Ways To Make Dinnertime More Fun Without Much Fuss

Do you feel dinnertime has been getting quite stale recently? Or maybe the kids have been complaining about it? Don't worry, it happens to every parent! 

But when you and the family want to have a better experience during mealtimes, or to simply try something new here and there, you'll need some inspiration to make dinner more exciting. Here are a few ideas for fun dinners that won't require much fuss to pull off.

Repurposing Leftovers To Make Delicious Meals

Over and beyond the financial costs, food waste has serious consequences for the environment. The Natural Resource Defense Council estimates that American households waste 30–40% of their food annually. This is a terrible waste of resources, both monetarily and in terms of the time, effort, and fuel required to raise, harvest, and transport the food to its final destination. Reusing leftovers in new meals can minimize family food waste. As a result, all the perishable food in the house will be used. Some other methods for accomplishing that goal are listed below.

Enjoying Authentic Worldwide Cuisine At Home

The world of food has become a lot more diverse in most countries over the last century or so. As the globe becomes increasingly connected, the cuisines that used to be restricted to small parts of it are readily available just about everywhere. Of course, though, this usually comes with some compromises, with foods from different places being given a spin makes them fall better in line with the options where they are being eaten. Here are ways we can enjoy a truly authentic experience.

Win a copy of Flavorbomb

Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better is a cookbook with a singular goal: to help us become better cooks. Author Bob Blumer shares all the tips, tricks, hacks, and techniques he learned from hosting Food Network shows, breaking Guinness World Records, working with some of world’s best chefs, and crashing food stalls around the globe.

Understanding Food and Spices

Over the years, I have experimented with different spices while cooking and baking - either adding or swapping it to get flavours we enjoy. Reflecting back, I feel my journey to understand, know, and appreciate different spices was because of my opportunities to experiment and include it into our meals. This has made me feel comfortable in deciding which flavours would work well, and which spices I want to add.

Turkey Is A Healthy And Nutritious Choice For Everyday Meals

With the holidays behind us, we know how hard it is to get your family back into a regular routine and deal with everyday cooking and eating challenges. A new year means getting back to basics, and the way we eat and the foods we choose are a critical part of making healthy choices. Choosing healthy ingredients and creating nutritious meals for your family doesn't have to be a compromise. Canadian Turkey is here to provide you with helpful tips to get you on track and unique ways to create easy-to-make recipes and that use super-charged ingredients.

Afternoon Cake

This delicious Afternoon Cake recipe from Small Victories cookbook by Julia Turshen is easy to make and tastes fabulous on it own or with a cup of tea or coffee. The author has plenty of recipes perfect for home cooking, and suggests variations within the recipes.

Ideas on Incorporating Chocolate into the Holiday Season

Holiday entertaining season is rushing upon us this year! No matter how organized we want to be, there is always that last minute rush. At the #LindtTheSeason event, I was able to learn a few awesome ideas on how we can use Lindt chocolate to decorate our home, use it as gifts, and incorporate it into our holiday cooking and baking.

Gift Ideas and Giveaway

With the holidays around the corner, here are some gift ideas to consider. 

This post will be updated all month long with deals, discounts, and giveaways. 

Premium Green and Black's chocolate bars made with hand-selected, gourmet cocoa beans would be enjoyed by everyone. We found the flavour combinations unique and delicious. We used the dark chocolate in desserts that everyone enjoyed. It is available in ten unique flavours ranging from smooth milk to rich dark chocolate, Green and Black's will impress even the most sophisticated palettes.

Help Your Body Cool Down this Summer with Hans Dairy Products

My grandma always reminds me about the ample benefits of yogurt; for example it helps cool our body, strengthen the immune system, and aids digestion. In our family, we have lots of yogurt in different forms - from making side dishes like raita, or including it in beverages and desserts to adding it to meals when we cook and bake. 

