You can find more info about Foodie Pen Pals HERE. There is a lack of Canadian participants right now so please sign up if this interests you! You don't have to be a blogger to sign up - as long as you have a US or Canadian address, and a love for discovering new things, you're set!
Friday, January 31, 2014
Foodie Pen Pals: January 2014
You can find more info about Foodie Pen Pals HERE. There is a lack of Canadian participants right now so please sign up if this interests you! You don't have to be a blogger to sign up - as long as you have a US or Canadian address, and a love for discovering new things, you're set!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Homemade Juice - Orange/Carrot/Apple/Ginger
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Homemade Tuna Casserole + Ocean's Tuna Giveaway!
When I first moved out on my own I was dirt poor. I'm talking ramen noodles for lunch and the leftover broth for dinner kind of poor. I literally couldn't even afford a .29 cent meal. Coupled with the fact that I really had no idea how to cook, I often splurged on pre-made meals like the knock off brands of "Tuna Helper" (that's right guys I couldn't even afford real Tuna Helper). I felt like it was the cheapest bang for my buck, and produced enough food for at least 4 meals! Shortly after I learned how to cook, (and got a job that paid more than $5/hour) I decided to try and make my own homemade version with more wholesome ingredients. In all honestly, I think this homemade version is probably cheaper than the boxed version - and more than likely you already have all of the ingredients at home. This is one of my favourite quick and easy weekday meals and the price sure can't be beat!
Today's post is sponsored by Ocean's Tuna, though all opinions are completely my own! They provided me with the ingredients used to make this recipe as well as the giveaway at the end of this post.
Ocean Brand has always been my favourite brand of canned fish. They offer a quality and price that just can't be beat! I was happy when I heard about their Pole & Line tuna's which are fished eco-friendly and humane - less untargeted fish are caught (including dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks) which is really important to me. The tuna's taste great and go perfect in recipes like this one for tuna casserole. You can pick up these tuna's in your local grocery store (I like to stock up at Costco) or enter to win a case of assorted tuna at the bottom of this post!
- 2 tbsp butterToday's post is sponsored by Ocean's Tuna, though all opinions are completely my own! They provided me with the ingredients used to make this recipe as well as the giveaway at the end of this post.
Ocean Brand has always been my favourite brand of canned fish. They offer a quality and price that just can't be beat! I was happy when I heard about their Pole & Line tuna's which are fished eco-friendly and humane - less untargeted fish are caught (including dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks) which is really important to me. The tuna's taste great and go perfect in recipes like this one for tuna casserole. You can pick up these tuna's in your local grocery store (I like to stock up at Costco) or enter to win a case of assorted tuna at the bottom of this post!
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp flour
- 3 cups milk
- pepper, to taste
- 1-2 cans of Ocean's Pole & Line Tuna
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 170g (about 1/2 a bag) egg noodles
Topping (optional)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup panko (coarse bread crumbs)
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare your noodles as per the package directions and set aside in a medium casserole dish.
Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat, then add flour until it forms a loose paste. Cook the flour for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk 1 cup at a time until sauce thickens. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Pour sauce over egg noodles, stirring well to combine - then add tuna and frozen peas.
Melt remaining tbsp of butter in a small dish and add bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs and shredded cheese over casserole.
Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the topping has turned golden brown.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
If you've been following along on my Facebook page you'll know that I've been trying to eat healthier lately. I am usually a fairly healthy eater, but I do have a weakness for carbs (must be my half Italian genes!). I've been doing really well so far (12.5 pounds lost, wahoo!) but yesterday I had an incredibly strong craving for pizza. I know that pizza generally isn't the healthiest choice, and while pita pizza's are one of my favourite healthy pizza's, I wanted something that closer resembled an actual crust. In came cauliflower crust pizza, which has been intriguing me for awhile!
I made cauliflower mashed potatoes a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I enjoyed them! Sure they didn't taste exactly like mashed potatoes, but it was a pretty close alternative. Once I made the mashed cauliflower, I could actually visualize how it could be turned into a crust, thus this recipe for a cauliflower pizza crust was born!
Enjoy!
Friday, January 10, 2014
Homemade Cultured Butter and Buttercream + Giveaway & Coupon
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Simple Beef Stew
[As I write this, the
snow is falling and I’m sitting here in my fuzzy pyjamas with a steaming cup of
tea. I absolutely love how beautiful
snow can be – as long as the scenario in the sentence before this applies.
My husband’s job involves
long wintery days working outside in well below freezing temperatures –
temperatures that I hardly even feel comfortable shoveling the sidewalk in. As a result, when he comes home at the end of
a long, hard workday, the first thing he wants is a bowl of something
warm. In fact, most days when I ask him
what he’d like for dinner that night, he replies with a request of just that -
“something warm”.
Beef stew encompasses
all that is warm and cozy, and is the perfect meal to accompany a cold wintery
day. It holds up as a fancy Sunday night
dinner, and also fairs well as an easy weekday meal. My favorite thing about stew is it’s great
ability to diversify. It can be cooked
on the stove, in the oven, or even the slow cooker.
The meat is the star
of the dish, so as long as you have a decent cut (tenderloin is our favourite),
the rest of the ingredients are variables.
Any root vegetable would go well in a stew - sweet potatoes, turnips and
parsnips frequently make an appearance in my pot as well. The broth can be any combination of beef
drippings, tomato juice, wine, or even beer (the latter being my husband’s
favorite).
Whether you’re
spending a snowy day outside, or bundled up at home, I hope you enjoy “something warm” at the end of your
day.]
Recipe Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef of choice
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp each oregano, rosemary, and granulated garlic
- salt &pepper to taste
- 1-2 tsp olive oil
- 3 large potatoes
- 2-3 medium carrots
- 1 medium onion
- 1 L beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
Directions
Chop beef into bite
sized pieces and set aside.
In a medium bowl,
combine flour and spices. Toss beef with flour mixture, being sure to discard
any excess flour.
Pre-heat a large
frying pan over medium heat, and then add olive oil. Cook meat for 5 minutes, or until browned on
each side (the meat doesn’t need to be fully cooked here, the key is just to
lightly brown the outside).
Add chopped carrots,
potatoes, and onions, cooking until onions are slightly translucent.
Add beef broth and
bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce
heat and simmer stew for about an hour, until the meat is cooked through and
the base of the stew has thickened.
- Nutritional
Info (per serving) -
Calories
- 361 Fat - 9 Carbs – 32 Protein - 39
Fibre – 3
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Snackbox Review/Giveaway + Coupon Code
Needless to say, I've had a slight obsession with subscription boxes lately. When the folks over at Snackbox offered to send me their December box for review, I jumped at the chance. Snackbox provides a variety of healthy products in a box that is entirely devoted to snacking. I absolutely love trying new products (especially healthy ones) but I hate investing in an entire package of something I may not like. In swoops subscription boxes like Snackbox that give you a ton of variety for a minimal cost. The best part? It's mailed right to your door.
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