amw | amotherworld

House & Home

AC on the Fritz? Get a Summer Maintenance Check

August 8, 2016

Have you ever had your air conditioner break on the hottest day of the year? Murphy’s law! Of course you don’t want your A/C to be on the fritz, especially during a sweltering heat wave.

Your furnace is probably the last thing on your mind during the hot summer months. But did you know a functioning furnace is critical to powering your air conditioner? I had no idea.

A furnace and air conditioner tune-up is a smart way to prevent expensive breakdowns. Reliance Home Comfort is offering several packages to avoid potential breakdowns in the future.

You can choose from a 12-point or 21-point service for your furnace, air conditioning unit, or both. The 12 point service ensures the unit is in good working condition and the technician will address any safety concerns that may become hazards. A 21-point tune-up is a more extensive investigation and analysis of potential issues that might impact how efficiently the equipment runs.

For our scheduled visit, the Reliance technician called ahead before arriving to confirm the time and service. Chris first began his maintenance by checking the unit outdoors first. After inspecting outside, he came inside. He kept his boots on for safety but wore boot covers to keep my floors clean.

My husband showed him the way to our basement where our furnace and AC is located. Chris did a thorough check-up of our AC and afterwards, let us know that everything is working fine. He ensured that our AC equipment is in good working condition and making your home’s indoor air cool enough. He checked on the general condition and efficient operation of the evaporator coil, that absorbs heat from inside your home, as well as the outdoor condenser unit, that expels the hot air outside.

To check the furnace, he’d have to run it for 45 minutes and on a warm day, we thought it would be best if he could come back in the fall to do a proper maintenance of our furnace.

After completing the service call, the technician provided us with a written checklist and assessment of the work done that day.

Enter to win

To protect homeowners from expensive and preventable breakdowns, the team at Reliance Home Comfort, Canada’s trusted source for air quality and HVAC solutions, is offering a 21-point furnace and air-conditioner tune-up – a $198 value – to one of my readers.

Click here to enter!

Appetizers & Soups

Spicy Sriracha Cauliflower Bites

August 5, 2016

Cauliflower is a vitamin-packed superfood and so versatile when cooking! There are so many ways to enjoy cauliflower, from raw with dip, to roasted, sautéed or riced, the possibilities are endless.

Don’t ask me to eat a head of cauliflower raw. But when I make Sriracha Cauliflower Bites, I could eat the entire thing!

Here is my tasty and easy Spicy Sriracha CauliflowerBites recipe:

Spicy Sriracha Cauliflower Bites

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

1 tablespoon olive or grape seed oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon potato flour

Method:

Chop cauliflower into bite size pieces and place into large bowl. Stir sriracha sauce with oil, garlic powder, salt and potato flour. Pour sauce over cauliflower bites, and shake/stir to coat. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Cauliflower and Cheese Bread (Gluten-Free)

News

Dangerous Thing You Could be Doing with Baby’s Stroller

August 4, 2016

This past week, I was visiting Canada’s Wonderland with my older kids and noticed something that I wouldn’t have noticed before.

Parents were pushing around their baby strollers with a blanket covering baby from the sun. The blankets were thin to provide shade for a sleeping baby.

But doing so can be very dangerous! Thin blankets, including muslin cotton, can create a furnace-like heat for the baby because of poor circulation.

“It gets extremely hot down in the pram, something like a thermos,” Svante Norgren, a pediatrician at a Stockholm children’s hospital, told a Swedish newspaper.

“There is also bad circulation of the air and it is hard to see the baby with a cover over the pram.”

To test this claim, a Swedish newspaper did their own experiment. After leaving a stroller outside, uncovered, for 90 minutes, the stroller reached a temperature of 22 degrees.

But a stroller with a thin covering reached a temperature of 34 degrees in just 30 minutes, and after an hour, that temperature rose to 37.

