I prefer to have fruit infused water verses a sweeter drink so I omit sweetener or just add a very small amount of raw honey to my agua fresca. But play around with the amounts to find the combination that suits your taste. Ingredients 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (depending on season) 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves (whole) 6 cups of water Option: 1-2 tbsp honey/maple syrup or sweetener of choice. Directions Boil 2 cups of water and pour over the berries, mint and optional sweetener. Allow to cool to room temp. Add the rest of the water and using a hand blender or regular blender blend ..read more

                                          It’s time! We’re deep into summer right now in the Northern hemisphere and that means we’re hot, there’s a lot of light and we have a bunch of different feelings happening. Some people are in heaven as the heat acts like a balm to their normally chilly body. For others, their anxiety rises along with the temperatures. For some people, summer socializing means hours alone with your book in a hammock or on a dock and for others, it’s about playing an ..read more

Seasonal fruit bake As many of you know, particularly if you’ve worked with me in the clinic, I’m somewhat obsessed with warm foods. Warming foods – slightly or doing a long slow roast, adds warmth to the foods and can make it easier to digest and absorb all the juicy goodness inside. This is particularly important as the season’s change or in the colder mounts of the year. Not only is it cozy and tastes so nourishing, It’actually amazing for our digestive system. Our body can’t handle cold or food year round (unless you’re one of those rare folks who can wear shorts in the winter and seem to ..read more

  Ingredients: 4 cups mixed greens or baby spinach or kale 1 Red or yellow peppers, thinnly sliced 2 Thinly sliced green onions 1 lg Fresh tomato, diced 1 carrot – shredded Cube tofu into 1″cubes Saute the pepper in a small amount of olive oil on medium high until slightly softened but still crisp. Set aside. Slice onion  very thinly. Options: Mix it up by adding some other sautéed seasonal veggies and adapt as the season changes. By cooking some of the vegetables and making the dressing warm, you’re taking the ‘edge’ off of the raw foods so they are easier for the stomach to digest ..read more

Date Caramel Snowballs Makes 30 Guest post from my pal and chef collaborator Joshna Maharaj A little sticky, a little crunchy and a lot of YUM! Enjoy this festive treat that allows you to decrease the refined sugar while not losing the great taste. Ingredients 8 oz dried dates, pitted 3⁄4 cup honey 8 tbsp unsalted butter or coconut oil 2 ½ cups Rice Krispies cereal ½ tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp ground cardamom 1 cup confectioners’ sugar Method In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dates until a chunky paste forms. Scrape the dates into a medium high-sided skillet along with the sugar (or ho ..read more

We’ve just entered into late summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a time of transition as we step from the carefree, hot, often highly social and outdoor focused summer energy to the gentle turning inwards and slowing down energy of fall. Some people lament this changing season but there are many (myself included) that look forward to the less social and extroverted time and welcome some more cozy inside time and that shift of energy that fall brings – Back to routine, crisp days and cozy nights and a little more darkness. As a natural introvert, I feel a bit socialized out by the end ..read more

Warm ginger pear green smoothie – a winter version of the beloved smoothie Anyone who knows me knows how obsessed I can be around eating seasonally which means eating more warm and cooked foods in the winter. I found so many people attached to their morning smoothies so I created a warm version which takes the cold edge off, makes it easier to digest…and still tastes great! You can play around with the juices you use as well as the fruits. Cinnamon adds some sweet warmth and kale is a nutrient dense cold weather green. Ingredients: 1 ripe pear ½ apple ginger (1/2 tsp dried or you can use fresh ..read more

Pear Walnut Crumble 2 Tablespoon butter 8 medium pears (any variety) cored and diced (skin on or off – it’s up to you!) 1 tbsp ground Ceylon cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Optional – add 2 tbsp of maple syrup Crumble Topping Ingredients: 11/2 cup flour – almond, quinoa, spelt or other favourite flour 1/2 cup chopped walnuts plus more for garnish 1/2 cup packed date sugar 3/4 cup cold butter cubed 1 cup rolled oats Instructions Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter over medium heat. Add diced pears and walnuts in an even layer over the ..read more

Back to Our Roots Fall is upon us and with all the changing colours comes the magnificent explosions of orange, purple and red as we welcome back the root vegetables and the winter squashes. Slower to grow than the fast festive greens of summer, these root gems offer up the tender sweetness of the earth and lots of hearty goodness for the colder months ahead. Root vegetables and squashes are wonderful for strengthening our digestive systems according to TCM. It makes sense as they are one of the first to be introduced to babies as they welcome in solid foods. Naturally sweet, starchy and filli ..read more

Ahhh, the magical freshness of mint. Everyone has experienced it in one way or another. Be it a stick of gum, a cup of mint tea or fresh mint chopped as a garnish. Mint is a backyard staple in the summer and a tea cupboard favourite year round, but did you know it’s a powerful and commonly used herb in the TCM herbal toolbox? Mint is used as an essential oil for headaches, nausea and muscle aches in pains, it also packs some pretty powerful antibacterial, antiviral properties. This makes it great for treating early onset colds or flus particularly those with a sore throat or fever. Mint is con ..read more