Making my Way Through The UnDiet Cookbook + Giveaway

Almost exactly seven years ago I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. It feels like a lifetime ago.

My doctor told me to eat a "healthy, well-balanced diet" and to avoid things like nuts and seeds that might cause problems. He offered traditional medicinal options including medication, surgery and hardcore, experimental medication -- none of which sounded like great options to me. I made the decision to see a naturopath, made major changes in my diet and saw incredible improvement.

Before my diagnosis, I knew nothing about Crohn's Disease and didn't know anyone who had it - so I did what any good person does and took to the internet! I searched for blogs and other folks who also had Crohn's. While reading the comments on a random blog post one day, I discovered the blog of a Toronto nutritionist who also had healed herself from Crohn's Disease.

Her name was Meghan Telpner.

I started religiously reading her blog and decided to treat myself to some of her cooking classes for my birthday. Gluten free, dairy free cooking was all new to me, so I needed all the help and inspiration I could get! I documented our weekly classes here on the blog and the recipes I learned from Meghan became staples in my new way of eating.



After the cooking classes ended, Meghan continued to be an important person in my life. I followed her blog, helped out at events, cheerleaded for her programs, took a life-changing adventure to St. Lucia and beamed with pride when her first book, UnDiet came out. While it was awesome that I could finally stop using the duotang of recipes and had them in proper book form, it was mostly so inspiring to see someone I admired so much reaching their goals and doing awesome things in the world.

This past March I was taken down with that horrific godzilla flu and was pretty much confined to bed for over a week. After a nap one day, I checked Facebook and saw that Meghan had posted a job description for an 'Executive Assistant and Director of Outreach and Customer Happiness'. I eagerly read through the job description and when I got to the bottom of it I thought to myself - that is the perfect job for me. I applied. I interviewed. And a few weeks later I had my first day in the kitchen, working with Meghan (and her small but kick ass team).

I knew that the UnDiet Cookbook was going to be coming out in the fall and Meghan and I discussed some of the plans leading up to the release of the book. Because of things that we were working on, I actually had a manuscript of the book (in a word document) on my computer before the book even came out. I started to peruse recipes and got really excited for what was to come.

The book included 130 gluten free, dairy free recipes including some old revamped favourites (from the duotang days) and a whole bunch of brand new, shiny ones! The first recipe I made from the Word doc was the Banana Berry Oatmazing Muffins - Corbin joked that they were muffins from the future since the book hadn't even been released.

He also said they were some of his favourite muffins ever.

They were incredibly easy to make, adaptable (depending on the type of berries you used) and didn't taste "gluten free" - they just tasted like a delicious muffin!! I brought them into the kitchen for Meghan and Maeve, and Maeve declared it one of her favourite muffins as well. Success!

However cool it was to have the word doc version, it was even better to get my hands on the actual book. The recipes themselves are amazing, but when you couple the recipes with the beautiful photography from Catherine Farquharson and Miya Visneyei and incredible food styling, it really is something else. Every photo is amazing, and that visual appeal is so important to me in a cookbook!

The book starts with an introduction to Meghan's story, what it means to live the UnDiet Life and provides some guidance on how to get started in the kitchen. From there, the recipes are broken into 8 sections, followed by an awesome Lifestyle section including beauty care recipes, entertaining, travel tips and some thoughts on how to live the very best, most vibrant life.

I have peppered my book with stickies, highlighting the recipes I want to make and have had a blast cooking my way through it. 

I'm obsessed with the 'Begin with Brekkie' section. The Sweet Potato Zucchini Hash Brizzles are absolutely delicious and so easy! I paired them with poached eggs and it was the perfect combination. I also loved the Chocolate, Chocolate, Say it Twice Pancakes (which are like eating cake for breakfast) and the Vegalicious Quiche complete with millet crust!

Everything in the book is vegetarian / vegan friendly, and there are also options to make many recipes in the book nut-free, grain free or protein-powered. Meghan's UnDiet philosophy is all about breaking the rules and leaving the labels for tin cans - and advocates for people to eat what works for them while remaining open to the evolutionary nature of what our bodies need at different times in our lives.