“The results of this study do not surprise me, and illustrate the dangers of excessively covering during hot weather,” Dr. Hamed Khan, of London’s St. George’s hospital, told The Huffington Post UK.

Babies and children are very sensitive to heat, and their bodies can actually heat up three to five times faster than adults. In addition, children don’t sweat as much as adults do, which means they also can’t cool down as quickly either.

Children under the age of one should be kept out of direct sunlight to prevent skin damage and dehydration, advises the Government of Canada. A safer way to do this is to attach a parasol to your baby’s stroller, rather than use a covering.

Food

Summer Menu Ideas: Mexican Theme

August 1, 2016

Summertime is the perfect time to have friends and family over to enjoy a casual weekend meal together outside.

I particularly enjoy themed menus; it’s fun to organize a meal around one particular cuisine. While Greek and Italian lunches and dinners are hugely popular in our house (obviously!), we also enjoy a Tex Mex/Mexican themed fiesta!

My kids recently did a half-day summer cooking camp and coincidentally, the theme was Mexican. The boys learned how to make tacos and quesadillas. They were so excited to take what they learned in class, and bring their cooking skills back home to prepare these dishes for my husband and me.

These quick Mexican recipes make it easy to enjoy the tastes and flavours of Mexican food without spending a long time in the kitchen. They’re also great menu choices for hosting a fiesta themed party for family and friends.

The kids can also get involved in preparing these dishes; the ingredients are colourful, and everyone can help out. Kids can help shred the cheese, cut the lettuce, and stir the ground beef or turkey.

I don’t have to look far either when gathering ingredients for my recipes. Wild mint grows in our garden every summer, so I use it to make Mojitos. I also make a yummy mango salsa and guacamole, as well as Mexican bean salad, all made with the addition of tomatoes from our garden.

Old El Paso hard taco shells are made with corn and are gluten-free. The Tortilla Bowls are great for serving tacos, or Mexican Bean Salad.

Here are some of my recipes that are popular in our home!

Mango Salsa

1 mango, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons Ol El Paso salsa

Juice of 1 lime

½ jalapeno pepper, chopped finely without seeds

¼ teaspoon chili powder

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients and stir gently. Cover, and allow to sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

Mexican Bean Salad

1 cup pinto beans

1 cup red kidney beans

1 cup corn

1 small red onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons Ol El Paso salsa

½ yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

Place all ingredients into a bowl, and stir gently. Serve in individual Old El Paso Tortilla Bowls.

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Old El Paso and as such receive perks and compensation for my participation. As always, the opinions expressed herein are my own.

Desserts

25 Yummy Popsicle Recipes

July 26, 2016

When we were kids, as soon as the ice cream truck music could be heard in our neighbourhood, everyone would flock with loose change in hand. Summertime was all about Freezies, Rocket popsicles and Fudgsicles.

Now, there are so many amazing homemade popsicle recipes online that it doesn’t make sense to serve store-bought popsicles! Here are 25 yummy popsicle recipes from some wonderful food-related blogs to try this summer.

25 Yummy Popsicle Recipes

Frozen Yogurt Pop Bites by Frugal Finds During Naptime

Rainbow Party Ice Pops by Craft Create Cook

Watermelon and Lime Popsicles by Family Food and Travel

Pineapple Orange Pops by Cincy Shopper

Strawberry Pineapple Popsiscles by The Little Epicurean

Banana Coconut Cream Popsicles by Spoonful of Flavor

Chocolate Nutella Popsicles

Cookies and Cream Pudding Pops by Cooking with Curls

Blueberry Coconut Ice Pops by The Little Epicurean

Refreshing Lemon Lime Popsicles by Skinny Ms

Dairy Free Fudge Pops by Against All Grain

Crazy East Two Ingredient Coconut Cream Popsicles by moi, amotherworld!

