danawyyc

Simple Meatball Soup – #52soups

February 7, 2016 by danawyyc 1 Comment

If there is one thing that will get my kids to try a soup, it’s meatballs. I like using the frozen meatballs from IKEA but you can use any frozen meatballs you like or even make your own (if you are way more enthusiastic than me). You don’t have to pre-cook them – they can go right on the broth. My kids all liked this soup. In their own way. My 1 year old loved everything although I didn’t give him a lot of the broth for obvious reasons. My 3 year old loved the carrots, meatballs, noodles and broth and my oldest liked the meatballs, noodles and tomatoes but no broth thank you very much.

Even though it felt a little silly at times, it was really nice to have a meal that everyone liked.

Simple Meatball Soup

Ingredients

4 medium carrots diced
4 stalks celery
1 small onion diced
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
4 cups of broth beef (1 tetra pack)
1 pound of your favourite meatballs (uncooked)
1-2 cups of cooked pasta

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot.
Saute onions and carrots. Add celery if desired. If you add the celery later it will be more crunchy. It just depends on your tastes.
When the onions have softened add the broth, tomatoes seasoning and meatballs (and the celery if you haven't already).
Bring to a boil.
Turn the temperature down to a simmer and continue to cook for around 20 minutes. The meatballs should be fully cooked.
Add some pasta to each bowl and serve the soup over top.

Notes

Adapted from Mama's Slowcooker Meatball Soup - she has a great recipe for homemade meatballs if you are making your own

Super Easy Chicken and Barley Soup – #52soups

February 6, 2016 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

My kids have been a little resistant to soup. My oldest is sure that anything called soup must be terrible. He’s started to make a little progress and is now sometimes willing to try soup so I’ve been trying to make some that I think he might like. Nothing he can’t identify in it, not too spicy and definitely no onions! This soup is also ridiculously easy. You don’t even have to chop anything. And it’s pretty good too.

Super Easy Chicken and Barley Soup - #52soups

Ingredients

Tetra pack of Chicken Broth (about 4 cups)
2 cups water
½ cup pot barley
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dry thyme
1-2 chicken breasts cooked (leftover rotisserie chicken is nice, or you can poach it in the broth)
salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large pot bring the broth, water, garlic and barley to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until barley is cooked through (about 40 minutes depending on the kind of barley you use).
Add cooked chicken, frozen mixed vegetables and bring back to a boil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add hot sauce (I like Chili Lime Cholula) if desired.

Notes

Inspired by a Pretty Life in the Suburbs Chicken and Rice Soup. Her recipes are awesome. Go check out her blog.

Frank’s Buffalo Chicken Soup with Roasted Cauliflower – #52soups

January 26, 2016 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I love Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce so I was really interested to see how that would translate into a soup. I used roasted cauliflower to thicken the broth, but you could also leave it out and have a thinner broth, or thicken it with something else like white beans or potatoes. I left the celery and carrots fairly crunchy, if you want them to be softer than you can just saute them before adding them to the soup.

Frank's Buffalo Chicken Soup with Roasted Cauliflower - #52soups

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts cooked (cut up or shredded)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 onion (diced)
4 stalks celery (chopped)
4 carrots (chopped)
1 tetra pack of chicken broth (900 ml)
1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
½ cup (or more) Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce or Frank's Red Hot
¼ cup of Ranch Dressing
blue cheese (optional)

Instructions

Toss the cauliflower with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes. Cauliflower should be starting to brown. (this step can be done ahead - just refrigerate the roasted cauliflower.
Melt butter in a large pot and add a couple TBSP of butter to make a roux.
Stir for a couple of minutes and then add the diced onion. Cook for a couple more minutes.
Add in the chicken broth and cauliflower and heat to a boil.
Use an immersion blender to puree (or you can mix up the cauliflower with some broth in a magic bullet or blender).
Add the carrots, celery and chicken to the cauliflower mixture and bring back to a boil.
Add the hot sauce and dressing and mix well.
Top with blue cheese, or a drizzle of ranch dressing.

Notes

Adapted from The Cookie Rookie
3.2.2925
Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper, arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Chilean Cazuela de Ave – Chilean Chicken Soup – #52soups

January 17, 2016 by danawyyc 1 Comment

This soup is part soup and part stew. You are traditionally supposed to eat the broth first and the large pieces last. If you would like something more soup like you can cut up the meat and largest vegetables. I’ve created a much quicker version of a soup that would often be gently boiled for hours.

