My New I-Pod Playlist!

A few weeks ago, I asked my followers on my Tosca Reno and Eat-Clean Diet facebook fan pages for their favorite workout tunes. I was bombarded with suggestions! Thank you!

My iPod is full of hits to keep me motivated! I’ve been running longer distances and flying through my reps and sets. I’ve even been caught in full song and dance!

Here’s the list so you can turn up the jams and make the most out of your training time!

Happy Training!

Tosca

*The songs are listed in the following format: Song Title – Artist

• What Hurts the Most (Darren Styles Remix) - Euromix (Cascada)
• 4 Minutes - Madonna
• Temperature - Sean Paul
• Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy
• Colours of the Rainbow - Cascada and Friends Vol 1
• Feel The Beat - Darude
• Stronger - Kanye West
• The Power of Pleasure - DJ Carpi
• You're My Angel - DJ Zitkus
• Ravers Fantasy - Tune U
• Raag Pahadi - Rakesh Chaurasia (10 minute song)
• Warrior – Nelly
• Hot and Cold – Katy Perry
• Lose Yourself – Eminem
• Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas
• I’ve Got a Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
• Shock to the System – Billy Idol
• Rebel – Billy Idol
• White Wedding – Billy Idol
• Animal I’ve Become – Three Days Grace
• Hammerhead – Offspring
• Best of You – Foo Fighters
• Knock You Out – LL Cool Jay
• Glamorous – Fergie
• Jai Ho – Pussycat Dolls
• When I Grow Up – Pussycat Dolls
• Heinrich Maneuver – Interpol
• Where the Streets Have no Name – U2
• Going the Distance – Valentine
• I’m Just a Girl – No Doubt
• Oh Pretty Woman – Roy Orbison
• I’m Free – Kenny Loggins
• Free Yourself – Eminem
• Calle Ocho – Pitbull
• Hold On To Me – Armin Van Buuren ft. Audrey Gallengher
• Still of the Night – White Snake
• The Final Countdown – Europe
• Aint Talking About Love – Van Halen
• Baby Hold On – Grass Roots
• Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
• Poker Face – Lady Gaga
• Just Dance – Lady Gaga
• If Today Was Your Last Day – Nickelback
• Discipline – Nine Inch Nails
• Weak and Powerless – A Perfect Circle
• Lump – The Presidents of the United States of America
• Devour – Shinedown
• Dare You to Move – Switchfoot
• Too Much – Dave Matthews Band
• Wake Me Up Before You Go – Wham!
• Drive: Nike - The Crystal Method
• Original Run - The Crystal Method
• Heartless – Kanye West
• Strong – Kanye West
• Beautiful Life – Ace of Base
• I’ve Got the Power – Snap
• Shake It – Metro Station
• Fighter – Christina Agulera
• It Takes Two – Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock
• Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake
• Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince
• Back in Black – AC/DC
• I run for life – Melissa Etheridge
• Glass Dance – The Faint
• She Wants to Move – N.E.R.D
• Satisfcation – Benny Bennasi and The Biz
• Kids – MGMT
• Time to Pretend - MGMT
• Mama’s Room – Under the Influence of Giants
• Ulysses – Franz Ferdinand
• Move This – Technotronic
• For Whom the Bell Tolls – Metallica
• Twilight Zone – Golden Earring
• Give It To Me – Maddonna
• I Run to You – Lady Antebellum
• Wild at Heart – Gloriana
• Gone – Montgomery Gentry
• The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
• Praise You – Fat Boy Slim
• The Hand that Feeds – Nine Inch Nails
• I Know You Want Me – Pitbull
• Moving Into Light – Freemasons Remix by Black Fras
• Message in a Bottle – Workout Remiz by DJ Hush
• Hold On – KT Tunstall
• Love – G.Love
• Demon Days – Gorillaz
• Lifeline – Papa Roach
• I’m Shipping Up to Boston – Dropkick Murphys
• Hell Yea – Rev Theory
• Hands Open - Eyes Open
• My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson
• Fire Burning – Sean Kingston
• The Pretender – Foo Fighters
• You Should Be Dancing – Bee Gees
• Copacabana – Barry Manilow
• Rise Up – Yves Larock
• Come On, Eileen – Dexys Mignight Runners
• You Spin Me Round – Flo Rida
• Fruit Machine – The Ting Tings
• That’s Not My Name – The Ting Tings
• Saturdays Alright – Nickelback and Kid Rock
• Just Like Heaven – The Cure
• Sideways – Dirks Bently
• Where are we Running – Lenny Kravitz
• The Staggers – Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
• Dancin in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen
• Heaven – Los Lonely Boys
• Come on Down – Blue Rodeo
• Ultimate – Lindsay Lohan
• Pump It – Black Eyed Peas
• Champion – Kanye West
• Delirious
• Purple Rain – Prince
• Fergalicious – Fergie
• Hotel Song – Regina Spektor
• Fidelity – Regina Spektor
• On the Radio – Regina Spektor
• The Show – Lenka
• Gravity Rides Everything – Lenka
• Switch – Will Smith
• End Ever After
• Kiss or Kill Album
• The Distance – Cake
• Big Eye Little Eye Album – Golden Dogs
• So What – Pink
• Funhouse – Pink
• The Knux Album
• Bleed it Out – Linkin Park
• Move On – All American Rejects
• Miscommunication – Timbaland Bloody Beetroots Remix
• Atomic Dog – George Clinton

