellite radio ladies at Broadminded. Remember, all of these recipes are available in the Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook.

Now I am back at home sitting in my office typing away to you, my avid readers and loyal Clean Eating followers. I am very thankful for your support. You have no idea how happy it makes me to be able to share my knowledge with you and have a positive impact on your life. I am so thrilled to hear each and every one of your success stories and to answer any questions you have about the Eat-Clean lifestyle.

To show my gratitude I will continue to provide you with quality material to guide you on the path to total health. I will answer your questions and concerns, and take your suggestions and critiques to heart.

Thank you to all of you who have helped me get this far. You are the ones who help me help others. Now this small town, Canadian girl can spread the word of Clean Eating to many others in the hopes of making big changes!!

Thank you!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Basking in Florida Sunshine....Not!


Hello bloggers. I am writing to you during a small break I am taking in my very busy day here in Tampa, Florida. The sun is shining... well, it was the last time I saw it from my car window on my way to another interview. Phew! It's been a long day already and it's only 2 o'clock.


When I'm out promoting the Eat-Clean Diet books my schedule is all over the place. Having a cooler by my side is the one stable element in my day. I know I always have a healthy meal waiting for me. As soon as I arrived in Florida last night I went straight to the grocery store and stocked up on a bunch of things to keep me going: almonds, hummus, whole-wheat wraps, carrot sticks, apples, yogurt, water, etc. Of course, eating out is inevitably part of the deal when I'm travelling, so I am always at the ready with questions and requests for the waiter/waitress: no sauce here, no butter there, and steamed veggies please!! My husband and I try to pick restaurants where we know we can order a salad and broth-based soup without any trouble.


Another challenge is training time. As you all know, I workout 5-6 times a week. When I am travelling I do my best not to miss a day. It helps if I stay at a hotel with a gym, but there's no guarantee it's stocked with the equipment I need. This is when I get creative and do what I can: take a run outside if the weather is nice; do body weight exercises such as push ups, pull ups, and dips. I have also been known to seek out a gym nearby especially if I'm training for a competition, when every workout counts.


The most important thing about whirlwind trips is doing my best to get some sleep, some good food and plenty of water. When you're waking up in one city and going to sleep in another the comforts of the Clean-Eating lifestyle can keep you going.


I know there are a lot of women out there in my same position. You're jetting all over the world for business here and there; you're running the kids to soccer and hockey tournaments on the weekends; you're driving or flying to and from the in law's for the holidays.


Keep yourself sane and healthy by keeping Clean wherever your travels take you.

Friday, December 7, 2007

The Weekend is Upon Us

Well, it's been a great week full of activity including finally getting my Christmas trees and putting the lights on the outside of the house. Now it's just a matter of decorating the trees and the inside of the house. I like to get two trees. One "kids" tree and one "adult" tree. The adult tree is the fancy one, if you know what I mean. What do you like to do for decorations? For those of you who are a part of my forum I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing your holiday decorations thus far. Keep them coming!

I have a busy weekend ahead of me, too. On Saturday I will be doing a book signing in Milton, Ontario at A Country Mile. If you're from this area I'd love to see you there. They will have coffee and treats (clean treats, I hope) to celebrate the occassion.

On Sunday I will be flying to Florida for a few appearances in this area. Check my media schedule to find out which shows I'll be on and when. I'll be preparing a couple of holiday treats from my cookbook on TV and sharing a bunch of holiday Eat-Clean Tips with you! Keep an eye out.

I'm off to get packing. I'll have to make sure I have my cooler ready to go with all of my favourite Eat-Clean foods for the airport on Sunday. Better go check the fridge and pantry!

Have a lovely weekend one and all... and I hope to see you tomorrow if you are in the Milton area.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

More Photoshoot Pics...

Here are a few more pics from the photo shoot to share with you... Enjoy!


My daughter, Kiersten, nephew, Reid, and the little one, Emma...

My nephew, Ethan

Me, Emma, and my nephew, Ryan

The kiddies and their fruit popsicles

Me, my stepdaughter, Chelsea and our dogs, Davidson and Bailey

My daughter, Kelsey, and Chelsea... yummy carrots

Brothers Ryan and Reid

Brothers Ethan and William

My makeup artist's daughter, Brianna

The PJ party... all of the kids

Kiersten, my sister, Martina, and sister-in-law, Tammy

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Subscription Winners


Thank you to those of you who took the time to fill out the Eat-Clean Diet Family and Kids survey. It was a great success with 620 submissions! Wow!

To say thank you for your efforts 5 individuals have been randomly selected to receive a free year-long subscription to Clean Eating magazine.

Here are the winners:

1. Carolyn Kay

2. Nancy Eckelberg

3. Megan Heligas

4. Tamara Desouza

5. Kat Cureton

Congratulations winners!!!

Each of your addresses have been submitted, and you will be receiving your subscription within the next 4 - 6 weeks.

Enjoy and thank you again!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Winter Wonderland



Hello all. I hope you enjoyed your weekend.

As promised, I'll fill you in on the details of the Eat-Clean Diet Family and Kids photo shoot that took place this past weekend at my home. It was a great success. We shot all day and the kids were fabulous. From 14 months to 16 years, not one person cried... phew! I am so excited for you to see the images when the book debuts in the fall. My favourite part of the shoot was when all of the kids put on their flannel pj's and hopped on the couch for a couple of photographs. They were all so cute.

We had a lovely lunch catered for our crew of 24 by Gourmandissimo, our local catering company. It was so nice to find a chef who had no trouble catering (pardon the pun) to my Clean-Eating needs. The kids munched on whole-wheat penne, turkey wraps, crudites and yummy fruit. A variety of simple and healthy foods is always the best for little ones.

That night we absolutely collapsed in exhaustion. As we all snuggled into bed we had no idea what the next day would bring...

A wild snow storm!

We were literally snowed in. With freezing rain adding a nice slick coating to fresh snow the hills were ideal for great tobogganing. We bundled up the kiddies and spent a couple of hours outside enjoying the weather. Trudging up and down the hills with kids in tow is great exercise. It was a nice switch up from my typical workout. Give it a try if you have snow in your area. Some of you may not know this, but we're not always snow covered up here in Canada. In fact, in many Canadian cities during the winter holidays there is no snow. I think this year will be a different story, as we've been inundated with quite a few storms already.

To wrap things up, the weekend was excellent. Lots of yummy Clean-Eating meals shared with the people I love the most! That's the way it should be. Why not plan a delicious meal for your family, friends and/or loved-ones this evening. You'll feel satisfied through and through.