Canada's Baking and Sweets Show & Celebrity Pastry Chef Christian Faure M.O.F.

Did you know Canada..  this past weekend was the Canada's Baking and Sweets Show at the Toronto Congress Center.  The highlight of the show was watching Award-winning Chef Christian Faure M.O.F. create an impressive Alice in Wonderland edible sculpture.

The sculpting began Friday September 27, 2013..

And by the end of Day 2, the progress on the Alice in Wonderland Sculpture Saturday, September 28, 2013..

Behold the completed Alice in Wonderland edible sculpture, a masterpiece!

At the show, Christian Faure M.O.F. also announced  the opening of Maison Christian Faure, the first international school in Canada for professionals interested in a career in the pastry arts. With only 10 students per class, this small, focused and hands-on approach to teaching will offer its first 6-month, 600-hour program, beginning November 1, 2013 in Montreal.

The 6-month program will concentrate on practicing and perfecting techniques needed to become a successful pastry chef.  Each day there will be 2½ hours of demonstration followed by 3½ hours of hands-on work.   The course curriculum will include Breads and Viennoiseries; the Art of Chocolate; Desserts and Cakes for Special Occasions; Ice Cream and Cocktail pastries and Sugar Work, with the preparation of the final masterpiece to be displayed at graduation.   Six special guest chefs, all holding the title of M.O.F. (Meilleur Ouvrier de France or Best Craftsman of France), will make appearances throughout the program.

Enroll online or by email registrar@christianfaure.ca.   Maison Christian Faure will also offer evening and weekend courses for serious amateurs and there will be Saturday courses throughout the year for “Little Bakers” and their parents.  Summer courses will be available for all.

You may already know Chef Christian Faure M.O.F. has an impressive list of achievements and awards with the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France), being the ultimate recognition.  He was awarded “Best Pastry Chef in the World” by the American “Hospitality & Sciences” Academy, he has worked for the Prince of Monaco, in the palaces of several Arabian princes, in the VIP Olympic Villages of Salt Lake City and Vancouver and recently competed and won in the "Sugar Dome" competition on the Food Network.

An exciting weekend and fantastic news to learn of the opening of Maison Christian Faure in the heart of old Montreal in a 300-year old historic building that has been entirely refurbished.  You may not be a chef, but if you are in the neighbourhood be sure to stop by to visit a wonderful Snacking Café and Parlour, Boutique and Pastry Shop on the ground floor where you can buy croissants, brioches, pastries and much more!

M&M Meat Shops’ National Family Dinner Night

Did you know Canada..  On Thursday, September 19, 2013, M&M Meat Shops will once again step up to the plate and encourage Canadians to enjoy the tradition of the family dinner.

Did you know a recent national study completed for M&M Meat Shops reveals that fewer families than ever before are making family meal time part of their daily lives. Nearly 10 per cent of Canadians say that they never have dinner with their partner or their family, and fewer than 40 per cent sit down with their family for a daily meal!

At our house we do have dinner together *nearly* every night, but I can see as the boys get older and get even more involved in sports and activities, sometimes it's really hard to get together BUT it's so important.

This year, in addition to encouraging everyone to enjoy a family meal, M&M Meat Shops is challenging Canadians to share their own family-favourite recipes that feature M&M Meat Shops’ products.

From September 13 to October 11, 2013, Canadians can submit their recipes on the M&M Meat Shops Facebook page to be entered for a chance to win 1 of 3 prizes of a $100 M&M Gift Card. Winners will be selected by a panel of M&M food and recipe experts and the winning recipes will be featured on www.mmmeatshops.com.

One of our favourite dinners is fajita night using M&M Meat Shops Grilled Chicken Breast Slices.  I love that the chicken comes in a resealable bag so I only use as much as we will eat that night (unless we want leftovers!) and I love that the chicken pieces are never stuck together because I like mine different from the rest of the family.

So I get out 2 pans, start frying onions and sliced peppers in both, add the frozen chicken breast slices and heat.  Then in my pan I add chopped chipotle peppers (seeds removed) in adobe sauce, in the other pan I add fajita spice.  Serve on tortillas, I like to add sour cream too - delish, everyone is happy and we can all sit down and chat while we eat.

