Happy Belated Two Year Blogiversary! & Upcoming Changes!

Back at the end of May Canadian Coupon Mom celebrated its two year Blogiversary! We had a very busy May and June and I realized I never posted about it. So many great things have happened over the two years of blogging! If you are new to Canadian Coupon Mom. I started this blog as an outlet as I was super stressed at work, not sleeping well and really needed something for me. I came online and started posting coupons, family posts and freebies. Very soon after I had my first review and I haven't looked back since. What started out as just something to do has turned into something I love and look forward to sharing with everyone.

I have met many great readers, bloggers and brands. It has been a great past two years and I look forward to many more blogging years. Last year I attended my first two social media conferences! Those were great ways to learn more about myself and were I wanted my blog to go, to network and learn more about other bloggers and the brands we support.

With that in mind you will be seeing lots of exciting changes over the next little while. I will still have the blog you have come to love and trust along with all the great reviews and giveaways but with a new design and website url. With help from Jodi at Rants Designs we will be working on a fun design and adding a new Facebook Fan page and maybe eventually a new Twitter account. Debating on the last one.

I really miss sharing my family and parenting post and hope to write more beauty posts for a couple of the brands I just love. A couple things I have taken away from all three of the conferences I attended in the last year is be authentic. I would never tell you I like something or something worked if it didn't. I only take on reviews if I feel it is a good fit to something my family would love. You can come to my site for genuine reviews and family posts. I will always be authentic.

I hope you will continue to follow me on this new journey as I am very excited to share this with everyone! I have some great reviews and giveaways coming up that I think everyone will enjoy!

Have a Fabulous Holiday weekend!



~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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To Do List for MMM

Crock pot recipes

Bread yeast and non yeast

Simple easy One Dish

Desserts

More menu planning tips - how to involve the hubby and kids

Use coupons shop sales

What is your Kitchen pet peeves

Recipe Binder - how to make one and organize it

Can opener - hand or electric

Benefits of eating Onions and Garlic

Menu Planning

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Hey Canada! Book Blog Tour

Hey Canada! Did you know that there are more than 70 different kinds of potatoes grown in Prince Edward Island? How about that the CN Tower in Toronto is 533.3 meters or 1,815 feet, 5 inches tall?

Hey Canada! will take you and your children on a grand adventure across Canada with Gran, Alice and Cal. They start their in St. John’s Newfoundland looking for a moose and traveling across Canada using a “find it” list in each province.

The book combines narrative, poems, tweets; blog posts, photos, and silly songs geared children aged 7-10 years of age. It is a light and fun trip for everyone to enjoy and learn about our great country Canada.

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Marvelous Menu - Week of June 24 to July 1st

Check out what we have had this week and what we are planning on having on the weekend.

Monday - Sweet & Sour Chicken packs, stuffing and salad

Tuesday - Tuna noodle casserole

Wednesday - Meatloaf (VH tandoori sauce in it! YUM), rice and veggies

Thursday - Pasta and meat sauce

Friday - Fish and homemade fries and veggies

Saturday - BBQ Porkchops, Roasted potatoes and veggies

Sunday - Pizza with Salad

What's on your menu this week? Cooking up anything special for Canada Day?

~*Jennifer 

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by MMM. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Winning Goal!

I am still smiling ear to ear since last night! Why, you ask? Well my son is in a new soccer division U7 (boys ages 6-7) and we have a really strong team. There are a lot of older boys on the team that are REALLY good! Last night was a great game and no goal for either team all the way to the last minute and guess what?!? My son got right in there, took the ball and got the winning goal!

This isn't his first goal in his soccer career but it is his first this season! He has been really shy to get in and get the ball. He says he is afraid to kick someone. I keep reassuring him that it happens and the boys have shin pads on for a reason. Last night he seemed to have no fear and got the goal he has been waiting for.

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Claritin Rapid Dissolve (G!veaway)

Do you suffer from allergies? I did have any allergies as a child but I remember my mother and brother with bad seasonal allergies. I did not envy them one bit - sneezing, itching eyes, running nose it looked horrible.

About a year and a half a go I had a horrible time while working in this one building. I had horrible headaches and stuffy nose and just tons of face pain. I also had a lot of problems with my left ear. When I finally had enough of the suffering I gave in and went to the Dr's to find out I had a HORRIBLE sinus infection. 

