Wild Fermentation Workshop.

As I mentioned in my previous post, this past Wednesday I went to the Wild Fermentation Workshop, hosted by The World In A Garden and Julie Beyer of For the Love of Food. Julie actually goes to my school and has just begun the second year of the two year program to become a holistic nutritionist. I met her a few weeks ago at the Whole Foods Living Naturally Fair and was mesmerized and inspired by her knowledge!

The workshop was great. I knew next to nothing about fermenting foods before we began the session, and I left with so much knowledge. We made fermented beets, ginger carrots, kimchi, and sauerkraut. I'm not a fan of sauerkraut, especially after a bad experienced with juiced cabbage a couple months ago but I was excited about the other concoctions!

Honestly, it was a lot of work. Seriously I give people that actively ferment, can, jar - whatever you want to call it - serious props. Fermented foods are incredibly good for your digestive system and fermenting also reduces the amount of anti nutrients found on our live foods. (I will discuss anti nutrients with you soon! It's something I learned this week and previously had never even heard of!) Here are some photos from the event:

The workshop was held at Organic Lives and I highly suggest that if you live in Vancouver, BC, you take a visit! The food looks amazing and I'll be returning asap to have a wholesome and delicious dinner! Their smoothies look out of this world as well! Also, their macaroons are absolutely fabulous! It looks like some of their products can be shipped to different countries so US foodies check it out!

Photos courtesy of Alicia from The World In A Garden

Giveaway!

I mentioned last week, that I would be having a giveaway in honour of starting school to become an Registered Holistic Nutritionist this September!

If you're interested in healthy food, you must enter this giveaway! Here are the goods so far:

Chocolate PB2 - Healthiest PB ever!, a Spirulina & Ginseng Bounce Energy Ball, PB Larabar, a couple packets of Emergen-C, 1 bottle of Liquid Greens Cholorophyll, a pack of all natural gum, Cocoa Kissed Savi Seed, Prarie Naturals Greens Force, and most importantly a MacaSure Organic Chocolate Bar. Most of these products I've tried and love, some are even new to me! They are also primarily Canadian so my US blog loves have the opportunity to get some products that are totally new to them! I spend way too much time in health food stores, so I have no doubt there will be more yummies to add to this giveaway as the week goes on!

To enter!

1. Follow my blog!

2. Leave a comment telling me one healthy thing you're going to do for your body this week!

3. Make a post about my giveaway on your own blog!

When you have done one, or all of these things, make a separate entry for each! (Max 3 entries)

The contest closes on August 11th, 2011 at 11:59pm so make sure to enter before then! Goodies will be mailed on the 12th so you can enjoy asap!

Good luck!

A New Path...

I have been contemplating what I want to do with my life for some time now. It's been somewhat of a struggle for me over the last five years or so because how are you supposed to know where you are going when you have no idea where you want to go? It was difficult, but I've been directed into an area I'm very passionate about!

In September, I'll be beginning classes to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN). The program is 1 year ( I can choose afterwards to go for 2 years to get an advanced diploma) full-time, which is actually only two nights per week. There is a lot to learn, so it's going to be challenging, but most importantly very fun because I am so interested in health, food, the body, and the way it all works together!

If you're wondering what an RHN is exactly, here is the description from the school's website:

"R.H.N.s™ Registered Holistic Nutritionists™, (or, Registered Holistic Nutritional Consultants™ in the Atlantic Provinces) (or, Holistic Nutritionists™ or Holistic Nutritional Consultants™ in Alberta) are professionals trained in Natural Nutrition and complementary therapies, whose principal function is to educate individuals and groups about the benefits and health impact of optimal nutrition.

Mainstream medicine does not emphasize the significance of poor nutrition as a major cause of a wide range of health disorders. Although most people are aware of the benefits of sound nutrition, the range of conflicting information available to the consumer is often confusing. RHNs™ guide their clients through the maze of information from books, magazines, supplements and diets on the market. They work with clients to identify and help correct the nutritional causes of diseases, and they are qualified to design personalized diet and lifestyle programs that optimize health. Many RHNs™ also contribute to the health and well-being of Canadians by writing articles for prominent health care magazines such as Alive and Vitality."

I am so excited! I can't wait to start the program so I can start assisting others in maintaining healthy, fulfilled lives!

Juice!

After what feels like a million hours of talking about juicing, cleansing and the whole catastrophe, I'm actually going to make a positive post about it! I bought my juicer on Friday night and boy have I been having fun. I made a trip to the market and got all sorts of fun veggies like beets, kale, fenugreek, ginger, and a host of other things!

This morning's juice is blogworthy. Seriously, it is amazing. I've only taken a few sips so far because I'm waiting for it to chill in the fridge for awhile, but it's fantastic.

Look at that gorgeous green colour. Pure health.

You might be curious to know what is in this! Half a head of romaine lettuce, 3 stalks of kale (don't think they are juicy enough!), a lemon, 2 apples, and a small piece of ginger. Obviously this isn't all of it, it made quite a bit! I highly recommend.

I feel like...

...I'm always posting "where have I been" posts because I'm so sporatic with my posting. This time, I've seriously been places not just sitting around thinking about blogging!

Dan put his name in for a position last week to be an instructor for an Army course in New Brunswick, and within 48 hours we were leaving to drive across North America! It was crazy and amazingly wonderful. We hit a million states and a couple provinces. I have added SO many places to my "states visited" and "provinces visited" list. It was a four day journey so we didn't have a lot of time to stop and soak up the sights, but we did stop to see my beautiful friend, Jamie. We had yet to meet in person (although we do have plans for Chicago Rock 'n Roll Marathon next month!!!!) so it was great to finally spend time together! Her fiance was in town so our guys got to meet too, which made it all extra fab!

So, alone I wait for another four months or so until Dan comes back! I have been feeling a little squishy lately due to the "boyfriend just returned from 10 months away - eat and drink whatever you want" mentality so here I return back to healthy eating. Next time he comes home, I swear I will maintain my healthy eating and not fall off the bandwagon. In an attempt to kick start my healthy eating habits, I've just purchased a juice cleanse that will be delivered on Tuesday! It sounds amazing and has great reviews so I can't wait! I will have more details on that next week!

I miss you all loads and will getting back into the swing of things here! I have lots of photos to share with you soon!

Quinoa Pancakes.

Have you ever eaten Quinoa? I tried it once before, but knew I had to try it again when I found a recipe for quinoa pancakes! This nutritious seed comes from South America and is packed with wonderful goodies such as protein, iron, calcium, maganese, and potassium. It has been known to help prevent Type 2 diabetes, childhood asthma, heart disease, gallstones and migranes (me, me, me!) It's good for us and I can see a quinoa fest in my future.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 cup skim milk (I used almond milk)

2 Tbsp maple syrup (I didn't have any, so I added butterscotch chips and bananas instead)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Cool.

2. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and cooled quinoa. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and maple syrup. Whisk liquid mixture into quinoa mixture until combined.

3. Heat large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. In batches, add batter to pan by 1/4 cup amounts. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles form on surface and edges are golden. Turn and cook another 2 minutes.

Serve with maple syrup if you desire. I had peanut butter on mine and it was delicious!