With only 33 per cent of Canadians aged 18-34 regularly take part in a family dinner night and almost 80 per cent of survey respondents indicated that a less busy schedule would help them better enjoy family dinners it's time to make quick, easy and delicious meals so you can get to the table!  In fact, shopping at M&M Meat Shops means you can be in and out of the store in 10 minutes or less.

Head to M&M Meat Shops and participate in the Ninth Annual National Family Dinner Night on September 19, 2013!

#bioSnackySprouts Recipe and Twitter Party News!

Did you know Canada..  we told you we were in a sprouting challenge, growing with #bioSnackySprouts and now I have a couple yummy recipes to share that we've made, and some party news!

For a quick, but tasty and healthy lunch, I used Little Radish Sprouts on top of a toasted plain cheese bagel for tasty results!  The Little Radish Sprouts add a spicy kick, they REALLY do taste like radishes!

For a great dinner the whole family will love I cooked chopped chicken breast in a wok with hoisin sauce, added onions, corn, Mung Bean Sprouts.  Then cooked rice and Little Radish Sprouts and green onions to top it off.  It was DELISH, and guess what, even the KIDS enjoyed it!

The whole family can enjoy sprouts on a daily basis when you grow your own!  The kids will even be willing to have a taste since they are proud of their accomplishments with growing them from seed.

You may even with your own sprouter July 2nd if you join us for the #bioSnackySprouts Twitter Party!!

Be sure to follow your hosts before the event -
@AVogel_ca
@NaturallySavvy
@AndreaDonsky

When: Tuesday July 2, 2013 9pm EST 6pm PST

Hashtag: #bioSnackySprouts

Prizes:

3 lucky winners will get a 3-tier bioSnacky sprouter with a bioSnacky Organic Sprouting Seed Assortment

PLUS 2 lucky winners will get a bioSnacky Sprouting Jar with a bioSnacky Organic Sprouting Seed Assortment

Twitter party prizing is open to Canadians only - we will see you there!

Xyla® Xylitol Products Review - Eating Sweet Without Guilt

Did you know Canada..  How much do you know about Xyla® xylitol? It is interesting that I used it for almost two years.  But only recently did I have an opportunity to learn much more about its background and benefits. Xyla® 100% natural xylitol is a white crystalline granule that looks and tastes like sugar.  It is made from hardwood trees exclusively in North America, great to know that Xyla® xylitol has been approved by Health Canada and produced under the highest manufacturing standards.

When I was first introduced to xylitol by a family member, the explanation was simple it is sugar just produced differently and the final convincing point mentioned was that it is used by people with diabetes. I remember how my uncle suffered from diabetes and had to follow a strict diet a long time ago. Now my mom-in-law continues to call xylitol “Healthy Sugar” and there are many reasons why.  

“Xyla® is a healthy sugar alternative,” says Julie Reid, Director of Sales, Xylitol Canada.  “It has an enormous list of benefits and can be used everywhere sugar is used: in our coffee, jams, pies and cakes and has been used in Europe and many other countries for years.”  Xyla® has 40% less calories than sugar and 75% less carbohydrates, so it’s slowly metabolized.  I learned that xylitol has multiple benefits including maintaining hormonal balance, reducing hot flashes, symptoms of PMS and depression; it also inhibits harmful yeast and prevents osteoporosis and middle-ear infections. If you love sweets, you should definitely switch to Xyla® as it contributes significantly to oral health by preventing plaque and dental cavities.  

I use Xyla® xylitol (I buy a 1lb bag) mostly for preparing hot cereal in the morning. So when I received my gift box which included 2 lb. canister, box of 100 sachets and candies, I was impressed with the varieties of Xyla® xylitol products we have right now on the Canadian market: bags, canisters, box of 100 sachets (great for tea and coffee), Xyla® gum, mints, candy, chocolate, lollipops, jam and various condiments. For my review I started using sachets for my tea and coffee (and I drink quite a lot adding spoons of sugar).  What I first noticed was that I stopped having the after taste I usually have and did not feel any bloating after eating.  I gave grape candies to my family members, and they liked them so much especially when there are so many flavours to choose from: raspberry, watermelon, grape, licorice etc.

It is amazing to find out that celebrities who want to look good, stay in a shape and just be healthy also started switching to xylitol as a healthy sugar alternative, for example Laila Ali adds 1 tablespoon of her go-to sugar substitute, xylitol to her breakfast and fabulous Gwyneth Paltrow uses xylitol in her latest cookbook, It’s All Good (by the way I like her recipe Sweet potato & five-spice muffins).

