LIFESTYLE SMOOTHIES: SOYMILK SLAM

Vanilla soymilk, honey, strawberries, and bananas.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Instead of honey consider agave syrup/nectar,

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries and/or whey protein powder to really get you energized.

Check out this awe-inspiring, inspirational story. (Warning: Tear-jerker).

A smiling face of optimism and hope as she battles for every breath she takes.

"From the time she was born, [20-year-old] Hélène [Campbell] has been on the move. Moments after birth, she had her groove going -her hands would not keep still. Now at twenty, not only is she constantly on the go, but her joyful personality contagiously lifts the spirits of others. Whether at school, work, church, in hospital, or studying in Spain, people have easily joined with her and enjoyed her positive vibe.

Hélène has been famous for her kindness towards others and she received an award for this in grade six. At her high school graduation, she was given the Christine Proulx Award for her cooperation and perpetual willingness to help others. Someone commented “She has such a bubbly disposition; she should have a new soft drink named after her.”

Hélène loves music. People marvel at the variety she keeps on her iPod and how she integrates it with another passion of hers – film making. She loves capturing memorable moments, but her specialty seems to be creating them. Her mini musical dance documentary in Spain involving many friends and strangers is the perfect example of her ability to create joyful moments out of daily experiences. She believes life is worth living and sharing, a theme through many of her videos. With music in the background, camera in hand, smile on her face and not a minute to lose, she’s on the move…

In July 2011, Hélène was admitted to The Ottawa Hospital with collapsed lungs. It was discovered that she suffers from advanced Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. This means that her lungs have been permanently scarred by inflammation and the root cause of the inflammation is unknown. Treatment with Prednisone has not stopped the progression of the disease. Hélène requires oxygen to perform physical tasks. With twenty-four percent of remaining breathing capacity, a lung transplant is the next step. She has been referred to the Transplant Program in Toronto. She and some of her family must relocate from Ottawa to Toronto. 

This is a time of loss for Hélène - independence, physical strength, employment income, and savings for school. Despite this, she chooses to focus on the positives in her life like family, friends, new friends from her stay in hospital and creative media. We see her with her radiant smile, enjoying even the simplest things in life, like orange juice and Reese’s limited edition chocolate bars. Even though she must now pace herself, she is still always moving onward. 

-Hélène, you are an inspiration- 

If you wish to donate to Hélène's living expenses in Toronto, while she waits to receive new lungs and during her recovery, please visit alungstory.ca".

LIFESTYLE SMOOTHIES: BANANA BEACH

Mangos, passion fruit, guava, bananas and vanilla yogurt.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla yogurt: try Activia to help your digestion,

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries and/or whey protein powder to really get you energized.

Ingredient of the month: Agave

Agave is a healthy but somewhat pricey alternative to aspartame or processed white sugar. It sweetens things without adding any favour. It particularly used to sweeten teas. It is also a healthy alternative to honey seeing as you can use less and save calories. It is lower on the Glycemic Index (17 Gl).

In particular the blue agave is considered to be superior among agave varieties (yes, there’s more then one type of agave syrup), and has a delicate floral sweetness. It can be found in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is sweeter then cane sugar and higher in fructose than other agaves, blue agave syrup makes a great alternative sweetener to use in low-sugar diets.

Who knows, it may even be the best alternative for diabetics?

Products:

•       Many syrups can be found in organic food stores, or even Winners,
•       Aunt Patty’s Organic Blue Agave Syrup,
•     Ohgave! organic nectar (flavours include: light (delicate taste), amber (rich flavour), raw (unprocessed at 18 degrees)).

Check out this awesome prize pack!

Click here for your chance to win:

iPad 2 and iPhone 4S !

POWER SMOOTHIES: SONIC SOY

Blueberries, strawberries, vanilla soymilk, spirulina, barleygrass, wheatsprout, alfalfa powder, and soy-based vegitarian protein powder.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries and/or whey protein powder to really get you energized.

POWER SMOOTHIES: TERMINATOR

Oranges, bananas, strawberries, vanilla yogurt, and two shots of Echinacea, Goldenseal and Rosehip.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla yogurt: try Activia to help your digestion,

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries and/or whey protein powder to really get you energized.

