1. Thawing a frozen turkey requires patience. The safest method is to thaw turkey in the refrigerator. Be sure to plan ahead — it takes approximately 3 days for a 20 pound turkey to fully defrost.
Oven-roasting a split, spice-rubbed kosher turkey breast is one of my all time favorites. This simple recipe for split kosher turkey breast produces perfect results for any Wednesday night
The Love Crunch stopped me in my tracks. And then I discovered the Q’ia. We can’t get enough of Natures Path – nor can the kids. We are doing an epic giveaway of a huge box of #FeelGoodHoliday products, but first I wanted to share a not-so-secret recipe for healthy gingerbread men that the kids and I will be making this year. We may make the odd gingerbread dog too.
We try to make the best decisions we can for our kids, we limit their screen time, we make them eat their vegetables, we teach them how to read and write and be good citizens. Halloween is definitely a time when most parents (myself included) let their kids splurge. I’m not opposed to letting kids have a candy bar every once in awhile, but with the vast amounts of candy that most kids collect on Halloween, it seems like a good time to investigate some healthier Halloween options for trick or treaters. We’ve collected a handful of our favourites. We’d love to hear your healthier halloween ideas too.
Go Go Squeeze
I first discovered these parent-guilt savers at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. The boys were with me and devoured about 6 in one sitting. I try to provide healthy snacks for the kids but it doesn’t always work. These pouches are great for busy families on the go! Plus they are a Canadian company that harvests the fruit from their own orchard. How cool is that?
Crispy Fruit Snacks from Crispy Green
With flavours like Crispy Apple, Asian Pear, Mango, Pineapple, Banana, Cantaloupe and Tangerine these freeze-dried fruit snacks are 100% pure, have no additives, are non-GMO Project Verified and are allergy-free! Even better, they are delicious and kiddos love them! .
Xylitol Lollipops
If dentists gave out candy for Halloween, they would give out Xylitol Lollipops. Made from Canadian hardwood, Xylitol is a natural sweetener that stabilizes insulin and is good for your teeth. Many dentist give out Xylitol Lollipops with a toothbrush to their patients because of the positive impact that the sweetener has on teeth. Available in lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit flavours.
Harvest Snaps Snap Peas Crisps
Salty, crunchy and absolutely irresistible. SnapPea Crisps are a favourite in our house and the snack pack bags often go in our school lunches instead of a bag of chips. Available in a variety of delicious flavours kids will think they are eating chips but little do they know they are eating baked snap peas! Forgo the snack pack bags of regular chips and go for this low sodium, baked alternative.
Kellogs Multigrain Shapers Treat
It’s always fun to make homemade treats for friends of the family, close neighbours and school friends. Made with graham, Kellogs Multigrain Shapers would be delicious made into marshmallow treats, similar to what you would do with rice crispies. Drizzle with a bit of chocolate and the graham, chocolate, marshmallow combo would give them a smores flavor! Yummy.
Help fight off cold and flu season while giving trick or treaters something yummy with Yum Earth Organics Vitamin C Pops. Each pop has 100% of a child’s Daily Vitamin C requirements, plus they are super yummy! My personal favourite is the Pomegranate Pucker, but my kids always fight over the Googly Grape.
Annie’s Bunny Snack Packs
Available in cheese, chocolate, chocolate chip and honey graham flavors, Annie’s Bunny Snack Packs are another nice alternative to traditional Halloween candy. You can pick up a big assorted box of these at an Costco. My kids have almost as much fun playing with these little bunnies as they do eating them.
Have you tried Pirate’s Booty before? It’s impossible to stop at just one of these baked corn and rice puffs. They are SO YUMMY! Thank goodness you don’t need to stop at just one, because these delicious snacks are gluten free, trans fat free and have no yucky artificial colours or preservatives. They also have snack pack bags that are perfect to give out for Halloween.
And now it’s your turn… What do you give out to Trick Or Treaters on Halloween?
Many parents are wakened on special occasions by an ominous clattering in the kitchen: loving-hearted children preparing to surprise us with coffee or hot chocolate in bed. There’s also that cinnamon toast or oatmeal positively doused with sugar.
