This week we are going to keep things simple as I am preparing for Eat, Write, Retreat and finishing up some posts for here and on Canadian Coupon Mom.
Monday - Meatballs and Spaghetti
Tuesday - Tacos and salad Wednesday - Chicken pasta salad
Thursday - Porkchops, potatoes and veggies
Friday - I will be away for the weekend and will let the hubby and kids choose the meals
Saturday - away
Sunday - away
Not too much cooking and baking going on this week but hopefully tons next week. I am hoping to add a few new recipes over the next couple weeks.
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
Sunday Savings may become a weekly post where I will post some coupons I have found over the past week. This is an easier way for me to post coupons on the site. If you are interested in writing this post here or there please send me an email at jennifer @ canadiancouponmom.ca
This week I have found the following coupons and freebies. I have check out most and have either signed up myself, or order. Some I have found and thought I would share.
Coupons
Zellers Ends May 3rd Facebook Save $10 when you spend $40 (before taxes) on Men's, Women's and kids apparel, sleepwear and accessories. Nodica Cottage Cheese $1 off Facebook
Life seems to always be busy, we have all said it before "there are never enough hours in the day". Time to spend with the family, do hobbies, rest or sleep, really what is sleep? I feel as each year passes my life gets busier. Now I know I am not the only one that feels this way.
To celebrate the relaunch of Ivory in Canada, a recent survey was taken and Canadians said financial management/budgeting, household chores and preparing meals are things that most complicate their lives. Ivory is asking Canadian's to enjoy the pure and simple moments in life taking time for yourself and doing something you enjoy each day. Maybe that is picking up a book, tucking your kids into bed
or enjoying a special dinner with friends or your spouse.
Wow! One week from today I will be landing in Washington DC! I have never been to DC or on a plane so this will be a scary fun experience. Any tips or places to see please let me know. Tips for being on a plane would be wonderful also as I think this is the part I am very nervous about.
When I found out I was heading to Eat, Write, Retreat I quickly looked up flights and found some that were (or at least I thought they were) around $600-800. Now of course I am a procrastinator sometimes and this is something I was nervous about as I procrastinated on. Over the Easter weekend I guess one airline had a sale on flights and well it was a short sale and I heard about it just after missing out on a great opportunity.
Source Google Images
Yesterday the kids headed off to school and I finished up some emails, a blog post and then decided I HAVE to book my flight. I spent three hours online searching every site that came up. Most would give about the same price for flights or a $100 off. I then found a SUPER CHEAP flight less than $400 round trip. I was super nervous as the rest were going for around $1000 round trip. Plus on the way home I would have a 10 hr layover in Philadelphia. I didn't have a good feeling for that one.
As a newbie at booking online flights I got very overwhelmed with all the choices. After three hours I just threw in the towel and called our local travel agent and asked about a flight. The lady found me the same flight I was looking at in the end but saved me almost $200. Plus that included their service charge.
This morning I headed in to the office to fill in the paper work and pay for my ticket. I am just waiting for the lady to call for me to go in and pick it up. I am very excited to have that settled and not have to worry about flight, just need to get suitcase (make sure its the right size), pack, and get there on time.
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
May 26th, 2012 is the 2nd annual Gillie Beans FUN Day to raise money for research into Rhabdomyosarcoma which is a rare cancer that affect adults but mainly affects children.
The Gillie Beans FUNd is a volunteer based tribute fund in memory of Gillian May Berthelot who passed away in June of 2010 after battling this disease for 13 months. They have raised over $30,000 for Rhabdomyosarcoma research already!
Please visit The Gillie Beans FUNd website to learn more about Gillian and what this group does to help raise awareness and money for research.
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. I wanted to share this information for anyone who would like to attend and help. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
I know it has been very quiet around here the last couple weeks. I have been busy reviewing tasty recipes to give my honest opinions on Janet & Greta Podleski's newest cookbook - The Looneyspoons Collection. If you haven't heard of the Looneyspoons Cookbook it was Janet & Greta's first cookbook and featured tasty low-fat recipes with character. Each recipe had a fun name and there were comic like pictures throughout. This first cookbook was printed in 1996. As the original cookbook is retired they have compiled some of the great recipes from it and added a ton of new recipes, tips and photos to this new cookbook!
