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Max Brennan

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Healthy Recipes

Vegan Mushroom & Lentil Shepherd’s Pie Oh My!

Serves 4-6 (large portions) INGREDIENTS Base Filling: Olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 cup finely chopped celery 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 cups cooked or canned green or brown lentils 2 cups mushrooms, coarse chopped 1 cup walnuts, fine chopped (optional, omit for nut free)* 2 T tamari or soy sauce 1 cup vegetable broth 2 T flour or cornstarch** 3 cups mixed frozen veggies (choice of carrot, corn, green beans, peas…), thawed and drained. 2 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp dried or fresh parsley Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste DIRECTIONS In an oven-proof frying pan – cast iron works great – sauté onion in olive oil until translucent, then add chopped garlic and cook for 2-3 min. Then add dried herbs, chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté until mushrooms cook down. Then add cooked lentils and chopped walnuts if used. Stir in thawed veggies

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Canadian Bitters
Health

Bitters for Naturally Strong Digestion

Heartburn, indigestion, constipation, and bloating are all familiar – and uncomfortable – symptoms of sluggish digestion. But there’s a way to stimulate your digestion and address the underlying issues of digestive discomfort – naturally and simply. Digestion is a cascade of physiological events that starts before you even put food in your mouth. That anticipatory “mouth watering” effect that happens before a delicious meal is your digestive process being sparked by sight and aroma! Bitters provide a similar effect when taken before a meal. When we eat bitter foods, it stimulates specific receptors on the tongue that send messages to the brain, which prompts the release of a hormone known as “gastrin”, promoting the secretion of gastric acid. Using traditional bitters strengthens digestion and helps to set its process in motion, with benefits including: Reduce heartburn and indigestion – Contrary to popular belief, inadequate stomach acid production is often responsible

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Cover Story

The Casino of Life – Pursuits & Pleasures

Pursuits and Pleasures – The Casino of Life What are you knowingly doing that is risking your health? We are all doing something. Whether crossing the street or taking drugs, there are risks to everything in life. Are we playing the right games? For instance, downhill skiing can be considered reasonably risky to your health, but if one prepares and accepts the risks, one can find great joy and pleasure from hitting the slopes. The same holds true for smoking cigarettes. The nicotine high attained from smoking can be a wonderful and pleasurable feeling for many, but it has risks. Thinking about what risks we are willing to take or not take is a great practice to help us define the boundaries and guidelines we want for our lives. We come to the game of life like visiting a casino, betting on pleasures versus risks hoping to win in a

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Health

Your Guide to Complete Seasonal Allergy Relief

Hello Spring! Bringing longer, warmer, brighter days… and hay fever. While budding trees and blooming flowers are beautiful, they can also trigger seasonal symptoms, including runny nose, itching, coughing, and sneezing (oh – the sneezing!), which affect between 20-25% of Canadians. Sure, there are over-the-counter antihistamines and allergy sprays, but they can come with side effects like drowsiness, dry mouth, and fatigue – and the symptoms still come back in full force. What you may not know is there is an alternative solution that addresses these issues! Treat General Allergy Symptoms PLUS Get to The Root of The Issue So, what causes hay fever? Lifestyle factors such as reduced contact with nature, compromised gut flora, environmental pollution, and high stress levels can all contribute to the root of the problem: an unbalanced, over-reactive immune system. When the immune system is out of balance, it triggers excessive histamine production as a

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Fitness

Fitness Fanatics – Hot Holiday Equipment – Our Top Picks!

So you like to work out? Why not put one of these sweaty Hot Holiday items under somebody’s tree this year! # 1 Lebert HIIT System No matter what your age or fitness No matter what your age or fitness level, increasing overall strength is one of the keys to living longer and healthier. The Lebert HIIT System is the ultimate pump machine. (If Arnold had one, he would have been bigger.) This system is direct torque on your muscles. The pump burns SO much and that’s why it made it to our HOT LIST! Whoever gets their hands on one will love it. # 2 CoreFX Adjustable Dumbbells This is not your grandmother’s weight set. Darth Vader beware. These futuristic Adjustable Dumbbells will make you addicted to doing more sets than you need to. This dumbbell set is incredible with the mobile stand that you can move around (costs

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Featured

Intuitive wellness

Have you ever thought of somebody, and they then called you out of the blue? Have you ever eaten food you knew might make you feel unwell, but you did it anyway and got sick? Has the solution to a problem ever come to you just after waking up? Have you ever been able to figure out a problem before others without knowing how? These are all instances of intuition. Whether you suddenly found an unexpected solution, predicted a future event, or discovered something without knowing how, these are all examples of your intuition at work. Intuition is your ultra-processor of all physical, mental and spiritual data. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines intuition as “the power or faculty of attaining direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.” Intuition is arriving at an answer without knowing exactly where it came from. By using your intuition, you are using

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arthritis image
Health

The fight of my life

It all started when I was 35. I went for a run and mid-way through my foot started killing me, with pain right in the toe and metatarsals. I stretched it, rubbed in some pain lotion and moved on, or so I thought. Question: What was causing my foot so much pain? I went to my doctor and he gave me a cortisone injection directly into my foot. It did feel much better for the short term and thought that I was on my way, but I was wrong. My foot continued to be in so much pain that I had to go back to the doctor; he sent me for blood tests to test for arthritis. It was great news to find out that I didn’t have arthritis at all when my blood test came back negative -- but what was causing all the pain? I still hadn’t been
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Healthy Recipes

CHICAGO STYLE BALL PARK CARROT DOGS

Inspired by ‘the Edgy Veg’ – www.theedgyveg.com MAKES: 4 DOGS / PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES MARINATE: MINIMUM 1 HOUR / COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES I grew up in Chicago and love the hot dog tradition of the city. Of course, as I got older, I wanted the great taste of Chicago style hot dogs but didn’t want all the fat and unhealthy ingredients. This recipe brings it all together, using a carrot as the dog. Some people say they cannot even tell it’s a carrot! Enjoy and stay healthy. INGREDIENTS 4 large carrots, peeled and scored ¼ cup tamari or soya sauce ¼ cup water 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp maple syrup 2 tsp liquid smoke ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp onion powder ½ tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp black pepper Serves 4. Nutritional information per serving: Calories 72; Fat 0.1g; Carbohydrates 15.6g; Protein 2.6g TOPPINGS Yellow

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Healthy Recipes

Mac and Queso Dinner

This recipe uses our favourite Plant Powered Queso recipe mixed with cooked macaroni. It’s a delicious accompaniment to any dish. Spicy, creamy and totally cheesy, you won’t believe this queso is vegan and veggie based! Plant Powered Queso Inspired by: Clean Food Dirty Girl’s 5- Minute Instant Pot Cheesy Sauce Ingredients: 2 cups peeled and chopped potatoes (or about 3 medium-sized potatoes) 1 cup chopped carrots (1 large carrot) 1 small onion, chopped 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1 Teaspoon ground turmeric, or 1 Tablespoon chopped turmeric root if available 2 cups vegetable stock or water 1/2 cup soaked and drained raw cashews (or substitute 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or and 1/4 cup ground flax seed) 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder 1 teaspoon salt Directions: 1. Soak cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

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