Now ever since then I find I get worse and worse with dust, mold, rabbits and grass. I get itchy eyes, sinus pain and sometimes a runny nose. I have learned that while taking my nasal spray and using my nasal rinse another great tool is the Claritin Rapid Dissolve.

These little tablets can be taken anywhere as you don't need a drink as they are placed in the mouth and quickly dissolve. They don't taste that horrible either. I like that with the rapid dissolve they work quicker as they get into your blood stream faster than a pill one would swallow. 

The Claritin Rapid Dissolve are fast-acting 24 hour relief from your worst indoor and outdoor allergens. It is great to keep some in my purse for those days that are not kind to me. Nice thing also is that they don't make me drowsy.

Find out more about Claritin Rapid Dissolve by visiting Claritin.ca or heading over to Claritin on Facebook to join in on the conversation.

Want to win four (4) coupons for $6.00 off a box of Claritin Rapid Dissolve? Enter the Rafflecopter form below. Open to Canadian residents only. Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
~*Disclaimer: I'm a BzzAgent and I received a product sample and coupons for this review as part of the BzzAgent program. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Sweet & Sour Chicken Packs #BBQ #LMDConnector

With soccer in full swing (four nights a week for us with both kids) and the heat wave we had last week it is really nice to have something quick and easy for dinner but also healthy and tasty. I love things that can be prepped for the most part ahead of time and then slow cooked, BBQ or thrown in the oven.

I headed over to the Life Made Delicious website to see what I could throw on the BBQ and what I found was quick easy and yummy! Sweet and Sour Chicken Packs can be prepped mostly ahead of time. I chopped up the peppers and onions and made the sauce in the morning and put the packs together right before putting them on the grill.

If you are like me and sometimes don't have different sauces on hand you can quickly make a sweet and sour sauce with only 4 ingredients. My recipe is more of a mix and taste kind of recipe depending on how sweet or sour you like it or how much you will need for your recipe.

Homemade Sweet & Sour sauce

Ketchup
White Vinegar
Brown Sugar
Soya Sauce

I usually start out with ketchup then add about a tablespoon or two of soya sauce and white vinegar. I then add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and keep adding either sugar or vinegar to adjust to the taste I am looking for.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Packs

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb/625 g)
1/2 cup (125 mL) sweet-and-sour sauce
1 can (398 mL) pineapple chunks, drained
1 medium bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4 small onion, cut into small wedges
1/2 cup (125 mL) chow mein noodles, if desired

Directions:

• Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut four 18x12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray.
• On one side of each foil piece, place 1 chicken breast. Top each with 1 tablespoon sweet-and-sour sauce and one-fourth of the pineapple, bell pepper and onion. Top with remaining sauce. If you like a saucy chicken add more sauce.
• Fold foil over chicken and vegetables so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for heat expansion.
• When grill is heated, place packets on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill over medium coals; cover grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, rotating packets 1/2 turn after 10 minutes, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170ºF). Place packets on plates.  

To find more recipes like this head over to General Mills Life Made Delicious! Watch for more fun recipe and product reviews as I have been selected to be part of the Life Made Delicious connector program for the next year! 

Easy Recipes

~*Jennifer 

~*Disclaimer: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own*~

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W!n a $50 Body Shop Gift Card from Coupons.ca

I love beauty products, always have and always will. I don't wear a lot of make up, usually only if I am heading out for a date night or something similar. I love trying new spa type products, creams, facials, foot care especially foot care products in the summer.

My daughter and I have started little spa days where we will pull out mommy's natural and non toxic beauty products and nail polish to enjoy a little mommy/daughter time together.

I decided to head to The Body Shop to see what I could find online for our next spa day. I found some great foot soaks and creams. I also usually head over to Coupons.ca to see if there are any online coupons before making my purchase.

The Body Shop deals on Coupons.ca right now - Receive free shipping on any purchase of $75 or more or receive 25% off Skin Care Stater Kits.

Did you know that Coupons.ca offers more than 1,000 online coupons and vouchers from favorite brands including The Body Shop for savings on everything from electronics, apparel to travel and beauty supplies. 

Coupons.ca works directly with The Body Shop and the other retailers to offer great savings everyday! The coupon codes are offered in French and English from Canadian merchants and US merchants that ship to Canada. It is very easy to find a savings for something you are interested in purchasing. You can search by category, alphabetical store list, popular coupons, new coupons, expiring coupons, free shipping and also by using the search bar at the top of the page.

The Body Shop provides natural bath and body products that protect our animals and our planet. They sources their ingredients responsibly and ethically by working with local farmers using time-honoured techniques all while advocating for natural beauty and well being.