What many parents don’t realize is that such meals usually come courtesy of a whole crew of children. Chocolate, coffee and sugar are often harvested by kids in developing countries. Some children are even trafficked – taken from their parents to be sold into slavery – onto plantations far from home. Others are forced into labour to help put food on the table at home.
Most Canadian parents struggle to keep costs down, yet our lower prices here are made possible by low pay overseas. Many children are forced to work for no pay, making our price tags even more appealing. Take cocoa for instance.
“An estimated 1.8 million children work to provide the world with its cocoa, in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana,” says World Vision Canada’s Cheryl Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss explains that child workers are often trafficked – kidnapped and sold – into labour. They work in brutally dangerous conditions, with sharp machetes and toxic chemicals. Many are physically abused so they’ll work harder. Few are given adequate food or rest.
It’s easier to snuggle down under our covers than admit we live in a world where child labour is still prevalent. But it’s also pretty simple to do something to help change things. Fair trade cocoa, coffee, tea and sugar are available in many grocery stories. While they cost more, the payoff is much greater than a mouthful of sweetness.
“We made it into a field trip,” says Toronto mom Debbie Wolfe, of her first fair trade shopping trip with her two sons. “We stood in the grocery aisle, read the labels, and talked about how we’d be helping a real child and his family.”
“We’ve never enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate so much.”
To learn more ways to help end child slavery, visit www.nochildforsale.ca
Disclosure: This post was made possible through efforts of World Vision Canada.
You’ve got the most fabulous dress. And the shoes. And the champagne. And… whoops. The kids. A babysitter is pretty much impossible, or prohibitively expensive on New Year’s Eve. If you ask family the guilt will consume you all night. Let’s think outside the box, shall we – without compromising your attachment to the kids, or our hip and savvy selves? UrbanMommies has a few ideas about how you can celebrate New YEar’s Eve with kids – and still make the evening special..
1. Dress well (even if you are exhausted). Put the baby down, and make a romantic dinner together. You could choose cuisine from a beloved country or new food that you’ve never attempted and experience something special together. Eat by candlelight and try to stay awake until the ball drops.
2. Sit down as a family and look at photo albums from the past – relate birth stories, marriage memories and the ups and downs of the past year. Top it off with a frozen pizza ‘picnic’ on the floor complete with an extra-special bottle of wine and shirley temples.
3. The whole family can go to Value Village and find the most sparkly, shiny outfits possible. Blow up enough balloons to fill a room and drink milk, oj and champagne out of your best glasses.
4. If you must venture out, swap with another couple so you can watch each others’ kids every second year.
5. Have another couple and their children for a sleep-over. The kids can do art in an empty bathtub and can be allowed to paint themselves and the tiles for the only time all year. Everyone can then have a bath and pick from a huge pile of mismatched jammies for bedtime. Once the wee ones are fast asleep, an adult dinner and fine music can complete the evening.
6. Italian family eating/potluck with movies for kids and crafts, then chocolate Fondue, champagne and board games for adults when the babes are in bed. Everyone stays over and we cook pancakes in the morning. (compliments of @Babe_chilla via Twitter).
7. ‘Family Planning’: list the top 10 books, movies and music you want to experience this coming year. Chart a plan for activities for the kids. Talk a bit about budget. (See our article for help). Then drink champagne and start saving tomorrow.
8. Bowling with the family is always fun at midnight, they give out hats and horns! (from @LollyBopBaby via Twitter)
9. Sit with kids and illustrate with markers and paper your new year’s resolutions and share (from @kiddictionary via Twitter).
10. Celebrate New Year’s in another time zone other than your own so the kids can celebrate too. (from @tykethreads via Twitter).
Please let us know about your plans and ideas, and we will post them as they come (or just comment below).
