TV Day One and More...

I'm glad you have all had a chance to check out the podcast. Seems like everyone is really enjoying this first entry. If you haven't had a chance to listen in, make some time for yourself and curl up with a cup of tea and your computer for an hour of Eat-Clean Info...

I will make this entry quick since I have a big day today. Today is day #1 of camera crews in my house. We're in the initial stages of shooting a TV show... More to come on this later...

Blogger Question:

Greg - I know you recommend Olivina margarine in your book but is there a American margarine that you recommend? Something like Smart Balance, Earth Balance or Canoleo - any of those work?

Tosca - When I wrote The Eat-Clean Diet Book and Cookbook I didn't realize that Olivina is a strictly Canadian product. In it's place you can use a combination of butter and olive oil. I have a recipe for that in my cookbook. Otherwise, any other olive-oil based, trans-fat free, and non-hydrogenated spread will do.

Have an excellent Friday everyone.

Tomorrow I leave for Connecticut to drop off my daughter at ballet school #2 of the summer: The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts in Torrington, Connecticut.

Have a great weekend!

Keep it Clean.

Podcasts Are Here!

Hello Clean Eaters One and All!!

I am thrilled to announce that I have ventured into the world of podcasting! Woohoo! I hope I am not in over my head with this one!

My first one is a recent interview I did with Leanne from healthygirl.net that was broadcast over the web.

If you have iTunes and/or an iPod, you can can download the entire podcast here (it will launch your iTunes browser):
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=286347543.

If you don't, you can still listen to the whole thing by following this link to my web page:
http://www.eatcleandiet.com/Default.aspx?page=10


Within the next few months my team and I hope to have some more interviews posted here for your listening pleasure. You can never know enough about Eating Clean!

Enjoy!

Updates from the Cottage

Day 3 of rain at the cottage! Ho hum... I am a fair weather cottager that is for sure. Yesterday we ventured to Kingston, Ontario as a way of getting out of the cottage. We were getting a little stir crazy. I had an ulterior motive, too. I wanted to check out canoes. I would LOVE to buy one. Any advice on what to look for? I visited Trailhead's in Kingston. Of course it was raining in Kingston, too. But I got to hang up my oven mitts for the afternoon and enjoy a nice lunch in my home town.

Aside from the rain, the outdoor lifestyle is wonderful. I am relaxing and recharging my batteries in time for the launch of the family and kids book. We are getting lots of local, farm-fresh food. The eggs are especially delicious. We've been getting a lot of exercise, too. Of course, I brought my weights with me since there isn't a gym from miles around. I also packed my skipping rope. I am being very creative with my workouts. For example, my husband and I have been doing flyes on the coffee table, donkey calf raises off the deck (we used each other as weights), running up and down the deck stairs, dynamic floor dips off the coffee table and couch, lunges on the lawn as I swatted mosquitoes. All of this has been done to the sound of the loon calling (yes, our Canadian $1 coin is called a loonie for a reason). I guess this change of pace has been good because my abs have been showing more than usual... woohoo!

I am also spending as much time as possible with my daughter and 2 of my other daughters will be joining me on Wednesday until the end of the week.

Okay, off I go for a phone interview...

Stay tuned: I am working out the details of a show following me around as I Eat Clean each and every day.

Flaxseed

As most of you know, flaxseed is one of the main players in my Clean Eating plan. I have a few tablespoons on top of my oats each morning, and dash of it here and there when I make smoothies, wraps, muffins, and more. It acts like a scrub brush that cleans you from the inside out.

It seems others are catching onto the trend, too. I just read this article on my local news website here in Toronto. These researchers are studying the effects of regular flaxseed usage on heart function. Not only does this little seed act as powerhouse scrub brush, it may also aid in the reduction of heart disease. Flaxseeds are packed with the ever-important omega-3 fatty acids. These are healthy fats!

Check out the article here. I was surprised to learn that research on flaxseed is so new. Seems us clean eaters have known how good it is for a long time now. What do you think?

At the Cottage

This past Saturday my husband and I ventured off to the cottage. We decided to take some time off from the GTA and venture out to a cottage just outside of Belleville, Ontario. My daughter is attending summer school at The Quinte Ballet School, and I wanted to be near her for a few weeks this summer, since she will be dancing in New York and Connecticut for the month of August. We packed our things and drove out to Crow Lake for 2 weeks of vaca. I was under the impression that we would be staying by the river in a cute, little cottage just outside of Belleville. Little did I know I would be flee bitten, nowhere near the water, and 1 hour from my daughter's school. There were even warning signs indicating of deer, elk, and bear. I don't mind deer, and we have a lot near our home outside of Toronto, but elk and bears are a different story. On top of that there was no cell phone service and no phone service... we felt a little cut off and very bug bitten! So after a terrible sleep we ventured out to a diner for breakfast and to use the phone, and decided we needed to move. We are now on Lake Seymour. Phewf! It's a much friendlier cottage with a lot of beach front. There were herons and birds diving for fish this morning and we even enjoyed a little bit of sunshine this afternoon. I still have to drive 40 minutes to get my daughter from ballet school, but at least I have a scenic tour. This will be a much better fit for the next few weeks. As soon as I take some pictures I will share them with you.

Attention All Eat-Clean Diet Body Makeover Challenge Participants

Due to confusion with the initial rules set out for The Eat-Clean Diet Body Makeover Challenge there has been a change to the entry page.

*If you have already entered the contest via email you will need to reenter using this official entry form*

Please read the entry form thoroughly.

I apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to receiving your entries.

For the official entry form and rules and regulations please click here.

This Just In!

Good Morning All!

I am sitting outside drinking up the sunshine vitamin enjoying my morning coffee and breakfast of hard boiled eggs and Ezekiel cereal with rice milk. I did not forget my flax seed or bee pollen. But as I was noshing on these lovely foods I heard the CNN news report. Can it be true? It is recommended that children as young as two should be tested for cholesterol and that infants are having strokes. I have long suggested that if this nutrition thing does not turn around our youth may be in for serious trouble. Now it has happened. I feel sad and then angry. Angry that we are succumbing to sick food and sickness. If there is a time for us to stand up and protect what is rightfully ours it is now. Our health is the promise of the future. Without it nothing is possible.

If you are reading this now, go over to your little ones and look them in the eyes. Hug them and recommit to proper nourishment even it does take a few minutes longer to make oatmeal than pour a box of SUGARY CRAP into a cereal bowl. Isn't thier health worth it?

Now I am going to write a Raise the Bar column about this too!

My best to you and your loved ones. Make it a Clean Eating day!
Your sister in strength!
Tosca Reno