Complete Family Nutrition

Complete Family Nutrition
By Jane Clarke
Published at DK Canada

About the book

For busy parents looking for new ways to provide the best possible nutrition for their family, Complete Family Nutrition is a one-stop visual guide to delicious, nourishing food that everyone will love.

• Makes healthy food choices easy, for every stage in life – from babies and children to teenagers, adults, and the elderly.
• Shows the power of food to ensure optimal growth and development and to help tackle common health issues.
• Features 50 classic recipes made healthy, inspiring you to boost your family’s well-being at every meal.

My Thoughts

I am so glad I have received this book as I regularly gleaned information from it in order to have a better nutrition – not only for me but for my family as well.   In this book, which is packed with information on how to improve your nutrition, you will learn made this that can become part of your daily routine when it comes to eating.

The book covers everything you need to know about taking care of your body and how to be healthier.  The table of contents is pretty well organized.

Chapter 1:  What you body needs – dealing with food groups, energy=delivering carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, proteins to growth, protein from plants, fiber, fats, dairy foods, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, eating the rainbow, probiotics and prebiotics, water, how much to eat, and count to 5.

Chapter 2: What you and your family need – baby and you, formula feeding, starting solids, toddlers needs, tips for tasty first foods, what do schoolchildren needs, packed lunches, what do teenagers need, food for mood swings, what do I need, eating well during pregnancy, body-boosters for new moms, women at 50 plus, men at 50 plus, eating at seventy and over.

Chapter 3: Simple steps to a healthier you – keeping food at its best, making the most of your freezer, shopping tips, organic option, buzzwords to look out for, sugar: time to cut back, eating less salt, smoothies and juices, coffee and tea, watch your alcohol, children’s weight, helping an overweight child, teenage weight gain, is your child too thin, weight issues in adults, carrying too much weight in later years, daily exercises.

Chapter 4: Different needs, different diets – feeding vegetarians, young vegetarians and vegans, eating fish, cutting out red meat, food allergies and intolerances, cow’s milk allergy or lactose intolerance, egg allergy, wheat intolerance, understanding gluten and celiac disease, peanuts and other common allergies.

Chapter 5: Foods that revive and heal – Why do I feel tired all the time, boosting your child’s energy, eat wisely, sleep well, relieving stress, migraine-type headaches, fighting off coughs and colds, easing indigestion, tackling digestive troubles, food for period pain, boosting fertility, stronger bones, arthritis: easing the pain, eating to ease angry skin, anti-aging foods for your skin, feast for your eyes,  healthy eating for healthy hair, alleviating asthma, dealing with diabetes, eating for your heart, cancer and food, food-boosts for recovery, dementia.

Chapter 6: Classic recipes made healthy – recipes for life, breakfast, fish, meat, vegetarian, sides and starters, desserts, baking.

As you can see the book is packed with helpful information for everyone in your family. 

As I explored this book, I have learned how certain food can help your teenager to be less moody and how to boost their levels of endorphins by simply making breakfast a vital part of their day, encouraging them to reduce the sugar intake and choose fruits over quick sugar snacks.    There was also a special section about arthritis which is something that I am slowly dealing with as I get older.   And you will also find fun recipes to try out as a family.    Improving your nutrition is a step-by-step process for every single people throughout the planet.   This book will offer guidance and suggestion on how you can improve your own meals and how to deal with special needs in your family.

For more ideas on how you can start fresh in 2015 go to the DK Canada Start Fresh boutique.  There you will discover titles that will challenge you to cook more, to eat better, to boost your brain, to develop new skills, to plan your wedding, to grow vegetables in thigh spaces, to be more in shape and to spend more time with your little one.

Complete Family Nutrition is available at your favourire bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned book for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Voortman Cookies

Voortman Cookies Limited has premiered a new marketing campaign in support of its North America-wide expansion.  Their new campaign highlights the history of the cookie and emphasizes the familial roots of the cookie company - “Every bite tells a story.”