This was a definite winner at our house. My kids aren’t big soup fans but my daughter loved the chicken, carrots and corn on the cob and my son loved the chicken, potatoes and corn on the cob. My baby is 12 months old and thought the whole thing was wonderful.

I tested this out using skinless bone-in-chicken thighs and butternut squash as well as cut up chicken breasts and sweet potato. I try to like cooking with bone-in-chicken but I am still not a fan, if you do just make sure you skim the fat off the top of the broth. I don’t have ready access to pumpkin but I found both the butternut squash and sweet potato both worked well.

Chilean Cazuela de Ave - Chilean Chicken Soup - #52soups

Ingredients

6-8 pieces of chicken (cooked or raw)
6 cups of chicken broth or a mixture of water and broth
6-8 pieces of butternut squash, pumpkin or sweet potato
2 leeks (or other onion) diced and washed
12 baby potatoes
6 cobs of corn (you can do more if you are cooking them seperately)
parsley, oregano and cilantro
heat of choice (hot sauce etc)
green beans (trimmed and cut in half)
6 carrots (peeled and cut into large chunks)
cooked rice (if desired)

Instructions

Heat some oil in a large pot. Add the leeks and cook until they soften a bit.
Add the broth and water, chicken and the rest of the vegetables except the green beans.
Add a few springs of the herbs on top - if you tie them together with a string they will be easier to take out at the end.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 25 minutes until the veggies are soft and the chicken is cooked through. If you are using a fattier cut of chicken be sure to skim the fat off the top as it is cooking.
Add the green beans and cook for 10 more minutes.
Serve by spooning each bowl with a piece or two of chicken, a couple of baby potatoes, a piece of whatever orange vegetable you are using, and several carrots and green beans. Then fill the bowl with the broth. Add a spoonful of the cooked rice (optional).
Top with hot sauce and a bit of cilantro or parsley.

Notes

Adapted from Eat Wine and Blog

New Year’s Resolutions: Small Steps with Big Results!

January 11, 2016 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

My baby turned one at the beginning of 2016. I babies are wonderful but I find the disrupted sleep in that first year so hard to handle. Sleep deprivation is not my friend. Now that he’s one though, I’m starting to feel like I have a bit of a handle on things. Since it’s also the start of the new year I am thinking of new beginnings even more.

It’s tempting to try to make a whole bunch of changes all at once. I don’t know about you, but that has never worked for me in the past. Whether it is a new year’s resolution or not, I find that making smaller changes over time are more likely to stick.

Maybe it’s as simple as taking your vitamins. I’m actually doing really well with that this year since I switched over to gummy vitamins like Vitafusion™ Men’s & Women’s Complete Multivitamins. Gummy vitamins work really well for the kids too because they want to take them so help me remember.

This year I’m looking at other small things that I can do to improve my health. Like being less efficient.

For real.

I find that generally I always try to find the most efficient way to do something so I can cut down the time it takes to do it. But this year I am trying to dial that back in effort to walk more. I’m parking at the back of the lot, taking the long way around at the mall and walking my son to school. I got a fit bit this year at Christmas and am trying to get in my 10,000 steps. Right now sometimes I do and sometimes I really really don’t.

The other thing I am doing is prioritizing exercise. I find it really easy to put this last on my list. I am not an athlete, I would usually rather read a book. But I know I feel better when I exercise so I am trying to put that first on my list instead of last. I’ve found a yoga series I really like called 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene which is free on youtube! I love that the routines change every day but I don’t have to put in a lot of effort to decide what to do next. I just put on the next video. My current strategy is to do it as soon as my youngest goes down for his first nap. If for some reason I miss it I try to do it right after the kids go to sleep. It’s starting to feel my part of my routine and I really hope I can keep it up.

I am a brand ambassador for the 2016 year with Church & Dwight. As part of this program I receive monetary compensation as well as products to review.

A 9 Months Pregnant Mom’s Christmas Home Tour – with update

December 22, 2015 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I wrote this post last year when I was feeling very exhausted and extremely pregnant. This year, I have an almost 1 year old, a 3 year old and a 6 year old. I feel way more comfortable but am still pretty tired. I loved this post so I thought I would repost it with a bit of an update. Our house is actually pretty similar to last year aside from three things.