There are tons of great products to choose from like aromatherapy and hair care to mineral makeup and skincare, The Body Shop is a premier provider of natural body care products.

Our friends over at Coupons.ca would like to offer one lucky Canadian Coupon Mom a chance to win a $50 gift card to The Body Shop! Please enter the Rafflecopter form below. Thanks and Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Coupons.ca. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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What's New at EdenFantasys?

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Strawberry Picking Fun + Recipes

My family loves picking fruit. Each year we try very hard to get out and do some strawberry and apple picking. This activity started out to be a fun family outing which then turned into an expected family outing. The kids usually start asking way too early about getting out to pick strawberries. We missed out last year as the season was early and we were very busy but this summer I was very determined to make it out with the kids at least once.

Last Saturday we headed out before lunch to a local farm that has a wide variety of fruits and veggies and also offers pick your own strawberries. The kids had a lot of fun finding the nice big juicy red strawberries and my son decided he wants a summer job at the strawberry farm. The owner told him in a few years to come back and he could have a job. He is stoked, haha.

This year I decided I would make Strawberry freezer jam and also found a recipe for Strawberry-Banana freezer jam. They are both very easy recipes as they do not need to be cooked and the jams don't need to go through the hot sterilization process either.

The following recipes can be found in the Certo Liquid Pectin insert in the box.

Strawberry no cook jam

makes 5 cups

1 3/4 cups crushed strawberries
4 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Hull and thoroughly crush strawberries one layer at a time. 
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together fruit and sugar. 
3. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. Add Certo liquid Pectin and lemon juice. Stir for 3 minutes. 
5. Put into clean containers filling up to 1/4 inch from rim. Cover with lids. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours or till set.  

Strawberry-Banana no cook jam
makes 7 cups

2 1/2 cups crushed strawberries
1 cup mashed banana
1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice

1. Hull and thoroughly crush strawberries one layer at a time. 
2. Mash bananas.
3. In a large mixing bowl stir together fruit and sugar. 
4. Let stand 10 minutes.
5. Add Certo liquid Pectin and lemon juice. Stir for 3 minutes. 
6. Put into clean containers filling up to 1/4 inch from rim. Cover with lids. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours or till set. 

Both jams turned out very tasty and everyone is loving them. We have 13 jars in total, for some reason I ended up with an extra Strawberry-Banana. I look forward to making more no-cook freezer jams in the near future as it was very easy to make and this was a great project for the kids to help with.

~*Jennifer 

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Grilling with @VHSauces #Grill2Thrill #BBQ #Summer

We love to BBQ and I am always looking for quick and easy tasty recipes for the grill. What kind of sauce do you like to reach for when it is time to BBQ? We were recently asked to check out some of the VH sauces and try a new recipe on the grill.

Did you know that VH has 26 flavors of sauces to choose from including their international selections?!? We tried out the Tandoori cooking sauce from their India line. After drooling over all the tasty BBQ recipes on the VH site we decided to go with the Vegetable Tandoori Quesadillas.

They were very easy to prep ahead of time - all the veggies in little containers in the fridge. This made it fantastic at dinner time, it took about 10 mins or less to put 8 Quesadillas together and then they only take a few mins on the grill each side. I also prepped a cucumber and tomato salad to go along with them.

Adding Pam cooking spray (could not find grilling spray the last time we were at the grocery store) cuts back on fats but also makes for some great flavors on your BBQ food. Making them easy to flip and leaves the nice grilling marks on the food. Pam cooking spray is made with 100% canola oil and only contains 7% saturated fats. It is packed with omega fatty acids helping with good nutrition. I am always watching the fats when cooking as I have hereditary high cholesterol.

Vegetable Tandoori Quesadillas

• 4 large flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) VH_®Tandoori sauce
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) green onions, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) roasted red pepper, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (250 mL) mozzarella, grated
• PAM^®Grilling Spray

Directions

1. Divide Tandoori sauce between 4 tortillas, spread over entire tortilla.
2. Divide apricots, green onions, roasted red peppers and mozzarella between the 4 tortillas, fold each in half and press gently to close.
3. Spray grill with PAM^® and heat to medium. Grill tortillas until golden and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve with Dip.

I found the sauce to have some nice kick but not too much that the kids didn't like it. We used Old cheddar cheese instead as my daughter now doesn't like "white" cheese. Everyone loved these and we will be making them again soon. Next time I will need to make 3 batches so my hubby has something for work the next day. He asked if there were about 10 more as he devoured 4 himself.