Voortman Cookies, Ltd. has been in business for more than 60 years and makes more than 60 unique varieties of cookies, including an extensive line of sugar-free and low sugar products. The company employs more 400 full-time workers in their production facility, and their cookies are distributed throughout North America by a network of more than 500 distributors servicing 50,000 stores. Voortman Cookies Ltd. is the first Canadian food company to completely eliminate the use of trans-fat in retail food products.

Did you know that there are six different categories of cookies at Voortman?   You can choose between Classics, Roll Packs, Turnovers, Wafers, Sugar Free and Omega-3.

We received a selection of the cookies that they offer. 

It didn’t take long for my mother-in-law to request a pack of Vanilla Wafers which I gladly pass on to her when we saw each other.

We are no strangers to the Turnover cookies as we regularly purchase them during the summer time while we go camping.    But it was a delight to get a Raspberry Turnover in the package.  These cookies are famous for their softness and the flavored middle section.   One of the favourite turnovers cookies I particularly like is the blueberry one thought the blackforest one is also a pack that I would select in store.

The wafer cookies are a favorites in our home and getting the new Cookies’N Crème package was a nice surprise.  I really find that they take like the famous chocolate wafers with white cream inside cookies but they are much lighter to eat.

We haven’t eaten the Chunky Chips of the Coconut cookies yet.  We have decided to eat the cookies at a slower pace than most families.  We like to savor our cookies with a huge glass of milk.

So to discover new cookies this summer – whether you are camping or not – make sure you check out the Voortman selection at your grocery store.  You might find a few that you will enjoy with a glass of milk or a cup of tea.

All Voortman cookies can be found at your favourite grocery store.

Did you know you can also get some packages of Voortman cookies at their Cookie Outlet in Burlington attached to their bakery?  The address is 4455 North Service Rd. L7L 4X7. Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 8:45-5:15 and Sat 9-3

Check out the two commercials that were recently released:

Koekje TV Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkvCfrigOPs

Turnover TV Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfZZiv_C-gg

Visit Voortman cookies on their social media spaces:

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/voortmancookies

Twitter: @VoortmanCookies

Disclaimer: Thanks to Creative Bube Tube and Voortman Cookies for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

World Cheese Book

World Cheese Book – The Finest Selection
Published at DK Canada

About the book

The book is about cheese in all its many glorious varieties. What it looks like, what it tastes like, where it comes from, what you should do with it and why, how to choose a cheese you'll like and how best to enjoy it. It gives you an in-depth understanding of the world of cheese - the science, the smells, the succulence.

The core of the book is formed by the Directory Spreads, packed with clear and expert information about each cheese and illustrated with excellent photography. The cheeses are arranged by country, each section written by an expert "cheesie" from that country. For the novice, the intermediate and expert cheese eater, it will become the undisputed best guide to the world's cheeses.

My Thoughts

My husband loves cheese particularly the strong kind.   And when I saw this title in the Tasty DK boutique I knew that it could be interesting for my husband.  Whenever he can try something new, he will jump on the opportunity.   I remember driving in the country once and he saw a sign announcing you can purchase fresh goat cheese at a farm.  Needless to say that he had to stop and try it out.   So we went to the farm, entered the small store and tasted goat cheese…  Personally, I couldn’t care less about it because I find it tastes as the animal smells.  But he liked it and purchased some on the spot.   I will admit I am picky about cheese.  While I like the soft and semi-soft kind, my husband prefers the strong and flavored ones.    Mind you I am always willing to try it and sometimes I discover some new flavours of cheese that I like. 

