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Desserts

Apple Cinnamon Cookies

May 29, 2014

I had a craving for apple cinnamon pie but didn’t have the energy to make a gluten free crust and pie. So I thought I could whip together some soft cookies with apples and cinnamon.

This is a simple apple cinnamon cookie recipe that is free of wheat, gluten, soy, dairy and eggs.

Ingredients

½ cup coconut flour

¼ cup each almond meal and tapioca flour

½ cup applesauce, unsweetened

1 small apple, shredded

¼ cup grape seed oil

¼ cup coconut palm sugar

1 flax egg – 1 tablespoon of flax seed meal in 3 tbsp of water, let sit for 5 minutes

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Mix together oil, sugar, flax egg, applesauce, then flours, baking soda, cinnamon and then the shredded apple. Spoon into drops onto a parchment lined baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Linens by Hen House Linens

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Contest

Tips on Organizing Your Garage (Giveaway)

May 27, 2014

I’ve been writing a lot lately about spring cleaning and decluttering… our family of four has accumulated enough STUFF that we just don’t know what to do with it all. There seems to be quite a bit that we need to toss and donate.

The garage is one area that needs some extra TLC. Every season, the garage needs a complete clean-up – everything comes out of the garage, the floors are cleaned and then everyhing is put back in a somewhat organized fashion.

But what’s lacking in our garage is some good storage cabinets and organization. So I’ve been looking at Canadian Tire to help me organize my garage.

There are some great ideas on their website, and a variety of garage storage solutions. Here are some that inspired me:

Where to even begin when you are organizing your garage?

First of all, figure out what you need to keep in the garage and what you should store in a garden/backyard shed. We have a larger shed in the backyard where the lawnmower and gardening tools are kept. Also some extra patio and folding chairs are stored there, leaving room in the garage for other items.

Set an area for garbage and recycling; another area for sports equipment such as bicycles, scooters, balls etc.; and area for tool organization and a work space; and area for car supplies like tires, oil, etc. and possibly an area for gardening.

Tall Cabinets:

A tall cabinet is a great option for storing supplies out of plain view. If you have smaller children, a locking cabinet is a good choice, keeping chemicals and dangerous items away

Cabinets and work benches:

Rather than a tall cabinet, you could opt for a Base Garage Cabinet and a work bench beside it. A wall cabinet above the base cabinet is a great alternative to the tall cabinet.

Work bench:

For the handy person and DIYer, a heavy-duty workbench is a must-have. It will have some storage with drawers and shelves as well as a power bar for power tools

Steel Shelves:

Depending on their size, steel shelves are able to hold heavy items such as tires, tools, potting soil, water softener salt and more.

Wall storage:

A track panel system is smart, space-saving way to sort and display items such as tools. using a slat wall, hooks, or even baskets to store items and can easily be rearranged if you add new items.

ENTER TO WIN

Enter to win a $100 gift card to Canadian Tire to help organize your own garage. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter this giveaway.

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House & Home

6 Tips on Cleaning your Kitchen

May 26, 2014

I’m not a fan of cleaning… so spring cleaning is not a ritual I enjoy in my house! It’s when we haul out the last season’s clothing and toys, decide what to toss and what to donate.

After a long winter, the garage is always in need of a good cleaning too. Spring is also a good time to clean your carpets, if you have any, and wash your windows.

The kitchen is one room in the house that you need to stay on top of all the time. I wish that once a year would be enough! But it isn’t, especially when you’re cooking three meals a day and you have little ones who make a mess everywhere they go.

Inside the stove, the fridge, freezer, dishwasher, cupboards, stove top, counter tops, inside the sinks – it never ends.

With young kids, I have to pull out the fridge and stove to clean behind and underneath them every two weeks. Once a year or so, I’ll pull things out of the cupboards and wipe them clean.

Here are 6 tips on cleaning your kitchen and having a smudge-proof kitchen:

Look up:

Yes, dust somehow gets all the way to the top of your cupboards and fridge. Work your way from top to bottom and dust using a duster or wipe with a damp cloth. The top of the refrigerator and exhaust fan, light fixtures, artwork and if your cupboards don’t go all the way to the top of the ceiling, you’ll need to get up there to dust as well.

Look behind:

Pull out the fridge and stove every week or two and vacuum and mop behind. It’s amazing what kind of things you can find behind the stove and fridge, like little Lego pieces and small toys and crayons!

Look down:

Those baseboards needs to be dusted and wiped too. Vacuum and mop the floors at least once a week… with little ones, several times a week might be necessary.

