Do YOU know these famous Canadian women?

Not personally, of course! But March is Women’s History Month—as well as Nutrition Month—and in school, we've spent a little time researching famous Canadian women. We uncovered some cool facts!

Like, did you know that famous painter Emily Carr has often been described as Canada’s Van Gogh? Or that Canadian writer Mary Shadd Cary was the first black woman newspaper editor in North America?

If you're like me, you didn't know either of those things.

Which is why I’ve created this little pop quiz. (Don’t worry if tests make you nervous, the answers are at the bottom of the post. But please, RESIST the urge to scroll down. Where’s the fun in that?) Ready? Set? Go!

1. This woman, the first in Canada to receive her medical degree, campaigned to create the Women’s Medical College, way back in 1883: 
a) Jennie trout
b) Avril Lavigne
c) Roberta Bodnar

2. Astronaut Robert Thirsk may have taken 250,000 canola seeds into space, but this neurologist became the first female Canadian astronaut to launch into space, back in 1992:
a) Margaret Atwood
b) Jennie Trout
c) Roberta Bodnar

3. Known as the “Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey,” this Canadian was the first woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010:
a) Agnes Macphail
b) Angela James
c) Nellie McLung

4. Raised by farmers and very aware of the issues they faced, this Canadian was the first woman to be elected to the House of Commons:
a) Agnes Macphail
b) Gabrielle Roy
c) Alice Munro

5. Kevin Therres may have invented the first Jet Engine Funny Car to run on 100%
canola biodiesel, but this Canadian female race car driver also knew how to put the medal to the metal:
a) Angela James
b) Samantha Bee
c) Kelly Williams

Okay, NOW you can scroll down to see how many of the questions you answered correctly. And if I missed someone—which is very likely—be sure to share in the comments.

Gotta jet! Have a great weekend.

~  Chase Superman Duffy



Answers: 1. a, 2. c, 3. b, 4. a, 5. c

Carrying on the pancake tradition

A few years ago at around this time of the year, my friend Harry invited me over to his house for a pancake dinner.

I love pancakes for breakfast, but having them for dinner sounded pretty awesome. And it WAS awesome—but there was another reason for it. Harry's family is British, and they follow the Christian or Commonwealth tradition known as SHROVE TUESDAY (or, in other parts of the world, Mardi Gras or Carnival Day.) Shrove Tuesday occurs the Tuesday before the first day of LENT—which means this coming Tuesday, Harry and his family will be eating pancakes.

Not sure what I mean? That's okay—I had to research it too. So I thought I'd share, in case you get invited for pancakes next week. (I'm going to Harry's again for what has now become a tradition...)

Shrove Tuesday, and the first day of Lent, is determined by Easter. Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was celebrated by a day of fun and feasting—particularly on pancakes—before the “fasting” required during 40 days of Lent.

I didn’t think my family took part in Lent, but APPARENTLY that’s why my mom gives up chocolate 40 days before Easter. (Yes, she does binge on chocolate eggs the next day…and until then, they're not allowed in the house.) The word “shrove” comes from the word "shrive," meaning to “absolve.”

I’m going to give up something for Lent again this year too, starting Wednesday morning.A few years ago, I gave up pop—which was very hard. This year, I'm thinking about giving up candy. Even chocolate. Wish me luck! What would you give up for Lent? It doesn’t have to be food—in fact, one year, we gave up 40 toys that we no longer use.

Oh, and if you’d like to celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes, my grandma dug up this recipe from the Canola Eat Well website, which you and your family can make for breakfast, lunch, OR dinner!

Gotta jet! Have a great weekend!

~ Chase Superman Duffy

I Crave Your...Brains

Happy Valentine's Day! If you know me at all, you probably know that I love monsters, and all things creepy. I write at least one ghost story a year, I watch as many horror movies as my parents will allow, and my favourite books all have spooky things in them...

So, when I dug up this old Valentine's Day card my friend Sophie gave me a few years ago, it made me smile. And it's fitting because we're learning all all about brains in school. (Wish we were learning about zombies too, but that's not part of the curriculum, sadly.)

Turns out, my brain should be in pretty good shape—maybe even too good for zombies!

Mrs. Kratky says there are three key components to brain health: learn new skills; exercise your heart, and eat a brain-healthy diet.

The first part is easy. Every day I apply myself at school, I’m learning something new, and making my brain work. "Use it or lose it," my grandpa says. And he’s always exercising his brain by problem solving, trying new things, or well, beating me at chess. Good thing I’m awesome at checkers!

Exercising my heart? No problem! I train all the time for the track team. Coach says 30 minutes of heart-pumping exercise three times a week gets your oxygen flowing to your brain and keeps it active. My brain must be like a jumping jelly bean.

And of course, I know all about proper nutrition. In fact, I learned that some of the same foods that are good for your heart (which we talked about it in last week's post)—like salmon, blueberries, and canola oil—are also good for your brain.

Same goes for foods high in Omega 3 and Vitamin D. Eggs and avocados, for instance, contain nutrients that improve your memory. Whole grains and broccoli have lots of vitamins and fiber to improve blood flow. And dark chocolate—yes, chocolate!—improves your concentration and focus.

Gotta jet! May you get all the (dark) chocolate your heart desires.

~ Chase Superman Duffy

How to Care for Your Heart

Well, the weather this week may make it seem like Spring is just around the corner, but it’s definitely February. Know how I can tell? There are hearts everywhere.

It's nauseating! Pink hearts. Red hearts. Chocolate hearts…well, I guess those aren't so bad. But guys, there are even hearts in my CLASSROOM.

Healthy hearts, that is.

In celebration of National Heart Month (yup, that's this month), our teachers have been talking about nutrition—and the foods that enhance your heart’s health. We learned about five important ones—so I thought I'd share them with you. Consider it my Valentine's gift. <heh>

Blueberries topped the list for their Vitamin C and fiber content. Mom sprinkles them on our salads or sometimes on my cereal. My teacher says they’re available all year round, but we mostly buy them in the summer.

Next up, fatty fish like salmon. I don’t mind fish, which is good since salmon especially is high in omega-3 fatty acids, the kind of fat that’s good for your heart. We’ve got stockpiles of salmon in the deep freeze—Dad and his best friend take a trip to BC every year and catch their limit. Might be time to thaw some out.

Of course, I should have known oatmeal would make the list. Grandma calls it roughage—and we eat a lot of it. The dietician that visited our class said a diet high in oats may reduce the risk of heart disease. Sometimes mom even uses oatmeal in her meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs.

And then there’s the powerhouse of the vegetable kingdom – the mighty spinach. It’s high in iron, and keeps you strong. No wonder Popeye loved it so much. Mom tries to sneak it into my salads…one day I should tell her I don’t mind the taste. Ha ha. Last night we actually had some with garlic and onions...pretty good!

Last on the list? You guessed it. Canola. Canola oil is high in healthy unsaturated fats, is free of cholesterol and has the lowest saturated fat of any common edible oil. I felt pretty proud talking about Grandpa’s farm with my teacher. No surprise we eat plenty of canola at home—most times Mom uses oil instead of a hard fat like butter or lard in her baking. I can’t taste the difference.

Bet you noticed chocolate isn’t on the list—and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Don’t worry, you can still have some. Just look for chocolate that’s made with 100% cacao beans, like the chocolate nibs Mom buys from the health food store. She sprinkles them on her cereal sometimes, but uh, I don’t quite get it. They taste bitter to me. What’s the point of chocolate if it doesn’t melt in your mouth? Dad says it’s an acquired taste.

Gotta jet! Have a healthy and heart-friendly weekend!

~ Chase Superman Duffy