1) The never ending piles of stuffies, books and baby toys which little Robbie loves to create. I keep thinking I should at least move the books, but it amuses him for a little while so I just keep putting them back on the shelf. More or less.

2) The Christmas tree has two large barricades in front of it. This has largely kept the tree safe although he is very determined to find a way to the tree from under the table.

3) You can see any presents any where. I had no idea how much easier Christmas was with Spring babies. The first year they are just starting to get into everything and by the second year they are around a year and a half and have a little bit of sense.

And now here is last year’s post!

A 9 Months Pregnant Mom’s Christmas Home Tour

I don’t know if you are familiar with a Home Tour. I didn’t know anything about them until recently when I fell into a bad crowd. Of design bloggers. Honestly, they are lovely people. Many of these design bloggers do gorgeous home tours that showcase their beautiful homes that look straight out of a magazine, like my friend Jo-anna.

Now I know their homes don’t look exactly like that all the time. I know the pictures were taken just after the house was cleaned and all the dishes and kids toys have been put away. I know that there are rooms that don’t get photographed at all. But my house has never ever looked even remotely like one of those houses.

Now that I am preparing for Christmas while 9 months pregnant with a 2 and 5 year old my house looks even less similar. I have actually managed to put up all the decorations already this year. But that’s because I started really early because everything seems to take me forever right now. I wrapped all the presents over 3 days. And it’s not like I did any fancy wrapping either. I literally wrote on the wrapping paper with jiffy marker. By the time I got to the presents from Santa… Well, let’s just say that Santa should fire the elf that wrapped those presents. I’ve also reduced the number of decorations I’ve put up this year. In part because I’m having a baby in early January so everything needs to get put away right after Christmas and mostly because I can’t manage to get some of the areas that I would put the decorations clean.

I thought doing a home tour of our home would provide a refreshing contrast to many of the Christmas home tours out there right now.

So come on in!

I actually really like our Christmas lights, but we’re redoing the area in front of our window so right now instead of a dying bush with pretty coloured lights on it like we had last year, we have a stump, a dirt pile and pots with dead flowers.

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is our felt Christmas Stockings from Etsy. We don’t have a mantel on our fireplace and I have struggled every year with how to hang them up. I think this year I finally figured it out.

I attached hooks onto the wall on each side of the fireplace and hung the stockings up with clothes pins along a string. The fireplace itself has never actually been used. We currently have it blocked off with a piece of wood held in place with duck tape because it was so drafty. Classy I know.

Our tree is beautiful and this picture really doesn’t do it justice. We carefully placed it in the centre of the room because there wasn’t any other place we could put it this year without blocking the TV. And we just can’t have that. We have high ceilings so bought a tall tree. Two things to note: everything looks smaller in Costco and if you are ever buying a tall tree think about how wide the base is. We have tall ceilings but a small house!

My son begged me to build a gingerbread house this year. I have no problem getting them to stay together but do not have much skill with using the icing for decoration.

We are currently lovingly displaying it on our kitchen table amongst the mess which we can’t seem to actually clear off this year.

We tend to get a little something new each year for Christmas and this year’s edition is a wooden nativity.

Which is basically lost in the clutter that is all over our bookcase.

In the kitchen you’ll find our little Christmas whisk.

And typically a huge mess.

I decided to extend the string and clothes pin idea to our Christmas cards and I really love how it turned out.

It’s conveniently located across from the bathroom and above the overflowing laundry baskets. This is also the same space that I display the kids’ artwork.

Inside the bathroom is our fancy Christmas themed soap dispenser.

And clutter that I should really put away. And a lot of toothpaste and soap residue. I love this sink but kids sure make a mess of it in a hurry. I have tried to take as-is pictures of our house for this home tour, but I really debated whether anyone actually needed to see this. I’m pretty sure the answer is no, but it saved me from having to clean it up right now. I”ll get to it. Eventually.

We have a second small tree from our first house that we let the kids decorate this year.

It was pretty adorable to see how they put the ornaments on. There is a ring right at 2 year old height where you can find all the pink ornaments.