The Looneyspoons Collection has 400 pages and contains 325 recipes! Almost one for everyday of the year. Over the last few weeks we have tried a bunch of the recipes and still have more that we will be trying out over the next month or so.
Here is what we have tried so far:
Quiche Me, You Fool!
It's Only Brocc'n' Bowl
Thigh Master
Tube Beef or Not Tube Beef
Miss American Thigh
A Lotta Endchilada
Welcome Back, 'Cotta
Let It Bean
Mixed Up Meatballs
Bye Bye Burgie
The Breakfast of Champignons
Each one of the recipes we have tried have been easy to make and most of the ingredients I have had no problems finding in my grocery store. Coriander and Tarragon have been the exception and I went to the local health food store down the street from our house and found it no problem.
The kids loved the names and out of no where would come out with Quiche me, ya fool - my daughter thought it was hilarious! All the meals were big hits but I think the family favorite was A Lotta Endchilada and Tube Beef, or Not Tube Beef so far. The latter shocked me that my son gobbled it up as he is not a fan of stewing beef or "stew" but this was more like a pasta sauce and he loved it.
I love the tips about weight-loss, anti-aging and all the great nutrition tidbits throughout the book. You will also enjoy the little jokes here and there. By the way, did I mention these great ladies are Canadian? Yes they live in Ontario!
Janet & Greta's website is full of great information, recipes and you can find their books, four in total. Don't forgot to follow Greta & Janet on Twitter and Facebook for updates.
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals, we received the above cookbook for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
Last Sunday was Earth Day and we had a change of plans. We ended up at the North Grenville Sustainability Fair in a town about 35-40 minutes away from us. Here are some photos from our fun filled day!
Making a worm compost box with worms!
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
I want to start this post off by apologizing that I have been missing in action on Marvelous Mommy Meals the last week. Life got a little busy with work, my other blog and testing out some great recipes for a cookbook review I will be posting this week. I am hoping to have a bunch of new posts up in the next couple of weeks.
I just realized that I posted on Twitter and Facebook that on April 3rd, 2012 I was a guest blogger on Mushrooms Canada blog! I am very sorry I totally forgot to post here.
If you like mushrooms, ground beef, pasta and veggies then please pop over to Mushrooms Canadablog and try out my Beef, Beans and Veggie Skillet. It's a quick and easy one dish meal with tons of great things included in it.
Let me know what you think if you try it. I will be guest posting again on July 10th, 2012!
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This post is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
Mother's Day is fast approaching, I know how I woke up yesterday morning to snow that it is hard to believe we are almost at the end of April. Before we know it Mother's day will be here on May 13th.
Have you decided what you will be picking up for mom? If you are a mom reading this maybe you should leave this open for your kids or hubby to read. Hint Hint, Wink Wink!
There are tons of gift ideas to get mom but we all look for that "Perfect" gift, Jewlr.comcan help with choosing a great affordable gift for mom that can be customized with not only a birthstone but names! A Mother's ring or family ring is a symbol of life and motherhood, what better gift to give mom on Mother's Day! These rings can incorporate not only the children but as the parents.
On Jewlr'sMother's Day Gift Guide you can see all kinds of great ideas, customize the metal of the item, stone type and color along with personalized engravings.
2012 is the year I will be getting myself on the right track with keeping myself healthy with the right vitamins and exercise. But with that said I find taking vitamins sometimes a struggle, taking two or 3 more pills a day is a pain in the you know what. The answer to this one is to drink your daily Vitamin C and B's.
SISU Vitamins is a Canadian vitamin company based in Burnaby, BC. They are not a big business in the sense that they have 50 employees but they distribute to more than 1400 Canadian Health Supplement Retailers. They have 2 warehouses one in Burnaby and the other in Montreal.
SISU Vitamins has made it very easy and tasty to drink Vitamin C, B and other essential vitamins on the go. We are all busy people with our daily lives doesn't matter if we are stay at home moms or work out of the home life is busy and lets face it - it is hard to get all the required vitamins and minerals in our daily diet. That would involve a lot of precise planning around all meals daily and making sure you get the time to eat them.