Look inside:

Once a month, go through your refrigerator and get rid of any expired items. I like to take everything out of the fridge and wipe the drawers and shelves down with warm soapy water. Clean the inside of your oven as often as possible, otherwise you’ll have to spend an hour like me, scrubbing the caked-on spills. Once it’s squeaky clean, line the bottom with tin foil to catch future inevitable spills.

Wipe everything down:

Surfaces need to be sanitized so make sure to wipe down all your appliances and counter tops. With their patented Smudge-Proof™ Stainless Steel finish, Frigidaire Gallery® and Frigidaire Professional® stainless-steel appliances have a new anti-smudge technology that resists those little fingerprints and is easier to clean than traditional stainless steel surfaces. Smudge-Proof™ Stainless Steel is available on all Frigidaire Gallery® and Frigidaire Professional® products – see the collection here.

Don’t forget the kitchen sink:

Everything but the kitchen sink? Don’t forget to scrub down the sink as well – bacteria love to grow there. Ew is right.

With a little cleaning at a time, you can avoid big cleaning job and spend less time cleaning your kitchen!

Disclosure: I am part of the Frigidaire Canada Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Contest

6 Tips to Grow an Edible Garden (Giveway)

May 23, 2014

Kashi is building and supporting community gardens across Canada and encouraging Canadians to grow their own food. In partnership with Evergreen, Kashi is helping to increase access to fresh, healthy, locally grown foods for urban communities across the country.

Members of the Toronto Kiwanis Boys & Girls Club kicked off the Kashi Plant it Forward initiative by attending a planning sessions facilitated by Evergreen’s urban gardening experts, tilling the soil and sowing seeds.

How can you plant it forward at home? Gardening expert Tara Nolan shares her tips on growing your own edible garden.

Here are 6 Tips to Grow an Edible Garden:

1. Plant Your Grocery List: While it’s fun to grow a variety of fruits and veggies, think about what your family likes to eat the most. If you make a lot of pasta sauce or salsa, for example, grow lots of tomatoes and herbs.

2. Eat The Flowers, Too: Plant edible blooms like violets and nasturtiums, which look lovely as a garnish in salads or to add some pizzazz to an ice cube.

3. Grow Up: If you have a small growing area, maximize space by choosing vining crops such as peas, squash or cucumbers. Use trellises or stakes to train the plants to grow upwards.

4. Grow Salad Bowl: Lettuce is a great cool-season crop that you can plant now. Fill a bowl (be sure there are holes in the bottom) or old colander with soil and sprinkle with lettuce seeds. Lightly rake the soil to cover and water regularly.

5. Keep It Contained: Be wary of voracious spreaders like mint and chamomile, which can take over your garden. Keep these types of plants in pots and out of the garden.

6. Hang It Up: Another way to maximize growing space is to plant certain fruits and veggies in hanging pots. Strawberries, for example, do well in hanging baskets. And keep an eye out for upside down tomato planters.

ENTER TO WIN

To support this initiative, we’re pleased to be giving away a Kashi Plant it Forward prize pack which includes:

· A selection of new Kashi Cereals and snack offerings

· Kashi Plant-it Forward Seeds

· Colours of California Rainboots

Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter this giveaway.

Good luck!

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Kashi’s Plant it Forward initiative

Big Kids

Talking to Kids about Homosexuality

May 21, 2014

Organic apples, bananas, coconut milk ice cream and popcorn for the boys. We finished our quick grocery store shop and as we’re leaving, a lady stops me.

I thought she’d be asking me for the time, or where the nearest liquor store is.

No… in a thick accent, she asks what I think about the schools talking to kids about gays and lesbians.

I’m wondering what she means – is it a bad thing to talk about? Is she for or against this? Is she asking me what my views are?

I tell her that I talk to my kids about sexuality with honesty and openness. If they ask questions, I’ll give them answers in a simple, matter-of-fact manner. When it comes to homosexuality, the answer is as easy as – some boys like boys, some girls like girls.

The lady seems annoyed. She says it’s too young for the kids to understand this kind of thing and is very much against the schools talking to the kids about gays and lesbians. She thinks children are too young to know anything about homosexuality.

I tell her my son is 9 and he knows. She find it hard to believe!

So to prove it, I ask my son, doesn’t your friend like other girls?

“Yes,” my son replies.

The woman is flabbergasted. She replies, “Nooooo, she doesn’t really know who she likes….”

My son responds, “Oh yes she does, she likes a few girls actually.”

Obviously not the answer this woman is looking for.

She started rambling something else but I took the kids and left. She was obviously looking for someone to agree with her views.

As we are walking to our car, my son says, “Why can she open her mind, mom?”

This – from a 9 year old.

I wonder the same thing.

