Eating Clean on Canada Day

Hi Everyone! Here in Canada we are gearing up for July 1st which is Canada Day - a statutory holiday which celebrates Canada's birthday. There are festitivities in our nation's capital, Ottawa which are highlighted by an enourmous fireworks show. Little towns in every province do the same. This celebration is also hallmarked by feasting. I too am having guests for our big day. What to serve? I am helped along by the produce I am harvesting from my garden. I am certain to serve a big salad with the greens from my arugula and lettuce plants. There are young chives, basil and very small ripe tomatoes as well. There are a few young zucchini which are excellent grilled. Along with these I will prepare a savory quinoa and wheat berry salad. This will be accompanied with marinaded salmon skewers and chicken teriyaki skewers. There is fresh corn from the farmer's market just around the corner too. I plan to grill apricots for dessert. In spite of the time required to prepare the food there will still be plenty of time to train and visit with my guests. Hopefully we can have a quick dip in the pool too - fingers crossed! The weather has been very un-summer like for us.

Whatever you plan on, enjoy your day and every minute in it.
Your sister in strength,
Tosca

PS. I had best remember to call my brother to wish him a happy birthday too!
TR

Bike to Beat Obesity

For those of you who don’t receive my monthly newsletter (sign up for it here), I wanted to make a special mention of a challenge I have issued you that does not require Eating Clean or exercising, only the goodness of your heart:

I have made a sizable donation to Brock Picken’s Bike to Beat Obesity to benefit SickKids Foundation.

Brock is from my area here in Ontario, and he will be embarking on a road trip from Toronto, Ontario to Victoria, British Columbia during the month of July. I am excited to be supporting Brock in his crusade; especially since the fight against childhood obesity is one of my personal crusades.

I am also offering a challenge. To the first 50 people who donate $100 or more to Brock on his website I will send copies of my new book, The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids (which comes out next month!), and I will arrange for them to receive a one-year subscription to Clean Eating magazine. These books will be autographed, of course.

Come on! The kids need your help!

Deadlines

I'm sitting here at my desk with my team furiously working to reach a deadline. It's all hands on deck and we're plugging away at record speed trying to get as much done as possible by 8 pm this evening when Fed Ex closes. For those of you who are new to the blog (welcome), we are working on The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids which hits shelves in August. I wish I could say I can do it all, but when it comes to proofreading, designing, and editing the book it takes a village. And boy does my Eat-Clean village pull through each and every time. It amazes me constantly to say the least. So I guess I will get back to it. I just wanted to say a quick hello and let you all know I hadn't fallen off the face of the Earth even though I haven't been blogging as much this week. It's just because of this deadline. More soon....

Belly Dancing

Phewf!! That's how I feel this morning after a whirlwind weekend bustling with activity. On Friday evening I joined members of my Eat-Clean team (here they are in the photo on the right) for a goodbye dinner at The Sultan's Tent in Toronto. This Moroccan-themed restaurant doesn't look like much from the front, but upon entering you find yourself in a room of silken tents with cushy banquettes and pillows. We settled into a four-course meal. So before I go any further let me just explain that this was my treat meal for the week. Even still I kept it pretty clean. This restaurant offers a plethora of delicious options including lentil soup, hummus, and platters of couscous, grilled veggies, and lamb. Of course, I indulged in a glass of wine and some to-die-for chocolate cake... or Chocolate Oasis as it is called on the menu. That would be the shot in the upper lefthand corner. They also treat you to a wonderful belly dancing show. The lady who performed was very talented and had some fantastic abs. I gave it a try, too. Wow! What an ab workout. I couldn't believe it! my abs were burning after just a few minutes. This girl was up there strutting her stuff for a half hour. No wonder she has a 6 pack! That's it... the next book will be called The Eat-Clean Diet Takes on Belly Dancing. Here are a couple more shots from the evening, including a kiss for the Eat-Clean mobile (aka my car!):

Another Frequently Asked Question...

PROTEIN BARS AND PROTEIN POWDER

I get this question a lot: What protein bars and protein powder do you recommend and use?

Time to clear it up:

PROTEIN BARS

On the odd occasion I will eat a protein bar. This is usually when I am out of the house and have not realized I won't be back in time for a meal. Hunger strikes and a protein bar is at the rescue. I have done some serious searching and have found a few that I enjoy. These include LaraBars, Clif Bars, Jay Robb bars, and Luna Bars. By the way, I am not endorsed by any of these companies, I have just done my research. I would really encourage you to do the same. Look at the ingredients. Choose an option that is free of sugars, artificial sugars, chemicals, things you can't pronounce, etc. etc. You want it to be as clean and as close to nature as possible.