More BBQ recipes are available on the VH Facebook page. Also don't forget to join in on the conversation on Twitter with hashtags #Grill2Thrill #BBQ, #Summer. Follow @VHsauces on Twitter.

Want to win a $50 Loblaws Gift Card for your next BBQ? Enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~*Jennifer


~*Disclaimer:This w I am participating in the VH Grill to Thrill Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of VH. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own. *~

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Walmart Mom of the Year! #MOTY

To be honest with you I don't know what I would do without my mother. She truly is my best friend, someone I can go to when I am sad, mad, happy and excited. Becoming a mom was truly something I looked forward to since I was a kid, not really knowing how much work and love really goes into becoming a mom.

Becoming a mother myself, I have aimed to be just like my own mother - caring, supportive and compassionate and always being there for her children. With the sleepless nights, the running back and forth to Dr. appointments with my son, sharing all the milestones, the ups and downs with my children I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Mother's really do deserve an award for all that they do, don't they? Walmart Canada thinks so and is asking everyone to nominate a mother they know that deserves this recognition.

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Toys "R" Us Kids Day Event

The end of June is almost here and with that comes the end of school for kids across Canada. My children have been anxiously awaiting the beginning of summer! Toys "R" Us is celebrating the end of the school year with a first ever Kids Day! This Saturday, June 23rd visit a Toys "R" Us near you to enjoy a fun filled day for kids of All ages.

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Wordless Wednesday - Beauty on the Lake

While on vacation I took this photo. I have more great shots from our vacation to come.
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Wordless Wednesday - Strawberries!

~*Jennifer

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Marvelous Menu Plan Week of June 18-24,2012

This week is another week of early soccer games which means quick and easy dinners. Also with the heat we are trying to keep them cold or not in the oven long. Last week we tried to organize a small get together for a BBQ but we were not able to get it all planned as we would like, so this week we are going to have a nice BBQ dinner with the help of VH sauces. 

Monday – Chicken, rice and coleslaw

Tuesday – Mini meatloaves, potatoes and veggies

Wednesday – Cold Veggies Casserole (the weather man is calling for HOT weather)  

Thursday – VH BBQ dinner (post to follow along with a fun giveaway!)

Friday – Sheppard’s pie

Saturday – Hubby cooking

Sunday – Hubby cooking

Over the weekend I made Strawberry and Strawberry-Banana jam and will be posting about it very soon. This week I will be making something with Strawberries to use up the rest of our strawberries and then maybe take the kids out to pick more.

~*Jennifer

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Birthday Parties on a Budget

Now that my kids are school aged it seems that they have been invited to tons of parties between the both of them. Speaking of parties, they have two in the month of July! This can get quite costly especially if you have more than two parties in a month. I know my friend D who has 4 kids and I have talked about this a few times this past school year. Some of the things we have talked about were - What is a reasonable amount to spend on a child's party? Where can one find deals on toys that the kids will love?

If I know in advance I usually watch the flyers for sales. I will check out the clearance aisles/tables and I also check online. I have been a huge online shopper for years now and within the last couple years started using online coupons. It is very easy to save money online with coupons. Almost all the kids toy stores online have some sort of deal or online coupon available and this makes it very affordable to pick up gifts for family, friends or even your own children.

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Visitors

A few weeks ago I spotted a very pretty but very big Robin in our front yard, or at least I thought it was a few weeks ago. She was just hanging out in our front tree when I spotted her. I was telling my husband about her the other day saying I wonder if she had her babies near our house as it had been awhile since I saw her last.

Guess what?

The other day my son and I found one of her babies in our front yard. He/she was trying to fly but can't quite get up high enough to get back in the tree where the nest is. We are thinking he/she must have tried to fly or fell out of the nest. We looked for the nest and found it in the tree out front, up pretty high. It sounds like there may be another baby in it. Mommy Robin was flying around bringing food to the babies. We were outside with our puppy and our cat had already been outside. Our pup saw the bird who was on the ground and didn't run after it but our cat decided to get a bit closer until my son stepped in and took the cat inside. P saved the day.

I was able to get a couple photos of the bird in the tree but missed a great shot of mommy robin feeding her baby when he/she was on the ground. I was outside with the dog and couldn't get to my camera right away but sent P in to get it.

