When's the last time you encountered a cookbook written by a Second City" alumna? Well, get ready for the laughs to roll in on your way to better eating! Mairlyn Smith, a well-known professional home economist and media commentator on healthy cooking and eating, knows that improving your and your family's diet is serious business-and also pretty funny.

Learn how to retrain your sodium-addled taste buds. Become a master hunter-gatherer with tips on grocery shopping and food storage. Find out which family of vegetables causes cancer cells to self-destruct. And learn the real truth about legumes and flatulence . . .

Geared to busy families, Healthy Starts Here! features recipes for both classic favourites and new spins on old standbys, including:

• Hockey-Night-in-Canada Burgers
• Chili-Roasted Broccoli Stalks
• Black Bean-Tortilla Chip Soup
• Barley Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms
• Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce

Informative essays as well as nutrition information and diabetes food choice values for each recipe round out the package.

A multi-talented home economist, teacher and actor, Mairlyn Smith loves to add a dash of comedy to her cooking. Born in Vancouver, Mairlyn always loved the view of the mountains from her parent’s kitchen window. In 1976 she graduated with a degree in home economics from the University of British Columbia. She then returned to UBC and completed a teaching certificate before going on to teach home economics and head the Department of Fine Arts at Balmoral Junior High. Unable to shake the acting bug, Mairlyn enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California. Then, like most Canadian actors in the 1980s, she moved to Toronto to find work. Mairlyn has amassed an impressive resumé of credits: she is the author of Lick the Spoon, The Ultimate Healthy Eating Plan, Ultimate Foods For Ultimate Health (the only health-focused book to win gold at the Cuisine Canada Cookbook Awards) and Healthy starts here!. She is an alumnus of The Second City comedy troupe and has starred in numerous commercials, TV shows, and films. Her versatility in acting and cooking with a comedic flair also landed her a job as a host of Harrowsmith Country Life and a subsequent Gemini nomination. She is a regular guest on CityLine and Breakfast Television Toronto as the family foods specialist and nutrition expert. A much-in-demand keynote speaker, Mairlyn’s goal is to make healthy eating accessible and fun. Her most popular talk, “How To Live To Be 100 and Still Remember Your Name,” looks at the lifestyles and food habits of centenarians. Mairlyn lives in Toronto with her son and with her partner, Scott, who is the only person aside from herself who has eaten everything in her books seven times over.

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