In Canada Xyla® xylitol can be purchased online http://store.xylitolcanada.com/; at Whole Foods (Xyla® mints); London Drugs, Bulk Barn; Choices Market; and at http://www.xylitolcanada.com/store-listing/

For more information please check Xyla® xylitol web site: http://store.xylitolcanada.com/

Faniya

Teddy Out-Ready

MarcAngelo Foods & The Great Grocery Giveaway

Did you know Canada..  MarcAngelo Foods has recently launched a fun year long contest - The Great Grocery Giveaway!

Check out MarcAngelo Foods Facebook page for The Great Grocery Giveaway app - it's a fun and quick scratch card game, you reveal prizes like instant daily wins of coupons and bonus ballots, match 3 and you could win instantly!  There's a $5 MarcAngelo Coupon, a chance at 10 bonus ballots into the Grand Prize Draw or 3 bonus ballots into the Grand Prize Draw.

There's also weekly prize draws of $200 pre-paid grocery cards, and a Grand Prize draw of Groceries for a Year, valued at $10 000!!  Thousand of Prizes are still available to be won!

MarcAngelo Foods say We set out to make it easy for Canadian families to experience the authentic tastes of the Mediterranean. From our traditions to your table in minutes: that's MarcAngelo.

We are big fans of their sausages and stuffing bites, that's not all they have either.  There's also burgers, roasts, chicken strips, steaks and kabobs in their product line up! Many of their sausages are gluten-free certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Program (GFCP) - just look for the GFCP trademark on packages. Many other MarcAngelo products are also safe for those with Celiac disease and other gluten intolerances.

Their kabobs look fantastic, I think we might be trying those on the bbq for the May 2-4 weekend!

Can you even imagine what a relief it would be to receive groceries for an entire year!  Well we have a fun giveaway for a little relief, enter below for your chance to win a $50 MarcAngelo Foods pre-paid grocery card!  Good luck Canada!

Giveaway

We tried a new dish with #CavendishFromTheFarm

Did you know Canada..  with our new baby on the way NEXT WEEK, I've been sending hubby and the kids to the grocery store, which means instead of wandering around and deciding my menu on the fly I've had to pre-plan everything.  Hubby is a great shopper, but he ONLY gets what's on the list, drives me nuts..haha..  So it's been a challenge to come up with some fun meals without looking around the store first.

Thankfully this past week I became a Cavendish From the Farm blogger, which introduced us to their 3 products - Cavendish From the Farm Wedges, Rustic Reds and Straight Cut potatoes.  Low in saturated fat, prepared with the skin on and are made with 100% canola oil and lightly seasoned with sea salt, they were a perfect addition to meal times.

Hubby had no problem finding the Farm Wedges and Rustic Reds at our local Real Canadian Super Store.

Instead of just a side dish we decided to try a main dish with the Rustic Reds, a potato casserole!

First we added a whole bag of Rustic Reds to a casserole dish.

Drizzled a little bit of olive oil over top and popped them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

While they were heating up I cut up a chicken breast, topped with salt, pepper and garlic powder and cooked it up.

Removed the potatoes from the oven, added about 1/4C of hot sauce to the potatoes, mixed well, added the cooked chicken, shredded cheese and a bit of green onion.

Popped it back in the oven for another 20 minutes and served, so good!  Even the kids, MY KIDS, loved it!!

Later this week we are thinking about making poutine with the Farm Wedges.

2 great ways to change up our dinners, easy to plan ahead even when you are off grocery duty and the kids loved them!!  I can think of so many more ways to change up a potato casserole with the rustic reds, the wedges and straight cuts are great side dishes on their own or easy to dress up.

Best of all - they are Canadian!!  Harvested exclusively from the rich red soil of PEI, they carefully select only the most delicious, premium potatoes for the Cavendish From the Farm line up.  The kids already heard my stories about our family vacations to PEI in my youth, such a beautiful place, I hope I can bring my own kids there some day.

Disclosure – I am participating in the From the Farm blog tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Cavendish. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Snack Pack #NoTradesies

Did you know Canada..  I don't know about you, but I was happy to see the kiddos back to school this week.  We only go every other day so we get lots of together time but the break is also good for all of us.  One thing I *really* don't like about school though - lunch!

