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FOOD IS FUEL

FOOD IS FUEL. What you feed your body has a direct connection to your physical and mental health. When eating becomes mindful, there is space for a change. What you eat, and what you think about food, has a huge impact on both body and mind.

Born in the early 80s, my childhood landed right at the peak of the Low-Fat craze. My parents, listening to the health advice of the time, made a concerted effort to buy low-fat products. Those formative years were spent playing video games and shoveling as much “healthy” junk food down my gullet as possible. By 10 years old I hit over 180lbs and by 13 had topped the scales at nearly 240lbs! Around 14, my interest in health shifted. I realized what I had been eating wasn’t working, so I became a vegetarian/flexitarian. This can be a healthy shift, but not always. Through malnourishment and the consumption of limited processed vegetarian “foods,” I lost some of that weight. I started eating a little differently than my family and as the years passed I developed a passion for healthy cooking. It was inconsistent to say the least; I knew nothing about diet or nutrition at the time, but the seed was planted back in high school. A last-minute decision changed my life path from scientist — I was headed to the University of Toronto for microbiology and immunology — to Chef. I enrolled at Le Cordon Blue Culinary Arts Institute in Ottawa and a couple years later left with a Grande Diplome in Culinary and Pastry Arts at the top of my class. This was an integral step towards the place I am today, but French cuisine hardly helped to improve my health at the time. While outrageously delicious, French food is not healthy for the most part. I packed on about 30 pounds in my first year there. I ate. A lot. We got to take home all the food we made in class. I lived with two other Cordon Bleu students, so there was no shortage of buttery, meaty, creamy French delicacies in our fridge.

Fast forward 5 years and everything started to shift. For over a decade now, I’ve been absorbing the latest nutrition science like a sponge. The more I take in, the more it all seems to make sense. In 2016, I completed a certification in Culinary Nutrition, looking at food and diet to heal the body and mind. This helped to unify all the nutrition knowledge I’d amassed over the years. Now I spend my weekends running Mindful Eating Workshops. In the last couple years, my own health skyrocketed with the commitment to a more consistent Plant-Based diet and the incorporation of intermittent and prolonged fasting. I resisted these shifts for so long, on some level knowing they would have a profound impact, but fearing the changes they would require. There are no absolutes in the diet and nutrition world; all our bodies are different and respond differently. When you start to be honest with how your current food choices are affecting your health, the change starts to become a lot easier.

Change your perception and expand your awareness around food and diet. Small shifts can have a noticeable and lasting impact. Ready for a change? Let’s get you back on track with your journey towards Optimal Health!

Mindful Eating Workshops

  • Mindful Eating: Food & Mood
    • What is your microbiome? Probiotic v. Prebiotic? Leaky Gut? IBS? Demystifying all the recent science around Whole Food Plant Based eating, Keto, Paleo, Intermittent Fasting… Learn what it all means, AND what might be right for YOU! Gain deeper knowledge of the Brain-Gut Axis and the intricate relationship between your gut microbiome, your food choices and your state of Optimal Heath. ALL NEW Plant Based recipes! Refined Sugar & Gluten-Free… Coconut Kefir, Grain-Free 6-Seed Granola, Quick & Easy Kimchi, Cruciferous Veggie Bake, Omega Apple Crisp, plus many more! Taste them all PLUS take home recipes for everything you eat.
  • Mindful Eating & Healing Foods
    • What’s your relationship with food? What could your health, and life, look like if that relationship shifted? When eating becomes mindful, there is space for a change. Without mindfulness, eating becomes habit; the vibrancy good food can create is lost. Come hungry and ready to eat as you explore powerful healing foods, their health benefits, simple recipes and how they can be incorporated into your diet. You will also shine light on current eating practices and learn techniques to bring mindfulness to every meal.
  • Mindful Eating & Nutrition for Optimal Health
    • 5- week journey to build and integrate a NEW relationship with food & nutrition. 4 Lunch & Learn sessions with ALL Plant Based recipes. Come hungry and ready to explore Mindful Eating techniques, healing foods, how to navigate the grocery store, setting your kitchen up for success and MUCH more. This series is designed for EVERYONE! If someone in your life needs a shift in perspective; TODAY IS THE DAY! Learn how to incorporate LASTING changes in your diet and life that will put you on your personal path towards Optimal Health! Please note there will not be any asana practice during the meetings, just FOOD!
  • Mindful Eating: Holiday Edition
    • Create a new experience of the holiday season with tools and tips to help tackle the most indulgent time of the year. Mindful Eating & Meditation techniques to approach the holidays from a new mindset. Plant Based Holiday recipes! Refined Sugar & Gluten-Free… Nut Nog, Peppermint Nanaimo Bars, Chocolate Clementine Cookies, Green Goodness Veggie Dip, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato Bake with Guiltless Gravy, plus many more!
  • Mindful Eating: BBQ Season Survival Guide
    • Learn simple strategies to help avoid over indulging, navigate temptation, decide what to eat and what to avoid, and how to keep that beach body all the way through the Summer eating season! Come hungry and ready to eat sweet and savoury, recipes. Everything is Plant Based, Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free. All new recipes include: Guiltless BBQ Sauce, Smoky Bacon-Free Baked Beans, Lettuce Wrapped Sliders, Roasted Potato Salad, Cookies & “Cream” Cashew Cheesecake, plus MANY more!
  • Back to School, Back to Life: Mindful Plant-Based Eating on the Go
    • 90-minute session discussing tips and recipes to make Plant Based (school friendly) snacking accessible when you leave the house. Come hungry and ready to sample various sweet and savoury, easy to make, Grab and Go recipes. Everything is Plant Based, Gluten Free & Nut Free, so they’re school and workplace friendly. All new recipes include: Cranberry Crunch Trail Mix, Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, Quick & Easy Hummus, Roasted Veggie Collard Green Wraps plus many more!
  • Fruit Feast Demystified
    • 3-5-day Fruit Fast can have a huge potential for healing and creating new dietary awareness. It can also be very overwhelming. This workshop helps demystify the Fruit Feast. Fruit vs Vegetable? Avocado, almonds, cucumber, chilies… all fruits! How to balance meals to feel full longer Easing off coffee and why it’s so important. Juicing vs Whole Foods? What about getting enough protein? How to set yourself up for success in the kitchen and throughout your day Sampling of various sweet and savoury recipes Take home all recipes as well as some sample 3-day meal plans!

Group or Private Cooking/Wellness Classes – In my kitchen or yours

  • Plant-Based Ketogenic Cooking
  • Anti-inflammatory diet
  • Cooking for Great Digestion
  • Meal Prep Made Easy
  • Eating for Awesome Energy
  • Smoothie & Elixir Magic
  • Best Healthy Breakfasts
  • International – Pick ANY country and learn how to make a delicious Plant Based meal.
  • Dietary concerns – Gluten free? Food intolerances or allergies? Refined sugar free?
  • Healing Foods – A meal packed with ingredients all chosen for their healing properties.
  • or we can customize something specifically for YOU!

Grocery store tours

Need help navigating your favourite grocery store?  Let’s tour any store of your choice.  Learn about healing foods, their health benefits, nutrition labels, storage tips, and which areas of the store to avoid (1.5 hours)

Nutritional guidance based on your goals and health conditions.

  • In home pantry/fridge evaluation with shopping/storage tips (1.5 hours)