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Originals - The Spring Craft Sale Ottawa + G!veaway!

I love crafts, I love making crafts and I love buying crafts. Handmade is something I adore. I used to hit all the Christmas/Easter craft shows, always something fun to attend and you never know what great items you will come home with.

When @Amotherhoodblog asked if I was free next weekend to attend the ORIGINALS - THE SPRING CRAFT SALE in Ottawa with her, I was stoked. I haven't been to a craft sale in Ottawa for sometime, last time I think was in 2004. Where I was able to complete all my Christmas shopping and get myself a beautiful Tiger picture.
With Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day all coming up in the next couple of months I know what I will be looking for. Oh and how can I forget someone's 6th Birthday at the end of May? I will be on the lookout for some great kids gear also. 

Zellers Memory Showcase - Sponsored Video

Growing up in a small town we didn't have too many big stores. We had a couple grocery stores and a few other everything stores; Zellers being our big box store. I have tons of memories of shopping at Zellers from a young age and even now as Zellers has been my go to store to pick up kids clothes. I just love the Cheeokee brand and will really miss it when our Zellers closes.
Zellers in my town is slated to close right at the end of the closers this means I may get a couple more years.

Anyways the back to my story of Zellers memories! The Executive Managing Director of Zellers is back. You may recall videos of him back in the fall when he announced the AWESOME holiday sales!

Kids Week: Health Benefits to eating Canadian Beef & G!veaway!


What are the health benefits for your family from eating Canadian Beef? Beef is loaded with vitamins and minerals, including iron. Iron is very important in both children and adults. Without the recommend dose of iron we become iron deficient, also known as anemia.

If you become anemic, you will be tired, grumpy, weak, headaches and problems concentrating and thinking. This will really affect your children growing up and learning. Canadian Beef offers 3 times more absorbable iron than the same size serving of chicken breast.


We have always been Canadian Beef eaters for as long as I remember. Since ground beef was always less expensive than other forms of beef my family ate tons of great meals with ground beef. Chili, Spaghetti, meatloaf, casseroles, tacos, you name it.

Marvelous Mommy Meals has featured a few great beef recipes and will be adding more I am sure. Check them out and let us know what you think.

Do you meal plan? A great way to help with meal planning is buy big club packs of beef when it is on sale and make a big batch of ground beef starter, then freeze it into smaller portions for future dishes.

Ground Beef Starter

Ingredients:
4 lbs (2 kg) ground beef
4 each onions and garlic cloves, minced

Directions:
1.      Cook ground beef in stockpot or Dutch oven, using medium-high heat for 9-10 minutes, breaking into small chunks with back of spoon until browned and completely cooked.  Drain in colander. Return to pot and add onion and garlic; simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes until vegetables are soft. 
2.      Spread mixture in a single layer on several foil-lined baking trays; cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze just until meat is firm (about 1 hour).
3.       Loosen frozen beef into chunks and scoop meal-sized portions into freezer bags or resealable containers.  Freeze for up to 3 months. 
Makes about 10 cups (2.5 L) 
Now that you have some ground beef in your freezer what can you make? Visit Canadian Beef for tons of great recipes. While you’re there, join the Make It Beef Club which delivers a monthly e-newsletters containing great time and money saving tips, nutrition information, recipes and much more.
Thanks to our great friends at Canadian Beef, they would like to offer 10 Marvelous Mommy Meals readers a Canadian Beef prize pack including an apron, calendar and bbq brush all branded Canadian Beef
This giveaway is open to Canadian residents and will end on April 14th,2012 at 12:01 am EST. Please use the same name & email in your blog comment as the Rafflecopter form. Thanks and Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway 
~*Jennifer 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Canadian Beef. This is not a sponsored post but the giveaway is sponsored by Canadian Beef. All opinions are honest and my own*~

Put a Spring in your step with Alegria sandals

Here in Ontario we had a couple beautiful Summer like days already! I mean 30 degree weather and then it got cold again but we are in Canada. On those beautiful days I had the chance to wear my new pair of Alegria sandals.
If you have never heard of Alegria shoes before you can see my last review on them from the fall. They are fantastic shoes that make you feel like you are walking on clouds. They have a mild rocker sole to help encourage a normal gait and posture. In return help reduce stress on muscles, joints and back.

Dempster's {Maple Leaf Foods} G!veaway!

As promised last week's Dempster's post here is a fun giveaway from Maple Leaf Foods! I am happy to tell you that our friends at Maple Leaf Foods is offering 5 Free product coupons to 2 lucky Marvelous Mommy Meals readers!

