Food

11 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group

April 1, 2019 by danawyyc 2 Comments

1. Southwestern Bean Salad

Bean salads can often be quite bland but this one is definitely not. Using canned beans makes it easy to prepare and helps the salad stretch a long way.

2. Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

Using brown basmati rice will keep the nutrient content of this salad but keep the soft texture that you get from white rice. You can easily feed a big crowd with this fresh salad without a lot of work.

3. Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

This is not your typical pasta salad but it is just as easy to make. This salad uses salsa as a dressing, pumping up the flavor and reducing the calories too.

4. Orzo Salad

Another fresh take on pasta salad, this salad uses tiny orzo pasta and mint to make a nice light side dish.

5. Mexican Street Corn Inspired Quinoa and Corn Salad

Looking for something a little different? This salad has just the right amount of heat.

6. Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Want a salad just bursting with nutrition? It’s hard to beat this one. It makes a ton so you can easily feed a large group.

7. Retro Cauliflower Salad with Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Cauliflower has never tasted so good as in this creamy salad with cheese and tortilla chips.

8. Rainbow Fruit Salad

This fruit salad is easy to put together and makes a large bowl full without a lot of work. Substitute the fruit for what’s in season and you can’t go wrong.

9. Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

A little bit sweet and a little bit crunchy, this salad is a definite break from your everyday salad. It keeps really well so you can make it ahead of time or enjoy the leftovers the next day.

10. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Quinoa makes a perfect base for a little bit of a twist on the traditional Tabbouleh salad.

11. Salad on a Stick

Want a salad that you can eat without utensils? Try one of these options for a salad on a stick.

Eating Out With Kids at a Sushi Restaurant – Food Adventure Guide

September 18, 2018 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

Taking kids out for dinner can be challenging at any time but going to a restaurant where they are serving food they are unfamiliar with can be even more of a headache. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on your favourite restaurants.

Tips for Eating Out with Kids in New Restaurants

Go on a Food Adventure– try to make the outing seem like an adventure. Explore new places and new foods in a fun and relaxed way. My kids really respond well to the ‘food adventure’ process of exploring new food (click here for more information).
Keep your expectations low – even if they hardly eat anything and hate everything, try to see going to a new place and trying something new as a win.
Try to find something that you know they will eat even if it’s not ideal. You can usually find something, noodles, rice, bread, chicken etc that your kids won’t turn their nose up at. I see it as a gateway to trying new foods. Sure, a meal of Naan bread (for example) is far from perfect, but at least it’s a step in the right direction. If you can get them in the door, you’ll have more opportunities for them to try more things.
Get things to share – having a big plate of unfamiliar food can be overwhelming. Get small plates for the kids and put out small portions. If they are reluctant to try things only put a small piece of one new item on their plate at a time.
Try take out – this can take some of the pressure of a restaurant setting out of the equation. It can also backfire however, because the kids know that there are other things available at home.

Kid Friendly Things to Try at Sushi Restaurants

Different restaurants’ menus will vary but here are some ideas of things you may find. It can help to look at the menu online before going to the restaurant and plan out what you will order before going in.

Rolls

Not all kids will be willing to try sushi rolls, but your kids may surprise you so don’t completely discount them. Many kids enjoy the mild flavour and creamy texture of California rolls, the sweetness of Mango rolls or the plainer avocado, or cucumber rolls.

Other Things

My daughter wants nothing to do with rolls but sushi restaurants usually have many other options as well.

Miso Soup – if your child enjoys soup, they may enjoy the broth of mild flavoured miso soup
Edamame – similar in look to peas with a fairly mild flavour these can be a good option
Chicken Katsu – breaded chicken that may appeal to kids who love chicken nuggets
Chicken Yakitori – chicken skewer coated in a sweet sauce
Gyoza – pork dumplings
Yam Tempura
Noodle dish such as chicken fried noodles may win over kids who love noodles

Those are some of the things that have won my kids over at Sushi restaurants. What has your reluctant foodie enjoyed (or at least was willing to try!)?

Grandma’s Hamburger Soup – #52soups

September 5, 2018 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

My husband’s grandmother used to make this soup and is one of my husband’s favorites. As he will tell you though, it’s not exactly the same as the way she used to make it (aka not quite as good) but it’s as close as I can manage to get. Like many recipes it has changed a lot over time. I actually have a copy of her recipe for Hamburger Soup but it hardly resembles what my husband remembers at all.

He remembers a spicy tomato juice that you used to be able to get but I can’t seem to find anything like that. Do you know of anything like that?

Anyway, the soup is pretty kid friendly and healthy for something that feels a lot like comfort food. This recipe is not precise so feel free to adjust it to your taste or what you have on hand.