Welcome to My Garden

Thanks to Heather who asked me about my garden yesterday.

It has been a labor of love this year working away in the dirt when I get a few minutes here and there. Due to the lovely amount of rain gracing Ontario this summer my veggies are going crazy!! Now we just need a little bit of heat so the fruits can come out. The lettuce literally exploded out of the ground. We were eating salads for days just so it wouldn't go bad. I also have tons of fresh peas, which is great for my favorite Indonesian dish, Bahmi Goreng. I need to get in there today to pick out my heritage peas. This is my first time trying them in the garden and I'm looking forward to their taste. I have a bed full of potatoes... red, blue & yellow. My husband was slightly alarmed the other day when I served blue potatoes at dinner. He thought I had gone nuts!

As soon as the weather gets a bit warmer I expect my tomatoes will start coming out. It's been a little too cool for them as of yet. I'm also waiting on my kale, garlic, onion, carrots, fennel and pumpkin.

My favorite part of the gardening experience this year is my compost bin. I have been faithfully filling it and have used it to nourish the soil along with cow manure. I haven't used one bit of pesticides or fertilizer. Yeah for organic home gardening!! Best of all, there haven't been any bug infestations. However, I did use an alyssum border to attract the honey bees for better pollination. They are the only bugs allowed!

Tosca: Flexing at 49 Finale

Happy Monday Clean Eaters!

Did my fellow Canadian Clean Eaters happen to catch the last episode of Tosca: Flexing at 49 this weekend? What did you think?

I can't believe 8 episodes flew by so quickly. I hope you've learned something about the world of fitness and maybe a little bit more about who I am.

I really enjoyed how they finished the series with the final meal at home with my family. That's what it all comes down to... being able to feed your family healthy foods that bring you together and allow you to enjoy life.

Thanks for watching!

-Tosca

Great ECD Men Review!!

Thanks for the great review on the Eat-Clean Diet for Men...

Read it here!!

Thank You Thank You

Wow! Thank you to everyone who responded to my wisdom teeth post yesterday. You're all gems.

Kelsey-Lynn is recovering well. She was actually eating Jell-o and mashed potatoes a few hours after the surgery. Last night I treated her to some unbelievably natural ice cream. I purchased it as a treat from the Hockley Valley Herb & Tea Company in Caledon East. I had a little bite of the vanilla. WOW!!! Better keep that buried in the freezer so I can forget about it!! I also whipped up some Chocolate Tofu Mousse from the Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook. She's also been having a lot of yogurt to keep the healthy bacteria around while she is on the antibiotics.

More than anything I wish I had taken a video of her while she was coming off the anesthetic. It was hilarious. She made no sense at all. She just kept on mumbling funny things and wanted to go shopping at Lululemon. Strange strange strange. 2 seconds later she fell into a very deep sleep with her tongue hanging out. It was pretty entertaining.