PROTEIN POWDER

Protein powders are an excellent source of protein, as long as you select a clean version. I am always on the look out for clean products. One I am using right now is called Living Harvest hemp protein powder. Hemp is one of the only plant sources that boasts complete protein. If you are lactose intolerant or a practicing vegan I would encourage you to avoid whey protein and stick to hemp or soy versions of protein powder. As with protein bars, look for products made from all-natural ingredients, no sugars or artificial sugars, no chemicals etc.

** FYI sugars can come in disguise under the names of HFCS, corn syrup, rice syrup, glucose, fructose, etc. Keep an eye out for these sneak guys!

More from the BEC

Hey everybody,

Today I am off to Kingston, Ontario. I am playing taxi cab driver to my daughter Kiersten, who has a job interview and I am going to visit my other daughter, Kelsey-Lynn, on the way. It's a good mom and daughter day!

On Monday I attended the Book Expo of Canada. Wow! It was such a thrill to be there and I was shocked to see so many people waiting to get their hands on a copy of the Family and Kids book. For those of you who were unable attend let me set things straight. When I attend book expos I bring along galley copies of my next book. A galley copy is an unedited version of the book that will be available to all of you in August. Don't worry. You're not missing out. My team and I are still putting the finishing touches on the Family and Kids book. However, having seen the galley copy, I have to say I am soooooo excited for its debut. It looks fantastic! My book designer, Gabriella, is an absolute genius. She takes my word and places them in a totally user-friendly way. Yeah yeah yeah!

So I have included some photos and video from Monday for all of you to enjoy:


This is the line outside of the booth. I can't believe it even wrapped around the corner!


Here I am signing a couple of books for some people who waited a long time.

Below I have a video from the BEC signing.


Have a great day everybody! Eat Clean and stay lean!

-TR

Book Expo of Canada

Good Monday Morning Clean Eaters,

Just a couple of updates before I get onto the weekend in review. Today I will be at the Book Expo of Canada. For those of you in the Toronto area I will be signing at 11 am at the Metro Toronto Convention Center on Front Street. The book I am promoting is The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids. Stop by to get a free copy signed by me. I would love to meet you! For more information you can check out www.bookexpo.ca.

If you're not in the Toronto area please keep an eye on my Appearances page to see when I will be visiting your area, or sign up for a one-on-one phone consult with me on my website. You get my full attention for one hour. Ask me anything health and fitness related!

Now that the updates are done I can tell you about my weekend. I spent Saturday evening at my sister's 50th birthday party in Richmond Hill, Ontario. I was pleasantly surprised to see not 1 but 2 quinoa salads already on the table. I brought a Caribbean rice and beans salad. Yummy! We relaxed in the backyard with the kids running around and conversation flowing. The night finished off with strawberry shortcake... and, yes, I did indulge!

Sunday was spent celebrating my husband since it was Father's Day. My daughters went to spend the day with their dad, leaving my husband, my stepdaughter, and me at home with the puppies. We took them for a walk and attempted to fish some koi out of our pond. We just ended up looking silly. We had a great meal and finished off the evening with The Blue Planet. What a fantastic DVD. If you have the opportunity please buy it or check it out. It's wonderfully entertaining and educational. I certainly have a much deeper appreciation for the ocean.

Enjoy your Monday... and please stop by the booth! I'd love to meet you!

The Day of Meetings

Wow! Today is the day of meetings. I have a 5 minute break right now just before meeting number 2 of the day, and then I have one right after that. Phewf! It makes for a long day here at the office.

Yesterday I did a presentation in Burlington, Ontario for the Parks and Rec department. It was at the beautiful Paletta Mansion on the waterfront. I spoke with the department during their wellness day. We got into some great discussions about flaxseed, agave nectar, quinoa, etc. etc. This was the grocery list of things people had never heard of before. It was fun! We also talked about the benefit of organic and locally grown foods. I shared with the group one of my favorite reads in a long time, The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen. Anyway, it was a great event and I was thrilled to see from familiar faces in the audience.

I also visited my daughter yesterday. Her high school just completed construction on an art gallery and they had the opening gala last night. My daughter's photography was selected as part of the opening expose. I was a proud mama last night. She has taken some beautiful photographs. I can't wait to get some of them up in my house.

So now I am off to meeting number 2 of the day, and then it's home to make dinner.

Have a great day all!