No matter what awesome lunch I make, or what terrible leftovers they get on a Friday, they hardly ever eat ANY of it!  So I was so excited to be part of the Snack Pack “No Tradesies” Blog Tour, and try to bring some fun back into lunch time!

We did a few taste tests to ensure this lunch was good to go.  First we made sandwiches with really fun Lunch Punch Sandwich Cutters.  I always wanted to get these but never ended up happening.  So glad to have them now because it made a huge difference to the boys!  We cut off the crusts anyways, so there was no loss of sandwhich, and now every time we make a sandwich they get to pick which shape they want - love to see them involved in the process!

Next we tried some Snack Pack's, this guys fav was the dessert flavour - Ice Cream Sandwich!  Not only spoonable, snackable and portably delicious, Snack Pack pudding is made with skim milk and have no preservatives or trans-fats - perfect for our kiddos!  We also tried the Lemon Meringue Pie and Vanilla, all tasty.  He loved using the smiley face spoon we received, much better than the plastic spoons I often sent to school - now Mom knows better!  Make sure you follow Snack Pack on Facebook for new flavours and awesome lunch tips and ideas!

We also received a mini portable travel speaker that works so well!  Mom and Dad have their eye on this one..haha..  I think this will be perfect in the summer at the beach and park.  We also love the cooler bag and leak-proof, compartmentalized food containers - my guys hate it when one food touches another, so these are perfect for keeping food separate  and keeping things like damp grapes and strawberries away from a dry sandwich or crackers.

We got some great tips from Snack Pack on how to make the best "No Tradesies" lunch too..

• * Can’t get your kids to eat their fruit? Adding Snack Pack to the mix turns fruit into a tasty, dip-able adventure. Try the Caramel Apple, all it takes is some apple slices and a Toffee Caramel pudding
• * Sandwich Shape-up: Even a favourite sandwich can seem boring and routine when it shows up in the lunchbox day after day. Keep things interesting and kids engaged by breaking out the cookie cutters and cutting the sandwiches into fun shapes.
• * Kebab it up: skewering some bite-sized veggies on a kebab with a side of veggie dip is a different and fun way to make sure veggies are not coming home at the end of the day.
• * Utensils are key: let your kids pick out their utensils, napkins and lunchboxes. They definitely won’t be reaching for the aluminum, and giving them a say means they will take pride in their lunch pack. Have bright, colourful spoons on hand so kids can choose whether it’s a yellow, blue or orange kind of day!

Thanks to Snack Pack lunch has been a much better experience for everyone this week and I'm more confident in providing my guys with fun and healthy meals!

We are so excited to share a Snack Pack “No Tradesies” prize pack with one of our Canadians readers! The prize pack contains two delicious flavours of Snack Pack pudding, Lunch Punch Sandwich Cutters, Happy Spoons, a mini portable travel speaker and a tote-able lunch bag consisting of a cooler bag and four leak-proof, compartmentalized food container, a $50 value.

Giveaway

Contest Alert - Boston Pizza!

Did you know Canada..  Boston Pizza has an AWESOME promotion going on right now, enter here for your chance to win a $200 gift card!

Be quick as it ends December 14th.  Perfect to use this Holiday Season with busy days and nights, you can take the whole family out for a surprise dinner or order in a big meal for family & friends.

Make sure you share with your network via twitter and email for more chances to win!  Each time a person enters using your link, you get another ballot in the draw!

Good luck Canada, I know my hubby would be dreaming about a philly cheese from Boston Pizza right now, what's your favourite dish??

Impressive Holiday Gifts are a Snap with Kellogg’s Rice Krispies

Did you know Canada..  we had some fun this weekend decorating some Kellogg’s Rice Krispies for the Holidays.  This Holiday season Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal teams up with Lisa Sanguedolce, a top Canadian cake decorator to create a dazzling gift idea on a tiny budget! Lisa’s signature Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal Holiday Ornament is new for Holiday 2012 and puts a fancy twist on everyone’s favourite – the classic Rice Krispies square!

This project requires just a few ingredients, a little bit of time, and a dash of love!  Don't get nervous from the picture (I was!) it actually went really smoothly and we had a ton of fun!

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Holiday Ornament Instructions

For an impressive holiday gift idea this season, try making the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Holiday Ornament. It’s a great way to spend quality time with kids, and because it’s no-bake, it’s a snap to make. A thoughtful gift for friends, teachers, baby sitters or anyone on your list!

