Esmonde-White House

Banana Bread: It’s a love/hate kind of thing

We have a benefactor of sorts at our office… The lovely Teresa, one of our regular students, keeps us constantly in stock of her delicious, moist, and not that bad for you banana bread. I have had many banana breads in my day, but this is my favourite. Sometimes she bakes it right before class and it is still steaming when it gets into my excited hands. Once, she made one with chocolate chips. It was dangerous... I am getting too excited. I think I need to go get some from the fridge now!

We love this recipe so much, we just had to share it with you!

When I asked Teresa for it, she knew it by heart… my kind of lady!

Photos by of the happy office people by Jacki (except the one of Jacki, that was taken by Sahra) 

OBSESSION: Bengal Spice Herbal Tea

                                                                    image: www.celestialseasonings.com

So, it is 3:30 in our offices and everyone’s energy starts to fade. You can see it in each other’s eyes… we are all in the market for a little pick-me-up, a sugary snack, a bit of a caffeine fix; you know the look. To be honest, there are times when we indulge in the delicious banana bread baked by one of our clients or we are treated to Jacki’s cookies and cakes and baking delights, but, we have a new, fantastic alternative for the days when we are behaving but don’t necessarily feel like snacking on celery sticks.

BENGEL SPICE HERBAL TEA. Sweet, spicy, warm, comforting and longer lasting that a piece of cake… which is unreasonably important to me because snack time is my favourite time, and I wish it would last forever. The smell of the bengal spice tea fills the office with a cinnamony scent that can only be described as divine! The tea is caffeine free, so it doesn’t fix your late night and early morning routine but it does curb your cravings for cookies, cakes and baking delights…. At least for a little bit! 

 

A Post New Years Afternoon Tea at the Essentrics Office

Back in the office after a wonderful Christmas break! Just enjoying our David's Tea treat from Erika (one of our instructors) and some vegan cookies and of course, being back in each others company. (Cheesy, I know, but true!)

Looking forward to an exciting and successful 2012. Happy New Year! 

 

Neal's Yard Remedies: My London Discovery

The skin is our largest organ, and what gets applied onto our skin ends up in our body (think of any medical patch for hormones or nicotine). We are more and more aware of the number of chemicals we've been putting on our skin over the years and are making a concious effort to change. In addition, we like the idea that everything we need for our health and beauty can be found in nature, and used in its natural form.   Needless to say, we are thrilled to be finding more and more effective natutal products.

On the last Essentrics trip to London, I disovered the British brand Neals Yard Remedies which has been creating organic skincare and remedies since 1981. Most of the people working in the stores have been trained in natural medicine and are passionate about every product. Each time I go into the store I learn something new and I'm a big fan of their serums and oils. On this trip I picked up a Wild Rose elixir made of wild rosehip oil for radiance and turmeric for brightening and toning! I also picked up the Orange Flower facial oil which is distilled from Orange Blossoms. This oil balances dry skin and reduces wrinkles; something that I felt would be good for the winter months. So far I'm loving them both (as well as my Argan oil) and not missing my department store creams at all.

Who's watching who?

It took two photographers and one unwilling subject, but we did end up with a unique photo taken by your San Francisco hosts of The Organic Hobo TV Series. We met up with them in Madrid, Spain and got a fabulous food filled tour of the city. The hosts are both photographers and creatively caught Sahra being reflceted in Harry's lense. For more shots of Madrid and other cities, and to watch the colorfull food filled show: Organic Hobo TV

A Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert!

While turkey dinners have a nostalgic flavor and smell, there is no reason why you can’t recreate the same memories around a full table of vegan delights! As always, we take our favorite recipes and substitute all animal products with a vegan alternative.

Just because you are eating friendlier,  doesn't mean you can't have pumpkin pie! This recipe will even satisfy the meat eaters at the table! Jacki at the Esmonde-White House tweaked her favourite Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pie recipe and turned it vegan. The added richness of the coconut milk gives the condensed milk version a run for its money! Have a very happy thanksgiving and enjoy your pie!

Glowing Skin! Argan Oil wins as our favorite all-round natural moisturizer

 

Over the last year, both Miranda and I have been making an effort to use more natural products on our skin. This is a normal progression given that we have also been cleaning up our diets and eating more fresh, local and unprocessed foods. About 5 years ago, Miranda started to experience severe allergies, so much so that we had to call 911 on more than one occasion! This, along with my gluten intolerance sparked the clean-up in our diet and now moving into our beauty products!

It’s overwhelming to think of the amounts of chemicals that we’ve put on our skin over a lifetime of applying creams, sunscreens, foundations etc. And what is put on our skin absorbs directly into our body.  So we wanted to start using things that are pure and chemical free, but we also want them to work! I’m now building a list of our favorites.  Last winter, we discovered Argan Oil! This is an overall favorite of ours even though we both have very different skin types. It seems to feed our skin, bring moisture and give us a glow! And don’t be worried about the fact that this is an oil; these natural oils absorb quickly and don’t actually leave you feeling oily.  The Argan tree can be found in Morocco and North Africa. Extremely rich in vitamin E, antioxidants and rich in essential fatty acids, it is natural anti-aging oil that revitalizes and rejuvenates the skin. Try to find the purest form you can and a good bottle will be more costly. Enjoy the results!

24 Hours in Madrid: Discovering the Tempting Quince Fruit

I had 24 hours in Madrid this week to hang out with San Francisco’s hosts of The Organic Hobo, a travel show that focuses on discovering organic local foods in every region they visit. I was invited to dinner at a family home and was introduced to a fruit that I’ve never seen before; the Quince. Normally I’m quite good at tasting everything, but not indulging.  However I lost all self control when our hostess brought out the jellied quince on cheese; quite a common after dinner dish in Spain.

Quince is sour to eat but high in pectin and therefore makes excellent jams and jellies; which is how they use it in Spain. And various parts of the Quince are used in the Middle East to make remedies for cough, sore throat, pneumonia or lung disease.

 Some ancient texts believe it was the Quince that actually tempted Eve; I’m not surprised. I am going to try to find it when i'm back home in Montreal to share this new discovery with my friends.

Sahra gets interviewed on Watch Mojo!

 

 

So nice to be interviewed by the lovely Rebecca! Laurence Bonneville did an amazing job deminstrating the Trademark exercises and a special thank you goes out to her afternoon class for letting us film! 

We are so excited to be sharing information about Essentrics! Hope you enjoy the video! 

Behind-the-scenes

 

 

There are so many wonderful people invovled, on and off camera, in putting together our fitness DVDs. We had so much fun on the day of the shoot between takes and we wanted you to see how much love and care goes into our filming! In this behind-the-scenes video the cast and the crew are introduced; even with just a moment on screen, you can see how everyone is full of personality and passion for Essentrics! 

We cannot wait to release the new DVDs in January, they are being editted as I type!