The book is divided into 12 sections:

• Introduction: understanding cheese, using this book, fresh cheeses, aged fresh cheeses, soft white cheeses, semi-soft cheeses, hard cheeses, blue cheeses,  flavor-added cheeses, the perfect cheeseboard.
• France: Beaufort, Brie de Meaux, Comté, Epoisses de Bourgogne, Reblochon de Savoie, Roquefort, Sainte-Maure de Touraine.
• Italy: Gorgonzola, Mozzarella di Bufala, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Taleggio.
• Spain and Portugal: Mahòn, Manchego.
• Great Britain and Ireland: Cheddar, Stilton, Yarg Cornish Cheese, Caboc, Caerphilly.
• Low Countries: Belgium, The Netherlands, Gouda
• Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: Emmentaler
• Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland
• Eastern Europe and the Near East: Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Feta, Halloumi
• The Americas: USA’ Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Monterey Jack
• Japan
• Australia and New Zealand

For each cheese presented in this book – and there are about 750 cheeses listed in it – you will get the name, an introduction, tasting notes, how to enjoy it, a map, a photograph, a scale, and a table containing the following information: region, age, weight and shape, size, milk, classification, and producer.   Every now and then in each section of the book, you will get a more detailed presentation on specific cheeses (see list above).    In these pages you will get an history of the cheese, and get an eye bird view on how they make it.

   

Essentially, this book is a great gift for the cheese lover in your life.  It will open up new flavours to try, new cheeses to experience and new taste buds to develop when it comes to cheese.  As I flipped through the pages, I immediately went to the ones from my birth province – Quebec.   I have also spotted a cheese that I would love to try out one of these days – Le Cru des Erables which is made in an old maple syrup shanty then washed in a local maple sap liqueur from Les Fromages de l’Erablière.  Sound delicious to me!

Not a fan of cheese?  No problem.  For a limited time, DK Canada is offering a special prices on a variety of books related to cooking and drinking.  If you don’t like slow cooking, you might want to swing by their Food and Drink Boutique to see if there would be anything you would like to discover.   There is something for everyone in the family whether it is to brew your own beer, discover wines or cheese, expanding your baking skills, learning to preserve food or simply discover gluten-free recipes.   Whatever your reasons to expand your tasting buds, there is a book for you at DK Canada.  Bon Appétit!

World Cheese Book is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com

 

 Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned title for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

I scream for ice cream

When we used to drive to Northern Ontario (New Liskeard to be exact), my husband used to stop on the way in and back to a special ice cream place in Deep River - Laurentian View Dairy.  We would even stop on our way back when it was winter time.   Then the unthinkable happened… my in-laws moved closer to us and we had no opportunity to drive to New Liskeard anymore.

But last month, after we attended the family reunion and were driving back home, I gave one look to my husband and whispered “ice cream”.  A quick look from his part told me that he already thought about it.   We just couldn’t pass on the opportunity to share this wonderful ice cream with our kids…

So when we arrived at Deep River, we stopped at Laurentian View Dairy so that we could taste the fabulous ice cream made there!  The place was established in 1945 and offers a restaurant and a dairy bar, manufactures its own ice cream and processes milk and milk products.   From what I understand it’s a location that many people travelling back and forth from Northern Ontario will stop to rest and savour their ice cream.

With over 40 kinds of flavours to choose from who can really resist the ice cream?   The kids each picked their own flavours but my favourite ones are definitively the Raspberry Ripple (full of yummy raspberries!), the Blueberry and the Orange Pineapple (in that order).   But you can also find  flavour like Egg Nog, Tiger Tail,  Boston Cream and Rum-N-Raisin to name a few.

The kids were looking forward into trying something different than the plain vanilla or chocolate ice cream we usually have in the house.

The cones are a bit pricey but how often do you have the chance to try out the most delicious ice cream in the Ottawa Valley? or Ontario for that matter…  Not often.  So if you are travelling in our neck of the wood with your RV, I strongly recommend that you stop at Laurentian View Dairy and try their amazing ice cream.  You won’t be disappointed and will wish you had purchase a container of the ice cream so you can bring it with you on the road.   (We though about it while we were driving back home!).