With BBQ weather starting up there coupons will be wonderful to pick up hamburger or hotdog buns. The coupons can be used for any of the following:
  • Dempster's 
  • Villaggio
  • POM
  • Healthy Way 
  • Smart 
  • Bon Matin 
  • Ben's
  • Sun Maid
  • Chevalier
  • McGavin's
  • Or any Canadian Bread not listed
Please fill in the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is sponsored by Maple Leaf Foods and is open to Canadian residents. The giveaway will end April 12th,2012 at 12:01 am EST. Please leave your Rafflecopter name in your mandatory comment below to be eligible to win. Thanks and Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
~*Jennifer 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Maple Leaf Food. This is a sponsored post and giveaway. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Marvlous Menu Monday - Week of March 26-April 1,2012

Better late than never right? Here is our menu plan for the week of March 26th - April 1, 2012.

Monday - Fish, Rice and Ceaser Salad

Tuesday - Pizza and cut up veggies

Wednesday - Kettle Cuisine soups and sandwiches (Review coming soon)

Thursday -Cheesey Rice with Broccoli and Pork chops (The Mom 100 Cookbook pg 246)

Friday - Potato Pancakes (The Mom 100 Cookbook pg 255), Chicken Fingers (pg 111) and Roasted Asparagus (pg 262)


Saturday - Hubby cooks - likely BBQ

Sunday - Hubby cooks - again likely BBQ

Lots of baking is also on the menu as we have a couple great books we are reviewing! One is a fun children's book and the other is an allergy free baking book for kids.

What is on your menu? Do you meal plan?

~*Jennifer 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written Marvelous Mommy Meals, this is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Ready to Get Dizzy? Dizzy Dancers Review

My kids love animals so when we had the opportunity to check out these new little toys from Hasbro called Dizzy Dancers I knew they would be a hit with both children. Part of the FurReal friends these are little critters that spin like a top.
There are a number of Dizzy Dancer pets available with colorful fur tufts and also a stage for them to dance on with ramps and stands for tricks. The stand comes with 1 Dizzy Dancer and a Dizzy Cord accessory (wand) to make them spin. The faster you pull the cord that faster they will spin. I really like that even if your child doesn't pull the cord that fast the Dizzy Dancer will increase in speed spinning all over the place.

All You Need is Cheese & Giveaway!

Trying to find ways to increase your children's dairy intake? Make it fun with Canadian Cheese! There are so many ways to eat cheese and so many different kinds available the possibilities are endless.

Canada's food guide recommends children ages 2-8 have 2 servings of Milk & Alternatives, 9-18 year old are recommended to have 3-4 servings. What is 1 serving of cheese? a serving is 50g or 1 1/2 oz of Cheese.

We eat tons of cheese in our house. On any given day we usually have 2 big 500ml blocks of cheese in the fridge, and a container of cottage cheese and Parmesan cheeses. Some ways our family likes to enjoy cheese - grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese cubes with meat and crackers, and including shredded cheese into our dinners like casseroles, tacos, pizza and pretty much anything that we can.

Another fun idea especially for young children is to cut the cheese into fun shapes with mini cookie cutters, pair them with fruit and veggies for fun finger foods.

A fun idea is to try making Cheese Crisps with/for the kids. These would be great paired with soup or salad or as an afternoon snack. I think these would go great with my Potato Soup recipe that also includes milk or creamer in it. You may need to play around with the heat and time especially I would think with the different kinds of cheese. I did find that baking them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone make on 350F for 5-7 minutes worked well also. The kids loved these. Have fun with them and mix up different colored cheese and make different shapes.
Looking for more idea's and recipes? Visit All You Need is Cheese website.

Our friends at the Dairy Farmers of Canada would like to offer one Marvelous Mommy Meals reader a Dairy prize pack that includes a lunchbox, an ice pack, a shape cutter branded All You Need Is Cheese. This giveaway is open to Canadian residents and will end April 11th, 2012 at 12:01 am EST. Please fill in the Rafflecopter form below and Good Luck!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~*Jennifer  

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Dairy Farmers of Canada. This is not a sponsored post. The giveaway is sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Am I Cat or a Baby?

We adopted this beautiful pure black kitten last August and she quickly fit right in with our family. The kids love her and play with her daily. She loves to hang out in their beds and my son always has to take her to bed at night.

