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How to Make the Perfect Cheese Plate (+ a Giveaway with Canadian Cheeses!)

Loblaws - Cheese Awards Giveaway

Anyone who knows my home life, knows that I really can't cook anything worth bragging about. In fact, for my recent mother's day card, Max said that his mother was "26 years old" and the thing that his mother cooks best is "macaroni and cheese." (I love this kid. He also noted my love for napping and books. He totally "gets" me.) And when you can't cook, you get sneaky around other women who can totally cook beautiful things. Like, when you're … [Read more...]

Six Recipes for Peanut-Free, Make-Ahead School Snacks

6 Recipes for Make-Ahead Lunch Snacks

Okay, now that I've shared my picks for litterless lunch containers and kits, I think I need to share some recipes for what to put in them! So I've rounded-up recipes from my blogging friends for items that are peanut-free and freezable for school lunches. Enjoy! (And come back and let me know which ones you tried!) Granola Bars We all know granola bars are one of the handiest and easiest things to grab for a lunch ... but what about the … [Read more...]

Cauliflower (without cream and cheesy goodness). It’s a Thing. A Yummy Thing.

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Winter makes us crave comfort food, doesn't it? For me, I think about mac & cheese, warm bread and butter, and yes, cauliflower. You know what kind of cauliflower I mean, right? The kind with all sorts of cream and cheese and 10,000 calories. Mmmm ... So, with a craving desperate enough (it's gotta be desperate if I'm going to cook!), I sought out a recipe for cauliflower. And yes, all sorts of yummy, delicious ones popped up. But also … [Read more...]

Chefx: Cool New Ottawa Service That Will Make A Chef Outta Ya!

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A = I like shopping local. It feels good to me. Same for eating locally grown food. B = I don't enjoy cooking. Hubby does; but he knows first-hand that it gets tedious to feed a family every night. A + B = Chefx Here's how it works, according to the Chefx website: "Each week, local chefs plan creative, seasonally-inspired recipes our partner farmers and producers supply the finest locally available ingredients; our kitchen team … [Read more...]

Celebrating the Chinese New Year: Beef, Broccoli & Shiitake Mushroom Stirfry

beef and broccoli stirfry

I went shopping to create a meal to celebrate Chinese New Year as part of my membership with the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community. And yes, I was paid to do this. I hope you like the post I wrote as a result! #CollectiveBias #shop #cbias As you could probably plainly tell from my post on the Christmas Holidays, I am missing the holiday season. So I thought that celebrating the Chinese New Year would be a perfect excuse to help our … [Read more...]

Peanut-Free Cookie Recipes (Yummy!)

Whitewater Cooks Chocolate Chip Cookie logo (1)

I'm not sure why, but lately I feel like baking cookies. And I don't want to bake cookies that I can't include in my kids' lunches, so I was browsing about looking for peanut-free cookie recipes when the most obvious thing occurred to me: "Ask my baking-savvy blogging buddies!" But it seemed selfish not to share all this yummy goodness with you. So, here, my friends are some fabulous recipes for you to bookmark. … [Read more...]

Easy Appetizers: Bocconcini with fresh basil and tomato

bocconcini cheese

This easy appetizer is a new favourite of mine because it's light and doesn't leave you feeling all full before a meal. What you'll need: 1. Bocconcini balls 2. Cherry tomatoes 3. Fresh basil 4. Toothpicks 5. Balsamic vinegar What to do: Cut a bocconcini ball in half and slip it on the toothpick. Follow that with a full cherry tomato and then some fresh basil. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top, and if you like, … [Read more...]

Easy Chilaquiles Recipe

easy chilaquiles

It's no secret that I am fairly pathetic in the kitchen. I once ran a series on dinner recipes that required only four ingredients, and it was only last year that I baked muffins for the first time. So when Kerrie from Family Food and Travel offered to share a recipe for all of you, I was very excited. But I was even more excited to read the recipe and realize that it is a Mexican favourite from her husband! (Oh, how I love Mexican … [Read more...]

Easy Summer Salad: Broccoli Coleslaw and Ramen Noodles

broccoli coleslaw salad

When I shared the recipe for the Orzo salad, I promised I would also share this easy summer salad with you as well. This one was actually even easier and quicker to make. 10 minutes, I swear. I definitely wouldn't count ramen noodles in the "healthy basket" but they add great crunch to the salad and heh, it's full of broccoli, so how bad can you go wrong? … [Read more...]

Easy Summer Salad: Orzo with Baby Spinach, Feta & Pinenuts

orzo pasta salad

So, listen, it's been almost a full year since I shared the Cold Quinoa Salad recipe with you. Since then, I have circulated this one salad in my repertoire so many times in the last year that even I'm sick of it! On Tuesday of this week, Hubby and I had my parents over for a belated Mother's Day and early Father's Day celebration and I decided to try out not one but two (!) new salad recipes. To everyone's mighty surprise, they both turned … [Read more...]