Laurentian View Dairy
33387 Highway 17,
Deep River
(613)584-3777

BlueWater Seafoods Gluten Free

For more than 50 years, BlueWater Seafoods, located in Lachine, Quebec, has been dedicated to preparing high quality, great-tasting seafood.   More recently, BlueWater took the steps necessary to ensure that all of its Grill Fish products are gluten free. Did you know that an estimated 3 million people in Canada are living with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. And while the absence of gluten in the diet of a person with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity alleviates uncomfortable symptoms, it is often a challenge to find gluten free products that are satisfying and taste good.

Now people with gluten intolerance can trust BlueWater Seafoods as their grill fish is gluten free.   The high quality fish is flame-grilled and lightly seasoned in a variety of mouthwatering flavours.     You can trust that the same great taste will be found in the gluten free products.  You have a choice of grill fillets, grill salmon, grill haddock and grill tilapia.  If I had a choice I would go directly with the tilapia or the haddock as I really enjoyed both of these fish in the past.   The company has also implemented procedures to avoid cross-contemination and an on-going monitoring and testing is done in order to ensure that the grill fillets are gluten free

For the purpose of this review, I have received a coupon for me to try on of their products.   At the store where I was, my husband and I decided to go with the Pan Sear Haddock as there was not a lot of choices of BlueWater products.   The fish was lightly coated and had garlic and herb seasoning.  

On the night of the day Pope Francis was voted, we decided to have fish with the kids.   The Pan Sear Haddock contained two large fish fillets which was enough for us parents.  So we made fish sticks for the kids.   Honestly, the fish from the Pan Sear Haddock was delicious and would have made a better choice for everyone in the family.   I almost wish they would do a family size box for this variety.  With six in the family, there was no way we could feed everyone with two fillets.

The Pan Sear products can be cooked either on the stovetop or in the oven.  We decided to cook everything in the oven and the fish was crispy in the outside but melting in the mouth from the inside.   And the best part is that the filets were not oily whatsoever when we served them. 

We had a fabulous meal and we enjoyed it a lot.  My two oldest kids wanted to taste it so I gave them a bite each.  They couldn’t believe the difference compared to their fish stick.   Blue Water Seafoods definitively has high quality fish when making their products.  

I would like to encourage everyone to try one of their products in a near future. 

GIVEAWAY

Three of my readers will win a coupon for a FREE BlueWater Frozen Seafood Item of their choice and a convenient reusable bag for their groceries.   Follow the instructions below to participate.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Thanks to BlueWater Seafoods for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes and for offering this giveaway to my readers. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Plate It Forward

Plate It Forward
From Boom Boom! Revolution
While on facebook one day, I saw an announcement on the Boom Boom! page for a product that was coming.   I thought it was a genius idea and message them to see if it could be possible to receive one to review.   They said yes!    So I waited patiently until it was available and sent to me.

What is Boom Boom! Revolution?
The idea is simple.  The objective of their products is to build community, improve humanity, and champion the belief that doing good is what needs to be done.   Their moniker Boom Boom! is inspired by a boomerang.   What does a boomerang do?  It comes back to you.   The hope is to generate thoughts, actions, and words that will go full circle once launch to someone.

We have experienced this in a different way.   We have the habit to pass along clothing and toys that are not for our kids anymore.   Well believe it or not, this comes around as well as other people have passed along clothing and such to us.
   
When I received the Plate It Forward, I was excited.  Now I only had to pick someone to receive the plate.

What is Plate It Forward?
It's the newest (and tastiest!) way to "pay it forward"…Plate it Forward! Inspired by Card #13 from the Family Deck, this colorful and durable plate lets you pass on two of the most vital joys of life: love and food. Perfect gift for the holidays or any time!   A special message on the plate will give your the steps that need to be done to bless someone.

Step ONE
Make something delicious for someone you care about.
Step TWO
Place your treat on this plate.
Step THREE
Plate it Forward! Deliver the plate to your unsuspecting (and lucky!) recipient.
Step FOUR
High five yourself (and anyone around you) for keeping this act of guerilla goodness in motion.
Now that’s good work!

