Name: Easy Pork Souvlaki
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 4 strips pork tenderloin; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup grapeseed oil; 3 cloves chopped garlic; 2 tablespoons oregano; 1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 lemon

Celebrities

What Will They Name the Royal Baby?

July 23, 2013

What will they name the Royal Baby?

That is the question now after the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to the third-in-line to the British throne.

British bookmakers are betting on George and James as the favourites for the name of the new royal baby boy.

Charles, Philip and Francis are all said to be in the running.

Will Kate and Will name the baby after the Duke of Cambridge? William is a beautiful name, and it’d be nice for him to be called Will Jr.! And if Prince William does go onto become King, he would then be William II, right?

Or will they go on with British monarchy tradition and name him George or Edward, after George VI or Edward VIII?

Whatever name the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will choose for their son, I’m sure it’ll be heavily steeped in tradition.

Imagine the surprise if Will and Kate decided to go with something modern like Dylan or Jordan. Wouldn’t that super cool?

What do you think they will name the royal baby?

Food

Gluten-Free Pizza? Yes Please!

July 23, 2013

Although I’m not celiac (thankfully), I am sensitive to gluten, wheat and some dairy. Trying to find a good gluten-free pizza crust isn’t easy, and isn’t easy to make. So when I was offered the chance to try out this new gluten-free pizza, I thought – yes please!

Sabatasso’s New Thin and Crispy Gluten Free Pizza is a delicious gluten-free pizza available at Costco. It’s certified by the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Association.

You can’t even tell that this is a gluten-free pizza crust – it tastes like a regular crust and it’s crispy.

The cheese pizza is topped with various cheeses including mozzarella, fontina, parmesan and Asiago. The tomato sauce is really good too! I was pleasantly surprised because frozen pizza isn’t normally so tasty.

Pop it in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes in a 400°F oven and it’s done. The crust is thin and crispy which is another bonus. Plus there are TWO pizzas in each box and are wrapped separately for convenience.

Here is a list of the ingredients:

Low moisture partly skimmed mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, tomato puree, water, tapioca starch, rice flour, rice starch, fontina cheese, parmesan cheese, asiago cheese, dried whey, yeast, vegetable oil, palm oil shortening, sugar, salt, xantham gum, garlic powder.

I’m not so sure about the dried whey, palm oil shortening and the vegetable oil in the ingredients. I would love to see those substituted with healthier options. As for the nutrition labels, you should definitely stick with 1/4 of the pizza – don’t be tempted to eat half! As with many frozen foods, the sodium levels are a bit high.

Despite these few concerns, Sabatasso’s Thin and Crispy Gluten Free Pizza is definitely a better option for me and I would buy this product at Costco for those pizza cravings! It really is a good gluten-free pizza. I had to contain myself from eating the entire pizza.

Celebrities

It’s a Royal Baby Boy!

July 22, 2013

It’s a boy!

Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed a baby boy at St Mary’s hospital in London on Monday at 4:24 p.m. The baby weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces and has not yet been named.

Kensington Palace officials said Prince William was present at the birth and that “Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.”

“The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news,” the palace statement said.

The baby is first child for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the first grandchild for Prince Charles, who said in a statement, “Both my wife and I are overjoyed.”

He added, “Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone’s life… I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future.”

The Royal Baby is now third in line to the throne, following his grandfather Prince Charles and Prince William. The arrival of the new heir to the throne pushes William’s brother, Prince Harry, to fourth in the line of succession. Poor Prince Harry!

I’m sort of on the fence about whether or not I really care about the “royal birth” but I must admit, it is kind of fun to follow. With so many serious issues happening around the world today, following Kate Middleton’s pregnancy, birth and new baby has been positive news.

Congratulations to the Royal Family!

lifestyle

Entertaining is Easy with the Frigidaire French Door Bottom Mount Refridgerator

July 16, 2013

Summer entertaining is usually a challenge – where do you fit that huge watermelon? Drinks? That big bowl of potato salad?

When you have company over, the last thing you want to be doing is squeezing food into your refrigerator. I’ve always had to arrange and rearrange food in my fridge to make everything fit. In fact, we bought a second fridge years ago because our old fridge wouldn’t store enough food.

But now with our Frigidaire French Door Bottom Mount refrigerator, I don’t even have to use the second fridge anymore.

The shelving makes storing food so easy and organized. All of the condiments are stored in the door shelves.

The Cool Drawer is brilliant! It’s the width of the entire fridge, perfect for those extra-long bricks of cheese and, of course, bacon!

The fridge is also very deep so that big bowl of pasta salad or tray of meat can fit in without having to move too much. We tend to make extra food to have as leftovers so the space is great to store covered dinner plates and large food containers.