Everything I've made has been a success so far! Favourites include the Creamed Mushroom Love Soup, Flourless Ginger Pear Tartlets, Balsamic Roasted Vegetables, Golden Girl Citrus-Spiced Tempeh and the Let's Stay Together Crackers (which impressed Corbin immensely "you're making homemade crackers?!")

Even though I've gotten a pretty good head start with the recipes, with 130 in total, I still have a ways to go! I haven't even dipped into the beauty care section (homemade toothpaste? yes!!) and want to try my hand at making some of the condiments from scratch, like the Spicy Mango Chutney.

This book is beautiful.
The recipes are awesome.
And it's already a staple in my kitchen.

I may be a bit biased, but I truly mean it. Even if I weren't working for Meghan I would have bought this book on release day and be cooking through it just the same (just without the bootleg word doc preview maybe...)

Meghan was a person I needed to meet seven years ago and her recipes, enthusiasm, passion, drive and philosophy have played a huge impact on my healing and my life. Her story reassured me that I was on the right track with my own healing and everything else that has followed has been a big beautiful bonus! I'm grateful that I now get to go to work in the kitchen where so much changed for me and work alongside someone who has been such an incredible mentor, cheerleader and friend.

---

The UnDiet Cookbook is all kinds of awesome and I'm really excited to be able to give away a copy to one very lucky reader! (And since I see the author on a pretty regular basis, I can probably even get it signed for you!)

Congratulations to Faith!! I'll be emailing you to get your details so I can send the book out to you ASAP. 

To win your very own copy of The UnDiet Cookbook:

Leave a comment below with your name, email address + the recipe you'd want to make first from the UnDiet Cookbook (you can take a peek inside the book to get some ideas or see what other folks have been enjoying on the Virtual Book Tour!)

Contest closes at 11:59pm Thursday November 12. I'll pick a random winner from all comments received and notify the winner by email. Contest is open to US and Canadian residents.

Good luck!!

Ohai June

It's already June 10th and this is my first post of the month! Life has been an interesting mix of busy, awesome, a little not-so-awesome, hilarious and fun of late; I continue to embrace 2013 as the year of serendipity and that is serving me well.

I've been busy working away at the first Shakespeare / non-musical production I've done in awhile with the fun folks at Bard in the Park.

We open The Merry Wives of Windsor tomorrow, which means that I'll be spending the week in a corset, causing trouble as Mistress Page surrounded by trees. I love fashion, but I am so thankful that corsets are not required attire in 2013. The show runs until Sunday and I'm really looking forward to having an audience to watch us scheme and play!

Speaking of shows... I went to opening night of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change a few weeks ago and was super stoked to see posters for The Life is Sweet Project!

While I've been talking about this show for awhile now, and it's still 8 months away, seeing my face on posters at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and hearing the season announcement really made reality sink in. I'm still so grateful and excited for this project to be happening, and looking forward to the creative process.

I've also been having a blast spreading the UnDiet love, following my stop on the blog tour with Meghan Telpner. It was lovely to be able to send a copy of the book to Sara, who was the winner of my giveaway.

Weee! Look what I got in the mail! Thanks @ashleydtl and @meghantelpner can't wait to start! #undiet yfrog.com/oe1skztuj
— Sara Best (@SaraEBB) June 6, 2013

I also posted some more UnDiet and creed love on Instagram this week, sharing my creed-inspired wake up message.

It's so important to me to start everyday with a positive message and work towards making it ridiculously awesometown, which includes:

Slurping up the sunshine and stopping to smell the lilacs

Eating cherries while thinking good thoughts (this time in popsicle form)

Being truthful, youthful, playful and funful

Wearing colour and eating colour. And all the while, dancing through life. 

I'm playing a little catch up on blog posts, but there's some neat stuff in the works. Fun things to expect include a review of an amazing gluten free bakery, a trip to the Toronto Botanical Gardens for a lovely event and the first post in a new series on things in my favourite neighborhoods. 