Frozen Themed Recipe Kits for Children

My children have been enjoying making popsicles and baking a variety of Disney's Frozen themed fun meals and desserts using the Icicle Pops and Cool Creations Kit, and the Cookbook and Cookie Cutters Kit.

Inspiring Cookbooks

I enjoy baking and cooking recipes from different cuisines. I find colourful and detailed cookbooks are an inspiration to try different recipes, and a delicious way to introduce healthy and flavourful dishes to family and friends. The books below are a few that I enjoy baking and cooking from.

Learning to Cook Yourself Young

Cook Yourself Young written by Elizabeth Peyton-Jones is a simple to understand, useful book to have. Since the food we eat and our body is connected, what we eat makes a big difference on how we feel. If we want to feel fresh, awake, vibrant, and inspired then we have to watch what we eat! A balanced diet and exercise is fundamental to keep our body healthy.

Enjoy the limited time menu at Subway Canada on National Sandwich Day

With the cooler weather in full swing, comfort food is on everyone's mind. To help satisfy the cravings, SUBWAY® restaurants have launched the Carved Turkey sandwich which is available nationwide at participating locations, for a limited time.

Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Side Dish and Loblaws Thanksgiving contest

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Loblaws and Zehrs. All opinions are 100% mine.

During this year's Thanksgiving meal, I plan to serve a sweet and spicy side dish made using fresh, golden pineapple. I like that during this time of the year, I can use fresh pineapples to make this side dish, which makes the holiday even more special. We enjoy the spicy and sweet flavours in this dish that compliment the meal. 

We Enjoyed Priority Allergens Free Enjoy Life Products

We have been enjoying a variety of Enjoy Life Foods such as cookies, snack bars, chocolate bars, baking chocolate, baking mixes, seed and fruit mixes, and lentil-based chips called Plentils. These gluten free products are also milk, all nuts, egg, fish, shellfish, sesame, mustard, crustaceans, wheat, sulfites, and soy free. I like that these snacks are school friendly, and perfect to take on-the-go to give us the energy boost we need to get through the day without compromising taste.  

Enjoy Seasonal Ontario Peaches by Making this Crumble

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Loblaws Companies Inc.. All opinions are 100% mine.

When Ontario peaches are in season, my family and I like to enjoy their fresh, sweet, and sometimes tangy taste. I like to use fruits mostly when they are in season for desserts and salads. Peaches are one of those delicious stone fruits I like to use when I make fruit crumbles. This warm, cold, sweet, tangy, and crunchy dessert goes well with ice cream.

DesignAgency Incorporates Authentic Style at New Nando's Locations

Nando's, a South African-based chain of fast-casual chicken restaurants founded in Johannesburg in 1987, operates approximately 1,200 outlets around the world. Each site is unique, as the founders' focus on local style, international design and African artistry. As its corporate credo states: "Life's too short for bland." At the company's centre lies its own collision of cultures – an Afro-Portuguese mash-up best represented by its signature dish of butterfly-cut, flame-grilled chicken immersed in spicy PERi-PERi sauce. We really enjoy the unique flavours of Nando's chicken. 

Sockeye Salmon Fish Cakes

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Loblaws Companies Inc.. All opinions are 100% mine.

My family and I enjoy a variety of seafood items because of their nutritional benefits and flavour. My usual sockeye salmon recipes involve baking it, making a curry with gravy, or incorporating it into short-eats. During our trip last year to Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, we enjoyed delicious fish cakes by the sea and I wanted to replicate making them at home. I used fresh, in-season salmon for this recipe. I like the firm texture and the sweet flavour of this fish. 

A Whole New Season For Turkey and Giveaway

Summer is here and we are super excited about cooking with Canadian turkey. Summer is the perfect season to cook, eat, and grill turkey. It's a light and lean source of protein that can be enjoyed hot or cold, perfect for those hot summer days. Turkey is packed with flavour, vitamins and essential nutrients, making it a healthy choice for our family.