Raspberry Lemonade Pops

Cookie Dough Yogurt Pudding Pops by The Tip Toe Fairy

Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Popsicles by Here Comes the Sun

Peaches and Coconut Cream Pops by The Scrumptious Pumpkin

3-Ingredient Passionfruit Popsicles by Hungry Girl Por Vida

Coconut Strawberry Swirl Pops by Leelalicious

{Whole Fruit} Blueberry Popsicles

Berry Pomegranate Smoothie Pops by Juggling Act Mama

Raspberry Cheesecake Popsicles by The Novice Chef

Strawberry Kiwi Popsicles by Craft Create Cook

Orange Creamsicle Popsicles by Here Comes the Sun

3-Ingredient Blueberry Yogurt Swirl Popsciles by Sally’s Baking Addiction

Chocolate Almond Milk Banana Popsicles by My Life as Maya

Family Travel

Ontario’s Southwest is a Great Family Getaway

July 22, 2016

My kids and I visited Lambton County, Sarnia and Grand Bend in Ontario’s Southwest for the first time ever! I hadn’t heard much about Sarnia, and honestly had no idea there were going to be beaches for us to enjoy there. I knew a few people who had visited Grand Bend and enjoyed their summer vacation there. So this trip was going to be a real treat for us newbies!

We first stopped at Canatara Park Blue Flag Beach. It’s a blue flag beach for a reason – the water is stunningly clear. It was cold, however, but beautifully clear. You could see the sandy bottom by eye; stunning landscape which made me feel like we weren’t on Lake Huron, but rather an ocean! The beach had lifeguards and bathrooms nearby as well. And the parking was free.

The boys were thinking about trying cable wakeboarding at Boarder Pass Wake Park but I think they were a little intimidated! Maybe next time we’ll give it a whirl.

We checked into the new Hampton Inn by Hilton in Sarnia/Point Edward, close to the the Bluewater Bridge International Border Crossing. The hotel is brand new, bright, filled with natural light and modern décor. The indoor pool was a real treat for the kids – I couldn’t pull them away! There is also a fitness centre right next to the pool.

The hotel also offers free WiFi, free parking and hot buffet breakfast – which my kids loved. Microwave and mini-refrigerator is in every room.

After we washed up and changed, we headed over for dinner at Alternate Grounds Dockside, on Sarnia Bay Marina. I was pleasantly surprised the restaurant offered gluten free options, as many times in my travels restaurants don’t have any options at all. But the restaurant had several choices, but I went with the chicken tenders and fresh cut French fries as it happened to be National French Fry day!

After dinner, we drove minutes away to the Blue Water Bridge, a perfect place to see late evening sunsets. Locals tell me that you must try the famous fries under the bridge from one of the French fries trucks. They sky had turned dark and it was just about to downpour, so we weren’t able to witness the sunset. But the views of the bridge, which go into the U.S., were lovely.

What was my favourite part of the Hampton Inn by Hilton Sarnia/Point Edward? The beds… The clean and fresh, super comfortable Hampton bed® and their pillows… I had a glorious sleep. Often I can’t sleep well in hotel rooms, but I slept through the night and woke up feeling refreshed.

The next morning, the kids enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the Hampton Inn by Hilton which offered scrambled eggs, sausage, home fries, hot waffles, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit and more.

But I had to pop into John’s Restaurant, famous for its award winning peameal bacon breakfasts! And boy was it ever delicious! We didn’t have time – and were too full – to stop into Purdy’s Dockside Eatery situated right on the St Clair River in Point Edward.

After we checked out of the lovely Hampton Inn by Hilton, we packed and heading north to Grand Bend. Along the way we passed rows of wind turbines.

On the way, we drove through the quaint town of Plympton-Wyoming and stopped for a lovely visit at the Alton Farm Estate Winery. Anne Alton greeted us and took us on an adventurous ride of the huge property. Merlin the family dog, joined us too! We stopped to look at the vineyard and the sheep, which Anne has names for – all of them!

