Making Kombucha

Making what?

Making kombucha! It's a fermented drink with a variety of healing powers, and detoxifying properties. My daughter and student at the Canadian Naturopathic College in Toronto, Rachel Ecd, introduced me to this fizzy liquid when she lived in Portland, Oregon.

Being as adventurous and experimental as we are in the kitchen these days - with our meatless meals from The Eat-Clean Diet® Vegetarian Cookbook and my grain free breakfasts - we decided to make our own! It's the perfect complement to any type of lifestyle - vegetarian, grain free, or not.

We used these steps from Wikihow. We used Brown Rice Green Tea and Coconut Sugar from Raw Elements. Our SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) was a gift from Lili-Huston-Herterich.

Every utensil used and our hands were frequently washed with apple cider vinegar - you cannot use soap as it introduces potentially harmful chemicals and bacteria to the SCOBY.

CAUTION!!! You have to be extremely careful when making Kombucha. Contamination of the the SCOBY can lead to life threatening circumstances. Take all precautions!!

Our first batch is going to be ready on Tuesday, I will let you know how it goes. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of drinking Kombucha please leave a comment, or a question and I will answer you.

Happy Friday!

What is the ECD Vegetarian Cookbook All About?

Interested in what The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook is all about? Confused about why fish and eggs make an appearance? Let's get some clarity on this.

We wanted to take a complete approach to this book, which means we wanted to include options for as many definitions of vegetarian as possible. This even includes people like me who are flexitarians (omnivores choosing to eat a number of vegetarian meals throughout the week). I even go into detail about all of these different types on page 13 in the book, but you can have a sneak peak of the legend here:

Of the 150 recipes, you will find that 141 contain only veggies, whole grains and legumes, but a few (about 9) do include fish for our pescetarian friends, and there are even some with eggs for our ovovegetarian friends, and dairy for our lactoovovegetarian friends. Vegans will be happy too because there are a host of recipes without dairy, fish or eggs. Hurray! Just check out the icons included with each recipe to know if it will work for you.

We also did our best to leave out all of those strange, processed vegetarian products, and stick to the real thing. After all, this is the ultimate guide to CLEAN vegetarian eating!

Proud Mama

Such a proud mama!
Can you tell I was crying through most of her show? 

On the weekend I traveled to Kingston with my daughter, Kiersten, and my mother, Tina, to watch my daughter, Kelsey-Lynn, perform in her annual dance recital at Queen's University. She is a ballet instructor at Queen's when she isn't studying her Bachelor's of Fine Art. I watched the numbers she had put together as well as the routines she was part of. I fell in love with her beautiful pointe routine. She is such a passionate little dancer! I remembered all those years ago when she first took to the stage as a 3 year old with her group of little ballerinas and asked when she could dance solo. Now, nearly 18 years later, she is just as glorious on stage as she always has been.

It was a good reminder to always infuse life with passion. For me that is spreading the word of Eating Clean through my writings and talks. It's also channeling my energy into training in the gym.

Where does your passion lie? Can you incorporate your passion into what you do?

Try it. You might just be successful.

Kelsey pairing bodybuilding and ballet!

Win Veg & Eat This!

Who isn't excited about The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook?!? Seriously. This is really exciting news and a wonderful way to begin spring. I hope you guys have taken a look through the book... if not, you can do so here. It's packed with tons of new recipes, info pages and beautiful pictures.

I want you to get the chance to win The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook by entering our Eating Clean Veggie Style contest. I'm sure you have a bunch of vegetarian recipes you swear by... share yours and be entered to win a signed copy.

Then try this delicious Coconutty Almond Cookie recipe from Kitchen Table community member, Vanessa.

Today is a day of good eating - clean style. Let's get started!

Veg is HERE!

Wow! This happened faster than I thought it would, but it's here: The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook is available for order!

Check out the book here.

Order it here.