Power Washing How To

Hello Everyone,

I hope this story is taken as both funny, dumb, and as a lesson:

So I decided to take it upon myself to power wash my pool cabana. It had been sitting under trees for 3 years and had gone from beige to green. My husband and I trekked out to Home Depot and picked up a cute little power washer. It also happened to be a powerful one. About 2 hours into my cleaning event the wind came up and took my cabana with it. In my haste to get the cabana under control I dropped the power washer without turning it off. The jet sprayed up at me and created a deep gash in my elbow and a couple of burns trailing down my forearm. It hurts! I guess I'm just lucky it didn't blast into my eye... otherwise you would be taking advice from the One-Eyed Eat-Clean Lady! The moral of this story is... please turn off the power washer before doing any sort of quick movements. You can replace whatever blows away. You can't replace your body parts!

Here's to being perpetually smart with food and perpetually dumb with heavy machinery!

BEA Pics

I promised to share a couple of moments from the Book Expo of America. Here are some pics from my book signing on Saturday. It was great to meet a bunch of book savvy people who all share the desire to eat properly and live well. Enjoy!

CALORIE COUNTING CLEAR UP!!

One of the strongest points of The Eat-Clean Diet is NO CALORIE COUNTING. Here are the reasons why:

1. Calories are not created equal. While the calories in a handful of almonds are the same as the calories in a handful of M & Ms, the nutrition is absolutely different. The more nutritious almonds are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber that will keep your blood-sugar levels stable. Sugary chocolate will do just the opposite, leaving you sluggish and hungry in a matter of minutes.

2. Inaccuracy is high when counting calories. Buying the latest counters and signing up at the best websites is no different. The only way to truly know what you’re putting in and out is in a science lab. And there are even errors with this method.

3. Eating all of your calories at one time will kill your metabolism. Spreading your meals throughout the day by eating every 2 – 3 hours will keep your metabolic furnace burning at a steady rate. Skipping meals puts your metabolism in starvation mode = fat-storing mode = very little caloric output. While your calories may be the same each day, how you use those calories is very different.

4. Burning calories is different for everyone. The treadmill may tell you that you are burning 250 calories per half hour, but this depends on numerous factors, including your weight, your age, your percentage of lean body mass, the effort you are putting forth, etc. Again, unless you are in a science lab every time you work out, you are just using generalized estimations.

5. Calorie counting inspires food disorders. An obsession with numbers is not only time consuming, it also fuels our obsession with food and the scale. This is not a natural relationship with food, and can lead to a lifetime of eating disorders.

Simply watch your portion sizes as outlined on page 30 of The Eat-Clean Diet and ensure you are eating a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates from fruits and veggies and whole grains every 2 - 3 hours.

If you would like more helpful hints like these every month please sign up for The Eat-Clean Diet Newsletter www.eatcleandiet.com.

Veggie Garden

I have finally planted my vegetable garden. I am so happy!

I have chosen to plant flaxseed, tomatoes, onions, leeks, pumpkins, and a bunch of herbs. I've also decided to try growing my garden organically so I am going to plant marigolds throughout the garden to avoid spraying with pesticides. I am so excited to see what comes up and learn more about the soil and what works and what doesn't.

I have planted my herbs in little pots next to the kitchen door so I don't have to go too far when I am making dinner.

Is anyone else getting ready or already in the process of planting their garden?

Backyard gardens are something I have been exposed to since childhood. My dad was very focused on his garden and took extra special care with his beans and tomatoes. I have fond memories of working with him and bringing yummy veggies into the house for dinner.

My daughter has also just bought me a lemon tree and an orange tree for my birthday. I am not sure how well they will do in the Canadian climate, but we'll see. Either way they are beautiful trees and I will certainly take good care of them.

Okay, now that I've filled you in on the latest and greatest over in the Eat-Clean Diet world I'll be getting back to work... More later this week.

Jet-Lag Monday

Just back from a busy week in LA at the BEA representing my entire cast of Eat Clean books. While it may sound glam it does translate into a lot of work. The vibe for the upcoming Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids is very positive.

We did manage to squeeze in a bit of fun during the week. On Friday we went to the uber-hip STK restaurant for a team dinner. On the menu... STEAK!! Surprise surprise! This was paired with delicious mushrooms, spinach, and roasted potatoes. We even had a few celebrity sightings.

On Saturday afternoon I had a cooking demo. I was nervous, since I am certainly not a chef, but it was a lot of fun. I demonstrated how to make clean chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, clean ketchup, banana bread, and tofu chocolate mousse. The first 4 recipes are all new from the upcoming family and kids book. I was thrilled afterwards when one of the children in the audience let me know my cleaned up recipe of chicken nuggets was "super good"! I can't wait to share the rest of these recipes with all of you when the book comes out in August.

I also want to thank booksellers across the nation for their continued support of the Eat-Clean Series. Stay tuned for the next batch of books I have in the works including The Ultimate Eat-Clean Diet, Clean Eating for Men, and another cookbook full of a ton of great new recipes!!