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Food ... Why the Bad Reputation?

19/5/2015

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Nutrition for Real

Poor food. Nowadays it’s got a bad reputation. Word on the street is that it will make you fat, make you sick, and is the culprit behind all of your ailments. And while everybody loves a scapegoat, this is simply not the truth about real food.

What do I mean when I say real food? I mean food in its whole form. Food that came from nature and has undergone minimal or no processing on its journey to the market. Fruits. Vegetables. Grains. Nuts. Seeds. Meat. Fish. Eggs. Butter (yes, I said butter).  These are all real foods that have been a part of the human diet for a looooooong time. These are foods that cannot be reduced to their nutritional value or calorie counts because what they do for our bodies is far more complicated than we could ever fathom. So let’s just trust them, shall we?
Somewhere along the way we got lost. We’ve fed into this belief that there is one thing, one single food that will be the answer to our prayers. In our quest for health, longevity, sexiness and happiness, we look to other cultures and obsessively analyze them in attempt to find their secret to life. In doing so we’ve come to a lot of insane conclusions. Conclusions like, olive oil is without question the reason Italians have healthy hearts that keep pumping well into their nineties. We read this in a magazine and naturally, we start glugging olive oil thinking it is the one and only answer. Meanwhile we make no other positive changes to our diet, do nothing to reduce stress levels, and count our calories ‘till the cows come home.

I wish it was that easy.  But it isn’t. And that is why I take a holistic approach to food nutrition. In my view, healthy eating is not about binging on the latest superfood, getting in your daily servings of fruits and veggies, or cutting carbs. It is about balance. It is about building a healthy relationship with food. It is about putting your faith in real foods to bring your body and mind into a beautiful state of balance.


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Courtney Schwegel, is a guest food blogger on CharisOnLife in the our Healthy Living umbrella. She will be a weekly contributor to both our blog and recipe additions! Courtney is a professional/personal chef, a Holistic Nutritionist and a FOOD ENTHUSIAST! Keep posted for more delicious and nutritious fodder from this extremely talented wonder!

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Introducing our own Personal Chef!

19/5/2015

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Hi there! I’m Courtney Schwegel, Personal Chef, Holistic Nutritionist and food enthusiast.

To me, food is about love. It’s about sharing, and it’s about nurturing. When I embarked on my path in the culinary arts, I had no idea where I would end up. What I did know from the beginning was that whatever I did, loving, sharing and nurturing would always be the driving force behind my cooking.

I consider myself a chef first, and a holistic nutritionist second. This is very important in my approach to nutritional consultation, because I believe that all food should taste good. It shouldn’t be a fat-free, flavourless, low-calorie, lump on a plate. And it shouldn’t be a miracle meal-replacement shake with more ingredients in it than one can bear to read. Food should be tantalising and tasty. And I am here to show you that healthy food can be just that.  

For many years I’ve been learning how to make nutritious food taste, well, delicious. And this is something I can teach you. Whether it’s learning to make a decadent cheesecake out of cashews instead of cream cheese, or superfood smoothies that taste like milkshakes, I’ve got you covered.

Nothing would make me happier than to be a part of your transformation by teaching you how to best nurture and nourish your body and mind with beautiful, nutritious foods.  

To learn more about what Courtney is offering to CharisOnLife, please check out our Healthy Living page.
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The Chocolate Zen Bakery ... Red Velvet Heaven

18/5/2015

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Well, thank you for reading my CharisOnLife recipe for today!

Layer Cake a la CharisOnLife ... the best recipe for a great life! Thanks to the Chocolate Zen Bakery in Winnipeg, Manitoba for what is possibly the BEST Red Velvet cake known to mankind. This was my birthday cake from last year, my request because I AM the Red Velvet Cake connoisseur, I know a fabulous Red Velvet cake when I consume one. 

Red Velvet cake is a tough recipe to get right, most times I find that the color is off, much too light, it is much too dry (and red velvet cake should NEVER be the least bit dry) and so it goes. It's a TOUGH one.

Now of course, as per usual, I am comparing it to the Red Velvet Cake of old, the one my mom used to bake ages ago. That really was the best recipe around, I hadn't tasted another that matched it until discovering the Chocolate Zen bakery. It was outstanding on every level.

The color was rich and red, not pink.
The cake was super moist therefore not crumbly.
The icing was creamy and full of cream cheese goodness.
The went over and above to adapt to my requests.

Requests you ask? Yes, my only issue with the original cake was that although it had the cream cheese icing still, they actually put coconut all over the cake after the icing. Not my thing. Although I love coconut, I don't want it mixed in and messing with my Red Velvet fabulousness. So ... I had asked them to please eliminate the coconut and just leave it at the cream cheese icing. I have had the same cake with the coconut and just found that it was just too much sweetness. The Red Velvet Cake itself with the cream cheese icing is enough sweetness for this gal. And yes well, I'm sweet enough! Ha! Some things are just better left alone, my only recommendation, order it without the coconut. What you see in the picture, is their result, it was spectacular in every way.

The pricing was fair for the size of the cake and the time it took them to ice that masterpiece. I fed my entire family and left enough for all of us for breakfast ... yes, if we have special cake in the house,  we have cake for breakfast in our family, it's a tradition. So ... about 12 people with cake leftovers. You don't want the pieces to be too big, and it's filling.

I have been there many times since and everything I have taken home or to friends have been nothing less than amazing. My favourite part is that I can go there and buy gluten free baking for all of my friends out there that are gluten intolerant and not sacrifice on taste or presentation, it is equally delicious.

I included this picture in my other recipe post for a couple of reasons. It was truly a work of art, it was beautiful and delicious, and it kind of represents what I was trying to relate to my readers. I'm calling about the "Flower Of Life" cake. Thanks Chocolate Zen Bakery for providing a wonderful subject for this photo, and an awesome birthday celebration.


LOCATION
553 Osborne Street South (corner of Osborne and Morley) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3L 2B3
Phone: 204.287.2253 (CAKE)


www.charisonlife.com

#ChocolateZenBakery #RedVelvetCake #RedVelvet #recipe #foodie #foodreview #CharisOnFood #CharisOnLife #baking #Manitoba #ThePegFood #ThePeg #Winnipeg #Love #coaching #life #birthdaycake
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    Charis Johannson
    and Guests

    Restaurant reviews with a twist....The Lip Rating!

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    Yes...restaurant ratings will be based on a Lip Smacking system. One to five Lips...Five being the best.
    LIP smacking in taste...
    LIP wagging for service...
    LIP licking for atmosphere
    and
    LIP action for Dating.


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    Disclaimer

    There are portions of this blog and the following blog pages that may recommend, or showcase different services and products. It will state explicitly if I have used the products personally. This is a professional review blog which gets compensated for the products reviewed by the companies who produce them. I am an independent blogger and the reviews are done based on my own experiences and opinions. As an affliate publisher, I may generate a commission for any sales generated from the links on any page of this website.  Please understand that as an a small business entrepreneur, I appreciate any interest and sales that you make from my site that supports us. A million thanks. 
    ​Charis
Disclaimer: There are portions of this website that may recommend, or showcase different services and products. It will state explicitly if I have used the products personally. This includes a Lifestyle Blog and as an independent blogger, the reviews are done based on my own experiences and opinions. As an affiliate publisher, I may generate a commission for any sales generated from the links on any page of this website.  Please understand that as an a small business entrepreneur, I appreciate any interest and sales that you make from my site that supports us. A million thanks. 
​Charis
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