Below the tree we have a Lego Train set up. We have a Lego Christmas train for it too, but my husband’s nerves can’t handle the kids playing with it without supervision and I am way too tired to do that job so it only comes out when he’s able to watch them with it.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the Danish kravlenisser or Crawling Elves (we just call them Nisse). This are a little bit similar to elf on the shelf. They are paper elves that pop up around your house and move around at night. For some reason one year I decided that we should have a new one come out each day in December until Christmas and that they should all move around each night. I have no idea why I set the bar so high. This year, the Nisser are much more likely to hang out in groups so I don’t have to find new places to put them.

The Nisse also bring the kids candy for their advent calendar. Which this year is located on the floor next to their dresser full of dress up clothes.

The presents that don’t fit under the tree are stuck on a table in our back bedroom. surrounded by more mess.

So that’s our house this year. Yes, there are some rooms I’ve skipped. All you will find there is more mess and no Christmas decorations of any kind. Even though our house is far from perfect this year (not that it is anywhere near perfect other years) and I am exhausted, our kids are still enjoying our decorations and loving our Christmas traditions. I’ve found that letting go of some of the expectations I have for myself is making me happier too. Christmas dinner this year is going to be a no cook, order in pizza dinner. It’ll be different, but I think it’s going to be great just the same.

Merry Christmas!

Orange Is the New Black in Calgary – Unique Gift Idea

December 16, 2015 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

Do you have someone on your Christmas list this year that you are at a loss for what to get them? Or maybe someone keeps asking you what’s on your list this year and you can’t think of anything. This may be just the thing you were looking for.

Orange is the New Black author Piper Kerman is going to be speaking at an event on April 14, 2016! This would make a perfect gift for the OITNB fan on your list. Piper Kerman is not only the author of the book, but the book is a memoir of her experiences in Women’s prison and the inspiration for the Netflix TV series. I’ve heard that she is an excellent speaker and funny too.

“The View from Behind Bars an evening with Piper Kerman at MacLeod Hall in Calgary”, also includes a silent auction plus an option to buy premium seating to the event which includes a signed copy of Piper’s book “Orange is the new Black, my year in Women’s Prison”.

But this event will not only be entertaining, it is also raising money for a great cause. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary (EFRY) is a non-profit organization that has been helping women and youth who are dealing with the legal and justice system for over 50 years. They provide practical programs, basic necessities and connections to community resources with the goal of creating more hopeful futures.

The money raised from this event, “The View Behind Bars – An Evening with Piper Kerman” will go to the Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary’s prison to community transition programs.

I’ve really enjoyed watching OITNB – my favorite parts are the backstories. It really helps illustrate how often common themes of poverty abuse, trauma and addiction are to the women who end up engaged with the justice system and how without help these cycles could just keep repeating.

The show also gives you a bit of an idea of how hard it would be to start over and transition back into society. The Elizabeth Fry Society tries to help ease this transition through practical support.

Tickets are on sale now so go grab a couple for that tricky person on your list – your sister, or sister-in-law, friend or mother- and cross them off. Or drop a big hint about what you would like this year by sending this link.

For 50 years, Elizabeth Fry has offered a hand up to thousands of women in the Calgary community, providing practical programs, basic necessities and connections to community resources, all with the goal of creating more hopeful futures.

Testing out PAM’s new no-residue cooking spray

December 10, 2015 by danawyyc 2 Comments

I love cooking (well unless I am totally sleep deprived) but I do not love cleaning up afterwards (no matter how much sleep I get). That’s why I like to use a cooking spray – less stuff sticking to the pan mean less time I end up having to spend scrubbing. Or re-running my pans through the dishwasher.

What I do not love is that sticky residue that cooking sprays can end up leaving behind on the pans. So when PAM cooking spray asked me to test out their new No-residue formula against a competitor spray, I said absolutely. I was honestly a little skeptical that I would find anything particularly noteworthy.

First I tried it out on some eggs I made in mini-muffin tins. I used PAM on the ones on the right and the competitor on the ones on the left. I think a few things are pretty clear from this picture.
1. I cannot eyeball how many eggs I need to fill two mini-muffin trays
2. I over fill my muffin trays
3. PAM absolutely left less residue than the competitor.

