This month's newsletter sent out

Hi Everyone

I hope you enjoyed reading this month's edition of the mmm monthly. It was filled with kitchen tips, inspirational writing from the mmm team, as well as a kid-friendly page with great ideas for Birthday parties.

If you are not a subscriber of the newsletter and would like to be please visit www.marlenesmealmakeovers.com to subscribe. Happy reading and as always I would love to hear any feedback you may have on the newsletter. Best Health!

Rogers Starts September 7th!

Hi Folks,

Hope you had a great weekend and all is well! September 7th is the beginning the mmm segments on Rogers cable 10. Tune in to cook up a storm with me and test out some terrific recipes.

As always I would love to hear your feedback and how the recipes turned out for you. So tune in for some great laughs and great food.

Just for Kids no parent's allowed!

Hi Everyone!

I had tea with Princess Aurora today and it was so much fun. She was so beautiful!


Love Dakota

Test Kitchen Tips!

Hi Folks,

On this rainy day I thought I would share some test kitchen tips with you as you are probably inside making use of the bad weather and cooking up a storm.

Tips:
1. Season your meat and even marinate before freezing.
2. Meat should freeze quickly, but de-thaw slowly. Always move meat from freezer to fridge preferably a day or two before needed.
3. When ready to cook meat, bring to room temperature first then after meat is cooked, always rest 5 minutes before slicing.


Hope all is well with everyone and keep "cooking once and producing twice!"

Run for the Cure Contest!

Hi Everyone

Hope all is well. I thought I would share with you a contest that I am running for the first 5 people that join the Marlene's Meal Makeover's CIBC Run for the Cure team. If you are one of these five people you will automatically be entered to win a portable sound system for outside on the patio...music to my ears! So visit the link below to join the team and donate to a great cause. Hope your week is going well!

http://www.runforthecure.com/goto/marlenemacpherson

Carrot Fest was an Overwhelming Success!

I had a great time this weekend being a part of Carrot Fest. It was so nice to show people how to prepare food with ingredients that have surrounded them for years. I learned a ton about local farmers and want to spread the word about how important it is to support them.

With the carrots from the Holland Marsh we created carrot juice, carrot cream cheese, and cold carrot soup. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all the events visitors and it was wonderful seeing everyone dive into healthy food.

We were fortunate enough to have enough leftover food to donate to the local food bank. I would like to thank all the local farmers and carrot fest event planners for organizing such a great event.

Who are you running for?

I got a message from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation this morning explaining some of the great strides they have made from donations. I think it is important to show you as it demonstrates the importance of giving back and how our donations truly make a difference.

- Since their inception, the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation has invested $230 million towards research. This donation is making a substantial impact on the understanding of breast Cancer and how we may treat and prevent the disease. With the support of donors they are making great strides.

- With the generous support of Canadians the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's strategic investments are making a significant impact to affect change and gain a better understanding of Breast Cancer. The foundation's funding focuses on areas such as primary prevention, treatment, and improving the care and quality of life for those affected by the disease.

- Each year, through open calls for proposals, the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation invests in research projects, fellowships, and community based grants in support of their vision of creating a future without breast Cancer. In the 2010 fiscal year, the Foundation funded over $14 million in research grants to support this vision.

- For over 20 years, the Foundation has invested in innovative breast Cancer research pioneers. Together with these true leaders as well as future frontrunners in the breast Cancer research field, the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation has funded work that has uncovered more about this disease leading to more effective treatment and prevention strategies.

- The Canadian Breast Cancer foundation's work surrounding youth awareness is education a new generation of young Canadians about prevention and understanding the disease. From coast-to-coast the Foundation is reaching out to communities to spread education and awareness. Recently, the Foundation's Tour for the Cure bus reached over 10,000 Atlantic Canadians to educate community members about breast health and screening. The foundation's community grants, which totalled over $2.5 million in fiscal 2010, include funded programs that are connecting with communities across ethno-cultural backgrounds and regions, to educate and advocate for breast Cancer awareness.

- The Canadian Breast Cancer foundation's investments are making a difference. Since 1986, the breast Cancer death rate has fallen by more than 30% and is currently the lowest it has been since 1950; since 1999, the incidence of Breast Cancer in Canada has stabilized. The significant improvement in survival rates for women with breast Cancer since the mid-1980's is likely a result of improvements in screening and advances in treatment. Yet breast Cancer remains a complex disease and there remains much work to be done.