Ingredient of the month: Hibiscus

This plant is sourced from the valleys of North Africa. It is believed that consuming Hibiscus tea will effectively lower high blood pressure and reduces cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart diseases. Hibiscus tea is also believed to reduce the absorption of dietary carbohydrates and have been used by many to assist in weight loss.

Products:

•          Many teas.

POWER SMOOTHIES: SONIC SOY

Blueberries, strawberries, vanilla soymilk, spirulina, barleygrass, wheatsprout, alfalfa powder, and soy-based vegitarian protein powder.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries and/or whey protein powder to really get you energized.

POWER SMOOTHIES: TERMINATOR

Oranges, bananas, strawberries, vanilla yogurt, and two shots of Echinacea, Goldenseal and Rosehip.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla yogurt: try Activia to help your digestion,

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries and/or whey protein powder to really get you energized.

Happy Halloween!: Scariest costume EVER!!!

Heidi Klum decided to celebrate Halloween this year with a particularly bone-chilling costume, as seen bellow.

Heidi arrives at her party on a gurney attended to by bloodied doctors.

"It's ALIVE!!!!" 

Exquisite detail in her makeup. 

Of course, always for a good cause.

However you dress for Halloween, be sure to party safely!

POWER SMOOTHIES: MARATHON

Cranberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges and vanilla yogurt powered up with soy protein, ginseng, flax seed, rosehip, and whey protein powder.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla yogurt: try Activia to help your digestion,

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

(BBQed) Glazed Chicken

Modified from Reader's Digest "Quick Food: Gourmet Recipes in Just 30 Minutes" by Jenny Fanshaw & Annette Forrest: "Glazed Chicken Wings and Potato Wedges" recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken breasts or 12 chicken wings;
• 1 cup BBQ sauce;
• 1 cup chili sauce;
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce;
• 1/3 cup brown sugar.

Prep time: ~10 min.

Cook time: ~15 min.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven (325 degrees F) (chicken wings) or turn on BBQ (chicken breasts).
2. Blend BBQ sauce. chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3. Dip chicken pieces in sauce (make sure entire piece is glazed), and 
• put them on a cooking sheet in a cookie rack (wings), or
• set them aside in a different plate to be brought out to the BBQ.
4. Cook chicken.
5. In the meanwhile, prepare and cook your side dish, whether it be potato wedges, fries, green beans, biscuits, etc.
6. Once chicken is cooked, prepare and serve.
7. Enjoy! =)

HIGH PROTEIN SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIES: POMEGRANATE PUNCH

Pomegranate, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, vanilla frozen yogurt and whey protein powder. (20g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

Be a "Cheapanista"! (Part 1 of "Fashion and Style with help from Melissa Kirsch")

Yes, that's right, you read correctly: a "cheapanista", or "cheap fashionista"!

What's in a name?

Seeing as you're a young adult, you're probably skimpy on money right now, but you still want to look top-of-the-line and in-fashion, right? Look no further. Become an unabashed "Cheapanista" (yes, I invented the word, spread it around).

Recession has hit us harder then ever these past three years, especially in the U.S., hence the protests in Wall Street and (very soon) in Ottawa. Here's how!

#1

Want to wear Pumas, Roots, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein? Then hit overstock designer outlets (or "outlets", as we common folk know them), hit Winners! Always, always, always look for bargain prices, by out of season, join reward programs, subscribe to their e-newsletters to know when their sales are! Always try to go for a deal!

#2

But before you remake your closet to reflect your new life status of "achieving woman", revise your closet and make room for the new things. Plus, this will give you a chance to know which outfits need to be completed, giving you a better idea of what to look for in a store.

Here's a list of items that should be removed from your closet, pronto:

• Anything with a huge emblazoned company logo (they get enough promo as it is, okay?) (but if it's just the tiny Hilfiger crocodile, then ignore this rule),
• Any head-dressing other then the essential ones,
• Anything that's clearly out of style (e.g. bell-bottom pants, shoulder pads, etc.),
• Concert tees or any kind of tee with any form of pictures, sayings or drawings: either toss in the garbage or put in a time capsule box,
• Things that make you feel ugly (I don't care if you donated blood to get enough money to buy it, you don't like it! So why should you keep it?),
• Thrift store "finds" that should never have been found in the first place,
• Clothes that don't fit (either too big, too small, or don't flatter your silhouette)

So, clean out your closet. Who knows, you may find some old, long-forgotten item that really rocks!

