Online cooking workshop focuses on eating mindfully

This past spring, local holistic nutritionist Brittany Nicholson, along with local yoga instructor Amélie Goudreau hosted a virtual cooking class called Mindful Kitchen, which combined cooking instruction with educational tips on proper digestion. 

Next week, Nicholson and Goudreau will be hosting another Mindful Kitchen workshop, held virtually via Zoom. The two instructors will be cooking along with participants, making a seasonally fresh, fall inspired roasted veggie and quinoa bowl. 

Participants will be able to cook the meal all while learning about the connection between stress and digestion. The 2-hour workshop will be great for people with digestive issues, or who just want to try out a delicious and nutritious recipe. 

“We will add sweet potato, which is seasonally available right now, broccoli, and chickpeas as our source of protein as it is a vegan dish,” Nicholson said. “We’ll be baking up all the veggies with lots of tasty ingredients. We’ll make quinoa, which will be the base of the dish and also this delicious tahini dressing that will go on top. It’s going to be a very nourishing, well-balanced meal.”

The meal will be vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. A grocery list including all required ingredients will be sent out prior to the event, after registration. 

The Mindful Kitchen workshop will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 13. Cost to participate is $25 per household. 

“With this workshop, Amélie will bring mindfulness practices into it, talking about how to prepare food on a spiritual level. I’ll come in with the education and scientific connection,” Nicholson said. 

Goudreau will teach participants about breathing techniques and intention setting, which help us focus on living in the present moment rather than the past and future. 

“There will be a combination of cooking as well as the education component, where I will be discussing the scientific connection between the mind and the gut,” said Nicholson, who has been a registered holistic nutritionist since 2018. 

“So many people can benefit from this,” she said. “The stress connection is an often overlooked aspect of digestive disturbances. There are so many people struggling with bloating and indigestion. Sometimes it’s not because of what we are eating, it’s what’s going on in the mind.”

With this workshop, Nicholson and Goudreau want to teach others how to eat mindfully, and how to make cooking fun and not always a chore. 

Maple Palooza

Oct. 1 - Oct. 31

Hogan’s Homestead at 536 Second Line West is celebrating the Maple Man’s birthday all throughout the month of October with specials and promotions on maple syrup at the store and online. There will be something new each week. Hogan’s Homestead also asks that you bring a children’s book donation to help support The Piper Project if you choose to stop by. By donating a children’s book, you will receive a gift certificate to the store and will be helping newborns go home from the Sault Area Hospital with their first book. 

Oktoberfest Trivia

If you enjoy trivia and celebrating Oktoberfest, you could win a gift basket from Outspoken Brewing by completing a trivia ballot. Pick them up at the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library, Outspoken Brewing or online. Entries will be accepted until Oct. 27 with the winner being announced on Oct. 29.

Algoma Farmer’s Market Pumpkin Festival

Oct. 9

Celebrate fall with the Algoma Farmer’s Market and their annual Pumpkin Festival, happening this Saturday, Oct. 9 in the Roberta Bondar Pavilion parking lot. If you grew a giant pumpkin this year, you can get it weighed at 11 a.m. in the parking lot. There will be prizes awarded for the top three.  

Soo Burger Month

Oct. 1-31

Support local and help local families find homes with Habitat for Humanity’s Soo Burger Month. For the entire month of October, every burger sold from the following restaurants will ensure a minimum $1 donation:

Chummy’s Grill (Noel’s Place)

Embers Grill & Smokehouse

Ernie’s Coffee Shop

Plant 2 Plate SSM

Getaway Restaurant 

Shabby Motley Handcraft

Service Grill Sault Ste. Marie

Mulligans Irish Pub 

Use this Burger Passport to help guide you. 

Have an event coming up? Add it to our Community Calendar here.

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