What You’ll Need
·         6 cups (1.5 litre) Kellogg’s* Rice Krispies *  cereal
·         250g (1 pkg) Marshmallows
·         1/4cup (50ml) Butter or Margarine
·         2ml (1/2 tsp) Vanilla extract
·         Red licorice string
·         Red and white fondant and silver dragees, available at cake decorating supply shops, crafting or grocery stores
·         Ruler, bamboo skewer, pizza cutter, rolling pin and paint brush
·         Wrapping: cello bags, ribbon, and mini decorative bulbs – available at local crafting stores

Make the Rice Krispies Base
1.    In a large microwave safe bowl, heat margarine and marshmallows at HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes or do it on the stove

2.    Stir in vanilla. Stir in Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal until well coated. Allow mixture to cool slightly; form into shape

Shape the Ornament
1.    Form Kellogg’s  Rice Krispies cereal mixture into half balls, leaving space in the centre
2.    Poke a small hole in a piece of fondant with bamboo skewer and thread with your red licorice to make the loop for hanging
3.    Place the loop inside the ball and add more Kellogg’s Rice Krispies mixture to close the ball around the licorice so the loop sticks out; add more mixture as needed and mold with hands into ball shape

Decorate!

1.    Roll fondant into a sheet using a rolling pin
2.    With a ruler and pizza cutter, cut fondant into long strips; place onto ornament working your way around, cutting  any excess
3.    Use a very small cookie cutter decorating tool to cut out fun shapes from the fondant
4.    Dip the paint brush in some water and brush onto the fondant; sprinkle on silver dragees  
5.    Once complete; package the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies ornament in a cellophane bag, add the ribbon and the mini decorative bulbs for the perfect holiday gift!

We made one for Santa for our Elf on the Shelf to take back to the North Pole with him. :-)  We will be making these for friends and neighbours as well, what a beautiful gift!  The kids really enjoyed this project and it honestly was not hard to do at all, now I have great ideas for future Kellogg’s Rice Krispies projects!

Thanksgiving in Canada

Did you know Canada..  it's Thanksgiving weekend!  A weekend to spend with family, maybe draw some secret Santa names for Christmas, get a last romp in the backyard, and eat massive amounts of food - what could be better!

Canadian Thanksgiving happens on the second Monday in October, and officially is the Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season.

It was on Thursday, January 31, 1957, that the Canadian Parliament proclaimed:
“A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.”

In it's history our First Nations always celebrated the close of the harvest, thanks to Wikipedia I also learned..

Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day was observed every year, but the date was initially a Thursday in November. The date of celebration changed several times until, in 1957, it was officially declared to be the second Monday in October. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed each year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In its early years it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary.

After World War I, an amendment to the Armistice Day Act established that Armistice Day and Thanksgiving would both be celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred, starting in 1921. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day. From 1931 to 1957, the date was set by proclamation, generally falling on the second Monday in October, except for 1935, when it was moved due to a general election. In 1957, Thanksgiving was permanently set to be the second Monday in October.

It might have snuck up on us a little early this year, especially with the warm weather some of Canada is still enjoying, but I for one am very thankful.  I am also going to be remembering how thankful I am for my husband, children (including our new baby on the way), our home, and the fact that we can enjoy a meal with the people we love.

What are you thankful for??

Wholly Guacamole!

Did you know Canada.. Thanksgiving is coming up QUICK!!! It sure snuck up this year, we just got over summer! But turkey waits for no man, so we better get planning.

This year we are adding a tasty twist to our Thanksgiving meal and serving Wholly Guacamole's Chilled Avacado Soup as a starter. A cool dish before we dig into the hot turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and more.  Perfect during a huge meal too, because it doesn't take up a burner, and there's definitely now room in the oven, plus you can make ahead of time!

I made this soup for lunch this week to try it out, we skipped the Jalapeno this time as I didn't have any on hand, I think it's going to be yummy with or without it!

Be sure to have some extra guac and salsa on hand to serve with chips while everyone chats while the big meal is cooking too!  Click here to receive a Wholly Guacamole Canadian coupon!

Are you introducing any new dishes to your Thanksgiving meal??