#3

Also, don't forget to get some foundation pieces, if you don't already have them, such as:

• Pair of nice black pants,
• Flattering LBD (duh),
• Neutral-toned skirt in a classic cut (depending on your body type),
• Pair of your perfect jeans,
• White button down shirt,
• Solid-coloured cardigan sweater.

In finding these foundation items, please think of what one might call "Cost per wear":

"Cost per wear = cost of garment / # of time you wear the outfit" - Melissa Kirsch, The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything.

This means if you invest in a great pair of pants that cost you 200$, and you wear them 2x/week throughout fall and winter, so ~64 times, that's 3.13$/wear of the pants. Cheap, no? And Chique! Be sure to really invest in your foundation items, because they should last you for years to come.

#4

Also, before you hit the pavement to go shopping, thing of these basic principles:

• Know your goals: i.e. know what you need to buy (which is why you cleaned out your closet beforehand, and also what you need to buy for the next phase of your life (e.g.: getting your first suit for job interviews)),
• Practice shopping for outfits: i.e. try to find items that fit with what you already have in your closet, 
• Know your minimum cosmetic requirements: i.e. you don't need 200 different eyeshadows. Know your basic cosmetics to achieve an every day look.

So, that's it for Part 1 of "Fashion and Style" with help from Melissa Kirsch and her wonderful book The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything (which I'm sure you can find on Amazon or eBay for a good price ;-P )! I hope you take this advice with a grain of salt and become one of the first official "Cheapanistas" ever! Please, leave comments with your thoughts or questions. =)

Give "Casual Friday" a whole new meaning

Yes, "Casual Friday" is kind of supposed to be just that: casual. But, there is such as thing as "casual chique". ;-)

Try an elegant blouse paired with a cotton blazer with a slight edge to it. Complete with a dark wash skinny, jean and voila! Casual Friday will never be the same again!**

Wondering what to wear on your feet? Why not sleek-lined sneakers? Casual, yet chique!

Who says Casual can't make people's heads still turn?

**Blouse and cotton blazer: Ricki's. Jeans: Streetwear Society.

HIGH PROTEIN SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIES: MIND OVER MATCHA

Pure matcha green tea powder, vanilla soymilk, blueberries, vanilla frozen yogurt, and whey protein powder. (30 g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       You can find the matcha at specialized tea stores (or at certain Booster Juice locations),

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH: Rooibos (or Red Bush):

Often found in teas, notably in Pomegranate teas, this magical plant of the Western Cape Province of South Africa is rich in anti-oxidants. It is low in caffeine and tannin levels, contrary to the green tea leaves. It also has phenolic compounds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenolic_compounds), and has anti-oxidants. It is rumoured to help with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems. They might even help keep those wrinkles at bay.

Traditional medicinal uses of rooibos in South Africa include alleviating infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems.

Similar to this plant is the Honey Bush of the same region.

Products:

•        Many red teas, notably pomegranate teas,
•        Green teas and black teas made only of rooibos.

HIGH-PROTEIN SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIES: HIGH IMPACT ACAI

Acai, cranberries, raspberries, vanilla frozen yogurt, skim milk and whey protein powder. (25g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

CUP-OF-CAKE: CREAMSICKLE CUCPCAKE RECIPE

Photo credit: Michelle.

Ingredients:

• One box orange flavored cake (prepared as the box directs) 
• Two cups heavy whipping cream 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 
• Two oranges for garnish (why not try candy orange slices instead?!)

Makes about two dozen cupcakes 

"After you prepare the cupcakes, whip the heavy cream until it becomes light and fluffy, slowly adding the powdered sugar while you mix until you get your desired sweetness. By using whipped cream instead of frosting you get the flavors of a creamsicle rather than orange cake. Slice orange quarters for garnish. (Keep them refrigerated before you serve them, the cream is delicate and will melt easily)."

Source: That's so Michelle.