Let’s not forget the giant awkward-sized watermelon of which a quarter has already been cut – seriously, how does that fit in a regular fridge? It can fit in this one though! The sliding trays come in handy when reaching to grab something from the very back.

The Three-Tier LED Lighting which lights at every level from top shelf to bottom bin also helps – especially those late night snacks like leftover birthday cake… shhhhh!

Also the gallon-size bins are huge compared to the fruit and veggies bins I had in my old fridge. I can fit so much fruit and vegetables in the drawers and not worry about fruit bruising.

Still waiting for a plumber to hook up the line for our water/ice dispenser which will be a HUGE help as we go through bags of ice so quickly, especially this summer.

The kids love the new fridge too “because it’s so big and there is so much space,” says my 8-year-old.

Whether I’m making dinner for my family or entertaining guests, the Frigidaire French Door Bottom Mount refridgerator makes life a little bit easier – and that’s a good thing!

Follow Frigidaire Canada on Twitter @FrigidaireCA and like them on Facebook.

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.

lifestyle

2013 Buick Enclave: Luxury For Families

July 10, 2013

Luxury and space for large families in one? Yes it is possible with the Buick Enclave.

The Enclave is a large crossover vehicle with a sleek exterior and upgraded interior. It seats up to eight passengers which is fantastic for my lifestyle and family. Often we’ll go on road trips and need the extra space for hockey equipment or bringing other family along with us so we need the room and the Enclave has it.

I’m not an auto expert by any means but this ride was smooth and quiet and felt like I was driving a luxury car. I love the look and feel of it – curvy and sleek with chrome details. The kids and hubby also really enjoyed having it for the week and didn’t want to give it back.

The front seats are wide and roomy but so are the second-row seats, making them comfortable for my kids in their booster seats. The 2013 model seats have heating and ventilation – bonus! With the third-row seating as well, the Enclave is a true minivan alternative but with an upscale, luxury feel. The only thing missing is the sliding side doors.

The automatic trunk opening comes in handy when loading and offloading groceries. I love that there are two sunroofs, one in the front and one in the second row allowing for the sun to shine in, along with a drop down DVD player to keep the kidlets entertained on road trips.

The Enclave first came out in 2008 and has been on the market for five years. GM has added some changes to the exterior, making it more curvy in the front along with a new grille. The interior has new trim and materials with nice detail in the stitching. I love the leather seats especially and the dash – classic and conservative combined which you can see from the analog clock on top to the large LCD screen.

Buick’s IntelliLink1 system keeps you connected with its 7” high resolution, full-color touch screen radio. Its enhanced voice-recognition technology allows you to carry out a range of tasks with just the sound of your voice and once hooked up, IntelliLink becomes an extension of your smartphone.

The vehicle also features a rearview camera system so you can always be aware of what’s behind you which is important for me as I live on a street with a lot of children. It also comes with a USB port, HD Radio, satellite radio, and voice recognition – and these are standard. A ten-speaker Bose sound is a nice touch for music lovers like me (which I believe is an upgrade).

As for safety, there is a front center airbag, which helps protect front occupants in a side impact. Also, for the first time, a side blind zone alert system and a rear cross traffic alert system are offered in the 2013 Enclave, which has a five-star overall NHTSA rating plus its IIHS Top Safety Pick status.

The technical stuff? The Enclave models all have a 3.6-liter V-6 engine making 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, with a choice of front or all-wheel drive. The new model has an updated six-speed automatic transmission. Buick offers the Enclave in front-drive or with available all-wheel drive, which I know I prefer in the winter.

Fuel economy is 24-mpg highway range for a big crossover. What does that mean to me? I travelled 400km with ¾ of a tank of gas which cost me about $60 to fill. It’s pretty much what I’m paying now for the minivan I currently drive.

But driving the Buick Enclave really feels like you’re driving a luxury vehicle, but it has all the space and comfort of a mini-van but with a cool, sleek look. Prices start $41,525 for the Enclave and for a luxury crossover, it’s worth every penny.

I was provided with a Buick Enclave to test drive for a week. All opinions are my own, always!

Food

My Dad’s Famous Easy Pork Souvlaki Recipe

July 9, 2013

What’s a Greek meal without souvlaki! Especially during the summer months, weekend meals must include pork souvlaki along with a variety of Greek side dishes such as spanakopita, Fasolakia, and of course, Tzatziki. Of course, we enjoy a souvlaki dinner with ripe tomatoes from our garden; you must have a Greek village salad on the side too!

My father makes the best souvlaki hands down. Of course I had to learn from the best! And it’s very simple actually. But the secret is in the marinade as well as the method of grilling, which I’m happy to share with you in the recipe below.

After you’ve had a chance to make this recipe yourself, you’ll soon realize you don’t need to buy souvlaki from restaurants anymore! My dad’s famous easy pork souvlaki recipe is better than any souvlaki you’ll find at a Greek restaurant.