For the most part our older kitty loves her also but he doesn't like people to see it:
Found sleeping in A's bed with our other cat Marty
Both of the crazy kitties getting into trouble on the table :(
Recently my daughter has been playing house with Lily and funny thing is that silly cat is loving it. I am really starting to think this cat has no idea it is a cat. When she first came to us we needed to put a child proof latch on the garbage as she would tear it open, we couldn't leave food anywhere in reach of her. The kids had a hard time eating as she would try to eat anything and everything they had.

Kids Week: The Ultimate Allergy-Free Snack Cookbook Review

Are you looking for a cookbook to prepare snacks for your children that have allergies to eggs, cow's milk, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish? Look no further The Ultimate Allergy-Free Snack Cookbook will come to your rescue. This book is jammed pack with over 100 snack recipes and tons of information on all the above allergies.
The book starts out breaking down each allergy giving a list of foods to avoid and also foods that may contain traces of the allergen. I have learned a lot of information that I wouldn't have know. I didn't know that if you are allergic to fish you should avoid Ceaser salad dressing or if you have a peanut allergy you should not eating any foods that contain Hypogaeic acid.

It also gives a great resource for stocking your kitchen, where to shop and must haves for an allergen-free kitchen along with how to read organic product labels.

I found this book to be a great source for healthy snacking, very organic and natural. It uses rice flour, oats, rice milk, oat flour, flax seed meal and more whole natural foods. Great even if you do not have allergies but would like to eat organically. Also if you do not have allergies you can always substitute rice milk for soy or cow's milk; same goes for rice flour you could use whole wheat. I love that if we ever need to bake or make a snack for our children's friends who have allergies we have this great resource. I also love to be able to send my children with homemade peanut free snacks to school.

Some of the great recipes include:
  • Scrumptious Strawberry Bars
  • Sesame Crunch Cookies
  • Mummy's Yummy Hummus
  • Pumpkin Patch Muffins
  • Green Tea and Goji Berry Smoothie
You can find The Ultimate Allergy-Free Snack Cookbook by Judi and Shari Zucker on Thomas Allen & Son ltd (Facebook - Twitter). It retails for $17.95 Canadian.

~*Jennifer

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. We received the above mentioned for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Burt's Bees Sensitive Skin Care Review #imabzzagent

 

I had posted this earlier today but something went wrong when I went to edit the title on my iPhone. When I came back there was no post. I was very upset and I hope you will accept my apologies for the missing post.

I am a BzzAgent member and we get fun perks of reviewing great products like Burt's Bees! I reviewed their Blemish line a while back and loved it. Burt's Bees has been making natural face care for over 25 years!

Kids Week: Healthy Lunch Idea's

I have always had a hard time getting away from sandwiches and soup for lunches until I had kids and then it become a huge deal to figure out a nice variety of idea's.
If you look at the food guide and choose 3 or 4 different food groups, add in a snack and drink you can make a very healthy lunch for yourself and your children. It is very simple and can be done in three simple steps!

Step 1: Include food from:

Milk and Alternative
  • Milk
  • Soy beverage
  • Yogurt
  • Cheese
  • Cottage cheese 
  • Puddings that are milk based

Veggies and Fruit
  • Apple slices
  • Banana
  • Oranges
  • Canned Fruit that is unsweetened
  • Applesauce unsweetened
  • Celery sticks
  • Carrot sticks
  • Cucumber slices
  • Broccoli 
  • Cauliflower 
  • Dried Fruit Trail Mix
Grain Products - Choose Whole Wheat when possible
  • Bread
  • Tortillas
  • Pita Pockets
  • Pasta
  • Buns
  • Bagels
  • Muffins 
  • Rice Cakes
  • Crackers
Meat and Alternatives
  • Tuna
  • Deli Meat (ham, chicken, roast beef, turkey breast)
  • Hummus (chickpea spread)
  • Beans & Lentils
  • Chili
  • Nuts & seeds (if you are not somewhere that is a no nut policy)
If you are sending a snack to school with the kids follow Steps 2 and 3

Step 2: Add a healthy snack
  • Homemade Muffins
  • Homemade cookies - Oatmeal 
  • Veggies/fruit and yogurt dip
  • Dried Fruit
Step 3: Add a drink
  • Water
  • Milk 
  • Chocolate Milk
  • 100% Fruit Juice
  • Vegetable Juice - Look for low sodium
It does become easier to make school lunches when you keep the food groups in mind and also helps if you children are not picky eaters. My daughter is a picky eater but isn't picky in the sense that she wont eat her fruit and veggies, she doesn't care much for sandwiches or meat. This proves difficult some days but but I will pack here tons of fruit and veggies along with cheese and crackers. 