And... stay tuned for a month of fabulous Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian stories. Find out how you can incorporate vegetarian, vegan and/or pescetarian habits into your life whether or not you eat meat.

P.S. A special thanks to everyone who has offered to guest blog. You will hear back soon.

Vegetarian, Vegan and Pescetarian Guest Bloggers

I am so excited about the upcoming release of The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook in April.

I would also love to share the floor with some true vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian Eat-Clean Diet-ers by inviting you to guest blog during the month of April. You will each receive a copy of The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook as a special thank you.

If you're interested please send an email to rcorradetti@rkpubs.com

Thanks! I am looking forward to reading your posts.

St. Patrick's Day! A Day to Celebrate...

Photo Credit: BBC News - Guinness could really be good for you!

Now I'm not sure if a Guinness every day is necessarily Eating Clean, but having a taste to celebrate in St. Patrick's Day will be one of my few indulgences.

What's your excuse to celebrate on St. Patrick's Day?  Is it simply the drinking of green beer, Guinness or Irish Whiskey or perhaps all three?  Are you joyous about your Irish roots?  Perhaps you are an Irish Dancer and wish to show Michael Flatley your fast and furious feet?   Don't know who Michael is?  He is the fast footed step dancer who created Lord of the Dance and reputedly danced so fast sparks shot out of his boots.  I don't know about that but I do know I attended one of his performances and from where I sat women were lobbing their knickers at him all throughout the show.  I kept mine on but I could empathize with the admiration.  The man was amazing and in killer shape - I know because he took his shirt off a lot! 

I have no Irish in me but that won't stop me from putting on a fun St. Patty's Day BBQ with loads of greens, Guinness and family.  Since the temps will be in the mid twenties tomorrow I plan to host dinner outside.  I plan to participate in the day because I like any reason to experience a positive attitude.  Send me your green shots particularly if you have some in your teeth.  LOL!


So here's to your health in Irish:  "Slainte" or "Guid forder."

Also don't forget to try my Irish Soda Bread from The Eat-Clean Cookbook. I've attached the recipe so you can make it with your family this weekend!

Keep it clean and green,

Tosca

Make-up and Eating Clean!

Make-up by Valeria! Photo credit - Paul Buceta

Many Eat-Clean followers comment on how amazing their skin, hair and nails look when they first begin following the Eat-Clean Diet. It's incredible - blemishes disappear, skin glows, hair and nails grow and grow in shiny. You find yourself having little use for heavy foundation, and coverup. When I have seminars, TV appearances and trade show events my make-up artists Valeria and Lori always comment on the little need for these products - the focus is always on the hair, eyes and lips!

Valeria doing my make-up this morning

Valeria and Lori swear by making make-up look like BAM from the inside out! It is one of their keys to successful make-up application and hair styling. It is hard to expect these results by eating junk, processed, refined sugary foods, and drinking, or smoking.

If you are looking for more make-up and hair styling tips please visit Valeria and Lori's new website 2Chicks & Some Lipstick - it is just launching today! These girls have been the creative geniuses behind my many many cover looks, photo shoot styling, and live appearances. They have built an extensive portfolio which you can read all about here. Follow them on twitter too @two_chicks!

Also if you're in Toronto tonight swing by Brassaii. These 2Chicks are throwing their official launch party!

An Eat-Clean Pregnancy

I am excited to have another guest blogger today. Her name is Sara Zanotto. She's one of our fabulous Eat-Clean Diet Success Stories & she's also a regular on our great little community, The Kitchen Table. She is a new mommy and wants to share with you how she managed her pre- & post-natal care by maintaining a clean & healthy lifestyle.

Here's Sara Z & her cutey, Bella!

As I see it, there are three categories of pregnant women: 1) ones who see pregnancy as an excuse to eat anything and everything, 2) ones who used to eat anything and everything, but now that they are responsible for the nutrition of a little baby they Eat Clean, and 3) ones who eat clean before, during and after their pregnancy. I’m proud to say that I fall into the third category. What about you?

