The first commandment of responsible food consumption is "know thy source".

Local foodie Dee Hobsbawn-Smith makes that easy with her new book Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet ($14.40). She profiles local producers and growers and digs into modern farming and all that entails from government policies and animal welfare to slow food movements and sustainability. And, in keeping with the alphabet theme, there are 26 recipes,  for each type of produce explored in the book.

The second commandment of responsible food consumption is never turn down a party with snacks. —Jaelyn Molyneux

Her book launch is tonight at Cookbook Co. Cooks from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Cookbook Co. Cooks, 722 11 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-265-6066, www.cookbookcooks.com

The best advice sometimes really does come from around the water cooler.

When a co-worker opened a packet of purple powder and slipped it into her water glass at 3 p.m. on a sluggish workday, I took note and went out to track down my own extra energy supply. My Vitality is a vitamin rich pick-me-up that helps to re-energize while reducing stress levels.  Caffeine-free (it relies on natural ingredients) and flavoured with juice concentrates, this mid-afternoon routine is worth scheduing in, especially if it steers us away from an afternoon snack served from a vending machine.

Drink in the energy boost. —Jaelyn Molyneux

$5.99 per three pack at www.drinkintuition.com

We have jumped the hurdle of the shortest day of the year, but sunlight will still be scarce for a few months. Sigh. Luckily we can beat the blues with technology and the Litebook Elite.

The bulbs in the little box replicate the wavelengths from the sun that help boost mood and energy. The light therapy gadget is small enough to slip in your purse, but I prop it up on the arm of my chair and let the light hit the corner of my eye while I eat breakfast in the morning. As little as 15 minutes a day is all you need to feel uplifted.

The season is looking brighter. —Jaelyn Molyneux

$199 at London Drugs, www.londondrugs.com

Lesley Stowe’s Raincoast crisps are already a pantry staple and now the West coast gal is tempting us with her Raincoast cookies.

The chewy treats are packed with energy-boosting ingredients including flax, chia and chicory root. They’re more like a soft granola bar shaped into a round disc, but labelling them a cookie sounds so much better.

The oversized cookies come individually wrapped in three flavours including dark chocolate, tart cherry and pecan, apricot, ginger and slivered almond and dried cranberry and toasted hazelnut.

Slip one in your desk drawer for a guilt-free afternoon nibble. —Jaelyn Molyneux

$2.59 each at Sunterra Market, www.sunterramarket.com

Leftovers are so much more appetizing when you have a well-designed container to take them in.

European designers black + blum’s box appetit combines style and function to create a good looking lunch kit. Side clamps on the lid make it water tight and easy to snap on and off. Interior dividers mean your sandwich won’t touch your salad and a separate sauce pot prevents soggy salad. The plastic container looks like glass and ceramic, but is light and unbreakable. It’s also dishwasher and microwave safe.

So long brown bag. —Jaelyn Molyneux

$26 at Chapters, www.chapters.ca

Last year, with Magic Bullet in hand and a resolution to increase my energy I stumbled upon Angela Liddon’s Oh She Glows blog and her Green Monster recipes. The smoothies combine kale or spinach with other ingredients to make energy-boosting vitamins taste like a sweet treat.

One year later, my favourite is still the blueberry-banana.

What you’ll need:

2 cups organic spinach
1 cup of almond milk
1 tablespoon of flax (optional)
1 banana
½ cup blueberries
Ice

The method:

Place all of the ingredients except the ice in the blender and hit start. Once everything is blended add the ice and blend some more. Or, use frozen blueberries and bananas to skip the ice.

—Jaelyn Molyneux

For more recipes or to submit your own, visit www.greenmonstermovement.com

That we are stronger together than apart might be most true at group fitness classes where camaraderie pushes us to work just a little harder. These ten drop-in classes that will get you and your friends back in the groove or let you try something new.

Line Dance at Westside Recreation Centre
Combine cardio and coordination to build on your grapevine moves.

Y-Bo at the YMCA
Kick and punch without worrying about keeping in time to complicated choreography.

TRX at Trico Centre
Tone using suspension bands, gravity and your own body weight.

Gear Up ’n Gear Down at Mount Royal University
Follow hardcore cycling with deep stretching.

Shallow Water Fitness at Cardel Place
Sometimes to get a bathing suit ready body one must first wear a bathing suit.

Pilates at The Pilates Studio
Drop-in to mat or reformer classes of the old favourite core workout.

Yin Yang Yoga at Breathe Hot Yoga
For those unsure of which type of yoga they like, this class is half active postures and half deep meditative postures.

Get on the Ball at Killarney Aquatic & Rec Centre
Struggle and laugh with a room full of other people all trying to balance on the exercise ball.

Get Ripped at Talisman Centre
There are seven versions of this workout with exercises that tone using light weights and lots of reps.

Zumba with Hillside Health and Fitness
Instructors come to you hosting the Latin dance workout classes at community centres around the city.

—Jaelyn Molyneux

You can always count on the Swedes to come up with a product that is more functional and better looking than its predecessors.

Say goodbye to the nose aspirator and say hello to the Nose Frida. This highly effective snot sucker works by allowing you to suck it straight out of your little one’s nose. Don’t worry, the mucus won’t come anywhere near your mouth, but it will come shooting straight out of their blocked passages. Not the most fun of tools, but you won’t complain once you’ve seen how well it works.

And after all, we want our turkeys and our stockings to be stuffed, but certainly not our kids’ noses. —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

$22.99 at Whole Foods, 510 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver, www.wholefoods.com

Some ladies might prefer the term glow, but the rest of us call sweat what it is and if it is the result of a good workout we want to be dripping it in. We also occasionally prefer to perspire in the privacy of our own home.

It’s times like that when fitness queen Jari Love’s Get Ripped DVDs come in handy. Her body-chiseling strategy involves light weights and lots of reps. Her workouts hurt so good and have you cursing deadlifts and squats, but they get results. Love’s latest routine Revved to the Max is a quick 30 minutes with modifications for all fitness levels.

Getting off the couch for the time equivalent to a single sitcom each day is a small sacrifice for less jiggle in our triceps, a toned tummy and that energetic glow. —Jaelyn Molyneux

$14.99 at www.jarilove.com

Christy Turlington practises Kundalini; pre-Tracy Anderson, Gwyneth and Madonna were all about Ashtanga; and Ricky Martin hails Hatha.

Still looking for the best style and studio to practise your asanas? Keep seeking the Om with the Passport to Prana. Newly launched in Calgary, the $20 swipe card lets you try one yoga class at over a dozen studios in the city. If you’re new to town or just want to check out a different space or style, the card is valid until next year and includes studios in every quadrant (even Okotoks).

Because you should always shop around, especially when it comes to inner peace.

www.passporttoprana.com