Check out what a couple other Canadian Bloggers are serving up for Thanksgiving this year:
Tales of the Ranting Ginger
Maple Leaf Mommy

We have a great surprise for our readers!  Wholly Guacamole is going to have one lucky winner covered for an entire year - think of all the new dishes you can try!  Enter below for your chance to win FREE Guac for a year and some Wholly Guacamole swag!!  We also have FIVE runner up prizes of 3 free coupons and Wholly Guacamole swag!

Good Luck Canada!!

Giveaway

Apple Picking (or lack there of)

Did you know Canada..  you might remember back in May when we posted:


Did you know Canada.. some sad news going around Southern Ontario. With our unusually warm weather in March followed by cold April nights there has been devastating losses to farmers in Southern Ontario. Most apple farmers have lost almost their entire crop of apples for the season. As we've mentioned before Ontario is Canada's largest apple producer and an industry that is worth up $400 million in Ontario.

Environment Canada refers to this spring as one that has produced four seasons in one - I suffered the same thing in my garden. The warm weather had trees and flowers budding and blooms and the below freezing April nights killed them all off.

It's not going to be a happy fall season in Southern Ontario this year!

Well it has come to pass, MANY apple orchards across Southern Ontario have NO apples.  I've called around to a few local orcahrds, hoping to take the kiddos out picking this weekend and there are either absolutely no apples, or only a very minimal amount available.  I'm quiet sad about this, it's been a family tradition for years, we've been taking the boys since they were only two months old!

Ontario is Canada's largest apple producer and the McIntosh, which is the only variety grown in all apple-growing regions of Canada, makes up half of all Canadian apple production.  Apples are also Canada's largest fruit crop in terms of weight of food produced - so this is big (sad and frustrating) news in Canada!

Fun dinner time with #VHExcitement

Did you know Canada..  we received a fun package from VH with a few sauces to perk up dinner time, a fun toy for the boys and a really cool Creating Kirigami book!

With our VH sauces we got Korean BBQ sauce, Soya sauce and Butter Chicken sauce, perfect for making so many dishes.  I am a big fan of VH Sauces, like their Plum and Sweet and Sour dipping sauces, Soya, Teriyaki cooking sauce and more.  I have also introduced many friends and family to their Hoisin stir-fry sauce, it's a huge favourite around here.

 This was the first time trying their Korean BBQ sauce, I thought it would be very spicy; it is a little spicy, but more in a tangy way, I love it!

Along with the fantastic package, VH sent along a couple recipes, we used their Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps recipe as a starter to make BBQ Pork Tenderloin (by the way, I have never bbq'd pork tenderloin, I always put it in the oven, you MUST try it on the bbq, amazing!!).  We didn't wrap in lettuce, as the kids are not big on "salad" as they call it, instead we enjoyed it with mashed potatoes and corn.

We sliced the tenderloin into 4 pieces, piercing the strips all over with a fork, placed in a freezer bag and added this marinade:

1C VH Korean BBQ Sauce
2T VH Soya Sauce
2T lime juice

Marinate for at least one hour, up to 24.

Use Pam Grilling Spray (hubby's new fav tool for the bbq by the way) on the cold grill, (make sure the kids have something to play with like the fun mini OgoSport disks we received) heat to medium-high and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through.  You can also baste the meat with more VH Korean BBQ while grilling.

From here you can slice the meat and serve in a lettuce wrap with cooked rice, grated carrot, green onion and thinly sliced cucumber; or serve with any side dish of your choice.

Thanks so much to VH for introducing us to one of our new favourite sauces, I'm dreaming of so many ways to use it now!  Visit the VH Facebook page for more meal ideas and great tips for adding excitement to your dinner time!

We are also passing the #VHExcitement to another Canadian blogger, stay tuned to Maple Leaf Mommy for more fun dinner ideas!!  Maple Leaf Mommy is a great Canadian resource for product info, giveaways, and I love reading about her family life as her G-Girls keep her on her toes. ;-)

We also have a treat for our readers!  Enter below for your chance to win a grocery gift card and VH sauces (ARV approximately $25).  Good luck Canada!!

Giveaway

What's Your Burger Personality?

Did you know Canada.. Canadian Beef wants to know, What's Your Burger Personality?

Are you Hot & Spicy with hot sauce, hot peppers and a fire extinguisher on the side?

Or are you The Californian, with avacado, cirtus mayo and a fancy bun?

I'm Old School, I like mustard and onions, maybe a little bit of ketchup. This has been my burger topping of choice since I was a kid.