The idea's are endless this is just a short list of what you can include to make a tasty and healthy lunch for your children.

~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Battleship Live Board Game Review

With the warm weather just about here, I know a lot of us are planning to spend lots of time outdoors but for those rainy days or even in the evenings there are some great board games out by Hasbro to get rid of the boredom and pass the time.
One game my husband and son love is Battleship Live. Okay I admit it, it is a lot of fun. This new age spin on the classic board game is fantastic. The game board is very different from the classic game but the concept is still the same - sink your opponents ships. In this game you have an interactive game tower and board (pretty cool how it works) It will recognize where your pieces and finger tips are at.

HairThingz Coupon Code

Recently my daughter and I reviewed these cute, fun and affordable hair bands called HairThingz. You can see how much fun they are in the review.

Our friends at HairThingz would like to offer Canadian Coupon Mom readers a coupon code for 30% off their purchase online.

This code does expire March 30, 2012. Please use Coupon Code CCM30

The winner has also been notified so check your email to see if it was you!

 

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Think Outside the Basket this Easter!

As a mom of younger children when we are getting ready for the holidays I enjoy finding sugar free treats to give the kids. Hasbro made this very easy at Halloween with their little containers of Play-Doh for Halloween Trick or Treaters.
Hasbro is helping parents find an alternative to a basket full of chocolate this Easter with 2 fun idea's. While the Easter Bunny is leaving eggs around the house how about ask him/her to place a few Play-Doh eggs around the house also. These are cute plastic holders in the shape of eggs with Play-doh of the same color inside. Another fun idea is to add a Chickadee or Bunny in the kids basket. This also contains Play-doh and a mold underneath of an Easter shape.

Kids Week - Its the picnic time of year!

Today's post is a guest post from our friend Alyssa at A Motherhood Experience.
We have been experiencing some better-than-ever weather here across Canada this week, it looks like Spring has sprung out in full force! Springtime means picnic time, our kids love when we pack up a special picnic and venture off into our local community to find a place to enjoy it together.

Spending time having a picnic is a great way to have quality time together plus everyone gets out to enjoy the beautiful weather. Our local park is grassy in the late spring and summer seasons, perfect spot to set up for a family picnic plus the kids get to have fun and play on the parks play structure. We also like walking down toward where the river park is, it's a bit of a trek for the little guy but feeding the ducks that swim by is always priceless!


Now, before you go out and buy the fanciest picnic basket for your adventure - stop. You don't have to have the traditional "Yogi-bear" type basket full of goodies, use your imagination or better yet get the kids to help out! We use an insulated lunch bag, these can be bought in different colours and sizes anywhere from a dollar store to Canadian Tire.

Sitting on the ground isn't very comfortable (or hygenic) so don't forget to pack something to sit on. We bring our big picnic blanket but if you are driving to your destination by all means pack foldable camping chairs.

Food doesn't have to be difficult or take a long time to prepare, everyone can help out in deciding what to bring. Here are some ideas of simple foods for your next picnic:

Finger foods like sandwiches or wraps, let the kids help make their sandwiches choosing what they would like be it peanut butter and jam or something more daring!

Veggies to go with carrot and celery sticks, simple to prepare and not messy to eat.

Trail mix or popcorn makes a great side snack too. For beverages, bottles of water or juice (you can bring each your own or reusable cups) will quench everyone's thirst.

Fruit like bananas, apples, pears, grapes etc and granola bars are easy to throw in and make a yummy, healthy dessert!

Enjoy your pic nic and the memories being made! :)

For more great pic nic food ideas check out Recipe Lions "21 Must Have Easy Picnic Recipes" e cookbook!

Have a happy pic nic!

~*Disclosure: Written by AME on behalf of MMM for Kids Week. Not a sponsored post. Opinions and comments are those of AME. Image from Microsoft clip art.*~

Dempster's Great White Bread Taste Off!

Dempster's is asking Canadians to share their favorite white bread recipes during The Dempster's Great White Bread Taste Off. Head over to Dempster's Facebook page and submit your recipe along with a photo of your favourite way to enjoy Dempster's white bread.

The top 10 entries will be submitted to a taste off and the grand prize is $10,000, along with a 2nd place prize of $1,000 and 3rd prize of $500. Please read contest rules on their Facebook page. The contest ends at 12:00pm EST on March 22, 2012.
How do you like your bread? I am not a picky bread eater, actually I love all kinds of bread but growing up I would only eat white bread. Still to this day somethings just taste better with white bread. We love Dempster's bread in our house. I will admit we eat more of the Whole Wheat or grainy breads but we do still love to pick up a loaf of white bread here and there.

