Mid-week Meal Must Try: Gourmet Steak Sandwiches

I love these sandwiches for dinner! They are easy, healthy, and absolutely delicious. The best thing is you can have them as basic or as fancy as you wish. Its also economical as you only need thin minute steaks which can be very inexpensive. Serve with a salad and you have a complete meal. This should make about 4 large sandwiches. Normally I only make the sandwiches for my hubby and I and because they are too big for a toddler to handle. For my daughter I take a few steak slices, cut them up into small pieces, and serve them to her with a plate of veggies.

Ingredients:
3 Large minute steaks (inexpensive thin cuts of steak)
1 small Onion, thin slices
BBQ Sauce (your favourite kind)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup water
Long crusty buns or baguette

1. Melt butter in pan.

2. Slice steaks into thin slices. Add the salt and pepper to steak at this point

3. Add steak slices into the pan with the melted butter. Fry steak until brown on both sides (5 minutes at most).

4. Once steak is almost brown (approx. 3 minutes), add a handful of onions slices (keep some of your sliced onions for later to top sandwich).

5. Once steak is ready and onions have softened a bit, remove meat and onions from pan.

6. There should now be the remaining juices in the pan from the steak. Add 1/2 a cup of water to pan and bring mixture to a boil while stirring constantly. This will create a light gravy that can be used as a dip with the sandwich.

Place generous servings of steak on long crusty buns or baguette. Top with fried onions, raw onion slices, melted swiss cheese, BBQ sauce, or any other topping you like. Place the gravy in individual bowls and dip your sandwich in between bites.

Enjoy!

Till next time,
Jen

Mid-week Meal Must Try: Tex-Mex Chicken & Rice

This is an easy way to add some spice and flavour to a boring chicken dinner.

Ingredients:
4 Chicken breast (bone-on or boneless)
3 Cups of your favourite salsa
4 Cups of cooked rice

Once you have cooked your chicken, cut into bite-size chunks. Heat salsa in large pot until simmering and add chicken chunks and cooked rice. Spoon into bowls and enjoy. I usually put a small bowl of Tortilla Chips on the table so every one can dip a few chips into the salsa that is left after the rice and chicken are gone :)

Enjoy!

Till next time,
Jen

Avoid The Malls: and still shop for gifts

You may think I am nuts, but really it can be done, gifts can be bought at reasonable prices at the following places: online stores even in the month of December(most can usually deliver in stock items before Christmas right up until a week before the holiday), drug stores, and grocery stores. These stops help avoid the nightmare of overcrowded shopping malls, parking lots that resemble rush hour traffic during a blizzard (even on the sunniest of days), and the complete meltdowns our kids are known for when they are overtired, board, and hungry!

One of my favourite online shopping sites is www.sears.ca . Sears Canada makes it easy to return items if necessary by being able to return items to actual stores, avoiding the cost of shipping and the hassle of repackaging to send returns back to the company.

Drug stores are a great stop because they have one stop shopping for all your needs. While you pick up a Prescription, you can also get chocolates and cookies. But if you go to a larger location, the variety and selection increase dramatically. I go to one that can rival any Wal-Mart or Target. The items vary from electronics to books; to high end cosmetics, skincare products, and toys! As a teenager I always would get my mother her favourite perfume from the drugstore because it was the only place I could afford it, the big department store counters never discounted it.

I have noticed that even grocery stores are starting to get into the gift selling business. Since everyone needs to stop there at some point or another during the holiday season; why not pick up a a set of wine glasses, a gift card to a local restaurant chain, or a beauty gift basket. Yes, I can get all three items at my local grocery store. Some of the larger chains even sell home decor and clothes! I read in the newspaper the other day that Loblaws, a major grocery chain here in Canada, has the most popular line of clothing in the country, Joe Fresh. And I can see why, its fashionable, inexpensive, and good quality. Right there is a chance to pick up your weekly groceries and a sweater for all those on your list.

But wherever you buy your gifts remember ... it really is about the thought behind it, not the cost!

Till next time,
Jen

Mid-week Meal Must Try: Tomato Sauce From Scratch

This is a simple way to make Tomato Sauce from scratch. The longer you let it cook the better it gets; I like to make it around 1 or 2 after the kids and I have returned from the park and they are down for their naps. Let it cook until about 6pm; but when I feed the toddler at 4:30 its already very tasty!

Ingredients:
I large can of whole tomatoes
1 can of Tomato Paste
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup of water
Pinch of pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Pour enough Olive Oil to cover bottom of medium size pot.

2. Once oil is hot add chopped onion, lower heat. Cook onions until soft and translucent. This takes about 2 - 3 minutes.

3. Add Italian Seasoning and tomato paste, stir for 1 minute to let paste cook.

4. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are combined.

5. Add water and stir. (If you wish to serve the sauce in less than 2 hours use only a 1/2 cup of water)

6. Bring sauce to a boil, cover pot, lower heat to lowest setting on stove, and leave to cook until you are ready to serve.