If you talk about sexuality and homosexuality with your kids openly and honestly, you’ll help to instill in your child a sense of tolerance, acceptance and respect for others.

It’s very simple to tell your child – “you know a man and a woman can love each other? Well so can a man and a man or a woman and a woman. We respect people of different cultures and religions, we also respect people who are homosexual.”

Your child will probably listen and then be off to do something else. Although it’s not a ‘big talk’, it’s a simple and honest discussion to start with.

If you make talking about sexuality taboo, your kids will follow suit – but if you have discussions early, your kids will likely have healthy attitudes when they are young men and women.

Have you been asked by your children about homosexuality? How do you approach the talk about sexuality and homosexuality with your kid?

lifestyle

7 Reasons Why Best Friends Remain Best Friends

May 20, 2014

by Rodney Southern

Best friends get to be best friends a million different ways. Talk to any set of besties later in life, however, and they will tell you the same reasons they are still together.

We can learn a great deal from best friends that stay close for decades and even lifetimes. Those are the kinds of friendships that we want in our lives, right? The kind that last forever?

Here are seven recurring qualities that keep besties together for the long haul.

7 Reasons Why Best Friends Remain Best Friends

1. Best Friends Support Each Other

A best friend that doesn’t have your back is not going to be your best friend for long. The bottom line is that you support one another through the good and the bad. You might not always agree, but you always support them.

2. Best Friends Know When to Be Quiet

Listening is a lost art for many people and it is a shame. One of the most powerful things we can do as a best friend is close our mouths and open our ears. Knowing when the other person needs to be heard is a skill and is required for lifetime besties.

3. Best Friends Spend Plenty of Time

You really could insert a million things on the end of this quality. The bottom line is that they spend time together on the things that matter.

4. Best Friends Don’t Have to Explain

When one bestie screws up, the other needs no explanation. True best friends understand that mistakes are going to happen and that we sometimes are forced to do things we don’t want. Explanations are optional when we are dealing with our closest friends.

5. Flaws Are Expected and Accepted

True best friends know that their bestie is flawed. Not only do they accept these flaws, they support each other despite them. It is easy to be best friends when the person is at their best. True besties are friends at their worst.

6. Best Friends Are Made a Priority

If you don’t value your relationship enough to put it high on the priority list, chances are it won’t last. This doesn’t mean you have to put it in front of God, your kids or marriage, but it should be in the running. Best friends are family after all.

7. Best Friends Both Lost the Gossip Gene

This is one that seems to stand out among the longest lasting friendships. True friends never gossip about one another. When you gossip about the other person, you are basically abusing your rights as a friend. Trust is lost and you will quickly be put on the outside of that circle. If you really want to be known as a great friend, you need to set aside the need to talk about others.

Rodney Southern is a lifetime writer and family man that lives in Greensboro, NC with his beautiful wife Julie, and twin daughters Brooke and Valerie. He spends most of his time writing about sports, spirituality and family living.

Contest

Spring Cleaning Made Easier (Giveaway)

May 14, 2014

Have you started doing any spring cleaning?

I’m not a big fan of cleaning – GASP! So if I can find products to help make the tedious job of spring cleaning easier and the outcome last longer…. so I don’t have to clean again so soon… then sign me up!

Spring cleaning for some means a complete overhaul of the house — a thorough, deep clean from top to bottom. For me, it means trying to have clean floors and clean clothes on our backs!

With hundreds of products to choose from, picking the right one for all the different things you need to clean from floors and carpets to clothes and dishes can seem daunting. Here are some must-have items for your spring cleaning made easier:

OxiClean™ Laundry Detergent helps get tough dried-on stains out the first time giving you brilliant whites and vivid brights after every wash, letting you cross laundry off your list so you can enjoy your day.

Now there is a powerful OxiClean™ dishwasher detergent that makes cleaning dishes easy. Just load the dishwasher and OxiClean™ will do the work, powering through the toughest messes without the need for pre-washing or rewashing the dishes. OxiClean™ 4X Concentrated Extreme Power Crystals™ is a brand new oxygen-powered dishwasher detergent designed to remove even the toughest foods and stains as well as preventing cloudy film and spots for a crystal clean shine!

Arm & Hammer™ Carpet & Room Odour Eliminator penetrates deep, absorbs and eliminates the toughest odours, like pet smells, cooking odours, and mold & mildew, from carpets, leaving your home smelling fresh and clean. Just sprinkle on carpet, wait 15 minutes, then vacuum thoroughly and enjoy the long-lasting fresh scent.

Well I’ve made it easier for you by giving away a Church & Dwight Spring Cleaning Prize!