My son and I love to make grilled cheese with a slice of deli meat, I also like to add onions to mine. This just tastes so much better with White bread. Another thing I love with fresh white bread, egg salad sandwiches! Just so tasty.
Have you had the chance to try out Dempster's Stay Fresh White Bread? We really enjoy the great wholesome white bread made with Enriched Wheat Flours and contains 15% of your daily Iron intake in 2 slices. It is very soft and held together well when making our sandwiches. I wanted to test the "Stays Fresh" but it is very hard when I live with two guys who love bread. It vanished in a couple days.

Here are some fun facts about White bread:
  • Younger Canadians (18-24) are the biggest white bread fans (80%) believing certain sandwiches taste better when made with white bread. 
  • Canada's favourite way to eat sliced white bread? Toasted (40%), followed by grilled cheese (16%) and peanut butter and jelly sandwich (14%) 
  • This one surprised me - Over half the 18-24 set (57%) enjoy sandwiches more when they are cut into triangles or squares and they are significantly more likely to agree that sliced white bread is irreplaceable in some recipes (59%)
How do you like your White Bread?

~*Jennifer 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Dempster's. This was a compensated post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Kids Week: Meal Planning with the whole family

Menu or meal planning whichever you would like to call it is a great thing to get in the habit of doing weekly or monthly depending on your preference. We meal plan for a few reasons – variety of dishes, help cut grocery costs when meal planning with what’s on sale, not waiting to last minute to stress over what’s for dinner, missing ingredients and I am sure there are a few more also.

Here is a sample of one of our meal plans for the week of March 12-18,2012

Children that help with meal planning can increase the want to eat what is being served as they feel they helped with this task. A great way to get your children involved more is have each child pick a night during the week and then they pick their favorite meal. On that night they are the helper in the kitchen with mom or dad.

If you have a teen in the house, how about getting them to make their favorite meal all by themselves (make the meal with them a couple times and then let them loose in the kitchen- check in to make sure all is well). This will help your teen be self-confidence. Younger children will learn so much from being in the kitchen mathematics, reading, science, turn taking and safety.
Another fun idea is to make theme nights, a few ideas could be Meatless Mondays, Mexican, Pasta, Casserole, Pizza Fridays. Get the whole family involved with the meal planning even hubby. I always say if you don’t put in the input then you can’t complain. I like to ask the family what they would like for the week, if I find that I am not getting the answers I am looking for I will pick a handful of meals I know the family will like and then ask for a vote.

There are numerous ways to get the whole family involved in the meal planning. It also can be a lot of fun for everyone to get involved, they will also enjoy dinner time more. I have found the 4pm stress hour gone when I have meal planned and have everything on hand. It is a wonderful feeling.
Meal planning is also very helpful in cutting back on the grocery bill as I usually plan around what's on sale and also keep in mind our favorite meals and stock up on things when they are on sale for the next week. Also as you meal plan you will be able to see what everyone is eating in regards to getting enough veggies and other daily intakes. It is also great to help with varieties. I found without meal planning we were eating the same handful of things each week. With meal planning we have tried tons of new meals and veggies and also still have our favorites.

Do you meal plan? If not do you think you would like to try? If you feel you would like help meal planning please contact me I would be more than happy to help you! Send an email to Jennifer @ canadiancouponmom.ca

~*Jennifer 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own, images were found doing a Google image search.*~

Kids Week: Dora & Diego Let's Cook cookbook Review/G!veaway

Yesterday we talked about getting our kids involved in the kitchen early on in life. If your kids are like mine you will love this book that we recently review.
Dora & Diego Let’s Cook cookbook is a brightly colored cookbook full of fun ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks. The first time we browsed through the book my kids were excited with every single page. Most of the recipes are named after a character from Dora & Diego from Tico’s Nutty Stuffed French Toast, Dora’s Backpack Snack Pack to Diego’s Meatball Mountain Range.

My kids usually eat their veggies but sometimes they will give us a hard time and say I don’t want that by the end they usually eat them. I am not sure if it was because Dora and Diego made these but my kids were VERY excited to try Back Pack’s Salad Bundles. Wait they are filled with veggies and wrapped with a veggie and my kids didn’t complain one bit they were excited to have them for dinner. Actually my son was begging for them for dinner. The next night we had Chicken Taco Salad and again no complaints and they ate a huge plate of veggies.