I hope June is treating you well so far. Summer is nearly here! Think of me as I'm sweating it out in a corset this week xo

Meghan Telpner's UnDiet - Interview & Giveaway

I first discovered Meghan Telpner back in 2009. I had just been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and I was seeking out others who didn't believe that medication was the only way. I came across Meghan's site, took some of her cooking classes and my life changed forever.

Since then we've become friends, traveled to St. Lucia and back and I've been a huge cheerleader in all things Meghan related. I was immensely proud and inspired when she announced that she was writing her first book and I was honoured to be asked to be a part of the virtual book tour once UnDiet finally launched. I'm also very happy to be able to give away a copy to one of my fine readers!

It was awesome to get my hands on the book a little bit before its release. It's easy to read, very "Meghan" and a stellar lifestyle guide. The pictures are beautiful and the 40 gluten free, whole foods based recipes that have been included are delicious and easy-to-follow. I'm happy to finally have a replacement for my well-loved copy of Meghan's recipes from her classes.

The book is broken out into 10 sections, each with a different focus including the UnDiet foundations, meal prep, edible body care, kicking your cravings and of course, making love in your kitchen. Each of the sections ends with take-aways from the chapter and how they apply to the UnDiet lifestyle and each section has delicious recipes and tips. The book culminates with an 8 week transition plan to help readers put the UnDiet lifestyle into full effect! I loved reading through everything and soaked in Meghan's philosophy. It's all so familiar to me and there are so many things that I already do, but it was a super reminder.

I got to ask Meghan some questions about the book and life in UnDiet land. Here's what she had to say:

You've probably answered this a thousand times, but what does UnDiet mean to you? 

I won't answer this, because I have answered it a thousand times, so instead I will tell you what I want UnDiet to mean to YOU, and every single one of your readers.

UnDiet is setting you free from whatever titles and labels you have given to yourself about the way you eat, look, move, love, think, sleep and shake your booty when you're naked (if you do that). UnDiet is about breaking free from the rules we think we're meant to follow, un-cubing ourselves from the cubicle world, looking at life through a fuchsia coloured lens and doing what is the very best for our own individual health. UnDiet is about questioning the paradigms on convention, breaking rules and creating our own. At its core, UnDiet is a shiny, happy way to achieve optimal vibrant health. Shazaam!

What has the response been like to the book so far? 

Nothing short of super-powered-fantabulous! The book has been on the Globe & Mail bestseller list for six weeks now and has hit #1 on Amazon. That's awesome for me professionally, as it's great when something we work hard on succeeds- but more so, it means that people are picking up what I am putting down. They will read it, they will get it, and they will start taking on a few things to move towards health. Most of all, this leaves me completely honoured to have been chosen as part of people's journey to health.

Many different types of people are going to be picking up this book - some who are brand new to UnDiet living and others who may be very familiar with you and your approach - did you write the book with this in mind? Do you think there's something in there for everyone? 

There is absolutely something in UnDiet for everyone- including me. None of us are truly doing all we can for our health, and that's okay. UnDiet is meant to offer guidance, inspiration, a kick in the bottom if you need it, or permission to take it easy if that's what is needed. I offer achievable strategies with tips and tricks to make them happen. There is an overarching attitude of "do what you can, and come back later for the rest when you are ready." UnDiet is intended to offer freedom from the notion that the solution to our health and happiness is outside of us. When we can embrace the empowerment that comes with knowing what we need to do for ourselves to feel a little more awesome everyday, then we become responsible for both managing our own suffering, and for our own happiness. It's a practice, but could everyone benefit? Absolutely!

One of my favourite sections in the book is the "Top Ten Things You'll Learn UnDieting to Vibrant Health". What do you do to consistently remind yourself of those principles, even when they might feel a little more tough than usual? 

