From the bar to the patio; I simply love potato skins. These recipes go beyond the typical cheese and bacon; they are ‘fancy” and delicious!
Fully Loaded Reuben from Everyday Dishes
Gruyère and Chive from Crush Magazine
Peppers and Tomatoes from Red Sun Farms
Flatbreads are a great summertime snack. An alternative to the traditional pizza; with the chance to try out adventurous topping combinations and of course they are great for sharing. The ones I love to serve up to friends include the following…
Squash, Caramelized Onions, Sausage from Clean Eating
Brussel Sprouts and Bacon from Gimme Some Oven
Roasted Tomato, Corn and Zucchini from Blue Bowl Recipes
One of my favourite things about summertime is picking strawberries from the garden. In addition to being delicious, strawberries are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Today, I am sharing with you all the ways I love to enjoy them.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of thinly sliced red onion
9 oz bag of baby spinach
3 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup sliced and toasted almonds
Kraft Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
Directions
–Combine the first four ingredients together in a large bowl
-Drizzle with dressing; toss and serve immediately!
Most of the time I eat my lunch on the go; walking the halls on supervision, gulping it down during my prep or at “five minute break,” or I eat my lunch as a super early dinner at 4 when I get home because I didn’t have time to eat it during the day. I know none of these scenarios is ideal.
To be honest there is a lot of garbage convenience food out there. But as a “convenience food connoisseur” I know which ones taste the best!
One of my friends is expecting; which is super exciting, but she has been pretty unimpressed with the mocktails she has ordered lately. For her shower and other parties this spring, I set out to find some delicious (and easy to make) mocktails based on her favourite cocktails and these are the ones that have and will pass the test!
1. Stirred
“Stirred cocktails are spirit forward, boozy drinks that typically consist of a base spirit, a sweetener, and modifiers such as bitters, additional spirits, liqueurs, or fortified wines.”
Old Fashioned from veryobsessed.com
*Most non-alcoholic recipes call for bitters; however they contain trace amounts of alcohol; which is important to note; always check with your pregnant guests.
2. Shaken (Sours)
“Sours are shaken cocktails that are composed of something acidic, something sweet, and something strong.”
Margarita from acoupleofcooks.com
3. Highballs
“Highballs are called “long” drinks as they are usually a sour or stirred base that is lengthened by the addition of carbonated water…served in the iconic highball glass.”
Hurricane from Taste of Home
4. Flips, Fizzes, Swizzles, and Smashes
“A smash begins with muddled herbs and/or citrus, which are then shaken with a spirit and sweetener and served over crushed ice.”
Mojito from the beamingbaker.com
Cocktail definitions courtesy of Liber & Co
A friend of mine said that she was feeling, “rather fluffy” lately. She had tried a few weight loss programs and apps with little to no success. She had gotten an ad for Weight Watchers. We all know that when you have a support system / when you have a buddy doing a program, a course or whatever it may be, with you; everyone is more successful. So I signed up too! We have been doing it for about a month.
I have a long history with dieting and unhealthy eating habits and disordered eating. I have tried a million different things to lose weight or keep it down. But I must say I really like this program/app and I have made some much more positive food and health choices since using it. I haven’t weighed myself because I tend to fixate on the numbers and then develop some bad habits.
Why do I like WW?
-I like being rewarded for eating extra vegetables, drinking water, eating breakfast each day, exercise, etc
-Being points based rather than calorie based I am eating quality food rather than empty calories
-I like that it isn’t too restrictive; the zero points for favourites and fruits and veggies means that I can eat when I am hungry instead of starving myself. It really encourages smart food choices
-There are so many yummy recipes, pre-logged foods on the site I am not at a loss for food to eat
-My sleep pattern has gotten so much better since I have tracked it
-I drink at least 1750 mls of water a day; prior to starting WW I couldn’t remember the last time I had had water because I was drinking so much pop, juice and coffee
-Since I only have 23 points per day; I am really focused on not drinking my points so I basically don’t drink anymore
-You can also buy snack foods, equipment and other items to support your journey through the app
-Since WW is an established program there is so much support, tips, inspiration, recipes, out there online
Overall, this app has changed my mindset towards food; whether or not I drop weight, I feel better because I am treating my body much better.
I have found a TON of recipes that I absolutely love and I wanted to share them with you. If you are thinking about joining this is what you could be eating guilt free!
Breakfast
Everything Bagels (made with the 2 Ingredient Dough)
Avocado Toast
Blueberry Almond Oatmeal
No Sugar Added Blueberry Muffin
Snack
Fudgy Chocolate Cookies
Lunch
Tuscan Sausage & Bean Stew
Olive Garden Salad
Marinated Cucumber & Melon Salad
Quinoa Salad with Corn & Peppers
Greek Chicken Bowl
Dinner
Italian Sheet Pan Chicken
Hawaiian Sheet Pan Chicken
Chicken Sausage & Mushroom Pasta
Garlic Thyme Chicken with Cauliflower
One Pot Pasta with Cauliflower, Potatoes & Olives
Spent a wonderful weekend with my best girlfriends at the Hotel Macdonald. We spoiled ourselves and booked a room on the 8th floor –with access to the Gold Lounge and got a tour of the Queen Elizabeth Suite. I highly recommend staying here. The staff, the food, the room and amenities were incredible! Take a look at our adventure!…
We are staying in again this year –I have planned a romantic dinner for the two of us.
Starter
French Onion Soup
Main
Baked Pork Chops
Sides
Twice Baked Potatoes and Lemon Glazed Carrots
Dessert
Double Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Wine
Viognier
I have been known to eat interesting culinary concoctions that make my husband wince. I have found a few weird and wonderful recipes that even he enjoys. Here are my top three…
1. Apple Dumplings courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
–>Whoever would have thought that Mountain Dew + Pillsbury Crescent Rolls + Apples = Heaven; certainly not me –but it does!
2. Strange But True Casserole courtesy of Grey Eyes on allrecipes.com
–>I stumbled upon this during a cold snap; I wanted a warm comforting dish and I was tired of all my other casserole recipes.
3. Bacon, orange marmalade & avocado sandwich with everything bagel seasoning on rye bread.
–>I’m always experimenting with sandwich fillings; I love sandwiches, I could eat them morning, noon and night. This combo is sweet, salty and satisfying.
1. Traditional
*Having a paternal English grandmother meant that a trifle was always on the menu for dessert at family gatherings! I unfortunately never had a chance to get the recipe, however, this one from allrecipes.com, comes extremely close.
2. Taste of Home Trifle
*Valerie Bertinelli isn’t the only one who LOVES lemon, I do too! This recipe has a bright, fresh springtime vibe.
3. Chocolate Lovers
*Swapping sponge cake for brownies and fruit for candy bar bites makes this version oh so decadent!