Last night we all gathered on the couch with her to watch movies and So You Think You Can Dance. It was a pretty quiet evening at the Eat-Clean household. If the weather would clear up we might be able to get outside... rain rain go away (although my veggie garden does look amazing because of it)!! This is Toronto's worst summer yet...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Wisdom Teeth

I am heading to the dental surgeon today with my 18-year-old in tow. She is about to have all 4 wisdom teeth yanked from her mouth. Not fun. My mom was kind enough to whip up some delicious soup yesterday for my daughter to enjoy when she comes to after the anesthetic wears off. I am going to whip up some mashed potatoes when I get home, but I need some more ideas...

So I thought I would ask for your ingenious suggestions to help my little girl get through this yucky surgery.

Here's the catch.... she doesn't like fruit!! She'll eat every veggie under the sun, but getting her to eat fruit is like pulling teeth, and she's had enough of that today.

What's a mom to do?!?

Visit from Mom

Hi Clean Eaters,

Happy Tuesday to all of you. It's a little gray in my neck of the woods, but I'm still smiling because my mom has come to visit for a couple of days. I spent yesterday spick and spanning the house (hence the floor scrubbing photo from yesterday). My washing machine was on overdrive! I always want things to be special for my mom when she visits so that she is comfortable. She's also Dutch and a bit of a clean freak just like me.

I had dinner with my best girlfriends last night. We celebrated my friend Lesley's birthday. You might recognize her name from the original Eat-Clean Diet cookbook... she is the creator of Lesley's Chicken Stacks. There were 14 of us dining at one of our favorite spots, Pasqualino Restaurant. We don't go out very often, but when we do it's very fun and I remember how much I like spending time with the ladies. Sigh!

However, I did miss out on the Beyonce concert my daughters attended last night. They were raving about it all morning before heading off to their respective jobs. Oh well, I'll catch her next time hopefully.

So I'm off to make a big salad for my mom and me before I get started on some writing for the rest of the afternoon. Just saying hello...

-TR

What's Your Favorite Way to Unwind???

Mine is...

CLEANING THE KITCHEN FLOOR!!!


Just kidding...

a good book and sunshine is my relaxation mode of choice.

What's yours?

Tosca: Flexing at 49 Goes to Vegas!!!

So Saturday's show was a tense one!!! It's amazing to relive it all over again... and just as frustrating as the first time. Competing is such a challenge and I felt out of my league and unprepared which totally threw off my game. I was a mess that day.

Most of you know the results at this point if you've been following my blog since the fall, but now you know exactly how I was feeling! Sometimes I wonder if I'm NUTS!!

What did you think of the episode?

Photo Ops from Monday's Shoot

Monday's shoot was incredible! It was such a departure from what we usually do with training and lifestyle shots. The weather held out and made it look like we were on location in a super tropical spot All the while we were shooting around Caledon East and in my backyard in Ontario! Not so tropical at all! We reviewed some of the images today and I was floored. They will be making their official debut on my revamped ToscaReno.com page. The revamp isn't done yet, but we are working away at upgrading and giving you more more more. Here are a couple of outtakes from the day to give you an idea of what shooting is all about.

Shooting on the patio...


Reviewing the shots with Vinita and Rachel to make sure we are on track...


Super stylist, Rachel, reviewing the clothing options for the day...

Caterers for the day... and my daughters, Rachel & Kelsey-Lynn. They made some delicious recipes from the upcoming Eat-Clean Cookbook...


This was one of my favorite looks of the day... sleek and sophisticated...

Vinita and Paul reviewing the shots... amazing amazing amazing job!!

Recipe Testing Videos

Hi Clean Eaters,

Here are some fun videos from our marathon recipe testing session last night. My girls helped me prepare the recipes for the upcoming Eat-Clean Cookbook with some musical accompaniments. Enjoy!

What's On Tap Today

Once again I'm saying hello from a busy photo shoot. We've been enjoying lots of yummy eats from the upcoming Eat-Clean Cookbook as we recipe test and photo shoot at the same time. Thank goodness the sun is shining here in T.O. Have a great Monday!
-T

For Your Listening Pleasure

Here's a link to a radio interview I did the other day with Dr. Fitness & the Fat Guy in Atlanta. Listen & learn... click here!!

