My kids are home and they snack a lot. So much. I do groceries (carefully planned out), put them away, and poof, the food is gone. I suspect some growth spurts are to blame. Youngest son is currently eating melba toast, after he packed away an apple, a greek yogurt, and a Tim Horton’s cookie treat. He’ll demolish a full plate of food at dinner too. My metabolism doesn’t understand this. At. All.
This week’s menu was pre-planned and I kept in budget. That’s hard to do for me…especially with extra people shopping alongside. My secret was using the PC Express shopping option. I paid for convenience, but my cart didn’t contain impulse buys. Score 1 for Lindsey. Left on the list:
I also have a package of peameal bacon in the freezer and soup ingredients on hand for backup. Kev suggested I pick up a skillet freezer meal because he knows there will be at least one day that doesn’t go to plan where I’m home later than expected and have to rush out again shortly after dinner – anyone can pull it out and prepare it. It’s a cheaper option than pizza… plus easy to include extra veggies! I appreciate that he doesn’t *need* me to cook all the time and that he recognizes that my time is important too. #teamgoals
What are your quickest healthy meal options for the days you forget to take something from the freezer or don’t find time to prep?
My meal plan last week was geeat in theory, but we didn’t follow it very closely. I definitely prepare healthier food or follow better eating habits when the kids are home. On our own, Kev and I tend to do a lot scavenging and fend for ourselves.
The boys are home tomorrow. (Oh how I’ve missed them…) Even our meal tonight didn’t go to plan. I had a healthy veggie noodle stirfry planned – topped with cashews for crunch and texture – and Kev came home with samosas from a new restaurant that opened in town. Who am I to complain?
I actually prepared a plan for two weeks this time. Next week’s plan is subject to change as I have only done groceries for this plan.
cashew stir fry and spring rolls
rice, farmers sausage, and spinach salad
potato soup
korean beef sloppy joes
crepes and fruit
burgers
tortellini with pesto, spinach and broccoli
mac & beef casserole
veggie loaded pasta and garlic bread
corned beef, potatoes, carrots corned beef on rye with tomato jalapeno soup
italian sausage meatloaf with buttered bowties and broccoli
Does anyone have some great budget-friendly, time-friendly school lunch ideas? I don’t know how my oldest isn’t tired of his go-to lunch box formula…
I am here at home enjoying surviving the gloomy, overcast pre-spring weather phenomenon of snow one day, rain the other, mud and puddles everywhere. My boys are off enjoying sunshine and swimming pools complaining that they have sunburns.
As it’s just the two adults at home this week, our meals are fairly low effort (because as stated last Monday, I’m lazy… especially when I know Kev *could* fend for himself if need be.)
I didn’t put a thorough meal plan together, but will rely on the contents of my fridge and pantry. In no particular order, some of the meals we’ll be enjoying are:
General Tso stir-fry bowl (PC From Our Chef’s Ready… Set… Stirfry Meal Kit)
peanut chicken with rice and veggies
ribs, sweet potato, and salad
grilled cheese and soup
Is anyone else ready to dig in the dirt and get their lettuce and tomatoes in? I’m craving bruschetta with fresh herbs and tomatoes from the backyard! Pasta with pesto. Zucchini fritters. Salad with handpicked boston lettuce. One of my favourite reasons to garden is the grab and go flavours right there to choose from (but maybe not the weeding.) C’mon spring, you know you want to be here!
It’s that time of week again… the time when all of last week’s drooling over recipes I want to try culminates into a very practical list of not those foods to feed my family.
This one is a little up in the air because my boys are heading out of town Wednesday night for an early March break Florida adventure with their grandparents. I really want to take advantage of their absence by exploring some new eateries, but that requires clothing and I’m a fan of lounging around in my comfies after a day of work.
Here’s what we’re dishing up, in no particular order:
taco dip with tortilla chips and fresh veggies
DIY pizzas
burgers
maple glazed kielbasa with handcut, oven baked wedges and a salad
jerk-chicken, handcut sweet potato fries and salad
tomato soup and french bread
Next week could be interesting… I find cooking for two to be a challenge. .. because I’m lazy. Shoot me some ideas before I work on next week’s plan! Give a girl some pointers… please?
I’m going to let you in on a little secret… one of the reasons I don’t mind heading to SickKids is because of the dining options within easy walking distance. Some of the visits are so rushed that we don’t have time to eat before we head home again, or the boys are exhausted after their appointments. Other times we have to convince the kids that they really don’t want Swiss Chalet or Pizza Pizza. As they’re getting older, it’s getting easier to explore. A highlight of heading into any city that isn’t home is successfully finding a tasty place to chow down.