Alton Farms Estate Wines have little chemical inputs; they use grapes, yeast and yeast nutrients mainly in the process and minimize filtering and clarification additives by allowing the wines to almost freeze over the winter. During this low temperature soak, the natural tartrates drop out of the wine, carrying down much of the sediment. After our tour, I enjoyed a wine tasting – the Lucy Kuhlmann is a special limited variety, and fans are put on waiting lists to purchase! It was absolutely delicious.

Once we arrived in Grand Bend, we headed over to the Blue Flag designate Grand Bend beach at the end of Main Street in Grand Bend. The beach is gorgeous! The sand is soft, and the water was perfect on such a hot, summer day. It’s no wonder why Grand Bend is one of Southern Ontario’s most famous beach towns. It’s been ranked one of the best beaches in Canada!

Grand Bend beach also has new performance stage too, but we didn’t get a chance to see live music during this trip.

The waves were a bit rough so we weren’t able to take a boat ride with Xtreme Watersports. So instead, we had an ice cream and walked down Main Street in Grand Bend to soak up the local flavour, souvenir stores, eateries, ice cream, and mini-golf.

Super casual inn with all the amenities you need when traveling with family is the Pine Dale Motor Inn. The room offered double beds, refrigerator, microwave, television and free WiFi, along with an indoor pool, barbecue and picnic area on the property. For the little ones, there is also a park on the grounds so the kiddies can run around to their hearts content, and sitting areas and a zen garden for the adults to chill. The inn also has several passes to the Pinery Provincial Park, which are given to guests on a first come first serve basis, a saving of almost $20. The staff is friendly, and knowledgeable about the area, offering guests plenty of recommendations for activities for the family.

Dinner on the patio at Smackwater Jacks Taphouse was a treat. Right along the water with views of the boats from the adjacent Grand Bend Yacht Club, the newly renovated restaurant serves locally grown produce served with meat from local farmers along side quality craft beers. I enjoyed a turkey avocado club sandwich on a gluten-free bun, and hand cut fries. Delicious!

You know those charming little family-run restaurants that remind you of your childhood, or a rustic cottage? Aunt Gussie’s Restaurant has that feel. This spot has been a landmark family restaurant in Grand Bend for several generations. It’s a relaxed, family-run eatery serving breakfast favourites & classic comfort food amid rustic decor. The restaurant offers a wide-ranging menu, and you can enjoy your in either a private booth, by the fireplace, at a large table or in the sunroom.

Pinery Provincial Park boasts 10 kilometres of sandy beach on the shores of Lake Huron. National Geographic has described this area as having the “Top Ten Best Sunsets” in the world. I only wish we were there to experience! The park is home to extremely rare and fragile Oak Savanna and Coastal Dune ecosystems with extraordinary biodiversity. The beach is perfect for families, with many areas for picnics too. There are 1,000 campsites within the park, including 12 yurts, 10 hiking trails, bicycle trail, canoeing, cross-country skiing and winter camping.

Do you plan on visiting any of the beaches in Grand Bend? Here is some information on beaches, what to do, where to eat and where to stay here.

CONTEST

Ontario’s Southwest is running a Best Beach Adventure Contest! Enter here to win a trip for four!

Thank you to Ontario’s Southwest and Tourism Sarnia-Lambton for their lovely hospitality! We can’t wait to come again!

amw in the city

Join Me for the Great Camp Adventure Walk with SickKids

July 21, 2016

I’ve signed up for the Canaccord Genuity Great Camp Adventure Walk for SickKids Foundation, which takes place on September 24, 2016. The walk provides families a chance to give back and support an extremely important cause in a unique and fun camp themed environment.

SickKids Foundation is the largest charitable funder of child health research, learning and care in Canada and raises funds on behalf of The Hospital for Sick Children.

Participants can participate in either a 5 km, 10 km, 15 km or 20 km walk – the choice is yours. The Walk will benefit SickKids with bring the spirit of summer camp to downtown Toronto.