I will be keeping an eye out for the family and see if I can get a few more photos. P loved just hanging out in the yard watching and waiting for mommy robin to come back to her babies.

 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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My First Cupcake Decorating Book - Review

Last week I posted about the Died-and-gone-to-Heaven Chocolate layer cake I made for my son’s 6^th birthday. We also made cupcakes for him to take to school to celebrate with his class. He decided he wanted to make the cupcakes from scratch out of My First Cupcake Decorating Book by CICO Kids.

This book is geared for ages 7+ with 35 fun ideas for decorating cupcakes, cake pops, brownies cookies etc. It includes recipes for vanilla and chocolate cupcakes along with brownies, a couple cookies recipes and frosting.

I think once my children learn to read better they will love this book even more than they already do; they love all the photos. I love that it is big print, with big numbers for the steps and lots of pictures. It is a lot of fun for children to look through this book. Each “project” have simple straight forward steps (usually 6 or less, some are a bit more advanced).

My daughter has a list of cupcakes she would like to make from this book and I am sure we will be working on them over the summer. My son decided he didn’t want to do anything fancy with his cupcakes but wanted to use the chocolate recipe from the book, green icing and sprinkles.

 

We went to work on making the cupcakes and found it was very simple to make. We did use store bought icing and tinted it green with food coloring. Then P took some orange sprinkles and decorated 24 cupcakes for class. 

When P got home I asked him right away how everyone liked the cupcakes and he replied that everyone loved them and kept telling him thank you. I read P's communication book which said the same thing and that all the kids broke out into a Happy Birthday song! 

Check out Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. to find where to purchase My First Cupcake Decorating Book ($17.95 CAN)

~*Jennifer

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. We received the above book for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Adventures of Miss Molly

Molly is now 3 months old! In the last month I have really noticed her growing and have had a lot of comments from friends and neighbors on how big she has gotten. It has been an easy transition for her and our family. She loves to snuggle with us; this may have gotten out of hand when someone – I won’t name any names…hubby...let her sleep in our bed and now she always wants to be in our bed. Molly will cuddle up with the kids on the couch or even on my feet when I am at the kitchen table.

Molly and I would like to thank our friends at Iams for sending Molly a nice little surprise welcome package – a new dog food scoop, a green bone that attaches to her leash to hold bags and some tasty Iams food. The bone with bags comes in very handy, I think everyone that has a dog should have one of these. I am sure another post will come someday soon about poop and scoop but not today.

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Marvelous Menu Week of June 11-17th,2012

This week is going to be pretty busy one as hubby and I are taking some time away to celebrate our anniversary. Nanny will be staying with the kids this week and we will be keeping the menu plan very simple as we have lots of left overs in the fridge and it has been so warm over the last couple days. Almost too hot to cook in our house without central air.

Monday -  Tuna Casserole - this was a very quick throw together. Cook pasta, stir in mushroom soup (condensed) and add flaked tuna. Enjoy!

Tuesday - leftovers

Wednesday - Sandwiches

Thursday - BBQ sausages or Burgers

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Fish, Fries and salad

Sunday - Chicken casserole

What's on your menu?

~*Jennifer 

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Home Coffee Solutions

Coffeeeeee, let's talk about coffee today. I love coffee and if you have been reading my blog for awhile you have likely seen a post or two about coffee. What is your favorite drink - coffee, tea? Are you a flavored coffee drinker? I drink at least one coffee a day or more. I try to not drink more than two but with working overnights, sometimes I have two in a night. I love flavored coffee with caramel and vanilla being top on my list.

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Eccosave Mobile Car Wash #Toronto

With summer here and all the extra activities happening I know you are likely busier than ever. I know we are! All the extra driving to and from sports, camp and other summer activities adds tons of dust and mud to our vehicles.

How would a waterless car wash that uses eco-friendly, non- toxic products?  Would it be even better if it could come to you while you are at work or home taking care of other things? If you live in the Toronto area you can have all that with Eccosave Mobile Car Wash! They are the leading waterless car wash and detailing service in Canada!

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Died-and-Gone-to-Heaven Chocolate Layer Cake

Just last weekend we celebrate our sons 6th birthday! I was flipping through some of my recipe books looking for chocolate cake recipes as he said he would like a round chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Nothing fancy this year maybe some candles and sprinkles but it had to be a chocolate cake.

The first book I pulled out was The Looneyspoons Collection that we recently reviewed and there was a great looking to die for chocolate cake called Died-and-Gone-to-Heaven Chocolate Layer Cake, if you have the book it is on page 352.