Our overnight trips obviously lend a little more flexibility to the experience. As long as the oldest is finished eating by 9:30pm he is good to go. This visit, we headed down Yonge Street and decided to pop into Fran’s Restaurant after it being recommended multiple times and because someone wanted a hearty breakfast for dinner. I now understand why it’s a Toronto institution. The food was tasty in a diner-classic comfort food way. No photos because my phone died, but the homefries were amazing and Kevin’s orange chicken was a flavor explosion. Kaleb cleaned his overly large breakfast off his plate.
This morning the kid had to skip breakfast, so us grown ups just grabbed Tim’s in SickKids. Meh. That’s all I have to say. In our defense we were in a time crunch and it was right where we walked in to the hospital en route to our appointment.
Once we finished for the day, the kid was hungry… but he’s also unadventurous and didn’t want to walk far. We popped into a delicious little burger joint that had amazing topping options and specialty selections. Their poutine was delicious!
Poutine – Jerk chicken, curds, gravy, and jerk mayo
Jackson’s Burger is just down the block from SickKids, steps from the Chelsea Hotel on Elm. Kev and I split the Effin’ Poutine (hey, I don’t name them) featuring jerk chicken and a Triple Threat burger. Not huge patties, but incredibly tasty with locally sourced ingredients.
Triple Threat burger with Kaleb’s Nutella Heaven in the background
Next we burnt off a few calories and grab some coffee before getting into the car. The few blocks and trips through the halls of SickKids logged in over 2.5 miles of walking!
Kev has some fabulous clients who treat him like family with coffee shops in multiple locations “downtown.” (I really don’t know all the different districts and neighborhoods!)
We pop into Mos Mos for amazing coffees and baked goods when we’re in the area. Coincidentally, today was the soft opening of their newest location at Bay and Elm, just a short block from Sick Kids. (I said on Instagram that it was across the street, but I was confused… it’s close though!) While I’ve never had a bad drink from Mos Mos, the White Lao Latte – served hot or iced – is my absolute fave – I enjoy it even more than my treat-time frappuccinos! (What is the secret???)
Finally, we needed a car snack. (In actuality Kev just couldn’t pass up Jamaican patties.) We popped intol Patties Express and grabbed a spicy beef and spicy chicken to take on the road. Perfect handy snack for sitting in traffic on the DVP.
We had plans to grab a cheesecake from Uncle Tetsu’s, but a phone call from the school during our appointment prevented any detours. Shout out to my mom who drove home this morning and back to our place again to pick up the one who wasn’t feeling well. (That’s more than 2 hours of driving – two trips in 4 hours, folks – what would we do without Omas?) We’re saving Japanese cheesecake for the next trip and will have to pick up one for her as well!
What are your favourite city dining spots? Do you have a go-to destination or like to try something different each time? Are you a T.O. local? What must-trys are within walking distance of SickKids or the Chelsea hotel? Recommendations are welcome and wanted! Share away!
This weekend felt like a whirlwind of activity and not a lot of productivity. I hate weekends like that. If I’m going to be busy, at least let’s get things done! It looks like the next two weeks may be following the same trend, but productivity is a key component of the busyness – breakfast meeting tomorrow, some client catch ups, clinic appointments, office hours, school commitments, etc.
Our week started off with a gong-show of a Monday morning. Ontario has been hit with some blustery (don’t-blow-away) winds and wintery whiteout conditions. Certain regions are closing ALL the roads, pulling their plough operators off the roads, and multiple-car pileups are being reported. We were lulled with winter’s ease so far and it decided to boldly remind us that yes, it is still actually snow season in Canada in February. Spring? What spring.
One of our local zones had buses cancelled and then fortuitously, I decided to check whether our bus route (not in the affected zone) had been cancelled as well. I (along with most other parents on this route) felt a little confused because we had just been sent a notification that our buses were running… but our route had been nixed for the morning. Eventually, the other routes in our zone were cancelled as well, and I say good call on this one. It’s miserable out there. It did, however, end up being a quietly accomplished day in the office (and there was no one home to tell J to turn off SpongeBob.) Win.
So keeping in mind the chaos and commitment that is our life this week, here is my anticipated meal plan.
Coconut Lentil Soup with veggies and toast on the side.
Sweet potato pork shepherd’s pie
Dinner Out (date night!)
Burgers in Toronto (weird, right? We have an appointment at SickKids, but we get a per diem to take the kid out to eat the night before and they put us up in a hotel so we’re not fighting traffic to make the early clinic time.)
Peanut Chicken Stir Fry or Chicken Satay – something like that
Salmon Burgers (because I still haven’t made them…)
Brocolli penne alfredo
Here’s a related question for you… what food bloggers or recipe sites do you recommend? Are you following them on Facebook? Instagram? Pinterest? Share your favourite places to find new inspiration!