It's so funny to go to a burger place and place and order for me and hubby, I'm a two topping girl and then when hubby's burger comes up he gets every topping they offer (except relish). I always get nervous when ordering his burgers, thinking I will forget something..haha..  And then the kids, they are plain all the way, and everyone always says, plain?  are you sure??  haha.. very sure.  They do like ketchup on the side but even mention mustard to them and you'd think they've been poisoned!

Head over to the Canadian Beef Facebook Page, and find out what your Burger Personality is!

We have some exciting news as well! Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 7th at 7pm EST join the #LoveCDNBeef Twitter party hosted by @CanadianBeef and @ShesConnected!

RSVP on the Canadian Beef Facebook Page, join the party, and you could win a $500 Burger Prize Pack!!!!

See you there and Good Luck!!

So Good

Did you know Canada..  So Good is Canada’s leading soy beverage brand.  100% lactose free and a perfect alternative to milk, it's also 100% free of cholesterol and low in saturated fat!

Coming in a wide range of flavours, we picked up a couple to try this week.  We held a taste test with the boys, Offering both Vanilla and Chocolate.  They had lots of fun with this and I'm happy to report BOTH are a huge hit here, though, as with most little boys, chocolate is the #1 favourite. :-)

As a Mom, I think this is great for my boys, as not are they getting all the nutrients they need, each serving also contains 6 grams of soy protein. For my picky eater this is a great way to get some protein and fill him up so we're not always looking for snack food.

Not only does the So Good beverage come in yummy flavours like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, they now also have a selection of frozen desserts!!

A fantastic dairy alternative to ice cream, and coming in 3 delicious flavours: Chocolate Supreme, Creamy Vanilla and what I think would be my fav, Butterscotch Swirl.

We are so happy to support this Canadian company and we have a new favourite in the house for sure.  I'll be checking out their recipe section too, I honestly wasn't sure if Soy beverages could be easily used in recipes, now I know, yes, they can!

Follow So Good on Facebook to keep up to date on products and promotions.

We are really excited to share a giveaway with our Canadian readers as well!  Enter below for your chance to win $50 in So Good vouchers!!

Giveaway

Harvest from Home

Did you know Canada..   from June through October, Metro stores have Ontarians covered with their annual Harvest from Home program!  During Harvest from Home, Metro purchases food from more than 100 farms across Ontario, providing its customers with a wide variety of the freshest most delicious produce.  Proudly supporting local farmers and the economy, Metro brings a new meaning to eating close to home!

This is AWESOME!  We've talked many times about the importance of supporting your local farmers, hitting up the farmers markets, and now you can make one trip to the grocery store and know you are indeed supporting Ontario's farmers and eating fresh food.  To celebrate we've cooked up one of metro's fantastic recipes, picking up all our fresh ingredients at our local Metro.

My little helper and I tried out the Lemon Blueberry California Walnut Bread, which the kids loved, I loved, Gramma loved, it's delicious!  Fresh blueberries and lemons make all the difference too.


Recipe ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) chopped California walnuts
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. (10 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) baking soda
1/4 tsp. (1 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup (175 mL) buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) canola oil
1 cup (250 mL) fresh blueberries
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) fresh lemon juice

Preparation
In dry skillet, toast walnuts over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes.

In large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. In medium bowl, combine sugar, lemon zest, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, melted butter and oil. Whisk just to combine.

Make a well in centre of dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients and mix gently just to combine; do not over-mix. Gently fold in walnuts and blueberries. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan. Bake at 350F (180C) for 55 to 60 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool on rack for 20 minutes; remove from pan, cool to room temperature.

Combine 3 Tbsp. sugar and lemon juice in small saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat then cook, stirring until sugar dissolves. Brush glaze over cake while still warm.

See how it went for us..

Good thing I picked up extra blueberries as my little helped was eating them all!

We got all our ingredients together..

stirred everything up..

ended up with some yummy smelling batter..

drooled over it as it came out of the oven..

and finished it off with a tasty, lemon glaze..

it looks amazing..

and as you can see, everyone thought it tasted pretty darn good too..

Be sure to check out Metro's website for more fresh tasting recipes!

We are SO EXCITED to share this recipe with one of our readers too!!  One lucky reader will win a basket full of the dry goods to make this recipe, plus a Metro giftcard to pick up the fresh ingredients.  Open to Ontario Only.

Giveaway