It’s 4pm, you are trying to get all the things from your to do list done in the last hour of the “work day” while shuttling children back and forth to sports and playdates. Then, you get the call, “what’s for dinner tonight?”. Ahhhhh! This is the thing nightmares are made of. Planning dinner every. single. night. Who else is with me on feeling the burden of this chore?
The girls and I roasted a big beautiful Alberta Turkey a few nights ago! We intentionally got a bigger bird than needed so that we all had plenty of yummy leftovers to take home- basically a #momwin. I decided to try a quick weeknight creation with our turkey leftovers and made a Canadian comfort food dish, poutine! Check out the recipe below…
No matter what you make, bake, cook, or blend there is always someone at the table that is less than impressed with what is for supper. And for some reason it is always supper at our house that is the struggle. The boys go through phases of picky eating and being more adventurous it seems which also throws me for a loop. One day they just want plain noodles and chicken fingers and the next they are shocking you and eating a plate of fish (after 10 years of me coaxing, offering, trying, fighting, bribing… you get the idea) and liking it.
August is halfway done which means Farmers Markets (and maybe even your own garden!) are bursting with fresh, delicious produce. But what should you do with all these veggies once you bring them home? We’ve made the easiest salad using all market ingredients with a dressing so easy we guarantee you already have everything you need in your pantry. Not only is this recipe easy, it keeps in the fridge for a while making it the perfect make-ahead meal for BBQ’s, work lunches, and picnics in the park.
Camping prep can be super time consuming. Just off the top of my head there’s packing enough clothes to suit Alberta’s unpredictable weather, bedding, toys, pots and pans, bikes, air mattresses, drinks, ice, first aid supplies, and all the outdoorsy gear…. sometimes I feel like we take the entire house with us! Our first camping weekend of the year was easy peasy though, because we didn’t have to worry about all the camping meals….. we tried Simply Supper meals for the entire weekend and it was fantastic!
I have a love hate relationship with the pecan. It was with this nut that we discovered my daughter had a slight tree nut allergy (which she has since grown out of thankfully) and that was scary! BUT then well, Turtle Chocolates – YUM!
Did you know that this nut is a plant based source of protein? Not to mention manganese and copper, which according to Nuts.com are critical minerals for growth and metabolism. There are lots of reasons to eat Pecans – if you’re not allergic – so why not celebrate the day by cooking up something yummy.
Obviously, it doesn’t have to be a special day to cook or bake with pecans but I’ll take any excuse to eat cheesecake! Anyone want to bake some and bring it over?
February 1 to 28
The 7th annual YYC Hot Chocolate Fest is back starting February 1st. Participating cafes and restaurants around Calgary will be serving signature hot chocolate recipes and YOU get to vote for your favourite!
Drinking hot chocolate around the city isn’t the only good thing about this festival, the best part is that proceeds from the purchase of hot chocolate are donated to the Calgary Meals on Wheels.
Ready to get your hot chocolate on? Here is the list (in no particular order) of the participating restaurants and cafes for YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, and yes, some of the hot chocolates are boozy which means DATE NIGHT (or date Saturday afternoon)!!!! We’ve added an asterisk to the places that have a “spirited” hot chocolate.
This is a perfect excuse to grab a hot chocolate with your kids for a good cause. Voting starts soon on the YYC Chocolate Fest website. For more updates, head on over to the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest Facebook Page.
The Alberta Mamas get together once a month to meet and this time we had Simply Supper Fondue! We had so much fun chatting while dipping and tasting all the goodies!
What we loved:
And as a side note;
The kit we got included Beef Tenderloin, Pork Tenderloin, Chicken and Shrimp, 4 dipping sauces, Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Fondue, Bread, Beef Broth Fondue, apples and potatoes. This Ready to Fondue Package serves 6-8 for $160.
Getting a babysitter is hard enough, never mind on New Years, or really any date night occasion. No prepping involved here – perfect for date night at home! FYI – December 18th is the last day to order if you want a kit in time for New Years Eve.
They have two locations:
Rabbit Hill Road – South Edmonton
Albany Square – North Edmonton
Let us help you make that date night, or get together happen. Enter to WIN!
This post was brought to you by Simply Supper. As always, all opinions stated are my own.
By Amanda Cook, C.H.N.
I was introduced to muffin tin meals about a year ago and ever since then, I have become addicted to them. Why? Because they are THE EASIEST meal you will ever assemble in your life. I’m serious. It’s all about filling the cups with uncomplicated and whole food. That’s it.
As a busy mother who is currently trying to balance (funny word, right?) being an entrepreneur as well as a full-time mom, all from home… I need meals fast. However, I also need them to be healthy and nutritious.
Enter: Muffin tin meals
From what I have learned by creating muffin tin meals over the last year, is there is some art to making an inviting and healthy meal, one in which your kids will fall in love. A muffin tin meal should be one of variety and a combination of things you know your kids like as well as foods they haven’t yet tried or don’t know if they like. The food in the muffin cups that your child does like, will get them to the table and get them eating. The other food will be sitting there, staring at them, enticing them to give it a try and take a bite.
Here’s a few other reason’s why muffin tin meals work so well:
Muffin tin meals are huge at my house, mostly at lunch. I personally love them because this it’s about using what’s got in my fridge and pantry, already prepared and just needing to be assembled; tapas style. I mean, who doesn’t love tapas?!
Here are some healthy ideas to throw into your muffin tin meals. Be creative!
These ideas are a general guide. Just remember to create a dish that is rich in whole foods because then you’re creating a meal that is really nutrient dense. More nutrients = beautiful childhood and healthy development.