Grandma's Hamburger Soup - #52soups

Ingredients

1 giant can of tomato juice
½ cup of pot barley
a few large carrots
a few stalks of celery
1 tetra pack of beef broth
heat of your choice (optional) I like using rotel but that is not readily available in Canada
1 onion chopped
1 or 2 cans of whole potatoes (or other potatoes if you prefer)
½-1lbs of cooked ground beef
1 large can of diced tomatoes

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Set to simmer and cook until barley is fully cooked. Keeps well in the fridge and freezes well too.

Frank’s Buffalo Chicken Dip – no blue cheese

September 2, 2018 by danawyyc 1 Comment

My friend Merry, makes a Buffalo Chicken dip that I really love. But I’m not really in love with blue cheese. I’ve tried different things to replace it but nothing was working like I wanted. One day I came across a post by Julie from Dinner with Julie about making a dip for hot wings out of Bousin cheese and I had the answer. It worked perfectly and is now my new favorite thing to make for a potluck.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Frank's Buffalo Chicken Dip - no blue cheese

Ingredients

8 oz brick cream cheese
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (I like using leftover rotisserie chicken)
½ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce (I used Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce (not hot sauce))
2-4 Tbsp butter, melted (more butter will tone down the heat)
1 package boursin cheese
¼ to ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Mix melted butter and hot sauce. Combine with chicken.
Layer in a shallow oven proof dish - first cream cheese, then chicken mixture, then boursin and top with a light layer of mozzerella.
Bake for until mozzerella is melted - about 20 minutes.
Great served with tortilla chips, or you can use it as a veggie dip for carrots or celery. It's also super good on a bed of lettuce.

Haystacks – Cornflake and Toffee No Bake Cookies

August 15, 2018 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

One of my favorite treats growing up was my Auntie Betty’s haystacks. I got the recipe from her a few years ago, but I only made them this year after seeing my friend Merry’s similar recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Crunchies. Not only were they as good as I remembered they were actually super easy to make too. After eating a few, okay a lot. I made another 2 batches to share with our neighbors.

Haystacks - Cornflake and Toffee No Bake Cookie

Ingredients

225g of toffee bars (McIntosh) or caramels (approximately 1 bag or 4 bars)
1 cup coconut
3 cups cornflakes
2-4 Tbsp milk

Instructions

) Melt toffee and milk over low heat stirring often
) When melted add coconut and corn flakes
) Mix well and drop spoonfuls onto wax paper
Don't worry if the haystacks look a little loose, when they cool they will set into one piece.

Haystacks No Bake Cookie - talkinginallcaps.com

Pesto Potato Salad

April 2, 2018 by danawyyc 7 Comments

My father-in-law is from PEI so potatoes are basically considered their own food group in their house. Baked, mashed, fried, you name it. My son seems to be taking after him, he will often grab cold leftover potatoes out of the fridge for a snack and eat them straight up.

My favorite potatoes have always been little potatoes. I like that they require so little work – they don’t need to be peeled and they can be used whole or cut into bite sized pieces with just a slice or two. The other thing I like about little potatoes is because you don’t peel them, you keep all the good nutrients that are found in the peel.

When I was thinking about what else I should make with them today, I remembered a dish that I’ve made before that contained pesto, gnocchi and vegetables. I figured that a variation on that would make a fantastic warm potato salad and I was right.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Little Potato Company

Ingredients

1.5 lbs of little potatoes
½ cup of peas
½ cup of asparagus or green beans chopped
½ cup of grape tomatoes cut in half
1-2 Tbsp of pesto
4 slices of monterey jack cheese cubed or shredded

Instructions

Boil little potatoes for approximately 15 minutes.
Drain the potatoes toss with pesto.
Add peas, asparagus (or green beans), grape tomatoes and cheese.
Mix together and serve warm.

Pesto Potato Salad - Little Potato Company - talkiginallcaps.com

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (5 years old): Are there any plain potatoes? I’ll just eat those.

Nicky (2 years old): I want ham.

Stephen: Good.

Dana: I liked this a lot. I would definitely make it again. I might not even try sharing next time!

Butter Tarts

January 11, 2018 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

We love butter tarts and like to try different versions to try to find the best one. One day we decided to make our own and to date they are still our favourites.

Ingredients

2 eggs

1.5 cups brown sugar

0.5 cup maple syrup

3 TBSP melted butter

1 cup raisins

2 tsp vinegar

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

24 tart shells (3″)

Directions

Before cooking, soak raisins in boiling water for hours or overnight. Add a tablespoon or two or rum, rye or vinegar for added flavour. (This step is optional if you are short on time but it’s worth it).
Preheat oven 350F
Beat eggs well in a large bowl.
Add sugar, syrup and melted butter to the eggs. Mix well.
Add vinegar, salt and vanilla.
Drain the liquid from the raisins. Fill the bottom of the tart shells with raisins.
Fill the tart shells 3/4 full with the sugar mixture. I find a small liquid measuring cup works well.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until set. The tart shells should be lightly browned and the filling should stay put if tipped.