Our Thoughts
This plate was inspired  by the Family Edition Boom Boom! Card # 13 which encourages you to make something yummy and give it away to your neighbors or friends.   We love to bless others in various ways.   We had recently made homemade donuts which I intended to share.   But when we received this fabulous plate, we also made banana breads (two different ones) and we decided to give a variety of yummy goodies to a friend of our who recently had a surgery.
Here’s the plate before I wrap it up.



One disappointed thing though.   With the cards you can register the one you use on the Boom Boom! site and submit the registration number on each card as you pass them along.   Not so with the plate.   There isn’t a registration number behind the plate so you can’t really register it.   For us, we decided to pass the card along with the plate and I took a picture showing them together with the goodies we were giving our friend and her family.



What I particularly like about this kind of product is that you can do this together as a family.  The kids get excited when they bake something for someone and love to bless others in the process.  In a time and age where often people are self-centered and selfish, it is nice to raise kids who are willing to sacrifice for others. 

I thought it would be nice to include the thoughts of my friend as well.  So here they are:

I’ve been away for the week and haven’t had the time to pass the plate on to someone one.   I like the idea of blessing someone and the plate has a pretty design.

Watch this little video that illustrate perfectly how to use Plate It Forward.


The price tag attached to the Plate It Forward is 16.99$ for one and you can also get a set of two for $29.99.  It can be purchased at their site boomboomcards.com.  The Family Edition of the Boom Boom! Cards is also available on their site for the price of 14.95$

So now our Plate It Forward is gone.   Maybe one day it will come back here.  But even if it doesn’t we have been blessed recently with banana chocolate chips muffins from another friend who came to drop off the Sunday School lesson I will be teaching on Sunday at our place.   So in a way it did came around.  I hope that our Plate It Forward will bless others for years to come!

Disclaimer: Thanks to Boom Boom! Revolution for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Beneterre Food Wraps

Beneterre Food Wraps

About the products

Sandwich WrapIt!

Reusable sandwich bag that is ideal for kids and adults whether for lunches, portable snacks, picnics or other social events!

• Use in place of sandwich bags, plastic wrap, foil
• 100% natural cotton lined with non-dyed nylon that is lead free, phthalate free, BPA free and PVC free.
• Pleat in the bottom of the bag to ensure room for the sandwich
• Double fold seals in freshness
• Wipe clean or machine wash, air dry
• 7 1/4” w x 6"h x 1” d

Snack WrapIt!

A reusable snack bag that is ideal for kids and adults whether for lunches, portable snacks, picnics or other social events!

• Use in place of sandwich bags, plastic wrap, foil
• 100% natural cotton lined with non-dyed nylon that is lead free, phthalate free, BPA free and PVC (vinyl) free.
• Seals easily with elastic band
• Wipe clean or machine wash, air dry
• 9 1/2” diameter x 3” depth

My Thoughts

As the summer goes buy, the times for picnics, camps for kids as well as soccer nights are filling the days/evenings of many families.    And Beneterre offers fun products to bring a snack or a sandwich with you while participating to these activities. 

The Food Wraps are easy to carry, made of natural cotton and will help to ensure freshness of whatever you put in them.    Recently, my son participate to a special camp for the kids who completed three years of Sparks with AWANA.   The Camp-A-Rama was to be held a full day and I wanted him to have a few snacks just in case.   So I used the Sandwich WrapIt! to include some granola bars and other goodies for him to share with a friend.   I didn’t have to send a sandwich as his lunch was provided.   But having the Beneterre bag helped the snacks to stay in good shape and fresh for the day.    Though I find this product quite interesting, I have concern on how your sandwich would look like at lunch time when it was packed in your bag.    I understand that these days we need to be environmentally careful, that we need to stay away from anything that could contain BPA, but a good old plastic container marker BPA free will protect your sandwich from getting squished.    The other product – the Snack WrapIt! – seems good for a round fruit like an apple or an orange.   However, I have mixed feelings about putting dried fruits and/or nuts in it as I find the bag doesn’t close as good as it shows on the site.   I personally wouldn’t want to find a bunch of granolas at the bottom of my backpack.  