You can easily add meat to the sauce by browning mince meat or chopping up sausages. Add cooked meat to sauce at the same time you add the tomatoes. Pour sauce over your favourite noodles and serve with a fresh garden salad and crunchy bread.

Enjoy!

Till next time,
Jen

Mid-week Meal Must Try: Sloppy Joe Wraps

I am going to start posting some easy and healthy meal ideas that you can try when you want to serve something different for dinner. I have come up with most of these ideas by taking a fast food meal my family likes and I coming up with a homemade version that I can easily cook from scratch. It saves money and I am able to maintain taste while at the same time adding a few fresh ingredients.

Today's recipe saves the mess and grease that you normally can associate with Sloppy Joes. I made this for the first time last year and it is now a popular dinner that my Hubby will request when I plan our weekly menu. Why did I use a wrap ... I ran out of buns one night and all we had left were wraps ... :)

Ingredients:
1lb lean mincemeat
1 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Water
1 teaspoon Worchester Sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

1. Brown beef in pan on high heat. Drain excess fat before adding any other ingredients.

2. Once beef is cooked add chopped onion, lower heat. Cook onions until soft and translucent. This takes about 2 - 3 minutes.

3. Once onions are soft add water, ketchup, Worchester sauce, and salt and pepper to beef in pan. Mix together and raise heat to let mixture simmer for 5 minutes, stir occasionally.

4. After simmering turn heat low and let sit for another 5 to 10 minutes allowing sauce to thicken.

5. Take your choice of flat bread and fill with beef filling. Top with your favourite burger toppings and close wrap.

Our family likes lettuce, onions, and a bit of ketchup on ours :)

Can fill aprox. 6, 10" tortilla wraps.

Enjoy!

Till next time,
Jen

A Meal Out: our adventures with kids continues

Is it possible to go out and eat at an actual restaurant with a 2 year old and 7 month old (and I'm not talking fast food chains here),the answer is YES. Just make sure you take a few precautions and as I found out yesterday; Hubby and I can actually eat out with the kids and enjoy!

Of course you want to go to an eatery that is family friendly but it also helps if you go in off-peak times. We like going around 2:30-3:00pm. You get there in between the lunch and dinner rushes so if the kids are a little loud, there are fewer people for you to worry about disturbing.

It is also a good idea to make sure you go when kids have just had a nap. Its never fun to try and eat when tired little ones are making it known that they are sleepy and your main course has yet to arrive at the table.

One last tip, never feel you need to order toddlers a meal. The kiddy menu in many restaurants are geared more toward a school age appetite, so unless your preschooler is really hungry, they may never be able to finish what is on the plate. My DD usually gets a sampling of what everyone else is having and she seems to really enjoy the variety.

The days of slow leisurly meals may be on hold for now, but nothing beats an occasional meal out (one that I DO NOT HAVE TO COOK)!

Till next time,
Jen

I Want To Make A Difference

As Christmas gets closer I feel a tinge of stress and excitement. For the second time in 3 years I get to celebrate a baby's first Christmas and at the same time this will be the first Christmas my 2 year old will really be aware of what is going on.

I am stressed over trying to make it perfect for the kids while not increasing my family's debt load, a problem most mom's will face this season.


I know how fun it will be to see my little girl's face when she sees the tree for the first time on Christmas morning and the awe in my son's eyes when his 8 months of wisdom try to figure out what all the excitement is about. Even if I think that there is not as much under that tree as I wish there could be, I try to remind myself about the purpose of the holiday, which can be pretty hard when walking through the stores at this time of year! Yet I know my kids will be happy with the fact that there are gifts of any sort, as they are not at the stage of expecting certain things and in certain quantities.

However, I did have things put in perspective the other day when I received a Christmas catalogue, not from a retail outlet, but from a charity. The gifts included livestock, food, medication, and other necessities of life. The organization, Chalice, is a Canadian Catholic organization that provided live changing items to people in developing countries. No matter what your budget (there are items for as little as $10, one even $5) you can make a purchase that will help improve the life of a child, family, or community.

The first thing I did when looking through this catalogue was what most do, wish I could help then move on to whatever else I was busy doing at that moment; then I picked it up again to recycle it but I stopped. I looked at it and saw that there were items I could actually afford to donate (and I am on a very small budget), I spoke to my hubby that night and we decided to purchase a couple of items in the name of some family members for Christmas. We want to make a difference in whatever way we can, instead of buying another mug for someone who has a hundred already or a box of chocolate for someone who doesn't eat candy, the recipient of the card knows that their gift (made in their name) is going to make a difference.

After checking out the website http://www.chalice.ca/ I thought to myself ... how can I worry about how many gifts I can buy ... when I should be so thankful that I can get gifts for them. I am so thankful that I am not worried that my kids will contract Malaria while they sleep tonight. I am so thankful that I can pour my daughter a glass of water and know that it is not contaminated. I am so thankful that my big baby can drink all the formula he needs to satisfy his big appetite.


So if you are getting stressed over the holiday season do a quick Google search for charities that you may be able to help out this holiday season. Whether you can donate money, items, or even some of your time through volunteering; you'll remember what is really important in life!

Until next time,
Jen