What you’ll win:

Arm & Hammer™ Baking Soda
Arm & Hammer™ Carpet & Room Odour Eliminator
OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover Powder
OxiClean™ 4X Concentrated Extreme Power Crystals Dishwasher Detergent
OxiClean™ Dishwashing 2in1 Booster + Rinse Agent
Scrub Free Bleach Mildew Remover
Arm & Hammer™ Coldwater Liquid Laundry Detergent Coupon

So here’s to making your life just a little easier so that you can tackle spring cleaning quickly and effectively, letting you get back to enjoying what spring is really about – glorious weather and being outside!

Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter this giveaway! Open to Canadians only.

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House & Home

Plant it Forward at Home This Spring

May 8, 2014

With May finally here, it’s time to start thinking about gardening season. We grow tomatoes and basil in our backyard every year. Usually we’ll buy about 12 tomato plants and 4 basil plants – garden tomatoes are delicious to have on hand in the summer for our yummy Greek village salads or for fresh salsa. The basil we use to make pepper sauce, and the rest I make into a pesto and freeze.

One year we planted a pumpkin seed that my son brought home from school – it was amazing to see how quickly and vast the plant grew! If we had a bigger backyard, we would plant so much more and grow our own real food.

Did you know that a year’s supply of vegetables and fruit for one person can be produced on an area as small as 100 square feet?!

This spring, Kashi is inviting Canadians to help make a positive difference by getting real about food and helping to improve the natural health of their community through a unique program called Plant it Forward.

Kashi is building and supporting 18 community gardens across Canada by partnerning with Evergreen, a not-for-profit organization committed to green cities and a healthy planet. Together they are increasing access to fresh, healthy, locally grown foods for urban communities across the country. Community residents will take part in the planning process and help build a garden!

Members of the Toronto Kiwanis Boys & Girls Club are getting involved by attending planning sessions facilitated by Evergreen’s urban gardening experts, tilling the soil and sowing seeds. Once the garden is planted, it will be the responsibility of the boys and girls to maintain and nurture their garden. All summer long, they will enjoy growing their own real food, watching their own vegetables grow and enjoy eating them when they are ready.

Kashi is also making a donation to support Evergreen’s mission to inspire and enable action to green cities. Every time a Canadian watches Kashi’s Real Food Manifesto video, $1 will be donated to Evergreen (to a maximum of $50,000).

To help you get started growing your own garden and growing your own real food, look for the organic seed packets that are currently on specially marked boxes of Kashi products as part of the Plant it Forward program.

Join me and take part in the Plant it Forward movement and grow your own real food at home!

Disclosure: I’m working with Kashi to promote their new line of products and the Plant it Forward movement.

Kashi Introduces New Gluten-Free Cereals

Food

How to Have a Great Potluck #PotluckChallenge

May 6, 2014

Have you ever hosted a Potluck? If not, now is your chance to try!

Jamie Oliver has partnered with Sobeys to inspire Canadians of all ages to get cooking. From now until Food Revolution Day on May 16, YOU are invited to join in iggest Potluck Party.

Host a potluck party and share a photo of your #Potluckchallenge. For every photo of a potluck with the hashtag #PotluckChallenge shared, Sobeys will donate $1 to the Cooking Toward Independence Project. The new initiative run by the Children’s Aid Foundation will improve the lives of young people leaving the child welfare system across Canada when they turn 18 by funding cooking skills workshops and creating access to healthy food.

My idea of a potluck is to keep it simple and laid-back so that your guests can bring the dish without needing any extra preparation. Otherwise the kitchen becomes chaotic!

I hosted a simple yet delicious potluck party. The menu? Pulled pork sandwiches (mine on a gluten-free ‘bun’), creamy cole slaw, sweet potato mash, red potato fries, hummus and a green salad. Perfect Sunday afternoon menu while enjoying the game on TV.

How to Have a Great Potluck:

1. Prepare a list of what you’d like to have during your potluck. Assign your guests a specific food or dish. Or asks each guest to cook from a specific category—appetizers, salads, main courses or desserts. Laura brings a side, Uncle Bob a main dish, Nana a dessert, you’ll be set. If you don’t work out who is bringing what before the potluck, you’ll end up with a bunch of sides and no main dishes. If you don’t mind telling people what to bring, ask for specific dishes!

2. Choose a theme – make it Mexican fiesta or an Italian feast. Be specific with your requests otherwise you might get a mish mash of cuisines and recipes.

3. If you’re bringing a dish, ask your host how she’d like you to bring your dish. Some hosts would prefer you bring everything you need to serve your dish to make it easier. On the other hand, your host may prefer to keep things looking uniform and may choose to use her own serving plates.

