maple leaf foods

Come Join in the @MapleLeafPrime #BreakUpWithGroundBeef Twitter Party May 15, 9pm EST

May 8, 2013 by Kathryn 16 Comments

I love a big juicy burger. In fact, homemade burgers fresh off the barbeque are one of my favourite things about summer. But did you know that many of the most popular recipes featuring ground beef, including those tasty barbequed burgers, can be just as delicious when made with ground chicken or turkey? That’s why Maple Leaf Prime, with the help of special guest Chef Bob Villeneuve, wants to show you how deliciously satisfying it can be to break up with ground beef!

Now don’t panic. We all love ground beef, and that’s not going to change. But surely there’s room in our hearts (and stomachs) for more, and summer is no time to be exclusive! Come join us on May 15th, 2013 at 9pm EST for the #BreakUpWithGroundBeef Twitter party and get some tips on how you can liven up your meals with Maple Leaf Prime Ground Chicken and Ground Turkey. [Read more…]

Come Join in the Sun-Maid #SunMaid100 Twitter Party November 28, 9pm-10pm EST

November 18, 2012 by Kathryn 6 Comments

Who doesn’t remember Sun-Maid’s Raisin Cinnamon Swirl Bread that we all used to love as a toasted treat from our childhood? I knew Sun-Maid raisins had been a popular Canadian food for decades, but I was surprised to learn that Sun-Maid is actually celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year! To commemorate this amazing accomplishment, Maple Leaf Foods® is throwing a fabulous birthday celebration Twitter Party!

On Wednesday, November 28, 2012 from 9pm-10pm EST we’ll be chatting about making celebrations easy and fun and reminiscing about favourite childhood foods at the #SunMaid100 Twitter Party. Host Kathy Buckworth will be keeping the conversation going with lots of lively talk about how you celebrate special moments in your family! [Read more…]

Create the Ultimate Sandwich with Maple Leaf Deli-fresh Sandwich Meat-Giveaway

November 16, 2012 by Kathryn 166 Comments

I have to say that overall, I really like making lunches every day, even if I do sometimes flounder for ideas a bit. Zackary is pretty easy to please as far as lunch is concerned; he likes fresh fruit, granola bars and sandwiches loaded with meat. As a result, we go through a lot of deli meat and I always have my eye out for the newest variety to hit the shelves. So I enthusiastically agreed when I was given the chance to try new Maple Leaf Deli-fresh sandwich meat.

maple leaf deli fresh collection As it happens, my small town has a local butcher shop that sells the most amazing beef jerky, sausage and sandwich meat, among other things. Having the meat freshly sliced to order makes a huge difference in the taste and so I was very curious to see if Maple Leaf Deli-fresh sandwich meat could compare.

Maple Leaf Deli-fresh comes in four different varieties and I decided on the Oven Roasted Chicken Breast and Sirloin Roast Beef to review. I sent Zackary off to school with a chicken sandwich on rye, but I knew that to really judge the quality of the meat, I would have to whip up a sandwich for myself too! [Read more…]

School Lunches Have Never Been Easier with New Schneiders Lunchmate + Fruit-Giveaway

November 13, 2012 by Kathryn 133 Comments

School lunches are something that are always a challenge in our household. Zackary tends to favour very basic choices like deli meat sandwiches and granola bars but if I give him the same things too often, I notice more and more of his lunch coming back home uneaten. Add to that the challenge of making lunches that are both quick to assemble and healthy and I’m in the middle of a full-blown school lunch challenge.

But now, Schneiders Lunchmate meals are coming to the rescue! There are very few children that don’t love these handy pre-packaged lunches featuring deli meat, cheese, crackers and a small dessert. But they really never seemed healthy enough to me to be a complete lunch and so I rarely purchased them. All that has changed with the introduction of new Lunchmate + Fruit!

These Lunchmate lunches are a new healthier twist on an old kid-friendly favourite. Featuring Schneider’s Country Naturals deli meat, real cheese, crackers and Del Monte fruit cups, they are a source of calcium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C and come in either Chicken, Turkey, Ham or Pizza varieties. I recently received some coupons to try out the new Lunchmate + Fruit meals and Zackary and Benjamin were both so excited when they saw the packages in my shopping cart. [Read more…]

Come Join in the @Dempsters #BreakfastReady Twitter Party October 4, 9pm-10pm EST

September 29, 2012 by Kathryn 26 Comments

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but with a little planning, breakfast can be the most delicious meal of the day too. And to help you get some tips and tricks for making your morning meal fun and easy, Dempsters® and Maple Leaf Foods® are throwing a fabulous breakfast-themed Twitter Party! With Dempsters® bread products providing key nutrition and irresistible Maple Leaf Foods® bacon adding its mouth-watering taste, breakfast is sure to be a delight!

