Our featured artist this week is a very good friend of mine. She is the most disciplined person I know when it comes to health and exercise. She inspires me to make better choices and when she is not living in Japan, she is in Vancouver motivating me to exercise! She is also the first person that introduced me to kale. Norma's fabulous kale salads and matcha kale smoothies gave me a new appreciation for the "strange" cabbage and I learned that it is not just a garnish!

We visited Norma and her husband, Jim, in Japan last month and they are amazing hosts. While living in Japan, Norma has been working with Healthy Tokyo and has created a new cookbook with 50 matcha recipes. She appeared on the "Good Morning" show of Tokyo recently and you will find her often in "Norma's Kitchen" experimenting with matcha and other healthy ingredients.

Welcome Norma and thank you for sharing your recipes with us today!

First, I would like to extend my thanks to Deb for inviting me into her creative world. Our path of friendship has been forged while raising children, staying fit together and sharing our experiences of life in a foreign land.

I have been fortunate to spend the past several years in Japan and become involved in the mystical world of matcha, Japan’s treasured and sacred tea. As the holidays approach it seems like the perfect time to introduce you to matcha, demystify the glorious green powder and provide some ideas how to make this festive season more green.

Why should you consider drinking matcha you ask? Pure matcha is full of anti-oxidants, amino acids, fiber, can aid cardiovascular heath, help stabilize blood sugar and provide a more stable energy release than the caffeine found in coffee. Sitting down with a vibrant green matcha latte encourages me to pause, and be mindful of doing my all to stay healthy.

Using only Japanese pure organic matcha is so important because you consume the young tender leaves of the cameillia sinesis plant in powder form, organic is key for receiving the optimal health benefits, avoiding pesticides and chemicals or worse - consuming a matcha pretender!

Aside from drinking matcha, infusing it into recipes couldn’t be easier and I’ve shared some of recipes to help you get inspired.

Pure matcha comes in different types for drinking, blending or baking so be sure to use the correct type for the best experience.

Up first is an easy matcha bark that makes an elegant gift or addition to your dessert tray.