Last year, 3,000 participants helped to raise an incredible $2.2 million for SickKids last year!

This year, I’ll be fundraising and walking for SickKids with the family! I hope you’ll donate, and also consider registering yourself and doing the walk with me.

REGISTER

Want to walk too? You can register an individual, form a new team or join an existing team. Sign up here to register.

Follow the #WalkforSickKids on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to get the latest news and stories.

Proceeds from the Canaccord Genuity Great Camp Adventure Walk go directly to SickKids Foundation, for the hospital’s most urgent needs. SickKids is a world leader in patient care and research discoveries to ensure that every child has a chance to be healthy and happy.

Walk with us!

Contest

Family Road Trip Essentials Checklist

July 20, 2016

Summer is the best time to load up the car and head on an epic road trip. There are so many amazing destinations to explore in Canada. But before you head out on a great adventure, make sure you have a family road trip essentials checklist!

You have to be well prepared, especially when kids are involved! You’ll always want to pack things like a GPS system, kids’ activity books, sunscreen and snacks. But don’t forget these the items on this Family Road Trip Essentials Checklist!

Family Road Trip Essentials Checklist

Sunglasses

You’ll need good sunnies, especially if you’re heading on an east-west journey. Invest in a good quality pair.

Sweater or Hoodie

You never know what the weather will be like, and it could change. Always bring a comfortable hoodie or cozy sweater for those cool nights.

Rain Gear

Whether it’s a full on rain coat or just a water proof jacket, it’s a good idea to have one in the car.

Dry Hair Shampoo

Your hair may not have a good wash while you’re on the road, so bring some dry hair shampoo like Batiste for those bad hair days.

Portable Power

With all the electronics families use, it’s smart to keep a portable power pack in the car.

First Aid/Emergency Roadside Kit

You never know what could happen, so be smart and pack a first aid kit and a roadside emergency kit so you’ll always be prepared.

Cooler

Check your destination first to see if there is a refrigerator you can use to store food and drinks. If not, consider a cooler; pack it with ice and stuff it with water, drinks, fruit etc. which is a whole lot cheaper than buying things at roadsides and gas stations.

Hot/Cold Water Bottle

Save money and keep your car tidy by bringing your own high-quality insulated bottle.

Trunk Organizer

Trunk organizers come in handy to keep everything in order when you need to grab something quickly at a pit stop, and they then fold down when not in use.

Gravol

Keep GRAVOL™ Natural Source™ Ginger Lozenges – curb motion sickness for you and your kids (over the age of six) with these chewable lozenges – convenient, portable and no water required!

Stain remover

Don’t ruin your good shirt with a stain that you can’t wash right away. Spills and stains are bound to happen on road trips, treat them the day they happen with OxiClean™ Foam Pretreat and then throw the item in the wash a few days later.

Personal Items

Don’t forget to bring glasses, contact lens cases (I’ve forgotten), your medication/vitamins, and toothpaste! Kids will be motivate to brush with Orajel Anticavity Fluoride Toothpaste in Super Mario, The Ultimate Spider-Man or My Little Pony. Vitafusion Women’s and Men’s Complete Multivitamins are a great-tasting gummy you can take without water, perfect for on-the-go.

Enter to Win

One amotherworld reader will win a Family Road Trip Essentials Prize Pack valued at $50. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Appetizers & Soups

20 Delicious Summer Salad Recipes

July 8, 2016

There are so many reasons why we love summer… spending time outdoors, hanging out by the beach, and having fun with friends. Entertaining in the summer is always enjoyable because it’s easy and delicious. Throw a few steaks on the barbecue, along with a summer salad or two, and you’re done! Don’t forget the wine and beer, of course!

You can never go wrong with a summer salad chock full of fresh, local vegetables. To make entertaining easier for you, we’ve put together 20 delicious summer salad recipes from some of our favourite blogs.