HIGH-PROTEIN SMOOTHIES: STRAWBERRY STORM

Cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, vanilla frozen yogurt and whey protein. (26g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

INTERNATIONAL FOOD HOT-SPOT: BOOSTER JUICE!

Visit their FB page.

This is their website.

Booster Juice is a now international smoothie and juice bar, growing ever popular in its now seven-year life span. Their mission statement is: "To provide customers with an incredible, healthy alternative to fast food that’s great tasting, convenient and nutritious making it perfectly suite for today’s active lifestyle. Our stores & products are ENERGETIC, FUN, NATURAL and ADDICTING!" I can definitely vouch for the 'addicting' part in that. ;-)

Booster Juice does not add any sugars to their products, instead using frozen fruit and their natural sweetness combined with yogurt and vanilla frozen yogurt, among other products (all natural, of course). They also feature products like whey protein bars, matcha green tea (for a hefty price), and sandwiches/wraps made on site.

Booster Juice is definitely my recommendation for a smoothie shop. 

They make:

• Smoothies (High Protein, Power, Berry, Tropical Spirit and Life Choice categories),
• Juices, juiced right in front of you (e.g.: Red Sunrise and Tru Green, but also Orange, Carrot and Apple, etc.),
• Meals (Quesadillas, Chicken Panini, Vegetarian Panini, Tuna Wrap, Greek Vegetarian Wrap, Egg Scrambler Wrap),
• Shakers (Wheatgrass, Acai NRG and Matcha Shaker),
• Yogurt Blends,
• Acai Berry Bowl,
• Zola Acai Tetra Pak.

For every smoothie they offer a choice of Boosters: go to their website, click on "Smart", then "Boosters", and you will have an interactive display to show you their different boosters and their individual benefits.

Booster Juice also caters. =)

The only thing I would recommend to Booster Juice is that they might want to establish a reward system. Although they do accept SPC.

Hope you enjoy this new discovery! =)

HIGH-PROTEIN SMOOTHIES: RIPPED BERRY

Blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, skim milk, vanilla frozen yogurt, honey and whey protein powder. (26g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Instead of honey consider agave syrup/nectar,

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

HIGH PROTEIN SMOOTHIES: BANANAS-A-WHEY

Bananas and frozen yogurt with pineapples, skim milk and whey protein powder. (26 g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

Afraid you're not getting enough fruit today? Try Sun-Rype "fruitsource"!

2 servings of fruit in 37g, wow!

Food hotspot in Ottawa: Jugo Juice!

This company founded by a francophone couple is worth checking out, if you can afford the price!

Go to their website for more!

INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH: Goji Berry, also known as the Wolfberry

Sounds like something out of Pokemon, doesn’t it? This controversial berry has been a cherished fruit in Chinese and Tibetan medicines for centuries. The little berry is an excellent source of Vitamin C and dietary fibre. Can also (allegedly) help prevent breast cancer.

“Hailed as the newest superfood, goji, a Himalayan berry, has inspired a surge of interest for its use in treating diabetes, hypertension, malaria, fever, cancer and other ailments. Gram for gram, goji berries pack more vitamin C than some oranges and more beta-carotene than carrots. Unfortunately, though, there isn't enough evidence yet to confirm the health claims, since we only have testimonials and animal studies to go by. And goji berries and goji juice are costly.

Dietary uses: Goji berries are similar in taste to raisins but more tart. They can be eaten raw or cooked and are a tasty addition to tea, soup and hot cereal.” – Canadianliving.com

Products:

·      Natierra’s Raw, Organic Goji Berries (sometimes found at Winners),

·      Also used in wines and teas

Please note:

Safety issues

Two published case reports described elderly women who experienced increased bleeding, expressed as an elevated INR, after drinking quantities of wolfberry tea.

Further in vitro testing revealed that the tea inhibited warfarin metabolism, providing evidence for possible interaction between warfarin and undefined wolfberry phytochemicals.

Atropine, a toxic alkaloid found in other members of the Solanaceae family, occurs naturally in wolfberry fruit. The atropine concentrations of berries from China and Thailand are variable, with a maximum content of 19 ppb, below the likely toxic amount.

Find out more about the Goji berry and its controversies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry.