Canada Day Weekend!

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians! Whether you are here or abroad I hope you enjoy the benefits of the long weekend!

With the holiday weekend it means fireworks and treats! Here are two that I know we will be enjoying whether it is while watching the fireworks or just relaxing with friends...who really needs an excuse! For the first one the boys and I made Homemade Caramel Corn (recipe here) and put it into cute little popcorn containers, that we picked up at Party Packagers.

Delicious Homemade Caramel Corn

Cute Red and White Maple Leaf Gummy Candies

Granola Bars #2

If you tried the recipe we made here, you probably found them to be a cake like texture and quite moist. They were a hit with children and adults a like, but I wanted to created something a little more granola-bar like but with some nutritional value.

The best part about this recipe is instead of flour or any pre-bought flour substitute I ground oatmeal in the Magic Bullet. This is such a wallet friendly way of being able to use wheat free flour, if you are Gluten intolerant make sure your oatmeal says 'Gluten Free' right on the packaging. (If it doesn't, quite often it has been made in a facility that also makes wheat products.) You can use regular flour or one of your choosing as well.

You can put any dried fruit you desire in. We added diced dates and apricots, for extra fiber.

Yummy Granola Bars

• 2 c. regular oatmeal
• 1 c.  oatmeal, ground into flour
• 1 pkg grits (or 1/4c. wheat germ + 1/4c. ground flax)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 c. diced apricots
• 1/4 c. diced dates
• 1/2 c. sweetened coconut
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1 egg, beaten (use egg replacement if you are vegan or allergic)
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 individual apple sauce (if you don't have this on hand use 1/2 c. oil)

* Preheat oven to 350
* Grease 9 x 13 pan
* Mix together oatmeal(s), grits, cinnamon, salt, stir well then add coconut, apricots and dates, stir well
* Add in honey, egg, oil and apple sauce, stir till all moist and press into pan, packing them down
* Cook for 30 minutes until slightly browned, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes then cut. Don't let over cool or they may crumble when cutting

Protein Granola Squares

The following recipe was an attempt to find something similar to a granola bar, but a little bit more filling and healthier than the fructose ones that the stores sell. I find that by adding a little protein powder it makes the squares more filling and that much more healthy. It can be omitted though and the recipe would be equally as good. I used the vanilla one sold by Arbonne. 

I used Teff flour instead of all purpose flour to make it Gluten Free, but you could use regular flour if consuming wheat is not a concern. These were a hit so next time I will double the below recipe, as shown it made about 16 squares.

I made these thick so they are like squares

Protein Granola Squares

• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup grits (or 1/4c wheatgerm + 1/4c ground flax)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Teff flour (or all purpose, whole wheat flour, etc.)
• 1/3c raisins
• 8 apricots, cut into raisin size pieces
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c honey or maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil, but any type would work)
• 1/3 c apple sauce unsweetened (or one individual one)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 scoops Arbonne vanilla mineral powder (optional)

* Preheat oven to 350
* Grease 9x13 pan if you want thin, slightly crisper bars or a 9x9 if you want them with a more cake-like consistency
* Mix everything together adding liquids last (honey, vanilla, egg, apple sauce)
* Pat evenly into pan
* Bake for approx. 25 minutes until golden brown and cooked but still slightly soft. They will firm up when after cooling so you don't want them to be over cooked or they will become crispy
* Cool for 5 minutes then cut, make sure to cut them before they completely cool for greater ease

MMMM

Wrapping Veggies For The BBQ

In the summer we quite often try to cook our whole meal on the BBQ. Frequently we wrap our veggies, potatoes, etc in aluminum foil then place on the BBQ. The only problem with this is that sometimes when putting the item that is to be cooked in the foil the liquids run out...and that is before it even gets on the grill.

Here is a simple technique to get a perfect 'basket' for the dish you are grilling. Whatever the amount you are cooking you need double the size of the bowl. (e.g. small amount of potatoes use a medium bowl.) Leave 2-4 inches extra foil around the top of the bowl.

Empty Bowl 

 

Foil Placed Into Bowl, With 4" Surplus Around Sides

Place Mixed Food Into Foil Lined Bowl

Bring All Sides Together In Center, Twist the Excess Foil Together, Gently Press Down, Remove From Bowl

Gluten Free Banana Muffins - NO Special Flour Needed!!!

Anyone who has a wheat or gluten allergy or is just trying to cut back on eating wheat knows how complicated some of the ingredients are, let alone searching for them. Maize flour, Arrowroot flour, Chia flour, etc. Even when you find these flours they are expensive and you may be stuck with a bag of flour that you dislike the taste of.

The following recipe is one that I made muffins with using oatmeal, yes regular plain oatmeal!!! Some stores do have oatmeal flour available for purchase but I just placed regular oatmeal in the Magic Bullet/food processor and grinded the oatmeal into flour myself.

The result was ultra moist, tasty and easy muffins! They are pretty healthy to boot! You can use a greased pan or as I recommend lined muffin tins. I used egg replacement to make these dairy free. There is margarine but we use soy margarine that doesn't have dairy. A regular egg and margarine will yield the same results. This recipe yielded me 24 mini muffins and 6 large ones. I placed a chocolate chip on each one purely for decoration and to entice the boys...it worked, but wasn't necessary...they inhaled these!

 

Banana Muffins

• 3 or 4 bananas, mushed (I used 4 for extra moisture)
• 1/4 c honey
• 1/4c brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 c margarine or butter
• 1 egg (or egg replacement as per directions) 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2c oatmeal, grinded (I measured it prior to grinding and grind until it is almost flour like in texture)

* Preheat oven to 350
* Mix mashed bananas, honey, sugar, margarine and egg together
* Add in all ingredients but oatmeal and combine until completely mixed
* Add in oatmeal and stir until totally incorporated
* Scoop into greased or lined muffin tins, top with chocolate chip (optional)
* Mini muffins took 15 minutes to cook, large ones took 20 minutes

MMMMuffins!!!

"Disposable Plates" Review

Dinner & Side Plate, Bowls and Tumbler (blue colour was not available at the store I was at)

Like many other people I know they love the convenience or safety of having disposable plates for outdoor eating but feel slightly guilty about the environmental damage that they cause.

I was wandering through The Real Canadian Superstore the other day and came across a PC Eco Living line. It was somewhat sandwiched between all the other table setting and greatly reduced, so I am not sure if this is a line they will always carry, if it is seasonal or a discontinued line that didn't sell as well as expected. The line consisted of two plate sizes, tumblers, bowls and a serving bowl, all coming in a tan and off white. (Although I did find the above picture showing the off white and blue, so I am not sure if blue is available at other locations) I purchased the dinner and side plates and we tried them out.

They were sturdy enough that you can use them as you would a regular plate (cut meat on them, put hot items on them), without having to worry about your kitchen tableware dropping and leaving your deck covered with glass. They are dishwasher friendly, and came out looking like new. They are biodegradable and made 70% out of cornstarch, so when you are done using them in less than a year of entering a landfill or compost they will have biodegraded. The down side was that they have a slight odor to them, similar to corn starch and they don't go in the microwave (but no one should be microwaving plastics anyways, but we can get to that another day).

No Grocery Dinner

I generally pick up groceries at least 3 times a week. On a week such as this one between the amazing weather, a school trip and a sick little boy I only have made it once. . .along rolls Thursday night and I have nothing to make for dinner!

I threw this dinner together using thawed chicken breasts, broccoli (but you could use any veggie you have on hand) lentils and rice. These or a variation of these are pretty much kitchen staples, so this meal is perfect when you haven't made it to the market.

Lentil Rice with Chicken

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 1 cup dried lentils or canned
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into dice sized pieces
• 1 cup broccoli, cut into bite seized pieces
• 1 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp Piri Piri sauce, any type of BBQ/hot sauce would work (optional)
• 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

* Cook rice as you normally would, but add 1/2 a bouillon cube and a splash of hot sauce (optional)
* Rinse lentils (if canned or dry), if dry place in 2 cups water with some salt, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, cooking until lentils are soft but not mushy,  about 12-15 minutes
* Saute garlic in olive oil add in chicken and lemon pepper and cook on medium high until thoroughly cooked, about 6-8 minutes. Add in broccoli at 4 minute mark
* Add in cooked rice, drained lentils, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir
* Let rice cook for 2 minutes, slightly 'crisping' then stir and 'crisp' for another 2 minutes then repeat one more time (you may need to add a little water to ensure the rice doesn't dry to the bottom of the pan)

Easy, Tasty, Healthy...and no groceries needed!

BBQ Potatoes

These potatoes are a perfect easy side to pretty much any meal. There is not one obvious taste or any overly strong flavors so they are perfect for serving to company, especially when you have several palates to please. 