Pics from Shoots on Tues & Wed

Happy Friday Clean Eaters,

Glad you all enjoyed the Portland pics from vacation. I am happy to have all my little ducks in a row at home... meaning my daughters. The house has definitely been much more lively with all the kids and 3 guests at home. I've been frequenting the grocery store because I can't stay on top of the amount of veg, fruit and eggs that are flying out of the refrigerator. We're also doing some recipe testing for the upcoming cookbook so the kitchen has been busy busy busy!!! So far the food is delicious. Last night for dinner we had tilapia, sweet & Yukon gold potatoes, asparagus with primavera sauce, and beet salad. The biggest compliment came from one of our guests who said you wouldn't even know it was healthy food because it tasted so good! Yeah.

Here are some images from the photoshoots on Tuesday and Wednesday. Us 3 ladies were pooped after two 12 hour days, but it was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to some great shots.

Enjoy!!

At Paul Buceta's studio...


Stylista pro, Rachel, showing off some hot suits!


My daughter, Kelsey, comparing her biceps to Mario's... hmmm...


Sabrina Rinaldi glamming up Anja for the shoot...


I'm touring Mario around Toronto today. Unfortunately, my usually pretty city is on a garbage strike so I'm wondering how it will smell.... yuck!

Picture Perfect Portland

Breathing a sigh of relief. Photoshoots are done for the day and I finally have a second to sit down and get in touch with my blog. As I mentioned yesterday, my family and I had a wonderful adventure in Portland. We were there partly for vaca and partly to move my daughter out of her place. Enjoy the photos of our family fun in the city with bumper stickers that say "Keep Portland Weird."

Here my girls are cleaning out their sister's apartment. It wasn't too messy, but we did need to pitch in here and there! I'm just glad my daughters know how to use a sponge to clean up after themselves. At least I taught them something.


Waiting in line at a Portland hot spot... Voodoo Doughnut. It's like the Magnolia Bakery of this quirky west coast town. I can't say I indulged, but my daughters tried out the Cookies & Creme variety. This is the tamest compared to the rest of the options including one with maple icing and a piece of bacon on top!!


Temps in the 90s drove us to the beach... Cannon Beach that is. The water was frigid so we only dipped our toes, but we did work on our tans (through sunscreen of course). It was great to get out of the city and see the Pacific coast. It was rugged and beautiful.


Me and my husband enjoying the scenery from Chanticleer Point along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The young ones were awed by the Columbia Gorge mainly because they had seen it in the Twilight movie.


Another scenic shot at Multnomah Falls. The waterfall route along the historic highway is truly beautiful. The air is crisp and clean, the sun is glorious, and the scenery is second to none. Wow!


After a nightmarish travel day on Friday we finally made it back into Canada. Here we are with Air Canada agent extraordinaire, Carol, who helped us stay sane and get back on track throughout the ordeal. Thanks Carol... you're a gem!! We made it back in one piece luggage and all.

Did You Like Holland?

Saturday's Tosca: Flexing at 49 brought back some crazy memories. I managed to catch the episode on Sunday morning with my daughters. What did you think of little Leiden? I loved going back to my Dutch roots. Can't wait for next weeks episode. I wonder what it will be??

Goodbye Portland, Hello Work

If you've been following my Twitter you are well aware we had some adventures on the way home from Portland, Oregon. What was supposed to be a 1-day journey from the west coast turned into a 2-day adventure with an overnight in Vancouver, BC. Our flights were delayed and rerouted and connections were missed. We were there for a vacation, but also to move my daughter out of her apartment, which meant we had 12 checked bags between the 6 of us, some of which were pretty overweight. There was lots of sweating, lots of running, and lots of sitting. Sometimes the airport is a breeze, and sometimes it just gets you! Luckily the Vancouver airport is open and airy with beautiful accommodations and friendly staff so we managed well for the evening.

I hit the ground running in Toronto as soon as we landed on Saturday at 5pm. My husband (who is under the weather at the moment) had 3 friends coming in from Germany and Hawaii. You know what it's like when you've been away for a week... groceries need to be bought, beds need to be made, luggage needs to be unpacked, (actually, it's still sitting in the hallway), toilet paper needs to be refreshed, etc etc. Thank goodness I had all my girls home to help me.

Our guests are settled, and now it's time to do the same for me but...

Today and tomorrow I am at a photoshoot.

At some point the laundry will get done. All I can say is at least there is food in the fridge, and supper on the table!

Here's to understanding what busy days are all about and being okay with not being superwoman enough to get it all done all the time...

Your slightly frazzled sister in iron,
Tosca

p.s. vacation pictures coming soon!!