My heart has been set on a Basset hound for sometime now. Who wouldn't love those droopy eyes and long ears? They are just too darn cute. My husband wants a Beagle for hunting and well he likes Beagles. They are also very cute also, sort of hyper though.
I have been searching for awhile looking at pups online and watching the ones at the local humane society. We found a place with the best of both worlds Beagle/Basset Hounds. The kids and I took the almost hour and a half drive to go see 5 female puppies. What better way to spend a wet and dreary Saturday?
This baby carrot looks like it has legs! Take a look at what my son found while having a snack the other day. Both of my kids thought it was very neat and well so did mom.
What have you found lately? I know there have been very interesting shapes for many fruits and veggies and would love to hear your stories.
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
You have touched many with your great charisma and will be sadly missed. Thoughts and prayers go out to Dick Clark's family and friends.
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom, this is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own. Source for the photo was thedailywh.at*~
Aveda Institute is having a hair school video contest to win a scholarship to Aveda Institute. There are 5 scholarship being awarded, one in each of the following cities - Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver. The Submissions for the videos are close and now the judging will take place. The winners will be announced in May 2012!
Haven't heard of a AVEDA Institute? Aveda Institute is a top hair school that takes creative and talented individuals and turns out a a rock star hair stylists. They are not your average run of the mill hairdressers or barbers they are pros that will work with the best that grace the covers and editorial pages of the world's biggest and best fashion magazines!
How are you talking to your children about Earth Day and what we can do to help the environment? We will be making some fun recycled crafts - I think I will try to make a tin can robot with the kids to hang on the patio. We have tons of cans of all sizes in the bin and also other odds and ends that would be fun.
We will also be working on making a few Tin Can Herb Pots, I found this one site that has some great directions on making them. I will post them after we make them. I am also looking into composting to throw out less and be more green.
Last week I was MIA, not sure if anyone noticed the lack of posts around here but I wanted to let you know that I am alive and kicking a cold. I will be posting tons of new reviews and articles over the next couple weeks before my trip to Washington DC for the Eat, Write, Retreat conference I am attending! You can read more about it over on Marvelous Mommy Meals.
The last week was crazy busy with work and training at work. I really didn't have a day off all week until Monday morning. Of course with all the lack of sleep and people sick I picked up a nice head cold for myself.
I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
Sorry for the late Marvelous Menu post last week was super busy with work, sleep and training. Of course with all the stress, work and lack of sleep I have picked up someones cold :( So now being sick I am trying to relax on my day off and catch up on blogging for Marvelous Mommy Meals and Canadian Coupon Mom (check out the newest reviews and giveaways!)
This week I am still reviewing the same book as last week and hope to have the review post up later this week! It is a fantastic book so far but I love to try many recipes before posting. If you are a publisher of cookbooks or author of a book you would like reviewed and promoted please email me marvelousmommymeals (at) gmail.com
Now on to this weeks Marvelous Menu:
Monday - Left over Bean Salad from weekend, rice and All You Need is Loaf (TLC pg 235)
Tuesday - Miss American Thigh (TLC pg 145 will substitute chicken breast as we don't have thighs on hand) with mashed garlic potatoes and salad
Wednesday - Unrolled Cabbage Rolls (TLC pg 238)
Thursday - Tube Beef or Not Tube Beef (TLC pg 114) Slow Cooker!
Friday - Thigh Master (TLC pg 138 again using Chicken Breast instead of thighs), over a bed of Rice with salad.
Saturday - It's Only Brocc'n' Bowl (TLC pg 78)
Sunday -Pasta Point of No Return (TLC pg 135) (if hubby is home early he can cook BBQ porkchops or steak)
Dessert - none got baked last week as it was so busy. This week we will look back to last and maybe add a few things. The kids want to have a bake sale/yard sale on the weekend and sell goodies and old toys so if the weather is nice we will be outside all morning.
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
Becoming a new mom brings tons of joy and also some challenges. Right away it seems like babies love to grab anything shiny and dangling from our necks. This doesn't mean we can't wear fun jewelry once we have children it just means we need to choose wisely what we wear.