Here’s my dad’s famous recipe for Easy Pork Souvlaki:

My Dad’s Famous Easy Pork Souvlaki Recipe

Ingredients:

4 pork tenderloins

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

3 cloves chopped garlic

2 tablespoons oregano

1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 lemon, optional

Instructions:

Chop pork tenderloin into small cubes, about 1/2 an inch. Add to a large bowl.
Pour olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper into the bowl and mix. Marinade for several hours.
Before skewering the tenderloin, soak bamboo souvlaki sticks into a glass of water for at least 5 minutes.
When ready to grill, skewer meat onto souvlaki sticks.
The trick to grill tender souvlaki is to place them on TOP rack of barbecue on medium-high heat. Turn on each side once only, every 5 minutes or so.
If you like, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the souvlakia right off the grill and tent for a few minutes before serving.
Serve with warm, grilled pita bread and Tzatziki – find my recipe here. The trick to warm bendable pita is to brush a little olive oil to both sides of the pita, and add to the grill at the very end of grilling the souvlaki.

Kali Orexi!

Yield: 8 sticks

Easy Pork Souvlaki

What's a Greek meal without souvlaki! Especially during the summer months, weekend meals must include pork souvlaki along with a variety of Greek side dishes.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 strips pork tenderloin
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tablespoons oregano
1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lemon

Instructions

Chop pork tenderloin into small cubes, about 1/2 an inch. Add to a large bowl.
Pour olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper into the bowl and mix. Marinade for several hours.
Before skewering the tenderloin, soak bamboo souvlaki sticks into a glass of water for at least 5 minutes.
When ready to grill, skewer meat onto souvlaki sticks.
The trick to grill tender souvlaki is to place them on TOP rack of barbecue on medium-high heat. Turn on each side once only, every 5 minutes or so.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the souvlakia right off the grill and tent for a few minutes before serving.
Serve with warm, grilled pita bread and Tzatziki. The trick to warm, bendable pita is to brush a little olive oil to both sides of the pita, and add to the grill at the very end of grilling the souvlaki.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 546mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 8g

lifestyle

How Women are Portrayed in Media: It’s Getting Old

July 9, 2013

During the past few weeks, it feels like society has taken a huge step back in the way we perceive/treat/look at women. As a culture, we are obsessed with beauty and celebrity but mostly surrounding women. How women are portrayed in media? It’s getting old. Seriously.

Women objectified, depicted as sex objects, prancing around topless. Men around them, fully clothed. First it was the explicit video of this stupid song:

Then Justin Timberlake hit a new low with his video:

And yesterday this post just floored me:

There is too much to talk about here, from the issue of objectifying women to people’s crazy and unrealistic perception of beauty and society’s obsession with physical appearance.

In media and advertising, women are projected as sex symbols, or like the recent music videos, merchandise. Sex sells – the more explicit, the better.

While Robin Thicke’s explicit “Blurred Lines” video got booted off YouTube, Justin Timberlake’s Tunnel Vision” didn’t get censored. YouTube said, “While our Guidelines generally prohibit nudity, we make exceptions when it is presented in an educational, documentary or artistic context, and take care to add appropriate warnings and age-restrictions.”

When is the line crossed between “artistic” and “sexual” content? Ok so Justin Timberlake’s video is considered “art” by some. Riiiiiight. BORING would be a more appropriate description.

How many times have you ever seen a music video of naked men dancing? It would look ridiculous. Degrading to men perhaps? Then there are those who respond by saying, “those women chose to do those videos”, or chose to model those clothes. It’s their choice. Does that make it OK?

The blurred line is when women objectify themselves as an expression of their empowerment over men. Does this help or harm the cause? Here are some images of how women have recently been portrayed in media and advertising.

Thank God today for this – for reminding me that there are people out there who are with me.

and this:

Books & Music

Two Book Giveaway with Viva Editions (Giveaway)

July 8, 2013

Viva Editions and I are giving away these books to one lucky amotherworld reader:

Help! My Toddler Came Without Instructions

Practical Tips for Parenting a Happy One, Two and Three Year Old

by Blythe Lipman

Foreword by Dr. John Duffy

Raising children is a serious business, especially in this era of two working parents with jam-packed schedules. A helping hand can make all the difference.

Nationally known parenting expert Blythe Lipman is on a mission to help parents, offering hundreds of practical tips with a dash of humor. Go from stressed-out, overwhelmed and exhausted to melt-down free and mellow!

Help! My Toddler Came Without Instructions was written to provide parents with quick solutions to help with those hair-raising toddler issues. When some new “toddler troubles” arise, grab the book, find the solution and you’ll be back in control of your out-of-control child. Topics include sleeping (ways to transition from crib to bed, naps, creating a friendly sleep environment and nightly rituals and routines), potty training (age discussion, type of potty to use, fears, underwear, charts and issues), and fears (night terrors, stranger anxiety, the dark, monsters and separation anxiety).