If your kids are living with Type 1 diabetes, you’ve got a few extra challenges. We’re very excited about a Disney’s New Diabetes Resource from one of our favourite Disney sites. Disney Interactive has partnered with Lilly Diabetes to launch an online destination dedicated to help families affected by type 1 diabetes on Disney’s family lifestyle site Lilley Diabetes. Combining Lilly’s knowledge of diabetes with Disney’s robust parenting network has created a unique and powerful diabetes resource.
Are you looking for something new to brighten up your holiday cookie plate? The Old Farmer’s Almanac Everyday Baking cookbook is bursting with recipes that will satisfy a sweet tooth, cookie exchange or dessert for a holiday gathering.
Everyday Baking features 118 original recipes by celebrated baker and longtime Almanac collaborator Ken Haedrich. A winner of the Julia Child Cookbook Award, Haedrich may be best known as the author of Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie, which was recently named one of the best baking books of the past 25 years by Cooking Light magazine.
Everyday Baking, with its handy reference section and time-tested advice sprinkled throughout, demystifies the art of baking and will inspire home bakers of all skill levels to make delicious breakfast treats, after-school snacks, and impressive desserts. The easy-to-follow recipes in Everyday Baking don’t demand unusual ingredients or abstract cooking techniques, but rather just a desire to make delicious home-baked goods completely from scratch.
Everyday Baking is available online at Almanac.com or wherever books and magazines are sold.
From The Old Farmer’s Almanac Everyday Baking cookbook (page 48)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Optional: Fleur de sel or sea salt, just a few pinches
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the sugars and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir the dry mixture into the creamed ingredients, half at a time, until evenly mixed. Stir in the cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours (or overnight).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter two large baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 1-1/2-inch-diameter balls. Place the balls on the baking sheets, leaving about 2-1/2 inches in between. Optional: sprinkle a tiny pinch of fleur de sel over each ball, literally just about 5 granules on each cookie. Bake one sheet at a time on the center oven rack for about 17 minutes (this sounded like a long time to me, but because the dough was cold, it was perfect!). When done, the edges of the cookies should be golden brown and the centers much less so. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 30 cookies.
I have been infatuated with Darcy Miller, Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings from the first time I ever saw a luscious spread in the magazine and was planning my own wedding. (I drove my wedding planned nuts, BTW. “But in Martha Stewart I saw….”)
We know how important entertaining is in terms of role modelling for your kids. As a child I remember holiday ‘children’s tables’ that made me feel special and kept me on my best behaviour during special occasions. So who better than Darcy Miller to demonstrate affordable and easy ways to create a gorgeous Thanksgiving table.
Darcy shares tips and deals with us so that you can create her show-stopping look in your own home. We’re sure you must already get it in your RSS feeds but in case you want some last-minute tips, here are her ideas on the Martha Stewart Living website.
Happy Thanksgiving, and may your children embrace the memories that they will pass on to their own kids one day.
Safety during Halloween extends to the entire family including pets. These safety tips from PetSmart will help ensure pet parents and their pets have a safe and fun Howl-O-Ween.
· Keep them happy. “Before having pets join in the Halloween fun, it’s important to assess whether your pet will be comfortable participating or if the festivities will cause undue stress,” says Dr. Simon Starkey, pet care expert at PetSmart. “Pets may be alarmed to find a ghost or witch at the front door so make sure there’s a quiet space away from all the activity in case your pet needs it.”
· Make sure treats are pet friendly. Many Halloween treats are not pet-friendly, especially those containing chocolate. Make sure to choose pet-safe treats to celebrate, such as GREENIES® Dental Chews, which also keep pets’ teeth clean and ensures their breath isn’t scary.
· Keep them safe. If you plan to walk your dog around the neighborhood in the evening, make sure they’re properly outfitted and at ease around strangers and crowds. An adult should always have control of the dog’s leash, and reflective leashes, collars or ID tags are essential accessories. Some pet costumes also offer safety features such as the glow-in-the-dark Martha Stewart Pets™ black Halloween skeleton costume.
· Decorations without danger. Halloween decorations can be scary, but should not be dangerous. Pet parents need to make sure curious cats and dogs are unable to reach lights, decorations, candles and other festive items.