Shelly Wutke

Why make homemade soup when it’s so easy to open up a can and eat within minutes? Really, it all comes down to taste. If you go through the effort of making your own soup base and you let your soup simmer on your stove or in your slow cooker for hours, the flavours of what you’re cooking will practically explode when you eat it. 

Fitness trackers are a great tool for anyone interested in getting the most out of their workout or just adopting some healthy new habits. I’ve tested out a lot of wearable technology and used quite a few different fitness trackers, and although they all have different features that will appeal to a different type of user, the common thread I found with all of them is how incredibly motivating they are. Fitness trackers make great gifts for the holidays too, so if you’d like to choose one for yourself or pick one up to put under the tree this year, here’s a few types you can choose from.  

Instead of pouring over a toy catalog like we used to before the Holidays, we cuddle up on the couch with our kids and scroll through pages of the latest toys on our tablet. But no matter how we check out the top toys of the season, I still get that cozy holiday feeling that comes from sitting down with the kids and dreaming about what Santa will bring them. Check out the top toys of 2014 right now, and do a little Christmas dreaming yourself.

Last week we said an official goodbye to summer and hello to cool weather, bundling up, and fall recipes. One week of fall favourites isn’t enough, so this week we’re going to check out a few fall recipes that make for easy weeknight dinners.

If you want to survive holiday travel with your sanity intact, especially if you’re traveling with kids, you’ll need to be prepared. That means prepping ahead of time and picking up these holiday essentials to help you sail through that airport and enjoy any mid-trip downtime.

  Baby, it’s getting cold outside, and it’s safe to say the warm weather has hit the road and it’s time to bundle up and turn on the fire. When the cold weather hits, it’s also time to warm up the range and see what type of fall dishes we can cook up.

Did the game of darts start from sheer boredom? One of the most popular beliefs surrounding the game darts is that it was created by a warrior who, bored and trying to kill time between battles, decided he’d throw short spears at a slice of tree. The natural rings in the tree served as the markings on the first ever dartboard, and since then millions of people worldwide have played. If you’ve never played or you want to learn a new game or two, read on to learn how to play darts.

I’ve been fortunate enough to test out a bunch of fitness trackers and I’ve become the go-to person my friends go to for advice when they want to buy the latest and greatest fitness devices. That’s why yesterday, when Fitbit announced their newest wrist-based activity trackers, my phone was buzzing. And for good reason, because there’s a lot to be excited about. Here’s a quick look at the three new fitness trackers from Fitbit.

While going through the old letters researching my ancestry, I also came across old recipes. There’s nothing like food to trigger memories of growing up, and when I look back I remember different German dishes on my Grandma’s kitchen table. Because it’s Octoberfest, I’ve been creating authentic German weiner schnitzel, frying pans full of cabbage, and big, puffy Bavarian pretzels. If that sounds delicious, it is, so today I thought I’d share a ‘how to’ make Bavarian pretzels on Shelly’s Friday Favourites.  

When it comes to Halloween, the only thing I struggle with each year is making enough candy apples, cupcakes, and treats for everyone. But every year I get a little wiser, and this year I’m going to put the kids to work making kid-friendly goodies. Creating these treats can be part of the Halloween fun, and you’d be amazed at how many hours kids will work on them with you supervising and helping them along.