This will be the third year I have had a team in the Run for the Cure and it is a very significant event for myself and the many individuals affected by breast Cancer. To learn more about the Marlene's Meal Makeovers team and donate please visit http://www.runforthecure.com/goto/marlenemacpherson. Thank you so much for your support, you truly are making a difference!

I can't believe carrot fest is this weekend!

Carrot Fest is this weekend and I can't wait to be a part of it. I will be doing three cooking demonstrations that showcase the great things you can do with carrots (fitting eh?). So come and check it out it is sure to be a lot of fun. Together we can learn how to "cook once and produce twice!"

www.carrotfest.ca

Amping up for the Run for the Cure

It told me on my fundraising page today that there was only 46 days until the CIBC Run for the Cure! So it is time to start fundraising folks. It is very important to me that we have a future without Breast Cancer.

The day of the run is very important to me for 3 symbolic reasons I have listed them below:
1. It was the first run I trained for after treatment.
2. It is among the only time of year when all my friends and family gather together in order to support a great cause.
3. This will be the 3rd time that my team has participated in the run (the first year being while I was still in treatment).

So if you all could kindly give me a hand in order to make this years run as symbolic as the last two it would really mean a lot to me. My team's fundraising page is http://www.runforthecure.com/goto/marlenemacpherson please give generously.

Hope to see you all out there with your running shoes on!

The Courage Blend

Had a very exciting meeting today with the Girls from the Faces of Courage calendar and Tony LaCivita from Canterbury Coffee. The meeting was about a new coffee blend that they are going to be introducing called the "Courage Blend". What is so great about the Blend is that $2 from every purchase is going to be in support of the Southlake Regional Hospital's Radiation equipment. This equipment is so important as it will allow residents to attain Cancer treatment closer to home. Keep your eyes posted on www.marlenesmealmakeovers.com to hear updates about the blend and how you will be able to purchase it. If we all work together and I sure we will be able to fight this disease! Let's make Breast Cancer History!

P.O.P. (Power of Persistence)

We just wrapped up filming the new portion of Marlene's Meal Makeovers, P.O.P. or better known as Power of Persistence. P.O.P. is a speaking tour which will focus on the importance of never giving up when times are tough and taking control of our lives.

It was a great weekend filming the tour video with the crew that you see in the picture there is Len Henry (a producer and creative genius), Roxanne (the makeup artist...I don't know what I would do without her), my little Princess Dakota (I think she was born to be on camera), my husband Rick, Devon, Greg (who was in charge of the camera), and Adam (the photographer jumping in the background). Paula Moore (my trainer was also the part of the video however was not present to be in the picture). We had lots of laughs and I will never forget it as I think it is going to be one of the defining grassroot moments of the mmm company.

So I ask you this question....how do you put the power in persistence in your life? I hope you had a terrific weekend and keep checking the website for this new video!

The "J" Team

Filming again today with Rogers channel 10. The test kitchen is whirling with delicious flavours and it's all I can do to get the 'J' team from Rogers and Devon (my niece) to stay out of the food. What is the 'J' team you ask? Well the Rogers team is filled with names that start with the letter 'J' as I currently have a Julia, Jerimiah, and Jeff in the test kitchen. I know you can't help but think of the song "Jerimiah was a bullfrog, he was a good friend of mine" when the name Jerimiah comes up. He says he laughs when people ask whether he has heard that song before. Anyhow I better get back to the shoot..best wishes and have a great weekend!

Lights, Camera, Action!

What I love about my new job the most are the filming days. Although jam packed and a lot of work they are so much fun! The people I work with are so great. It is not unusual to see us cracking a joke or dancing around the kitchen. They are truly terrific and help me get everything in it's proper place.

So you may be asking, Marlene what are you filming for? Well in September we will be on a weekly segment with Rogers channel 10. I have worked really hard to create recipes that I think you all will love (and you guessed it, are so easy). I know that everyone has different tastes, but I can assure you that there is something here for everyone to enjoy. I can not wait for you all to see the final product and to try out the recipes.

Are you establishing "cook once and produce twice" in your home? I'd love to hear your comments. Best wishes everyone!