Family

For the sake of the immune system, can we find a way to have a healthier Halloween? And before you groan, think of the fun and creativity that the family can have making new traditions or coming up with new ideas of how to do Halloween a bit differently. 

We need nutrients that fit with the seasons and fall produce doesn’t disappoint. The colourful and fibre-, vitamin C- and antioxidant-rich root vegetables of carrots, sweet potatoes, all the varieties of squash including help support your immunity.

Twenty-twenty is the year of life being different and as we approach Canadian Thanksgiving, our traditional dinner with a table full of family and friends is looking and feeling unlike previous years.

Let’s talk about the foods to eat, foods to avoid and supplements that pack the most immune supportive punch for the whole family. 

Listen to my latest myFM segment here. 

Here are four snack ideas that are packed with essential nutrients for focus, mood, strength, or an immunity boost.

After years of working with very frustrated parents of varying degrees of picky eaters, I’ve been doing a deep dive into how to best help you. A group of parents shared their take on how their child is picky and it ranges in issues. The most common thing that I hear from parents is that they’re done with the struggle of fighting to get their kids something healthy and nutritious to eat – that they love! Some people still search recipe books (like my mine - Sprout Right Family Food), and now with the internet, they’re also spending hours searching online for different recipes to make their picky eaters try something a bit more nutritious than chicken fingers and French fries. 

Halloween can be a parent’s worst nightmare. Just picture those sugar-infused little bodies that ultimately crash at the end of a late night in the form of one doozy of a tantrum. Now that’s a scary Halloween.

How are you going to deal with your little gremlin this October 31^st? Here’s a plan for parents to survive Halloween and avoid the extreme sugar highs and lows.

The first indicator of Fall has crept up on us here in Toronto; chillier weather. To satisfy those chills, one of my main go-to’s is a pot of steaming hot soup! It’s an added bonus that it is also easy to work into a busy weekday schedule. Soups can be as simple as just a few key ingredients, or as complex as the Davinci Code. It’s about what you’re in the mood for!

It’s that time again (I can hear the groan from here)! Time to think about packing school lunches every day for the next school year. I’m thinking that it might  make you want to run and hide. How about something different this year? Take the pressure off and get your kids to make their own  lunch. Yes, it is possible, I promise. 

Breakfast can be full of flavour and beneficial calories, instead of the fast toast and smear of butter, or bagel and peanut butter you might otherwise reach for. Fast, simple and yummy breakfasts can keep you going until lunch time with the right fibre, protein and fat combinations. Here are a few suggestions for a powerful way to start your day. These breakfasts can be prepped in advance, made in bulk or whipped up that morning.

July 23rd. It’s a date that I’ve had in the back, front and sides of my mind for about a year. About 16 months ago, I handed in my 122,186 word manuscript to my editor at Penguin Random House Canada, sat back, exhaled and got on with work and life until the next step.

Writing the 122,186 words took a solid four months to write, as in all day, every day. Well, unless I was speaking with a moms group, had a TV or radio segment or a meeting, that is.