Variations:
Skip the raisins and full the tarts just with the sugar mixture.
Add toasted, chopped pecans to the top of the tarts before cooking.
Add sea salt to the top of the tarts before or after cooking.

Chinese Egg Drop Soup – #52Soups

February 13, 2016 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I am always trying to gently get my kids to try new and different foods. I tell them that we are going to be food adventurers. This idea often works pretty well with my kids. They don’t always like what they try, but sometimes they do. And they are more willing to try when it is an adventure than something mommy is making them do.

A friend of mine has just come out with a new book called “No More Beige Food” a humorous picture book about a little girl named Wilma Lee Wu who is tired of the boring food her family makes and goes on a search for more interesting foods to try. I think this will fit in perfectly with our food adventures and I can’t wait to read it to my kids. This recipe for Chinese Egg Drop Soup will soon be appearing in a bonus downloadable e-book that will include recipes for the foods that Wilma Lee Wu tries in “No More Beige Food” as well as some additional recipes like this one. I’ll put up the link as soon as it’s available.

This soup is quick and easy to make and is really delicious too. The broth is flavourful without being too spicy making it great for kids. I made this soup with my daughter and she loved pouring in the eggs. If your kids are reluctant to eat green onions or mushrooms you can leave them out completely or you could leave them in big pieces so they are easy to pick out. You can also add other things to the soup like tofu, bean sprouts or corn.

My daughter was excited to try the eggs in broth but only if I picked out the green onions and mushrooms. My son didn’t want to try it but I think he might if he’s the one who gets to pour in the eggs.

Chinese Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 tetra pack of chicken broth (about 4 cups)
tablespoon of corn starch (you can use 2 TBSP of flour if you don't have corn starch or skip it completely for a thinner soup)
¼-1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
3 green onions chopped (optional)
¼ teaspoon of white pepper (use black if you don't have white)
¾ cup of sliced mushrooms of your choice (optional)

Instructions

In a large pot, add chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, green onions, mushrooms and pepper and bring to a boil.
While you wait for it to boil put the corn starch or flour in a small container with a lid. Add some water, put the lid on and shake quickly until dissolved.
Break the eggs into a bowl (or a liquid measuring cup works great) and beat them a little bit with a fork.
When the pot is boiling add the cornstarch or flour mixture and stir.
Turn the heat down to a simmer.
While stirring add the eggs slowly to the pot. (Adding in the eggs is a great job for kids to do while you do the stirring)
Serve with some green onion on top.

Notes

Adapted from Simply Recipes Chinese Egg Drop Soup

link

Curry Sweet Potato Lentil Coconut Soup – #52soups

February 10, 2016 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

One of the things I love about this soup is that it is easy to have the ingredients on hand to throw together. It’s not too spicy – it’s actually kind of sweet with a lovely coconut smell. So it’s pretty kid friendly. My 1 year old thought it was pretty good but my bigger kids were both a little suspicious. They did try a little though. This is definitely a soup I will be making again and again. It feels like comfort food but one you can feel really good about eating.

Curry Sweet Potato Lentil Coconut Soup - #52soups

Ingredients

canola oil, for cooking
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. curry powder
⅓-1/2 cup dry red lentils
1 medium or large sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken stock
salt
1 can coconut milk
fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Hot sauce of your choice (optional)

Instructions

In a large pot heat about a TBSP of oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for another minute. Add the broth, lentils, sweet potatos and carrots and simmer for about 30 minutes - until the vegetables are very soft.
Add the coconut milk and use an immersion blender to purree (or you can do small batches in a blender but it is a bit trickier)
Top with cilantro, parsley, hot sauce or hot peppers diced small.

Notes

Adapted from Dinner with Julie's Curried Sweet Potato Carrot Red Lentil Ginger Soup. She is awesome and so is her blog - you should check it out.

Curry Sweet Potato Lentil Coconut Soup - #52soups

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

Food

1. Southwestern Bean Salad

2. Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

3. Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

4. Orzo Salad

5. Mexican Street Corn Inspired Quinoa and Corn Salad

6. Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

7. Retro Cauliflower Salad with Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

8. Rainbow Fruit Salad

9. Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

10. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

11. Salad on a Stick

Tips for Eating Out with Kids in New Restaurants

Kid Friendly Things to Try at Sushi Restaurants

Rolls

Other Things

Did They Eat It?

Ingredients

Directions

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