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Congrats to Catherine Brunet! You've won the super fabulous Green & Black's Easter basket giveaway! You know what the Easter basket is filled with? Delicious chocolate. It contains four large premium organic, Fair Trade chocolate eggs and 3 boxes of premium, organic Fair Trade mini eggs. Check out the photo and drool! Catherine, you are one lucky lady.

This basket of chocolate has been sitting at my desk for two weeks. I've been tempted on many occasions to dive in, but have refrained.

Here's Catherine's favourite thing about Easter:

"Seeing childrens' faces light up at their stash of chocolates and Easter eggs."

Happy Easter to all of you.

Here are some great tips to help you get ready for Easter weekend.

Easter is almost here, and that means a three day weekend for some of us (yay!). I often find Easter weekend flies by and, between shuffling from house to house for family obligations, I barely get a moment to myself. It's always a fun weekend, but it can also be a little tiring. This year I vow to block off some time to do a few things I enjoy.

Here are 3 ways to enjoy your Easter weekend
1. Get outside
Ham. Frittata. Broccoli Salad. Egg Bread. Chocolate. You name it, and I'm full of it on Easter weekend. With all the eating and running around it's easy to forget to get outside and enjoy some of the beautiful spring weather. This year, be sure to fit in a walk in the park with your family, or meet up with a friend for a jog.

2. Sleep in
If you're lucky enough to get Good Friday off, be sure to sleep in. Ask you partner to mind the kids/walk the dog/clean the bathroom/go grocery shopping. Whatever you do just don't set the alarm. It's time to catch up on your beauty sleep.

3. Have an Easter egg hunt
This was once the best part of Easter, right? The Easter egg hunt doesn't have to be reserved for those under the age of 12. Challenge your spouse or siblings to an epic egg hunt, hiding treats in all sorts of fun places. The team that finds the least amount of eggs has to take the winning team out for drinks! (Tip: Do not hide chocolate Easter treats under radiators. They will melt.)

Easter giveaway
We're giving away an amazing basket of Green & Black's Easter treats to help you enjoy your Easter weekend.

This Green & Black's Organic Easter Prize Pack includes four large premium organic, Fair Trade chocolate eggs and 3 boxes of premium, organic Fair Trade mini eggs. Check out the photo and drool!

Eating lots of chocolate is another great way to enjoy Easter.

In order to win just leave a comment here telling us what your favourite thing about Easter is. We'll announce a winner on Thursday, April 21.

Congrats to Jordon! You've won a copy of David Suzuki's One Ocean. Here's what Jordon had to say about Canadian icon David Suzuki:

"David Suzuki has always been an inspiration. A man with simple thoughts to help us understand that it's not that hard to all do our part in helping the world be a better place."

Yay Jordon!

I have a secret to tell you: There will be some NEW and EXCITING changes happening on Canadian Living's blog. Come back next week to check it out and let us know what you think.

Suzuki's takes an in-depth look at our oceans in his documentary series One Ocean.

If you're a David Suzuki fan, you already know how much he loves the ocean. And if you've seen his documentary series from The Nature of Things called One Ocean, you probably have taken The Pledge to do everything in your power to protect the ocean, because you love it too!

One Ocean is an eye-opening four-part documentary that looks at our complex ocean and the devastating impacts humans have had on it. The documentary addresses such harrowing issues as: acidification, coral depletion, deadzones, overfishing and pollution. Suzuki also looks at the success of some sustainable practices implemented to protect oceans and the life within.

Guess what? I'm giving away one copy of One Ocean. All you have to do is leave a comment here telling me if you are a David Suzuki fan. I will announce a winner Thursday November 18. You have to be a subscriber to be eligible to win. Good luck!

Today's guest post is by our web food editor Colleen Tully. Photography by Victoria O'Meara.

Food Network Canada turns 10 this year!
And this Wednesday they're throwing a splashy fête featuring 12 dishes by some of your favourite celebrity chefs - appetizers by David Adjey, Chuck Hughes, Bob Blumer & Corbin Tomaszeski; mains by Lynn Crawford, Laura Calder, Roger Mooking & Mark McEwan, and tempting desserts by Anna Olson!

And who caters for Food Network Canada? Presidential Gourmet has been given the tall task to cook for the above celeb chefs plus 400 esteemed guests (including Canadian Living editor-in-chief Susan Antonacci & food director Annabelle Waugh), while throwing the splashiest, foodiest, and - YES! - ecologically responsible party they could muster.