20 Delicious Summer Salad Recipes

1. Chopped Cob Mason Jar Salad – by Organize Yourself Skinny

2. Grilled Shrimp and Chicken Caesar Salad – by Bless Her Heart Y’all

3. Creamy Avocado Lime Pasta Salad – by Chocolate Slopes

4. Red Cabbage Salad with Honey Lime Dressing – by Rachel Cooks

5. Tuscan Tomato Mozzarella Salad – by Flour on My Face

6. Swiss Apple Salad with Honey Cider Dressing – by Clarks Condensed

7. Potato Salad with Creamy Avocado – by amotherworld

8. Black Bean and Corn Salad – by A Simple Pantry

9. Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad – by Spaceships and Laser Beams

10. Roasted Potato Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette – by Dinner Then Dessert

11. Ahi Poke Salad with Macadamia Nuts – by the Fit Blog

12. Hawaiian Tortellini Salad – by The Slow Roasted Italian

13. Cajun Chicken Salad – by Simply Recipes

14. BLT Pasta Salad – by Life in the Lofthouse

15. Baked Polenta Tomato Salad –by A Beautiful Mess

16. Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Salad – by Our Best Bites

17. Chopped Asian Peanut Salad – by Bless This Mess

18. Easy Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad – by amotherworld

19. Apple Snickers Salad – by Lil’ Luna

20. Buffalo Chicken Salad – by Peas and Crayons

lifestyle

Kids Are Out for Summer! Managing the Chaos

July 4, 2016

School’s out for summer! No more teachers, no more books… at least for a couple of months. How will you manage the chaos that will inevitably occur over summer break?

Whether your kids are out for summer, or in various day or overnight camps, Here are some great ways to help you manage summer chaos, and enjoy the sunshine as much as possible!

Stay active

Encourage your children to get off their phones and get outside! In the summer your kids have no excuse but to run around in the backyard and burn off excess energy. Here are 50 fun things kids can do outside.

Make plans

Sometimes making plans with the kids is the only way to keep the sanity. Schedule play dates, camps, and free time so that the kids are occupied and entertained. The last thing you want to hear is, “I’m booooooored.”

Don’t make plans

On the other hand, summertime is the best time to unplug and unschedule. Kids are overscheduled during the school year, and often having no schedule is a great way to unwind. Kids also need to learn how to keem themselves occupied and entertained. Psychologists recommend that children be bored in summer.

Stay healthy

It’s tempting to eat ice cream and hot dogs every day in the summer, but it’s still important to have keep a balance of healthy eating. Between soccer practice, summer camp and swim lessons summer often means eating quick on-the-go meals. Take L’il Critters™ Gummy Vites™, a complete multivitamin that any kid will love, to ensure your children are getting all of their essential nutrients.

Keep a routine

Ensure you and your children keep a routine during the summer months even if you’ve turned off the alarm clock. Sleeping in and staying up late are great, but will lead to unproductive days. Getting your children motivated about boring tasks, like brushing their teeth and completing household chores, will help your children keep a routine during the summer.

I find it even more challenging to get kids to follow their bedtime routines after a long summer day. Hopefully with cute brushes, like the Arm & Hammer Kid’s Spinbrush with popular characters like My Little Pony, Mario, Spiderman and new PAW Patrol will keep them on track.

Get chores done

Having an extra set of hands around the house during the summer can be helpful. Talk with your kids and see what type of chores they can help with – emptying the dishwasher and setting the table are easy tasks. Having kids fold the laundry is also a great help, and you can trust what they are folding will receive a better overall clean with OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover Powder – which boosts your detergent power to get out even the toughest stains.

Summer is a time to clean those larger items that need hanging to dry, like comforters and blankets. We have a clothes dryer attached from our two fences! Arm & Hammer™ Plus OxiClean™ Cold Water Power Paks are inexpensive and also save energy on your hot water bill.

What are your biggest tips for managing summer chaos?