Recently I have been introduced to Teethease jewelry. I really wish this was available when my children were babies for more than one reason. These are great child and budget friendly fun jewelry.
For as long as I can remember we have always have had pets from kittens and puppies to rabbits and hamsters. We were always very lucky that most of our pets lived long healthy lives into their elder years. Caring for our pets and giving them the right food during each stage of their life is very important for optimal health.
Right now we have two cats and a rabbit, our cats are still very young with one just getting out of the kitten stage. I am very happy to hear about all the wonderful pet foods from Iams that will be available for them when they are in their Senior Plus years.
If you having been reading Canadian Coupon Mom for awhile you will likely know how much we enjoy this white little bunny named Howard B. Wigglebottom. We have seen Howard learn about Bullies, Telling the Truthand now Howard learns about Sportsmanship.
With summer fast approaching and soccer starting in May this book came at a great time to talk to my children about being a good sport and playing as a team. My daughter had a hard time with losing when she was smaller but that is pretty normal for a 3 year old. She is getting better and we are finding that reading books like this and playing online games really is helping both kids learn to to be good sports.
April 3rd marked the release of Rascal Flatts newest album CHANGED! If you are a Rascal Flatts fan like myself you will want to get your hands on a copy of this great album. If you have never heard of them you really should take a quick listen and tell me what you think.
Rascal Flatts is comprised of singer Gary LeVox, bassist Jay DeMarcus and guitarist Joe Don Rooney. They have
evolved after being in the spotlight as some of country music's biggest
superstars. Their eighth studio album and their first with brand new material in two years is CHANGED. They found their way to the country music scene in 2000 and have sold over 21 million albums, 25 million digital downloads and have had 13 #1 singles to top the charts!
Do you find yourself cooking the same ol same ol stuff over and over again? Do you find your kids bored with meals? I have the cookbook you may just love, I love it! You don't need to be some fancy cook with fancy ingredients. I found that most of the ingredients that you need for these recipes I have in my kitchen already expect maybe some of things we don't eat on a regular basis.
I love to read recipe books, I know that sounds weird but I find more and more these days are actually books not just a cookbook with recipes. Most give tips on health, ingredients, and getting your kids to try new foods, along with how-to sections.
The MOM 100 Cookbook does all that. It is made to help moms with everyday meals. Meals that you can pronounce the ingredients and find them in the grocery store, no need to go to a specialty store. Katie Workman takes everyday meals that you and I have made and adds some flare, some pizzazz. They are regular ingredients with some spice or cooked just a bit different to get everyone enjoying dinner again.
The book includes 20 Dilemmas with 5 solutions each and there you have 100 new recipes. The recipes are delicious, easily adaptable (we did it with a couple meals already), no-fuss, includes tips, attitude and wisdom for surviving and staying happy in the kitchen. Katie has included "Fork in the Road" sections that are variations to make the dish simple for the kids as well as spice things up for the adults.
We tried a handful of recipes already and have a whole bunch marked off to make in the near future. This book is definitely one of those books you can use over and over again and not just for one or two recipes. We have tried Cheesy Rice with Broccoli, Big Batch Turkey Meat Sauce, Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Black Beans & Rice (which we adapted - using sausage cut up and also cut the recipe down big time and it still made plenty!) and The Basic Quesadilla's. I am sad to say we haven't tried the sweets yet but believe me I have those book marked off!
All the recipes we have tried so far have been easy to make with ingredients we have had on hand. The kids loved helping out in the kitchen for the ones they could help with. My daughter loved helping with the Chicken Nuggets, she was a fantastic helper and they turned out super! Every one loved them which in turn made her very proud.
This book is great for beginners in the kitchen to the more experienced. It is a great book to have on hand especially when you feel you are falling into the rut of what to have for dinner. A quick glance through The MOM 100 Cookbook and you will be set!
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. We received the above cookbook for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
This week I am working a lot and will be making some very quick, and easy meals but at the same time trying to review a new cookbook that I will be sharing with you very soon. Take a look at what we are having this week.