Nevertheless, it is always nice to have other options for bringing little snacks when you go for a walk in the woods, go to a picnic or simply lay on the beach.  These two products are perfect for that because they are not bulky, will keep your food fresh, and will store easily in your bag!     

Other products in the Food Wraps are the Cool Wrapit!, the Max WrapIt!, and the Fold n WrapIt!.  Beneterre also offers Produce Bags and Wine Bags.

You can only order these products directly from their website - http://www.beneterre.com/eco-reusable-bags.php?/.   When ordering you can pick the pattern you prefer for your WrapIt! products.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Beneterre for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Exploring new possibilities with the WonderMill

http://www.thewondermill.com/

Recently I reviewed a book titled “Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook” and using a recipe of this cookbook I needed to have some quinoa flour.  Instead of purchasing already grinded quinoa flour, I decided to buy the quinoa and grind it myself with the WonderMill.

Within seconds, the quantity I had purchased was all transformed into flour.

Apparently I had enough to make four recipes of muffins.   While reviewing the book, I made mango muffin using the quinoa flour.   Since I had to do another post for the WonderMill, I decided to do a different kind of muffin still based on the recipe I had taken from the book.

This time, I decided to put chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead of the fruit suggested in the recipe.

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup of softened butter

1 egg

1/2 cup low-fat milk

3/4 cup unbleached white flour (okay I will admit that I only had regular flour)

3/4 cup of quinoa flour (freshly made!)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups of mixed chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.

Beat together the sugar and the butter.

In a separate bowl, beat egg and then add the milk.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add alternating milk and egg mixture with sugar mixture. (Since my sugar mixture was already in the bow of my KitchenAid mixer, I decided to alternate between the liquid and the dry ingredients instead.)

With a spoon, fold in the chocolate chips and the dried cranberries.

Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

These muffins were delicious and didn’t last long in a family of six people.   One recipe will give you about 12 muffins.   Note that I made a double recipe and even with extras, there are no more of them in our fridge.  The taste was a little bit different than regular chocolate chip muffins due to the quinoa flour we used.   However I know that they are healthier as well. 

The WonderMill is a wonderful tool to have at home to make your own flour.   Some situations might require some families to choose to grind their own grain.  This machine will do an incredible job rapidly and without making too much noise.   The quick result can be used immediately in any kind of recipes you have.   This machine also has three different levels of grinding – for pastry, for bread and coarse.   The fact that you can pick the grinding level makes the WonderMill a machine that is ideal for many recipes.

As I mentioned in a previous post about The WonderMill, finding a place where you can buy the grain is a bit tricky in our area. Though I have found a place that is about 40 minutes from our home, I wish it could be available at Bulk Barn or other health stores.   This time around I was able to purchase the quinoa at BulkBarn which was fabulous as there is one close to home.   However, they don’t carry many different kind of grains.   I wish I could get spelt there but I will have to go to the store close to downtown to try that grain.  

I am definitively impressed with the performance of the machine and hope to be able to use it more in the future. At the store I have found, it is possible to purchase the grains in the 10 lbs bags if needed be.    We are still trying to figure out if it is worth it monetarily to do so. 

The WonderMill is available for purchase at the following vendors in Ontario - BERRY HILL LTD in St. Thomas, Canadian Family Resourses in Newton, Castor River Farm in Metcalfe, Cradlerock Homestead in Desboro, and Quality Marketing in Brantford. The price of the WonderMill is 299.99$ Canadian.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the product for review purposes from WonderMill. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

WonderMill

WonderMill

http://www.thewondermill.com/

The WonderMill is an electric Grain Mill that will allow you to grind your own flour from the comfort of your home.

The WonderMill Electric Grain Mill has the capacity to perform big jobs. You can grind over 100 pounds of flour in an hour.

The WonderMill Electric Grain Mill is extremely easy to use. Simply fill the hopper and out comes flour. There are no small parts or gaskets to misplace, and the self cleaning WonderMill is quick, easy, and virtually dust-free. There is no need for additional attachments to bag your flour simply put a plastic bag in the canister and grind – easy, clean and at no additional cost to you!