4. Try to make something you can either keep warm or that can be served at room temperature. The last thing you need is your guest to need to take over your kitchen to prepare his/her meal.

5. Make a dish that you’ve made before. Now’s not the time to try out a new recipe. Make your tried, tested and true recipe that you know will be a hit.

6. If you’re not the best cook, politely tell your host that you’d be happy to bring drinks, a dessert from the local bakery or for larger no-fuss gatherings, paper plates, cups, utensils and napkins.

7. It’s always nice to offer guests to pack leftovers to-go so have some take-out boxes or containers handy. Or guests can pile on leftovers on their own serving tray so have extra plastic wrap or tin foil handy to cover up their plates.

Need some more tips and tricks? Sobeys has shared some “”.

Join us for Food Revolution Day on May 16 and remember to “host, share and donate” to help out the Children’s Aid Foundation and remember to share your photo with the hashtagse and #PotluckChallenge and #FRD2014!

Holidays

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas 2014

May 5, 2014

Wondering what gift to buy for Mother’s Day this year?

Sure a mani and pedi or a massage are saaaa-weet! Breakfast, lunch AND dinner out of the house with no clean-up and no screaming kids is always welcome – any day of the year. Husbands, take note!

Heck even a foot rub by the kids will suffice – and the promise to not have to clean up after them for the rest of the day… week, year, any longer! Kids – you’re on your own from now on!

But if you’re looking to buy mom something this Mother’s Day, here are a few Mother’s Day gift ideas that will sure to please her.

Here are some gift ideas for Mother’s Day 2014:

Lampe Berger

Lampe Berger is known for being the finest maker of Fragrance Lamps and Fragrance in the world. As the original makers of the Fragrance Lamp, this company has had decades of practice in perfecting this top of the line home fragrance system.

Invented more than 115 years ago by the pharmacist Maurice Bergerto clean the air in hospitals, LAMPE BERGER purifies the air, destroys undesirable odours and fragrances the air in only 20 minutes. There are more than 80 different lamp styles and 40 refined “parfums de maison” created by the finest perfumers can be diffused.

LAMPE WOOD is designed in real ash wood and has a tall frosted glass lamp. Lampe Berger lamps start at $48 and Parfum de maison at $24.

Family Tree Photo Display

Mom can display her family tree in this cleverly-designed Umbra Family Tree Photo Display frame which features a white-on-white molded tree with six leaf-shaped clips that hold photos and other mementos, surrounded by a simple black frame. Celebrate your ancestry and genealogy, show off the kids and pets, or commemorate a special family event. It measures 20 x 24 inches. Designed by Jordan Murphy for Umbra. $50.

Wavemaker Bracelet

The WAVEMAKER Bracelets by Joseph Nogucci are designed in 3D print technology and dipped in vibrant enamel and each color represents a different and beautiful characteristic of its wearer – for example, Magenta is for Love, Red for Passion, Black for Power, Blue for Confidence and more. $60.

Bow Dress Organizer

Jewelry organizers are a must-have for mom. This cute Umbra Bow Dress organizer has 21 mesh pockets and the back has 19 tabs. The neckline shaped metal hanger not only displays more jewelry but also rotates 360 degrees for access to all pieces on both sides. The dress can be used over the door, on the wall or in the closet. The dress measures 14 Inch by 30 Inch. Designed by Erika Kovesdi and Matt Carr for Umbra. $20.

Cappuccino & Espresso Maker

The Hamilton Beach Cappuccino & Espresso Maker is café quality made easy so you can enjoy authentic espresso and cappuccino beverages anytime. It has a powerful high pressure pump which extracts rich flavour from espresso grounds and has a no-fuss frother which turns milk into fluffy froth in seconds.

Personalized iPhone or iPad Case

Protect your iPhone 4/4S or iPad in style with a personalized case. A hard aluminum back panel guards against scratches, while the high-quality case keeps your iPhone or iPad safe from wear and tear. $14.99 and up at BLACKS.

Neno Mom Bracelet

This Mother’s Day, DHL Canada Express and Me to We Artisans, a line of original accessories handcrafted by Maasai mama artisans in Kenya, have teamed up to celebrate mothers around the world with Me to We Artisans’ Neno Mom Bracelet. Sustainably produced using locally sourced materials, this unique Mother’s Day gift provides a personal connection between the consumer and a working artisan and helps support these mothers in raising healthy children. With every bracelet purchased DHL will donate $5 to provide a mother and child in a Free The Children community overseas with one health clinic visit.

Don’t have the funds to buy her something special? Not to worry. After all, the best Mother’s Day gift of all is something you can’t buy. Love… respect… appreciation.

Happy Mother’s Day!