I pick up my book and read chapter 1. No. I don't. I have been living this way for seven years now. I know it. I get it. And I do my best to practice. After this much time, I don't always hit a homerun on my mindfulness or seeing the rainbows on storm cloud days, but I am far more aware of how events around me make me feel. I can observe my own stress. I know when I'm not eating or resting the very best that I can, and I know what I need to do to right myself up again. As I say often in the book- all we can ever do is our very best, and at any given moment, what that 'best' is will change. And the exercise for each of us then is to just be okay with wherever we're at. That is the practice.

Did writing the book remind you of any UnDiet principles that you needed to reinforce for yourself?

The actual process of writing the book reinforced ALL the principles. I was writing the book on top of my normal insane workload and teaching schedule. This meant I had to make it a priority to also show up to yoga and meditation, plan effectively to make the most of my time in the kitchen, see friends, laugh often and all those other important factors for health.

What would be your advice for someone who was about to embark on the 8 week transition plan? 

Today is the day!

What's next for you? Can we expect an UnDiet 2? 

The focus for us right now is on the uber-exciting launch of the Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert program. This is how UnDiet will become a full-on revolution where people are not just reading the book, but living it, and learning how to teach the ways of real food, simple living, and questioning what we see on our packages of cereal and shampoo.

You've come a long way since the spring of 2009, when I met you in your kitchen/loft in a cooking class of 6 people. Is this where you imagined you'd be 4 years down the road? 

At that time, I probably had some other ridiculous massively imaginative plan for my life. Something I talk about in the book is the idea of process- that the process is the outcome. Goals are good to help move us along from point A to point B, C, D through to Z, but somewhere along in the process, something unexpected and awesome may come up that invites us to let go of our initial goal and reform our thoughts around it. I always have projects, plans, and goals in place, but stay open to any excitement that may come my way. I believe with absolute confidence that the experiences and opportunities we have in our lives come to us when we are ready to receive them. I like to be at the ready!

---

It was awesome to hear some more about the book from Meghan and I couldn't be happier to be able to share some UnDiet love with all of you! And here is your chance to join in the UnDiet awesomeness by winning a shiny new copy of your own!

How to win:

1. Leave me a comment and tell me why UnDiet appeals to YOU!
2. Earn a bonus entry by following me and Meghan on the Twitter and leave a comment to let me know you've done so

Giveaway is open to everyone worldwide. Giveaway will close on Saturday May 25 at 11:59 EST and I will email the winner. Good luck! 

For more details about UnDiet, the Virtual Book Tour and tonnes of other recipes and shenanigans, be sure to check out Meghan's site! So proud of you lady and happy to have such a wonderful tome of healthy lifestyle goodness on my shelf.

I'm ready for spring

I posted a photo on Instagram last night and my awesome photographer friend Chris Luckhardt commented that we need to do another shoot again soon. I then found myself going through photos that we shot last June and it made me long for spring and summer.

 

I guess I can't really complain, it's only April 4, but a big part of me just wants to ditch the heavier coat and hat and get back to walking home a few times a week and do more frolicking in the sunshine. I'm craving asparagus and berries and cherries and fiddleheads and peaches.

My birthday is around the corner and I distinctly remember there being a year where my birthday fell on Easter and there was actually a snowstorm. (please don't get any ideas Mother Nature, snow is not cool)

I'm happy that it's April. It's a good month. One of the best things about this month so far has been the launch of Meghan Telpner's new book, Undiet especially after it reached #1 on the Amazon chart!! So unbelievably proud of Meghan. We're going to be doing an interview this month as part of her virtual book tour to be posted in May. Reading the book has been a good reminder to twinkle, sparkle and shine!

 

I'm going to be channeling spring this weekend with some popsicle making for my girlfriends, a sweet lemon cake from Bunner's, an adorable new party frock and some awesome tunes from one of my favourite Toronto bands.

What are you doing to make it feel like spring?

Dresses & green cardigan - Gap 

Yellow cardigan - Banana Republic

Necklace - Tabula Rasa

All photos by Chris Luckhardt