On Thursday, October 4, 2012 from 9pm-10pm EST we’ll be chatting about ways to make breakfast more delicious at the #BreakfastReady Twitter Party. Whether you’re a hard-working commuter looking for ways to grab a quick and nutritious meal to go or a busy mom with a house full of hungry mouths to feed every morning, this is a party that will have you inspired to add more “yum” to your morning. And special guest Kathy Buckworth is going to be joining us too! [Read more…]

Raise a “Toast” to the 250th Anniversary of the Sandwich with Dempster’s-Giveaway

May 12, 2012 by Kathryn 262 Comments

Is there anyone that doesn’t love a good sandwich? Whether you’re a gourmet that prefers whole grain bread piled with roasted vegetables, Swiss cheese and Italian dressing or you’re a meat-and-potatoes type that loves a good, old-fashioned ham and cheese on white bread, the reason sandwiches are so popular is because they’re so versatile! And today, one of the world’s most famous food creations of all time celebrates its 250th birthday!

dempster's logo Now the idea of combining bread and tasty filling has been around for much longer than that. But it was on May 21, 1762 when the combination got its current name thanks to John Montagu. [Read more…]

White Bread Just Got More Nutritious Thanks To Dempster’s Smart-Giveaway

March 29, 2012 by Kathryn 78 Comments

When I was a child, I loved white bread because we had it so rarely. Except for a few special occasions, my mom only bought multigrain and whole wheat bread. I enjoyed both, but getting a loaf of soft and doughy white bread was always a special treat. When I got a little older, my tastes changed and I preferred the complex flavour of multigrain bread products. And then I became a parent and I found I had become just like my mom. White bread just wasn’t something that entered our house.

When I heard about new Dempster’s Smart bread, I was intrigued. Dempster’s Smart is bread made with sixteen whole grains that promised the taste and texture of white bread. I received some coupons to test out the bread for myself and I was so curious to see if it actually tasted the same as the white bread I loved so much as a child!

I picked up a few loaves of bread at the local grocery store and headed home to test out the bread. The first thing I noticed was the texture; it was denser and less moist than traditional white bread. I found I actually preferred the heavier texture; it tasted almost the same as homemade bread!

Over the next few days, I used the bread for sandwiches and toast and the whole family devoured it. There’s nothing new about that; they love their bread! But it was nice to see that they enjoyed the Dempster’s Smart bread just as much as any other variety!

Dempster’s recently held a great promotion on the Dempster’s Facebook page challenging Canadians to share their favourite white bread recipes in the Dempster’s White Bread Taste-Off. In just a few days, the top ten recipes will be announced and the finalists will compete in a taste-off. At the end one lucky contestant will win the grand prize of $10,000! Make sure you follow along with the action on Facebook to find out which recipe is judged the most delicious way to use white bread!

No matter what type of bread you prefer, Dempster’s has a variety of choices to satisfy your household. From traditional doughy and delicious white bread to great multigrain varieties, Dempster’s has you covered! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Dempster’s Smart bread. It did have an authentic white bread flavour and I was glad to know that it was a better nutritional choice for my family than traditional white bread. I really do love multigrain bread so it will still remain my number-one choice. But if I’m buying white bread for a special treat or recipe, Dempster’s Smart is the brand I’ll be choosing! Check it out for yourself and enjoy whole grain bread with a white bread taste!

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Maple Leaf Top Dogs-Review and Giveaway

August 21, 2011 by Kathryn 49 Comments

Nothing says summer like a hot dog and for hot dogs with great flavour and only the best ingredients, Maple Leaf Top Dogs are always a great choice. But how do you “do” your dog? Are you a hot dog purist who swears by the classic ketchup and mustard covered bun? Or do you like to get fancy with gourmet cheese and bacon stuffed hot dogs or maybe even hot dog and vegetable shish kabobs?

Recently, Maple Leaf asked Canadian to show off their most original Top Dog creations on the Maple Leaf Facebook Page. The entries are in and the judges are now busy determining the top ten finalists, who will be flown to Toronto at the end of August to compete in a live cook-off. The winner of the competition will walk away with a cool $25,000 and the title of “Canada’s Next Top Dog!” I can’t wait to see which tasty Top Dog treat wins the grand prize!

My own personal Top Dog creation might not be very fancy, but it’s a fabulous kid-pleaser and it’s so easy…the Top Dog Octopus!

Making these couldn’t be easier; just cut the Top Dog in quarters lengthwise, but only cut about two-thirds of the way through the dog so that the top is still whole. Then cut each quarter in half. Finally, cook the Top Dog in boiling water or on the barbeque. The legs will curl up to resemble an octopus’s tentacles!

maple leaf top dog octopus — "He's a king!" Zackary exclaimed when he saw his lunch.

I like to display the Top Dog Octopus on half of a hamburger bun topped with my kids’ favourite fixings. Sometimes I keep it simple with ketchup, mustard and cheese. Other times I might add lettuce and tomato. And today, just for fun, I added a fun crown made out of a baby beet! (He is a “Top” Dog Octopus after all!)

Maple Leaf Top Dogs make one fabulous octopus, but what I love most about them is the fact that they use premium ingredients and have a flavour that’s absolutely unbeatable. And with six varieties to choose from, there’s sure to be one that’s perfect for your family! I’ve always favoured the 100% Angus Beef Top Dogs in the past but I decided to give Original Top Dogs a try this time and they were just fabulous. We may just have a new favourite in our household!

And to help you tap into your own inner “Top Dog chef,” Maple Leaf is very generously offering two lucky Mommy Kat and Kids readers three Top Dogs complimentary product coupons so that you can come up with your own special creation! So fire up the barbeque and raid the fridge; you and your kids are sure to have a blast creating your very own signature Top Dog!

Buy It: To purchase Maple Leaf Top Dogs, check the meal aisle of your local grocery store or mass market retailer

Win It: Two lucky readers are going to win three Top Dogs complimentary product coupons from Maple Leaf

To Enter (mandatory): Leave a blog comment about your favourite hot dog toppings, then let me know you did using the Rafflecopter form below

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