Everything we have tried so far in this cookbook has been quick, easy and kid approved. This book is filled with great information for the parents in the introduction from what kids can learn while cooking, how to use this book, age appropriate tasks, tips on staying safe in the kitchen and nutrition needs. It has been a wonderful addition to my cookbook collection.

Want a new recipe for pancakes? This is a great pancake recipe your kids will love:

Boots’s Banana Pancakes – Source Nickelodeon 

Ingredients
  • 2 ripe medium bananas
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 banana, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup maple syrup

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 250F. In a medium bowl, mash 2 bananas with a fork until smooth (I give my daughter the potato masher) 
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, canola oil, and mashed bananas. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy. 
  3. Heat a lightly greased griddle or a large heavy skillet on medium heat until a few drops of water dance across the surface. For each pancake, pour ¼ cup of batter onto griddle. 
  4. Cook until surface is bubbly and edges are slightly dry; turn and cook until pancakes are golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Keep pancakes warm in oven in a loosely covered ovenproof dish while cooking remaining pancakes. 
  5. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat sliced banana and maple syrup for 1 to 2 minutes until heated through and banana begins to soften. 
Serve maple-banana mixture over pancakes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Dora & Diego’s Let’s Cook cookbook can be found on the publishers website Wiley for $19.95

Want to win a copy of Dora & Diego’s Let’s Cook cookbook? Our great friends over at Wiley Publishing Canada want to offer one lucky Marvelous Mommy Meals reader their very own copy. We are making it very simple, what’s your children’s favorite meal or snack?

a Rafflecopter giveaway 
~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals on behalf of Wiley Publishing. We received a complimentary book for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

New for 2012 from Kellogg's

Cereal is a big part of my son's morning, every morning. He just can't seem to eat anything other than cereal for breakfast except the odd day of waffles or pancakes. He made a fruit & yogurt breakfast for everyone one morning and as he finished his bowl he said "I'm still hungry can I have cereal?". It may be the end of the world if we didn't have at least 2 open boxes of cereal in the cupboard.

P was very excited that Kellogg's has introduced a new cereals and cereal bars for 2012!

Kids Week: Kids in the Kitchen

I have had many comments on how do I get my kids to eat their dinner, veggies or when should kids start helping out in the kitchen? There are many different ways to get the kids involved in meal planning and making of the food the family will consume. As they get older they can help out a lot more and when they are a teen they should have a great feel for being in the kitchen.

I have been baking with my kids for the last few years. Baking I have found was an easy way to get my kids introduced to the kitchen and helping mom. I let them pour dry ingredients and help with stirring the ingredients. Now my daughter who is four can crack eggs, help with measuring the ingredients, chop foods, I have allowed her to cut softer foods that she can use a butter or plastic knife.
Getting the kids involved has a bunch of benefits from learning mathematics, self-pride to maybe even get your children to eat their dinner. Meal planning is another great way to have kids feel like they were a big help in the family meals and also enjoy the foods being served. Later this week I will be posting about meal planning with the whole family.


Ideas for your children to help with are listed below in an age range. You know your child best and know what they can and can’t do. Disclaimer: Always supervise your children in the kitchen around sharp and hot objects.

Ages 2-3:
  • Clean table and counter tops Sprinkle cheese, 
  • sprinkles for cupcakes 
  • Tear foods like lettuce into bite sized pieces 
  • Arrange food on a baking sheet 
  • Scrub fruits and veggies 
  • Pour ingredients 
  • Mix, stir or whisk ingredients 
  • Spread butter or peanut butter on bread/toast 
  • Cut soft foods with a butter or plastic knife 

Ages 4-5: (can do all the above, plus)
  • Shape foods cookies or meatballs 
  • Mash soft foods (my daughter loves to mash bananas with the potato masher) 
  • Set the table and clean up 
  • Crack an egg into a bowl 
  • Cut bread or cookie dough with cookie cutters 
  • Measure dry and wet ingredients 

Ages 6-9:
  • Peeling veggies and fruits
  • Dicing and mincing veggies and fruits
  • Using a can opener
  • Grating cheese 
  • Forming patties, balls the same size
  • Greasing pans 

Age 10-12+:
At this age you will be teaching them to work independently in the kitchen with minimal adult supervision.
  •  Using the microwave 
  • Using the stove top 
  • Using the oven 

Don’t want to start out making food in the kitchen with your two year old? How about making slim, silly putty or play dough? You can make tons of different crafts in the kitchen that will also to get your kids started on learning tons of kitchen techniques.

