Recipes

There’s a bumper crop of tomatoes out there right now, and they’re just begging to be chopped up into salsa. Check out my recipe, make your own homemade salsa, and add it to BBQ chicken or fish, plain rice, and anything that needs to be spiced up. A good rule of thumb is to take a look at what you’re about to eat and ask yourself, “Would salsa be good with this?” The answer is always yes, yes it would.

The words ‘Back To School’ can bring about mixed emotions for a lot of parents. On one hand, it’s nice to spend time with the kids in the summer – on the other? It will be absolutely amazing to get them back into a regular routine. But a regular routine means packing lunches, so here’s some creative lunch bag inspiration they’re sure to ‘eat up.’

There’s a little known fact about living in the dorm room that no one will tell you before you go for the first time – you will be hungry. Without access to mom’s kitchen, there is a lot you’ll have to do without. But armed with a microwave? You’d be surprised at what you can whip up to satisfy those dinnertime or midnight cravings.

For me, one of the most stressful parts of back to school is figuring out what to pack in their lunch kits. This year I’m getting a jump on things by creating a list of lunches that are cute, creative, and will be something they enjoy eating.

Out where I live, the hills are alive with the color blue. Thanks to a bumper year for the amazing blueberry we’re all enjoying more of this sweet fruit than ever, and with my cupboards literally covered in them, I’ve had to think of some creative ways to use them.

Coffee might help bring you back to life in the morning, but what keeps you going during those long days of class and studying? Food and only food can give you the boost to stay alert and conscious when the days get busy.   Here are some high-energy recipes to give you a boost every day.

I’ve been experimenting with brain food lately, and found a recipe that takes all of those nutrients and combines them into one delicious energy bar. Although they’re chock full of healthy ingredients, they taste almost like a chocolate bar. The local coffee shop sells them and calls them ‘Brain Bites,’ but I just call them delicious.   I whipped up a batch of these little gems today – check out the recipe and my photos for the steps to make them.

The amazing thing about summer vegetables is that you can make a new side dish for dinner every single night. Some of them are so good you may just opt out of a main course and stick to your sides.

The reason summer salads are called ‘summer salads’ is because they’re chock full of fresh-from-the-garden vegetables. But if you haven’t tried mixing things up and adding a few chunks of fruit, you’re really missing out on a mind-blowing meal.

This past week our country turned 147 years old, and although it’s a relative youngster in terms of countries, (after all, our neighbor to the south is ripe, old 238 today) I think it’s established itself very well. When you think of Canada you think of polite people, wide, open spaces, 4 very definite seasons of weather, and last but not least, hockey.   But let’s not forget that we’re also a culture based on a wide variety of delicious dishes too, and because of those definite weather cycles, there are some uniquely Canadian recipes that are only really available to be made in the summer.