My Farmer's Market Inspiration

Saturday morning we headed to the farmer's market before our busy weekend had started. I was inspired by all the beautiful colors of veggies, fruits and flowers that were available this time of year. After talking to some of the farmers about their favorites, I packed up a variety of new veggies that I hadn't tried before. Part of healthy eating is exploring new flavors, keeping an open mind and not being intimidated by new things. If you have never cooked something before, ask! I received lots of tips on the farmer's favorite way of preparing some of these varieties.
As you can see from the pictures, I went home with blue potatoes, pattypan squash, golden beets, a rainbow of various other larger beets, red lettuce, turnip, a rainbow of carrots, a variety of plums (from Niagara)and our favorite local honey (Lavender Hills).
So this week I will be trying lots of new recipes, but also really keeping it simple. On saturday we were heading out to a BBQ, and I was bringing a salad. I made the salad from the red lettuce, red onion, peppers, cucumber and the golden beets (these I peeled and boiled in a salted water like you would a potato - they were tender in about 10 minutes or so, but a larger beet would take longer). I cooled the beets, sliced them and put them on the salad. They looked beautiful! I also ate the rest of them while they were still warm with a pat of butter - the flavor was amazing. My little guy shared them with me.
I made a simple dressing for the salad - olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, honey.
It tasted great and looked colorful. I look forward to more fresh produce today!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Making your own fermented Pickles

As many of you know I'm a fan of fermentation for reasons I've already explained in previous posts. Recently I made several batches of traditional Polish pickles, which happen to be fermented! So my old family recipe actually has many health benefits, which is awesome.
Here's what you need:
1 basket of baby cucumbers
6 or so long stems of dill
6 or so cloves of garlic
whole black pepper
water
Pickling salt

This will make approximately 3 large jars. Prepare your brine stove-top. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the jars you'll be using, and add approximately 2 Tbsp salt for every jar you'll be using (the saltier the brine, the slower the fermentation but less likely chance of molding).Bring to a boil and then take off stove.
Wash your cucumbers. Into the bottom of each jar put 2 slices garlic cloves, a few pepper kernels, and if like spice, some dried chili peppers. Next put 2 whole dill stems (just fold them to fit them into the jar), and stuff the jar with as many pickles as possible (they can't be loose or they'll float to the top, causing molding).
Top each jar with enough hot brine to cover the pickles by at least 1/2". Cover and store put aside in a warm part of the kitchen, but away from sunlight. Let sit at least 5 days, and transfer into the fridge once the pickles are as tangy as you like them! They seem to get better every day, and make a wonderful snack!
For more details, this is a link to a great site on fermenting!

http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=pickles

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Make your own Organic Yogurt!

Since reading the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I've been inspired to hit the kitchen more than normal! I have had this yogurt recipe for months but finally just decided to try it. Patients often complain about the cost of organic dairy products, so this ones a sure hit for those watching their pocket books. I made this recipe yesterday and had my home-made organic plain yogurt with granola for breakfast this morning. It was yummy. It tastes the same, just a bit more liquid than the store bought stuff (but they often use fillers or gelling agents to thicken it).
Here's what you need:
2 L of organic milk (2%)
1/3 cup plain organic yogurt (as a starter)
cooking thermometer
crockpot
ice

Set your crockpot on low or medium to warm it up while you prepare your milk.
Warm the milk in a large pot on your stove-top up to 185 degrees (stir constantly so it doesn't burn), then pour into a glass bowl, which you'll immerse into a sink full of cold/icy water. Cool the milk to 110 degrees (takes about 5 minutes).
Pour the milk and 1/3 cup yogurt into your crockpot, stir, cover, wrap your crockpot in a towel and UNPLUG it. Wait 8 hrs, then stir the contents. It's technically ready to be moved to the fridge, but you can wait 2 more hours or so to thicken it up (it will get more tangy the longer you wait). Transfer to opaque containers, and move to your fridge. It's ready to eat once it's cooled!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Welcome Mark McAllister, RMT!

We are pleased to welcome another addition to the VFL team, Mark McAllister RMT. Mark is now accepting new and existing clients, so make your appointment today!
Having two Registered Massage Therapists offers our clients a greater variety of massage styles and techniques to choose from, so try them both!
To learn more about Mark, visit www.vitalityforlife.ca and read his bio.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Beach time and Exercise!

This weekend we headed to the beach to spend a relaxing morning together. I packed a small picnic for the kids, and brought their sand toys and water stuff. My husband Carlos is training for Ironman this August in BC, so on most days he does some sort of training. We found a great way to incorporate a workout for both of us while enjoying the beach. He started by doing an open-water swim, followed by a run while I played with the kids, and then we swapped. I normally wouldn't do this sort of swim (in a wetsuit in the deeper waters of the lake), but it was amazing, and a great workout - my first 'real' swim in my new wetsuit, which takes some getting used to. I then did a short run as well. I felt great after, and the combined cross-training left my body feeling completely spent.
We then spent the rest of the afternoon just enjoying being outdoors. When planning such an active family outing, don't forget to bring extra water and nutrient-packed snacks, especially not such hot and sunny days as we've been having.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Eggless French Toast

On the weekends when we get a chance to have a nice breakfast I try to make something like gluten-free egg-free pancakes, but I wanted something different this past sunday. My 4 year old Jordi is sensitive to eggs, so we avoid using them. At first I thought french toast would be impossible, but then I found a simple recipe that doesn't require using eggs, and it was delicious!
For the liquid ingredients, blend the following in a food processor or hand blender:
1 ripe banana
2-3 oz. of almond milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

soak your bread in this mixture and cook like you normally would your french toast, just don't turn your heat up too high because the banana sugars tend to burn quickly!

Enjoy!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Maternal Vitamin D levels

I was just reading an interesting in the Integrated Health Care Practitioners Journal about Vitamin D levels in women who are pregnant or nursing. They estimate that pregnant women at latitudes similar to those of southern Canada are roughly 42% deficient at the time of delivery.
Studies show that "higher levels of maternal vitamin D have been associated with improved fertility, lower risk of gestational diabetes, lower risk of cesarean section and improved birth outcomes such as birth weight and early growth"
In infants studies show that higher levels of supplementation can help reduce the risk of adult diseases, as well as the risk of Type I Diabetes.

All great reasons to continue with the vitamin D!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!