Homemade Slim – Source Disney’s Family Fun Magazine 

Materials
Two mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Glue
Borax
Green food coloring
Water

Instructions

1. Mix together 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup glue and several drops of green food coloring in the first bowl. 2. In the second bowl, mix together 4 teaspoons borax and 1 1/3 cups warm water.
3. Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second, but don't stir. Let it sit for 1 minute, then lift the now-congealed slime out of the bowl.
4. Divide slime so that each child has a piece to play with. The glue in slime can make it stick to certain fabrics. To minimize accidents, give each little monster a zip-top bag to store it in.

Tips: SAFETY NOTE: Since borax is toxic in large doses, be sure to keep the slime away from kids younger than age three.

Silly Putty Recipe 

1 cup white Elmer's glue
2 1/2 cup Sta-Flo liquid starch

Food coloring In a medium bowl, mix glue with 1 cup starch. Add a few drops of food coloring.
Cover bowl and let it stand overnight.

The next day slowly stir in with a spoon 1 to 1 1/2 cups of starch until a big blob forms. Pour off extra starch. Store in air tight container. If it is too sticky add starch, if it is to stringy add glue. The more you work with it the better it jells.

Note: Do NOT substitute any other glue for Elmer's glue! If you use Elmer's School Glue instead of regular white it doesn't bounce or pick up pictures. Source

Play Dough

1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup hot water
A few drops of food coloring

In a non-stick pan, mix the dry ingredients. Slowly add the water and mix.
Add food coloring. Mix. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes until it is in a clump; stirring constantly.

Place on wax paper, the counter, or cutting board. Knead for a couple of minutes (let it cool if it needs to). Store in covered container or a seal able plastic bag in the refrigerator.

~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals, this is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Menu Planning Monday Week of March 19-25th, 2012

In honor of Kids week I have put together a menu after asking the kids for help on what they would like to have this week. Getting the family involved in meal planning helps take the stress off you guessing what everyone would like to eat and also help have something everyone loves. Watch for a post later this week all about meal planning with the family. 


MondayPan Haggerty with sausages
Tuesday – Mudslide Meatloaf and gravy (Dora & Diego Let’s Cook), potatoes and veggies
Wednesday – Fish, rice and coleslaw
Thursday – Sloppy Joes with Sweet Potato fries and salad
Friday – Slow cooker pork chops, rice and veggies
Saturday – to be decided
Sunday – to be decided


There are two more Fridays left in March so that means two more Peanut Butter recipes. I am working on a new Friday Recipe theme, I was thinking maybe Banana’s. What would you like to see?

~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Peanut Butter Friday - Peanut Butter Balls

This week I reviewed an online recipe for Peanut Butter Balls covered with Chocolate. The original recipe can be found on Joy Of Kosher.

This week I have decided not to write out the recipe here but if you are interested in trying this recipe please head over to Joy of Kosher. I found the only problem with the recipe seemed to be too sticky even after they were in the fridge for 15 hours. I think I would adjust the butter to less. I will have to try this recipe again but with less butter.


Now on to the photo's!
Ingredients to be mixed
All mixed up!
Adding Rice Cereal
Dipping with a tooth pick
Dipped and ready to go back to the freezer
I don't like to waste - now I can reuse or eat
The finished product! Yum! Sticky but yummy :)

~*Jennifer 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

IronKids & Cash Flash G!veaway!


We all know how important it is for our children to get their vitamins. I also know how hard it is to get picky eaters to eat all the recommend foods to get these vitamins and really to be honest do we as adults get our recommend vitamins?

IronKids gummies will help your children get the extra vitamins they should get with a tasty daily vitamin. I know, kids hate vitamins and the taste but I promise these are not your average tasting vitamins. Your kids will love them!

Enter below to win this fabulous giveaway for $100 CAD paid through Paypal and also $100 worth of IronKids vitamins! This is a fantastic giveaway if I do say so myself!!

The Rules:
  • Open for 5 days 
  • Open to Canada and US 
  • IronKids Ambassadors are not eligible to win
  • Ends March 20th, 2012 at 12:01 am EST
A big Thank goes to IronKids and Influential Media for hosting and organizing this giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway 
 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom but the giveaway is sponsored by the above mentioned. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Wordless Wednesday March 14th, 2012

If you are new to Wordless Wednesday let me tell you about it. Wednesday's on a lot of blogs people will post a photo or a bunch of photos that stand alone with little to no words attached. These pictures photos do say a thousand words sometimes.