President Peter Carruthers and business partner Rick Rowe take sustainability seriously.

They wrote a "Green Manifesto" for the business to make it happen, which includes sourcing local ingredients whenever possible, sustainable seafood choices, fair trade teas and coffees, and reducing waste year after year - Rowe laughs about being scolded by their executive chef Ben Lewis about returning reusable containers, just like his mother would with her Tupperware. Presidential Gourmet are also in partnership with Evergreen, Canada's national non-profit helping our cities balance with the environment.

"When you eat something, does it smell like it came from the earth?" asks Carruthers. He is adamant that enjoyable food is as natural as possible. See for yourself how fresh the eco-conscious fare will be at the biggest foodie event of the year!

Fresh snap peas being trimmed and washed.

Nothing goes to waste. Beef trimmings above are used for stock and to flavour other recipes.

Beef tenderloin is cut to exact measurements for Lynn Crawford's Lobster Mashed and Beef Tenderloin.

A bird's eye view of Presidential Gourmet's assembly line, prepping 12 celebrity chef dishes serving 400 guests.

Would you rather dine with your favourite celebrity chef and face the small-talk, or cook for your favourite celebrity chef and have them judge your skills?

Pear butter. That's right. Tasty, sweet and golden-coloured pear butter. Yesterday's Pinch My Salt post was so inspiring, I just had to have my own pear butter. (Note: I processed my jars so I could store a few).

Without further ado, meet Pear Butter:

Tasty tasty pear butter I can enjoy all year round.

Growing your own food is good for your body and soul

I was not proud to be a Torontonian on Friday after reading in The Toronto Star that the city of Toronto is forcing an urban family to tear up the vegetable garden they've lovingly grown in their front yard because it encroaches - slightly - on city property. The real kicker is that the city would allow the family to grow sod and some flowers, but for some reason vegetables are a no-no.

Isn't it bizarre, even with all the buzz around urban framing, that Toronto is discouraging people from growing their own food? It's pretty sad that grass is the only thing that constitutes a garden around here. Has the Food Not Lawns movement taught us nothing?

What do you think about this decision? Have you made a garden out of your yard space?

I used to think the companies that make my tampons would have a moral responsibility to, at the very least, ensure their products won't do any harm to my body. Turns out that's not always the case. Not only do tampons and pads account for a great deal of pollution in our waterways, but may be polluting our bodies as well. Tampons, for instance, are made up of cotton - a crop that uses a great deal of pesticide (in many instances, cotton has been referred to the 'dirtiest crop', due to the heavy use of insecticides). Do you really want that in your body?

Unfortunately there has been minimal research done to measure the effects the use of tampons or pads may have on our bodies, so it's hard to make an informed decision.

The good news? There are many tampon and pad alternatives. Both Seventh Generation and Natracare make menstrual products from 100 per cent organic cotton, and are free of rayon, chemical additives and chlorine bleach (which most non-organic brands contain). These options are both better for your body and the environment. And, if you're brave enough, there's always the Diva Cup (a totally waste-free option). These brands are available to order online or at your local health stores.

You can find additional information about tampon safety here.

Do you use organic menstrual products? Are you willing to make a change?

It's totally worth it. Especially if they're ready just in time for a Thanksgiving feast.

Num num. Nothing tastes as good as homegrown spuds.

It seems I'm not getting to you very frequently my friends. Please don't take it personally. I've been up to my eyeballs working on our latest and greatest: Spirit of Halloween Photo & Video Contest (that's right, I said contest. You know you want to enter, so just go ahead already!).

Do you ever stand in a shopping aisle, just wondering what the labels and claims that appear on products actually mean?

The dish soap gloats: "Hey, I'm 99.9% natural"

The laundry detergent in your hand says: "Come on, I'm biodegradable"

A package of paper towel screams: "It's true, I'm eco-friendly"

The claims these days just feel like a bunch of baloney. It makes me want to put everything back on the shelf and run for hills where I wouldn't have to clean a thing (here's where you take a few second to day dream)!

I just read in an article on Good that the Federal Trade Commission is working on instilling standards on how green products are labeled in the USA. For instance, a label won't simple read eco-friendly, as that's too vague, but will instead display some text explaining why that particular product is a better choice for you and the environment.

Clarity in the grocery store aisles. I like that.

Let's hope Canada isn't far behind in following FTCs lead.

Sianara, greenwashing!

Do you find reading labels confusing when it comes to environmentally friendly products? How do you make your decisions in the grocery aisle?