This cake was very simple to make but really full of sugar! It is suppose to be a three layer cake but I decided to make it into two round two layer cakes - one for the party and one for us as a family cake. This worked out great and it went over well with everyone that ate some.

There is a frosting recipe with it but I will just be posting the cake portion as I iced with store bought icing - gasp! 

Died-and-Gone-to-Heaven Chocolate Layer Cake (source: The Looneyspoons Collection)

3 cups sugar
21/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp  salt
3 large eggs
11/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz unsweetened chocolate squares, melted and cooled slightly

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease & flour bottom and sides of three 9-inch round cake pans. 
• Combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, beat eggs on high speed of electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until they have thickened slightly and are lemon coloured. Add buttermilk, coffee, oil, vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix on low speed until well blended.
• Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on medium speed until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly among pans. 
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in centre of cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, peel off paper and cool completely before frosting.

~*Jennifer

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own. *~

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BEARPAW Flip Flop Review

Finally summer has arrived! I know I have said this a few times but I have been waiting for the sun, heat and beach time with my kids! It is finally here and I am excited to put on my flip flops and head to the beach. From the time it gets warm enough until it is just too cold for my toes I love flip flops (expect at work of course but I do wear them to and from work, haha).

Flip flops are so easy to slip on my feet and stay cool. They are great at the beach as they are easy to rinse off after your feet are full of sand. Have you seen the wedge flip flops? We can be very stylish in flip flops all summer long!

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Wordless Wednesday - Monster Bus Fun!

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Marvelous Menu Week of June 4-10,2012

This week is the beginning of a very busy two months ahead with soccer. The last couple summers my son has been playing soccer twice a week from June-August. This year my daughter is old enough to start playing soccer. This means 4 nights at the field a week! Some games are 6pm start time and some are 7pm. There are pros and cons to both start times of course.

The 6pm means a very rushed dinner especially with the kids still in school. This also means I can get a bit of sleep before heading into work. The 7pm start time means little or no sleep before work and not a rushed dinner. With this is mind I will be menu planning around game times and my work schedule.

Monday – Spaghetti and meat sauce

Tuesday – Pork chop & Rice skillet

Wednesday – Grilled Cheese and veggies

Thursday –Sheppard's pie

Friday – Homemade Pizza

Saturday – Hubby cooking – maybe BBQ steak, potatoes and veggies

Sunday – Hubby cooking 

What are you cooking this week? 

 

~*Jennifer 

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Celebrating 6!

This past weekend we celebrated our sons 6th birthday with a little gathering of his friends, lots of free play, presents, snacks and a chocolate cake.

Lots of prep went into the cake and cleaning the house, planning where to put all our animals as P said one of his friends was allergic but I found out just before the party that the little boy is afraid of dogs. We did bring out the BIG bunny as everyone wanted to see him and pet him.

I am really happy with everyone showing up that P invited. Usually that doesn't happen. I also let A invite a friend over so that she and her friend could play or do crafts and not feel left out when the boys played.

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Want to be Featured on Marvelous Mommy Meals?

I am excited to be adding a great new feature on Marvelous Mommy Meals! It will be called Fabulous Meal Friday. I know many of you have fabulous recipes that I am sure you would love to share with everyone!


I will be looking for Guest bloggers every Friday to feature a new meal idea,recipe or share a memory that is food related! You do not need to be a blogger to be featured. All you need is a recipe that is original or has been adapted 3 times with the original source link or book name. I am looking for summertime, slow cooker, 30 minute, quick, easy, kid friendly meals.

If you do not have a recipe but have great tips for summer and meals with the whole family in mind or share a family tradition/memory.

If you are interested in having your recipe featured please have it typed up in Word or Note pad send it to marvelousmommymeals@gmail.com along with photos.

~*Jennifer 

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post all opinions are honest and my own.*~

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The Young Birder's Guide - Book Review

Are you or your children bird watchers? Do you and your children want to learn more about the birds in your area? My family loves watching the birds that come to our feeder and we also love walking through hiking trails, looking at all the wild life.

The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of North America can help identify the birds around you. This book was written for young people to learn all about 300 of the most common birds in the United States and Canada. Written by Bill Thompson III, who is the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest and also Identifying and Feeding Birds, Humming Birds and Butterflies and Identify Yourself. Bill's own son and daughter along with their elementary school classes helped select the content in this great guide. It is Kid tested and approved!

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