I decided to grab a recipe and try the eggs again. The PAM is again on the right and the competitor is on the left. From these photos you can see that:
1. Filling mini-muffin trays with eggs is hard
2. It gets dark too early and the lighting in my kitchen is terrible and
3. PAM again left less of that dark sticky residue than the competitor.

I decided that perhaps eggs in mini muffin trays are not for me and made some brownies in honor of National Brownie Day. For research purposes. I made them from a mix because they are shockingly easy to make from a mix but still delicious and I am currently sleep deprived due to my sweet little 11 month old so the only cooking I am doing is lazy cooking.

The pan I used PAM on was again on the right and the competitor was on the left. Although both brownies were easy to remove from the pan, the PAM left way less sticky residue.

Here is a closer look at the back. I honestly was impressed. That sticky residue has been my biggest complaint with cooking sprays. The people at PAM say that this effect is even more pronounced over time. Pans used with PAM no-residue will continue to stay very clean looking wash after wash whereas pans use other cooking sprays with continue to collect residue over time.

I am participating in the PAM No Residue blog comparison program with enCompass Media. I’ve received payment as a thank you for participating and sharing my honest opinion.

Winter Holidays: A Guide to Fun!

December 1, 2015 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

When the forecast is calling for snow, snow and more snow, don’t fight it, get out there and enjoy all that winter has to offer.

Tobogganing

Grab a sled and trek to the top of that perfectly powdered hill. Tobogganing is a great family activity that everyone can enjoy; nothing beats the thrill of sliding down a snowy white hill. What’s your toboggan of choice? The classic wooden style? The faster and more unpredictable flying saucer, or maybe a sleek crazy carpet?

Skating

For a calmer experience, a nice skate around a local outdoor rink is a great way to enjoy an afternoon outdoors with your kids.

Snowshoeing

If the snow is particularly deep, why not try snowshoeing? Modern snowshoes are inexpensive, snap onto all boots and are a fun and interesting way to walk across deep snow without sinking. In fact, snowshoes are a great way to get to the top of a toboggan hill safely and quickly.

Snow Fort

If staying closer to home seems more appealing, building a snow fort with the kids in the yard is a classic winter activity. Packing snow into bread tins is fun way to make snow bricks for building the best fortress on the block.

When playing in the snow, there’s bound to be slips and falls, and not every toboggan run ends in a fluffy pile of snow, but that’s part of the fun. So when your day is done reach for Rub A535™ to soothe and relax tense muscles so you can do it all over again tomorrow. For the little ones, natural source Rub A535™ Maximum Strength Arnica Gel-Cream is an effective all natural product that makes it the ideal treatment for bumps, bruises and swelling and it’s great for when you’re on the go. When you’re all warmed up at home, you can top off a fun day in the snow, with a nice cup of hot chocolate!

I am a brand ambassador for the 2015 year with Church & Dwight. As part of this program I receive monetary compensation as well as products to review.

Why LEGO makes me happy – #HappyMomMoments

November 16, 2015 by danawyyc 5 Comments

My little boy is not so little anymore. He started grade one this year and has become so independent.

He’s learning to read and follow directions and create things from his imagination too.

He used to need so much help. And now he’s the one helping his baby brother and little sister.

One of the ways I can really see this is with LEGO. Although he still loves playing with DUPLO, he’s mastered building with it and is ready to take on more.

The LEGO Juniors sets are perfect for him now. They are easier to build than regular LEGO sets because they are less complex making it a great bridge from DUPLO to LEGO. They are also less fragile because they don’t use as many pieces to make each element.

He could spend hours building and creating. I love seeing the look on his face while he’s so focused on what he’s doing.

His ability to concentrate is really impressive. Check out this video for a cute example.

His imaginative play is really flourishing now too. The trucks don’t just drive back and forth. They have places to go and jobs to do.

He’s growing in other ways too. The other day he told me that he was going to save up his allowance for Christmas presents. He wanted to buy the LEGO Cinderella castle for his sister and the DUPLO train for his baby brother. As well as getting a nice set for himself of course. He does not get nearly that much allowance! But it was such a generous thought that it almost made me cry. That was a real proud mom moment for me.

This post has been brought to you in thanks to the generosity of JimJam Communications. As always, all opinions expressed are my own and I’m thrilled to share with you why Lego is such a big part of my kids’ childhood.

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