Enjoy this weeks Wordless Wednesday:
~*Jennifer 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Wordless Wednesday: Early Signs of Spring

Almost Spring - spending time at the park

 
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Eat, Write, Retreat and Canadian Beef #EWR12

I am very super excited for the news I am about to share with you! Have you heard of the conference in Washington DC called Eat, Write, Retreat?
If you haven't heard of it, this is an annual food conference to help food writers and bloggers learn more about photography, food styling, writing and cooking. It also offers networking with other bloggers, writers and food brands.


Okay so here is the news, at the beginning of February Canadian Beef posted about a contest they were having on their blog for 3 scholarships (accommodations, and conference ticket) to Eat, Write, Retreat. This meant they would chose a food blogger from Canada on 3 Mondays in February. To enter you had to write a post about a memory you have that includes beef, something you learned on the Canadian Beef site or a beef recipe, all posts must include Canadian Beef site link and also a link to Eat, Write, Retreat.

I decided that this sounds like a wonderful experience and if anything a great place to learn from the pros. Off I went to write a post or three and enter this wonderful contest that Canadian Beef was offering. 

You may have noticed the beef posts - Mom's Quick Meal with @Canadian Beef, Homemade Hamburger Helper, & Cheese Stuffed Meatballs these were my entries into this amazing contest.

On February 27th, 2012 around 4pm my phone did it's little thing for a Twitter notification and there it was

FINAL winner is @Couponmomcanada ! @EatWriteRetreat we're sending you 3 fun ladies! @FoodMuser & @LynnLawandi "

I could not believe my eyes, I had just won the last scholarship to attend Eat, Write, Retreat! I will be heading off to this conference in less than two months and I have a million things to do before then and have my mind in conference overload!

Watch for more posts on how I am preparing for this conference and posts after the conference. If you are interested why not........
If you can not make it and want to join in on the conversation on Twitter use hashtag #EWR12

~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is a post to share my wonderful news of being select to attend Eat, Write, Retreat conference in May! All opinions are honest and my own.*~

Marvelous Menu Monday March 12-18th,2012

Here is this weeks menu plan; what is on your menu this week? Would love to hear from you please leave a comment.

Monday - Chicken, potatoes and veggies

Tuesday -Fish, rice and veggies

Wednesday - Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff (Kraft Canada)


Thursday - Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and Porkchops

Friday - Looking for a meatless meal

Saturday - Hubby cooks - BBQ Burgers, salad

Sunday - Hubby cooks

This week is March break for us and also my busy week at work so I will be keeping it simple. We may change up the meals after the week starts as I have a few meals to write about during Kids Week March 18-24th.  I will also be making something else with Peanut Butter for Friday, I better go find a recipe.

Happy Monday!

~*Jennifer
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. All opinions are honest and my own. This is not a sponsored post.*~

Deluxe LED Fogless Mirror Review & G!veaway

Today's product review is a handy little tool that I am sure you will love especially any dad's out there. Oh wait maybe dad you should call mom into the room to read this instead. This product would make a wonderful Father's Day present. I know we are no where near Father's Day but this is something I think all dad's would love.

ToiletTree Products Inc. specializes in bathroom products and you may have heard about their LED Fogless Mirrors. If you haven't these are really nice mirrors that are designed not to rust, discolor or damage your bathroom surface.

The new Deluxe LED Fogless Mirror is made 20% bigger than the original mirror. Includes LED lights around the mirror and a new and improved squeegee to clean extra water droplets the mirror off.
Other features of this great mirror include:
  • Shatter proof high quality acrylic mirror that adheres to virtually any wall surface with removable silicone adhesive.
  • Easily adjustable bracket accommodates multiple users and angles.
  • Built in shelf to store your razor, sponge or tweezers. 
You will need 24 hours to adhere the soft silicone adhesive. This can be tricky in a house with one bathroom and four people. The adhesive is easy to remove and will not damage your bathroom tiles. The mirror does work like a charm and my husband loves that he can shave in the shower and get a nice close shave. Like I said a Great Father's Day present!

Where to buy: The LED Fogless Mirror can be purchased on Amazon for $49.95 with free shipping

Follow @ToiletTreeProd on Twitter or "Like" them on Facebook.

Our friends over on ToiletTree Products Inc. wants to give one lucky Canadian Coupon Mom their very own Deluxe LED Fogless Mirror. This giveaway is open to US & Canada and will end March 26th at 12:01 am EST. Please fill in the rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway   
~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Canadian Coupon Mom on behalf of Toilettree products. We received the above mentioned product for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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