I wrap these in tinfoil and place on the BBQ, but they could just as easily be cooked in the oven. For extra taste (and to be honest eye appeal) when they are close to being done I take them out of the foil and and place them on the BBQ to get some grill marks. If you know your family or guests are fans of spicy food add a little hot sauce in with the oil and lemon.

Serves 4

BBQ Potatoes

• 12 small potatoes, each washed and cut into 4 wedges (for baby potatoes use 24 and cut into halves)
• 1.5 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• s & p

* Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir well and wrap in tinfoil
* Cook in preheated BBQ at med-high for about 20 minutes (our family likes cooked but not soft potatoes, you may find you need to cook yours for longer to suit your tastes)
* Remove from foil and place on grill for 5 minutes, during this time turn potatoes 3 times to ensure grill marks on each side

Enjoy!

3 Dishes and A Pan

Sometimes it is a common thought that in order to have the tasty & healthy food we want, we have to sacrifice our time or we save our time and end up eating not so healthy fair. The following recipe is fast, super easy to make and if you double or triple it you can turn it into tomorrow and the next nights dinner and no one will be the wiser.

The first dish is the base for all the recipes. I prefer it cooked on the BBQ, but doing it in the oven works just as well. Dish #1 is perfect on top of salmon (check out my recipe here), or as a delicious vegetable side to any meal. The second is pasta sauce, which you could add ground beef to, should you choose to. The third is a version of the tomato soup recipe I shared previously.

Raw Tomato Mixture

Tomato Topping - Dish #1

• 1.5 pints of cherry tomatoes + 1 regular tomato (alternatively you could use 7 regular tomatoes)
• 1 medium sized onion, cut into thin strips
• 6 cloves of garlic, peel and cut in half
• EVOO, enough to thoroughly coat mixture
• s & p
• hot sauce, optional

 * Cut half of the cherry tomatoes in half, leave the other half whole. Cut the regular tomato into several chunks, about 8. Do the latter for all the tomatoes if not using any cherry tomatoes
* Combine all ingredients in bowl and stir.
* Bake in Pyrex baking dish in the oven at 400 for half an hour or until the tomatoes have wilted and the onions are soft. If cooking on the BBQ place it in aluminum tray and cover with foil, or put directly in foil and wrap so all the ends meet at the top (kind of like Wontons in Wonton soup) you can BBQ it at medium-high for 20-30 minutes (if you are making extras cook it all this way at once)

Tomato Topping on Salmon with a Side of Potatoes

Pasta Sauce - Dish #2

• cooked leftovers/extras from Dish #1
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 lb ground beef, browned (optional)

* Add spices to 'Tomato Topping' and warm on stove
* Use immersion blender or regular blender and blend until smooth and a sauce like consistency
* Cook pasta as you usually would and top with sauce 

Tomato Soup - Dish #3

• cooked leftovers/extras from Dish #1
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stocks, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups of soup stock or 4 cups of water + 1.5 bouillon cube(s)

* Combine all the ingredients in a pot on your stove, bring to a boil, then turn down and let simmer
* Remove bay leaf, and puree the mixture
 Voila... Soup!!! Makes a great lunch or starter for any dinner!

3 Minutes Prep, One Dish, 7 Ingredients = Dinner Delight

With the recent amazing weather who wants to come inside early to spend an hour cooking dinner? Not me and defiantly not my boys. The following recipe is one that I make in minutes, makes a generous amount and all of it, even the leftovers, are gobbled up! Tip: Double it and freeze some for lunches!

Chicken, Shrimp and Rice

• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 2 cups water with 1 chicken bouillon cube or 2 cups chicken stock
• 6 chicken thighs, bone in
• 6-8 large shrimp, peeled
• 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 1/2 Tbsp jerk seasoning
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Preheat oven to 350
* Put all the above ingredients in a Pyrex baking dish (8.5x 8.5 is probably easiest), then stir
* Cover with tin foil and cook for approximately half an hour. Stir the ingredients about 3 times through out the cooking process to ensure even cooking. You may need to add slightly more water if it is evaporating before the rice is cooked. The end result should be a fairly moist rice, but not soupy
* Turn up for 10-14 minutes to 400 to ensure everything is cooked and most of the excess liquid is absorbed. Oven temperatures very so this is a general time.


Serve with a salad and a vegetable(s) on the side and enjoy...now wasn't that easy!!