No More Excuses

Gotta' love guest bloggers! And today we have a fresh & eager personal trainer, Andie the Fit Geek. She's a true Eat-Clean Diet proponent who walks the walk and talks the talk for her Toronto-based clientele. Andie has shared her story here with us today and has also generously offered to giveaway a package of 3 personal training sessions. How do you win? This offer is limited to Toronto proper readers. Please comment below with the reason why you need a personal trainer. Good luck! 


Take it away Andie...

Here's Andie strutting her stuff on Sugar Beach in Toronto.
Photo Credit: Kelsey-Lynn Corradetti

Like many first year university students I struggled with making healthy and nutritious choices. Armed with a pre-paid meal plan and surrounded by pizza, pasta and junk food, I quickly put on the “freshman 15.”

As a competitive figure skater and kinesiology student I was always active but still struggled with my weight. I was sweating buckets at the gym but I knew without a change in my kitchen habits, my life would be heading in a very scary direction.  With this realization, I discovered clean eating. I made changes in my nutritional habits, substituting healthy balanced meals in place of processed foods.

I also discovered my passion for healthy living and I eagerly shared this with others. It wasn’t long before this translated into a career as a personal trainer and health and fitness writer. The Eat-Clean Diet has helped me inspire my clients to lead healthier lifestyles.

Many express the same concerns when it comes to cleaning up their habits in the kitchen. Let me help debunk these myths.

“It costs too much”
One of the first things I noticed when I started eating clean was that my grocery bills actually decreased. While fruits and veggies seem like a budget breaker at first, they actually go further than any pre-packaged meal.

“It’s time consuming”
As a trainer and skating coach I spend many meals away from home. This could easily result in fast food dinners 5 nights a week, but luckily I have a great time saving tip. Leftovers!  I make double or triple the servings on the nights I do have time to make dinner. Storing pre-portioned meals in Tupperware containers makes packing lunches and dinners on-the-go quick and easy.

“Healthy food tastes bland”
And as for bland? I dare you to try any recipe in the Eat-Clean Diet cookbooks and tell me it’s tasteless.

By Eating Clean you make healthy choices a part of your lifestyle. It is sustainable! That is why it works for me and why my clients are continuing to achieve goals of their own.

For more tips on leading a healthier lifestyle check out my blog, follow me on Twitter or on my Facebook page.

International Women's Day... Everyday

Photo Credit: Paul Buceta, Valeria Nova

In many ways it seems ridiculous to have to name a day and celebrate it just to recognize Women.  We take up 50% of the planet for goodness sake!  Didn't anyone notice?  I suppose we must name such a day so that we can recognize just how far we have come as human beings on this planet and I do celebrate this fact but we still also have a long way to go, don't we?  The numbers today suggest that minority women are still barely visible in corporate America/Canada.  We must never give up on our steady progress to be the strong individuals we already know we are.  The time is now. 

Arnold 2012 Recap

Posing with Eat-Clean Diet success stories Allison Earnst, Carolyn Channell & friends!

The Arnold 2012 has come and gone.  This was one of the most challenging Arnolds I have ever attended as I went solo.  That certain special man known variously as Tough Love Bob, Bob Kennedy and Mr. MuscleMag, was unable to join in the mad chaos that is the Arnold as he was in poor health.  He has never missed an Arnold since they first began all those years ago.  We are working on rebuilding his health and our team of hard working muscle, fitness & eating-clean enthusiasts represented in fine form as we carried his torch for him this past weekend.

Robert's Lifetime Achievement

 

I am incredibly proud of my husband, Robert Kennedy, for being granted the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award at The Arnold Sports Festival. I gratefully accepted on his behalf. It was an incredibly special evening. Thank to the team of incredible people who made this possible. 

For full video coverage including an incredible video tribute outlining Robert's illustrious career please click here.

More Arnold 2012 photos coming soon...