vegetables

Add More Vegetables to Your Diet with Hidden Garden Cookies

January 21, 2016 by Kathryn 192 Comments

One of the hardest things about healthy eating for me is giving up all those treats that taste so good, yet aren’t all that good for my body. I can’t resist the occasional sweet treat, and cookies are one of my favourites.

My boys love sweets just as much as I do, but of course I don’t want them having too much junk food either. Luckily, Hidden Garden has come to the rescue with tasty gluten-free and nut-free cookies that have a half-serving of hidden vegetables in every portion!

These cookies are crispy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s absolutely addictive. Available in Chocolate Chip, Ginger Snap, Red Velvet and Cocoa Cherry varieties, there’s a flavour to suit everyone. And since every serving includes vegetables such as butternut squash, beets and spinach, they’re a treat that I can eat without feeling too guilty!

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Halloween is Healthier with Go Gourmet Squoosh Fruit Pouches-Giveaway

October 6, 2015 by Kathryn 126 Comments

In just a few weeks, one of my very favourite holidays will be arriving…Halloween! I’m notorious for going overboard with food, decorations and treats during almost every holiday celebration, but Halloween has always been one of my personal favourites. Custom tombstones, creative costumes and more help to make the day one that my boys and I anticipate for weeks in advance.

But there’s no doubt that all the candy involved in the holiday isn’t necessarily the healthiest choice for little ones. And I learned years ago that switching up those treats for something different, and ideally healthier, isn’t disappointing for little ones at all. In fact, they often get extra excited about getting a more original addition to their treat bag!

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Warm Salmon Roasted Vegetable Salad with New Sobeys Seafood Steamer Makes a Quick Healthy Dinner

September 29, 2015 by Kathryn 67 Comments

Fall has always been one of my busiest times of year, but it’s also a time when I want to make sure that my family is eating healthy. And on one of those busy nights when my boys have extra-curricular activities and I’ve had a busy day of work, making a nutritious dinner that we’ll all enjoy can be a challenge!

That’s why I’ve fallen in love with the new Sobeys Seafood Steamer! The newest food option at Sobeys fish counter isn’t just delicious; it’s also a great quick and easy option for a healthy dinner. Using a special oven-safe bag that was inspired by the French cooking method en papillote (steaming fish in a parchment paper pouch), fish is customized to suit my family’s tastes then sealed in a handy pouch I can bake to perfection at home!

I decided to try the Seafood Steamer in one of Sobeys’ delicious-sounding recipes, so I headed to my local Sobeys fish counter to customize my meal. I found two beautiful boneless salmon fillets and requested them prepared with the Garlic & Parsley butter. A few minutes later, my Seafood Steamers were ready! Then it was time to get cooking, and the Warm Salmon and Roasted Vegetables Salad seemed like a perfect healthy fall dinner! [Read more…]

New Eat Smart Plant Powered Protein Salad Kits Make a Perfect Energy-Packed Lunch

September 25, 2015 by Kathryn 66 Comments

I’m a nut for vegetables and because of that, I’ve loved the salads from Eat Smart for quite some time now. The convenient bagged kits include fresh greens, healthy superfoods, add-ins such as croutons, nuts or berries and a tasty dressing so that creating the perfect fresh and healthy side dish takes just seconds. Now, Eat Smart has taken lunch to a whole new level too with a new line of scrumptious salads packed with plant-based protein!

I was a vegetarian for over six years in my twenties, and while I did start eating meat again after having children, I still eat quite a lot of vegetables, legumes and other plant-based foods. At the same time, I also favour meals that are high in protein and low in simple carbohydrates. The new Eat Smart Plant Powered Protein salads looked like the perfect lunch choice for my dietary goals and I was thrilled when I got the chance to try them out myself. [Read more…]

Dairy-Free Mushroom and Red Pepper Frittata with Almond Breeze Makes a Better Breakfast

March 23, 2015 by Kathryn 30 Comments

Just over one month ago I received a fabulous Almond Breeze package to help me embrace better health in 2015. One of my top health challenges has been eating breakfast each morning and I was sure that Almond Breeze would help me conquer that goal. It made such delicious morning smoothies that eating breakfast was suddenly no longer a chore!

But after awhile I realized that I did start to tire of eating the same breakfast each and every day. So I decided to put my creativity to work and see if I could create a savoury Almond Breeze breakfast alternative. I couldn’t have been happier with the results after cooking up a dairy-free Mushroom and Red Pepper Frittata!

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Get Your Kids Gardening with Canadian Tire-Giveaway

June 4, 2014 by Kathryn 226 Comments

Since I’m lucky enough to live in a house with a big backyard, one of my favourite summer activities is gardening. While some women tend to favour flowers, I’ve always preferred practical plants and so gardening for me involves starting and growing fresh vegetables and herbs to feed my family through the sunny summer months. Now that my boys are getting older, I’ve begun to get them involved in the process as well and this year, Canadian Tire sent me a fabulous assortment of gardening supplies to help my boys and I get our vegetables growing!

I especially loved the sweet little Kids Cup Seed Kits, which featured a peat pot, a starter soil pellet and three seeds from kid-friendly plants such as watermelon and sunflower. The boys had a great time filling the cup with water and watching the soil expand. Then they carefully pushed the seeds into the soil and set the pots in a sunny window to grow. Once the plants have sprouted, we’ll be able to remove the peat pot from the little cup and plant it in the garden! [Read more…]

Let it Bloom – Roasted Asparagus and Dijon Cream Sauce Recipe with Silk Organic

June 2, 2014 by Kathryn 76 Comments

I absolutely love vegetables that flower, from broccoli and cauliflower to zucchini and spinach. But of all the flowering vegetables, asparagus is easily one of my favourites. It’s such a seasonal treat with its fresh and versatile flavour and it’s absolutely loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. I’ve actually been known to eat asparagus raw by the stick, but I also love cooking it as a side dish and, with a great sauce as an accompaniment, asparagus quickly goes from everyday to gourmet.

I had a few different varieties of Silk beverage to choose from and I decided to use Silk Organic Unsweetened soy beverage to create a Dijon cream sauce for my asparagus. To really bring out the flavour of the vegetable, roasting it seemed like the best option. The result was a side-dish that was ready in less than 15 minutes, contained even more added nutrients thanks to the addition of the Silk Organic, and tasted absolutely amazing.

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New Kids Gourmet Squoosh Fruit Puree Provides Great Taste and Nutrition for Your Child’s Lunch-Giveaway

September 18, 2012 by Kathryn 57 Comments

Looking for a fun and easy snack for your school lunches? The makers of Baby Gourmet organic baby food have just what you need! New Kids Gourmet Squoosh fruit snacks are a blend of fruit and vegetables in a convenient foil pouch. They come in four kid-friendly flavours: BeetBerry – banana, apple, beet, blueberry, OrangoBango – mango, carrot, banana, apple, SquabbleBerry – apple, blueberry, squash, banana and Banango – banana, mango, apple, squash. I recently I received two boxes of Squoosh pouches for my boys to test out and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

squoosh beetberry-bilingual I received the Squabbleberry and the Bananago Squoosh flavours to review. I knew right away that Zackary would love these snacks; he’s had similar ones before and always enjoys squeezing the fruit puree out of the clever foil package into his mouth. But I was curious to see if he would notice the vegetables that had been added to the purees to sneak some extra nutrition into a child’s diet.

I shouldn’t have worried. Zackary gobbled up an entire box of Squoosh snacks over the next few days and despite the fact that there was even a picture of a squash on the box he devoured, he never noticed the vegetables in his fruit snack. [Read more…]