The WonderMill is also great for making gluten-free flours such as brown rice, white rice, sorghum, quinoa, soy, millet, amaranth, bean, corn, and more.

My Thoughts

I was quite curious on how I could use an electric mill in my home and make my own flour.   The setup of the machine was quite easy to do.

After trying to figure out what kind of recipe I could do for the first post of this machine, I decided to make cookies based on popcorn flour and oats.  The first steps was definitively to make flour our of our popcorn kernels.

So I poured out a bag of popcorn kernels to make some popcorn flour.

Within minutes the WonderMill has gone through the kernels and given me some popcorn flour.

 

My son Alexandre has found a recipe for cookies based on popcorn flour.  However, I didn’t have any milk in our fridge when we made them and instead I put water in the recipe.   Also I didn’t know what rolled oats was so I decided to take the oats I had at home.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup of shortening

2 tbsp milk

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups popcorn flour

2 cups rolled oats

Cream the shortening.  Add sugars and blend.  Mix in eggs, add vanilla, milk, baking powder, soda and salt.  Blend well.  Stir in corn flour and rolled oats.   Bake on greased cooke sheets at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Here’s the cookies before being cooked.

Because of my modification in the ingredients, I think the result was not what it was supposed to be.   Mind you, it was tasty and different of what we were used to.   Turned out that the cookies cooked on the flat side of things…   so instead of eating them as cookies, we included them in yogourt and ice cream.  It was still good. 

The WonderMill is a powerful tool to make your own flour  based on various grains.    Finding a place where you can buy the grain is a bit tricky in our area.  Though I have found a place that is about 40 minutes from our home, I wish it could be available at Bulk Barn or other health stores.    I didn’t have the time to travel to get spelt or other grains to test the machine and I turned to popcorn for now.   The results were not what we expected because I didn’t have all the ingredients required to do the recipe.   I will definitively redo this recipe and see if the cookies will be more chewy when I use milk.

I am definitively impressed with the performance of the machine and hope to be able to use it more in the future.    As I said, finding corns are not an easy thing for a beginner but I have discovered one store near the downtown area where I could purchase the grains.   I can even purchase the grains in the 10 lbs bags if needed be.   My husband is also trying to figure out if it is financially worth it to make your own flour or not.    One of the grains I would like to try out is the spelt for sure.

The WonderMill is available for purchase at the following vendors in Ontario - BERRY HILL LTD in St. Thomas,  Canadian Family Resourses in Newton, Castor River Farm in Metcalfe,  Cradlerock Homestead in Desboro, and Quality Marketing in Brantford.   The price of the WonderMill is 299.99$ Canadian.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the product for review purposes from WonderMill. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Harvey’s Restaurants

Harvey’s

Back in November, I have received a gift card from Harvey’s.   Since our third son’s birthday was just coming around, we decided to go to Harvey’s to celebrate his birthday.   It was a first for the kids as we had never brought them there before.

What is special about this fast food chain is that you can build your burger the way you want it to be.    After each kids had picked their meal (as well as the adults), we instructed the Harvey’s employee on what each of us wanted in their burgers.     You can pick onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, hot peppers as well as various condiments.    Don’t like pickles in your burgers but adore them nevertheless?   Not a problem as you can ask them to put some on the side for you.  They will wrap them in an individual paper and put them in your tray. 

Personally, I am not a big fan of the regular hamburgers.  Somehow, I never liked them.   However, I am a huge fan of their grilled chicken one and I even try a new sauce – Spicy Mesquite.   It was delicious!   Below are all the selections you can add to your burger.