Monday - A Lotta Endchilada (TLC pg 336)
Tuesday - Welcome Back, 'Cotta (TLC pg 332)
Wednesday - Let It Bean (TLC pg 55) & BBQ Pork chops
Thursday - Mixed Up Meatballs, rice and salad (TLC pg 19)
Friday - The Breakfast of Champignons (TLC pg 109)
Saturday - Hubby is still debating on what to make.. will update soon
Sunday - Bye Bye Burgie (TLC pg 96)
Baking this week: The Greatful Bread (TLC pg 282), Isn't She Loafly? (TLC pg 286) and Peanut-BETTER Gingersnaps
Recently I have been reviewing some great cookbooks and I am still working my way through them. I love cookbooks that are filled with great recipes not just a few that look good. Keep a watch for my reviews on cookbooks we are trying out to help make our dinner preps easier.
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
With Easter and spring arriving I love to get a nice deep clean of the house and open all the windows and get some nice fresh air circulating. This spring I had the chance to try out the Clorox line called Green Works.
We received a great Green Works line up including all-purpose cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, dilutable multipurpose cleaner, glass and surface cleaner, 2 dish soaps and the cleaning wipes.
Green Works products are made with plant and mineral-based cleaning ingredients to make it 95% natural, to help give you a safe cleaning product around the house. They are also biodegradable and with us trying to be more green this was definitely a plus in my books.
With all these great products on hand and eager children wanting to help
spring clean we got to work tidying up toys and picking through them to
see which ones they could part with.
How are you spending this Easter weekend? Today we will be out picking up a few things for the weekend and then tomorrow I am spending the day with @AMotherhoodBlog at the Originals Spring Craft Sale, while the kids have nanny visit with them. Sunday the Easter bunny hopefully will have hid some eggs (keep telling the kids he only comes if you are good boys and girls) and then spending time with the Family. I am sure Monday will be a day of relaxing with the kids.
Have a great long weekend!
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own*~
I am always on the look out for tasty soups that are very easy to just heat and serve especially for lunches I am home alone and don't want to make a big mess making lunch.
Kettle Cuisine offers a great line of frozen individually packed soups that can be heated on the stove top or in a microwave. Kettle Cuisine is a premium soup manufacturer in Boston, Massachusetts and have been making quality products since 1986.
In the last year Kettle Cuisine has launched five of its delicious soups in Canada; which are available at major and independent retailers across the country. These soups are all natural, gluten free, dairy free and low in fat. All great qualities when looking for something tasty to eat for lunch or even dinner.
This soup is made up of slow simmer Angus beef with a blend of Southwestern spices, red beans, ripe tomatoes, hand-chopped peppers and spicy green chilies. My husband took this one to work and said he really enjoyed it, stressing it was really good but too small of a size for him. He can eat a lot of food but for myself it was the perfect size. Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles
This soup is definitely a comfort food made with a stock from scratch, adding crisp carrots, celery and tasty tender chunks of all natural chicken. The noodles in the soup are Tinkyáda rice noodles to keep it gluten free. My kids enjoy this on the side with grilled cheese and said they wanted it again soon. Two thumbs up on this soup from the kiddos.
This has to be my favorite soup and even my daughter has a few bites and loved it. It is made with fresh light cream from a New England dairies, then they add hand-shucked clams, sauteed onions and potatoes that were peeled just before cooking. This is a very creamy tasty soup and I will also add very filling.
This three bean chili is filled with slow simmered pinto beans, black beans and chili beans along with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, green chilies and a Kettle Cuisine Southwestern spice. It is a very hearty and flavorful chili. If you love chili you will want to try this vegaterian one that is sure to leave you satisfied.
This is a very hearty bowl of Tomato soup with veggies. I really enjoyed this one also. The red-ripe tomatoes. squash, carrots, celery, green beans make it very filling and the Kettle Cuisine's Italian seasoning is a wonderful flavor for this soup.
Win It? One lucky Marvelous Mommy Meals reader will win a $25 gift card and a Kettle Cuisine insulted lunch bag. Please fill in the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open to Canadians and ends April 21st, 2012 at 12:01am EST. Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway~*Jennifer ~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Kettle Cuisine, we received the five types of soups for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~