I have to curb my impulse to purchase cookbooks and magazines featuring delicious looking recipes. I don’t have the space in our small home to properly store the hordes of food-related gadgets and books that I could easily adopt. Gratefully, I didn’t feel guilty about this one as it was complimentary via NetGalley… and I was provided with a digital copy.
The quick and straightforward dishes from The Sugar Smart Cookbook for Kids by Georgia Varozza will have you plating familiar food in no time – with no strange ingredients and less added sugar. Our big win? Pear and Cheddar Crisp.
Written in a neighbourly way with well-categorized listings, this cookbook is not overwhelming, but it also may not wow you. I’m a very visual person when it comes to cooking – some photos may have jazzed things up. It’s a good basic resource for standard kid-friendly meals with a healthier twist and a strong encouragement to switch out highly processed foods for whole grains and made from scratch meals.
The one disqualifier that I will post here that was not included in my Goodreads review is that I find healthy and nutritious very subjective. Overall, these are fairly healthy recipes… if you’re okay with higher fat, you’re not vegetarian, you aren’t avoiding gluten or dairy, etc. You may have to make some swaps to make it work for your family, but it’s a start and if you don’t know where to start and rely heavily on convenience foods, this may be a good one for you. I didn’t find it overwhelmingly different than many of the recipes we’re already using.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley courtesy of the publisher and/or author. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers Publication Date: March 5, 2019
Ignore the fact that it’s Tuesday… I scheduled this post wrong. No excuses…
We’re not doing anything too exciting this week as far as meals. I am going through one of the spurts where I don’t want to be creative in the kitchen. I want quick and easy and as few complaints as usual. Some of the recipes are new-to-us but still fairly basic.
Meatless: rice noodles with veggie stirfry and veggie spring rolls (I’ll shortcut these with a box of frozen PC spring rolls)
Green chicken & rice (from The Sugar Smart Cookbook for Kids – I was given a digital copy to review via NetGalley in exchange for my reviews – hard to review without testing out some recipes!) We’ll serve with steamed mixed veggies
Kaleb’s pick – soft tacos or burritos or something similar
Justin’s pick – salmon burgers (from the Yum & Yummer cookbook) with cucumber mango salad (these are a holdover from last week that we didn’t get to!)
Teriyaki boneless chicken bites, hand cut fries, veggie sticks
leftover ingredient day – mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes with whatever meat and veggies we still have hanging out in the freezer and/or fridge – a pretty basic variation of meat & potatoes
At some point in the week, I’ll also make a pear & cheddar crisp (recipe also from The Sugar Smart Cookbook for Kids.) We don’t often do dessert, but it’s a nice treat once in a while.
What are your go-to classics or shortcut (but still healthy-ish) meals when you’re just not wanting to put in extra effort?
How is it February already? Last week it was so cold and I didn’t want to leave the house. Today it’s plus 8°C and it feels absolutely spring like! It makes me want to garden… mmm, rhubarb, lettuce, and zucchini, oh my! (Pretty much the only things I grow with any success… plus the crazy walking onions that do their own thing!)
Yesterday after church we had some brocolli cheddar soup that I had picked up from a local restaurant that I love. (They freeze and sell their soups!) We paired with a fresh cheese loaf from a local bakery. So good! Comfort food…
One of my goals lately has been doing the whole meatless Monday thing… but only at breakfast and dinner. Lunch still tends to involve meat for both kids. Baby steps. My decision has more to do with hiding things like beans in food and getting more veg in without complaints than any real altruistic motives. Whatever works.
Our meal plan this week will look something like this.
veggie samosas and mango salad (tonight!)
double stuffed turkey taco sweet potaoes and salad
frozen pizza and veggie sticks (K’s meal)
roulades with garlic mashed potatoes and whatever vegetables are hiding in the crisper
Because we’ve been doing so well sticking to the grocery list and the plan lately, I am giving myself leeway to do convenience food if I need to. I have some evening meetings to get to right at the dinner hour and other extra commitments here and there in general. No guilt. A fed family is as high as I’m aiming some days!
Last week, I did really well sticking to our mealplan with just one big variation. Success! Our mystery meal last night was a thai chili glazed salmon plated with a colorful baby spinach and red pepper stirfry, and a savoury rice & quinoa mix. The youngest cleared his plate in a quick blink of the eye. The eldest chose to eat leftovers from the night before. {Boring!}
This week I’m experimenting a little and have also requested buy-in from the men. They each chose a meal and will be helping to prepare them. Not all the choices are healthful, so I’ll be trying to bring some veg and colour and balance to our plates or making healthier subs where possible.
Life Love Laughter Linds 