Though the younger kids tried the Kids Combos, my oldest chose to eat a Great Canadian Burger which he loved..  My husband chose the Great Canadian Spicy Onion Bacon Burger and was a bit disappointed with it.     We had frings (a combination of fries and onion rings), fries and onion rings to eat with this as well a drinks.   With the Kids Combos,  the younger ones also have a toy.    If you compare the quality and the originality of the toys at Harvey’s with another fast food chain, it is a bit disappointing to see what they are offering.   When we went they only had cardboard built your own dinosaur or a plastic building toys that didn’t have enough pieces to build something interesting…   The dinosaur were broken within a day or two and the other toys quickly found its way in the recycling bin.    The kids were disappointed but quickly got over it.   

We had a great time at Harvey’s to celebrate our son’s birthday.   The place was quiet though.   Not many people were in the restaurant on Nov 21st.   We had picked one that we knew that not many people go there in the evening.   I think when we arrived there was only one person in the restaurant.  When we left two other families had arrived…  

Though the food is great and that you can find many Harvey’s throughout Canada, we find the prices a bit expensive.   For a family of six the total amount was slightly over 50$.   Not everyone can pay that much to take the family out to Harvey’s.   There are many other possibilities for take out/restaurant that is cheaper than this for a big family like ours.    We appreciate the fact that we had a gift card to enjoy our outing to Harvey’s but I would like to suggest the chain to consider putting cheaper meal options for big families or at least create a family meal option.

Disclaimer: This post was possible because I received a 50$ gift card from Harvey’s for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Heinz Hot and Spicy Ketchup

Heinz Hot and Spicy Ketchup

About the product

Ketchup just got hotter!

Enjoy authentic Heinz Ketchup with an extra ‘kick’ of flavour for adventurous adult taste buds! That’s not all, the upside-down bottle design ensures that your ketchup is always ready when you are, and the stay-clean cap with control valve gives you total control over where your ketchup goes. Go ahead... turn up the heat!

Our Experience

I was walking down the aisle of a grocery store this week when something caught my eyes…  Standing there in the middle of many varieties of Ketchup was something new… something different that I knew would be a delight in my family.

There on the shelf was the Heinz Hot and Spicy Ketchup.  Could it be?   Finally here in Canada?  WoW! 

So even though I found the price a bit expensive, I decided to bring one home.   That day I made fries for supper and the kids and I taste the Hot and Spicy Ketchup.

Well let me tell you it is tangy and it will give you a kick of flavour in your mouth.   Wow!   It is very tasty and probably not everyone will like it.  But the three kids that were with me at that time liked it (one was on his daddy day with his dad).   Let me be honest that the youngest mixed the regular Ketchup with the Hot and Spicy one…    but she hate it anyway.

It was fun to discover a ketchup that will bring some flavours in your summer meal like hamburgers and such.

Here’s some recipes for this Hot and Spicy Ketchup.

Now, I am wondering when and if the Hot and Spicy Relish will cross the border too…

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.  I thought my readers would love to discover a new Ketchup.  All thoughts are my own.

Chapman’s Frozen Yogurt

Recently I had the opportunity to try a new Frozen yogurt from Chapman’s Canada.  I originally asked to try new products but they send me a 5$ coupon so I could get an ice cream in exchange.

There were a few flavors that I wanted to try but when the containers are 4.99$ at the grocery store, a person can only get one of those with a free 5$ coupon.

So I decided to pick one that I knew my husband could eat – nothing with chocolate in it since he dislikes it.    I picked the Cranberry Trail Mix which contains cranberry flavoured frozen yogurt, almonds, pralined pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.   

The yogurt was crunchy and very delicious.  Here and there you could find some cranberry pieces and having pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds is not distasteful whatsoever.

My whole family enjoyed tasting it and my husband even said that it was the best flavour he tasted since the beginning of the summer.

We are definitively recommending it to anyone wanting to try something out-of-the-ordinary.   

The other flavours I would like to try are Cheeky Monkey, Nanaimo Bar, as well as the Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Bars. 

yummy!

 

Disclaimer:  I received a 5$ coupon from Chapman’s.   I was not in any obligation to post something for their frozen yogurt but I thought that my readers would like to discover a new flavour in the Chapman’s products.