Food
Choosing great food on a budget and turning that into meals the entire family loves! That's the goal for many households. It's not always easy, or affordable so here are a few ideas and recipes that make sense for our family. Hoping you find some new favourites for your family meal rotation here too. A love of food is something we all nurture from the start with our family, and as parents it's a constant challenge to commit to healthy living while also sticking to the budget. Here are a few tips and tricks that can help you eat healthy food and also try a few new recipe ideas that won't break the bank. Don't Miss my Cooking with Kids series and my Pinterest board by the same name. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of amazing and fun recipes for families there. We cook it first and sometimes make the mistakes so that we can deliver great recipes and food content to you.
-
31 Easy Sheet Pan Dinners to Make This Month
Sheet Pan Dinners are super popular. Who knew they’d be a thing. I’ve been making these for as long as I can remember actually. What if you had an entire month of simple sheet plan meals ready to go? That could be super helpful, right? Food preparation and planning is definitely something I really appreciate around here. It’s rare that I map out an entire week of meals, much less a month in advance. But, I am simply too busy to get super creative in the kitchen all the time. Easy meals that use one pan are my favourites. Where are my meal planners out there? You will love this collection…
-
Easy Sweet and Salty Halloween Party Mix
Are you a Halloween party fanatic? How can you tell? Well, do you make your own Halloween party mix? Do you string the shrubs with fake cobwebs as soon as October 1st rolls around or do you wait until after Thanksgiving? Is your pantry well stocked with Halloween treats weeks in advance of the event itself? Costumes picked and ready to go by October 25th, one week early or more? Are you an adult who dresses up and goes out to a costume party just for the evening? Have you been planning your own costume for months and will it match your sweetheart’s costume? Then odds are good you are…
-
Decadent Candy Corn Fudge
This is Halloween. This is Halloween. You know that song? For some crazy reason I can’t get it out of my head right now! I know crazy, right. Some things you’d like to get rid of and others you can’t get enough of. Like this yummy decadent Candy Corn Fudge treat. Can’t get enough of it. Although my dentist might argue the fact. Candy corn is one of those funny little Halloween treats and candies I never thought about at all until after turning 40. In fact I wouldn’t have given it the time of day before that. Weird, but true. Now I enjoy candy corn at this time of…
-
Take The Pledge – Raise a Food Lover
This post is sponsored by Loblaws. Lately I have been thinking a lot about food and the act of nourishing a family. For instance, what does it take to raise a food lover? Fall means back to school and routines. Sometimes that’s exciting. Return to a regular schedule can mean new beginnings and that’s fun, even re-invigorating. Around here that may mean less barbecue and more quick family-friendly meals. Or more slow cooker meals. The Fall schedule means more meal preparation, planning and organization, which also means easing back into a routine in the mornings and at dinner too. The flip side of routine is that it doesn’t take…
-
20 Amazing Cranberry Recipes To Make You Swoon
Let’s talk about Cranberry recipes. Cranberry recipes have come a long way from Thanksgiving sauces and turkey dinners. Cranberries are such a tasty and powerful food. Baked goods and cranberry recipes are so adult. You know what I mean? There’s something grownup about the tart flavour in a cranberry lemon loaf or a white chocolate cookie and in a cranberry mustard too. In a salad, to the side as a sauce, or inside a tasty treat – cranberries are one of the world’s healthiest foods actually. The flavour of cranberries is the perfect counterbalance to sugary sweetness. Rich in anti-oxidants and full of nutrients, theses berries add value to anyone’s diet.…
-
Emergency Cooking Hacks When You Are Missing an Ingredient
Cooking hacks can save your baking fail or pending disaster when you are missing a crucial ingredient. Every single chef out there knows the pain of going to make your dinner masterpiece or bake sale work of art just to find an ingredient missing. Oh maybe it’s the eggs or the sour cream. Perhaps it’s the baking soda or baking powder! If you don’t know what to substitute then the recipe is dead in the water. BUT, hey don’t fret. There are many easy cooking hacks and simple baking substitutions you can use to pull it off even without all the proper ingredients. This list of emergency cooking substitutions should help…
-
How to Make the Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookie Pie
Peanut Butter Cookie Pie is the most amazing treat to share. There’s something so moist and decadent and truly one of a kind about Peanut Butter Cookie Pie. The cookie part makes it so much fun. I love peanut cookies to start with, and so does my younger daughter. She is the world’s biggest peanut butter fan. Thank goodness this child doesn’t have a peanut allergy or we’d be at a total loss for what to feed her. I mean I suppose there’s always pizza. She could subsist on pizza, carrots and celery and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Anyways if you are looking for a fun new treat to…
-
Best Summer Picnic Salads on the Planet
Don’t you love the easy nature of summer picnic salads? Me too. Bring them to a barbecue or picnic and they are sure to be crowdpleasers. Plus they are simply refreshing and the perfect compliment to any barbecue meal. I can’t wait for summer here. It finally feels like it might actually be here to stay. Already I am planning some pool parties and casual summer days spent hanging out on the deck. There are always roadtrips and cottage rentals too. Many opportunities to share and make special picnic salads. 12 Summer Picnic Salads Click on the links below to grab the recipes for these delicious salads to…
-
Best Ever Canadian Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Well, could there be a more Canadian cupcake than these Maple Bacon Cupcakes? I don’t think so, but if you have an idea send it to me and I will try to find it or try to make it. For one, I love maple. It’s such a great way to add flavour to so many desserts and main courses too. And it’s so very Canadian. Right now I have a cranberry maple salad dressing here that is to die for. Brought it back from Quebec when we were on a food and market tour of Ile D’Orleans there recently. So many great foods and wines to sample. Then of course…
-
The History of Canada’s Pastry – The Origin of Butter Tarts
Butter tarts are delicious. They’re a national treasure. I could eat them all day. Seriously. I mean who couldn’t? Think about these little delicious Heavenly tarts. Butter tarts are amazing little snack sized tarts filled with a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and sometimes walnuts or raisins. They are simply perfection. Butter tarts are a little bowl of Heaven that is, in my opinion, the best recipe to ever come out of a Canadian kitchen. Today, I honour the tastiest treat in the history of Canadian treats by telling you a bit about the origin of butter tarts. Of course I know you are totally wondering where this yummy…