Crafting Calm

Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation

By Maggie Oman Shannon

As our world has become increasingly dependent on technology, artisans and everyday crafters are finding a renewed satisfaction in making something with their own hands; they are also finding physical and mental health benefits in handwork, framing it as a spiritual practice.

Shannon illustrates that you can literally “craft the crazy away” through knitting and crocheting, candle-making, and beadwork. By joining up with fellow enthusiasts you create community and enrich your life.

In Crafting Calm, a D.I.Y. guide to peace of mind, Maggie Oman Shannon explores crafts and creativity as a spiritual practice providing enormous benefits. Shannon takes a rich “potpourri approach” that weaves together interviews, historical facts, “Soul Craft” projects for readers, quotations, and suggested resources. Crafting Calm inspires with its broad assortment of spiritual practices gathered from crafts communities around the world, as well as from everyday people who have adopted creative forms of spiritual practice.

The book’s crafts and how-to ideas include prayer shawls, prayer beads, God Boxes, contemplation candles, sand mandalas, finger labyrinths, personal prayer flags, spiritual toolkits, and luminarias.

Enter to win these books!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fashion

What I Wore: Inessa Sandals by Flurries

July 4, 2013

#WIWT #OOTD

Love my Inessa sandals in black from Flurries. They have a slight wedge Pair them with a long maxi or dressy shorts.

Ditch the flip flops and slip into a pretty pair of sandals, like the Inessa. They have an upper wedge design, adjustable ankle strap and a multi strap lower. What’s more, they are really comfortable and have good support.

News

Why are Kids Dying in Hot Cars?

July 4, 2013

by Alexandria Durrell

Yesterday was the funeral for a little toddler who died as a result of heat exposure when he was left alone in a car. It was also the day police confirmed that a small girl died as a result of the same mistake. Is “mistake” even the right word? It almost seems too trivial to call such an unthinkable, horrific accident a “mistake”.

The Canada Safety Council says that while Canadian statistics on these deaths are unknown, there are approximately 38 in the United States each year. We’ve now had two this week in Canada, and the official start of summer was just last week.

According to the CSC:

In the confined space of a car, temperatures can climb so rapidly that they overwhelm a child’s ability to regulate his or her internal temperature. In a closed environment, the body, especially a small body, can go into shock quickly, and circulation to vital organs can fail.

Extreme heat affects infants and small children more quickly and dramatically than adults because of their size. Their core temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. Heatstroke, or hyperthermia, occurs when the body’s core temperature reaches 40.5ºC (105^º F).

A study funded by General Motors of Canada found that within 20 minutes the air temperature in a previously air-conditioned small car exposed to the sun on a 35ºC day (95º F) exceeded 50ºC (122º F). Within 40 minutes the temperature soared to 65.5 ºC (150º F).

What is happening? Why are kids dying in these kinds of preventable “accidents”? I don’t know.

What I do know is that arguments are intense about the issue – it’s contentious because being forgetful is something we, as parents, know is a possibility, even a way of life. We have a thousand things to remember every day, sometimes things slip by us. But forgetting a child? In a blazing hot car? Is this something that simply slips the mind of a caregiver?

Is stress a plausible excuse for such an event? Psychologists say that it isn’t that uncommon a possibility, and in this article, a doctor explains exactly how it’s possible for a brain to simply forget about a child in the backseat, to tragic consequences. Studies show how this could happen to anyone. Anyone. Like me?

I don’t know what the answer is to this unspeakable sad event, but I know that I read a tip about how to help prevent these kinds of tragedies: place your purse, bag, cellphone, wallet – anything you need to take with you when you leave the car – in the backseat so you’re forced to go back there before you leave the car.

I would never want to impose judgment on a situation about which I know no details, but this is something we must all consciously make efforts to stop. Stop letting our children die in hot cars.

Alexandria Durrell digs her humour like she likes her wine…dry. With a bite. She knows the lyrics to pretty much every song ever written, has a weakness for plaid and for all her complaining, she always finds the silver lining. Her two kids and one husband (for now…she’s evaluating the benefits of Brother Husbands) are the things that make her happiest and most frustrated in life, and there’s not a thing she’d change about that. Despite the name, she blogs here but is usually found in her pajamas on Twitter.

Must read:

Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?

amw

My Dad’s Famous Easy Pork Souvlaki Recipe

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Kali Orexi!

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Help! My Toddler Came Without Instructions

Practical Tips for Parenting a Happy One, Two and Three Year Old

Crafting Calm

Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation

Enter to win these books!

Must read: