Hello, Practical Mum readers!

First off, I would like to say that I am so excited to be guest posting on the Practical Mum! My name is Jen and my food blog is called How To: Simplify which offers tips, tricks and recipes to simplify life in the kitchen.

Now, onto the recipe…

Macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup, spaghetti…these are just a few of the comfort foods that, after the first bite, make us feel right at home and…well…comfy and cozy. Another item that I would like to add to that list is one of the all-time comfort foods…the one and only chocolate chip cookie. They are super easy to prepare, make the house smell delicious and go great with a glass of cold milk.

Since cookies require only a few ingredients, many of which are staples in a pantry, they can be prepared within a matter of minutes whenever a craving strikes. After making countless batches of cookies throughout the years, I’ve come to the realization that in order to get perfect looking cookies an ice cream scooper is essential, preferably one with a removal feature. Using an ice cream scooper results in consistent cookies that are plump and perfectly shaped.

While I was making these cookies, I decided to kick the flavor of my chocolate chip cookies up a notch by tossing in peanut butter chips. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is another classic and it tastes absolutely delicious in these cookies. Make sure you have a glass of cold milk nearby to wash down one (or two…or three) of these cookies.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 (2 sticks) cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix together the sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla extract in a bowl.
3. Mix the baking soda, salt and flour in a separate bowl. Add this mixture gradually to the sugar mixture and incorporate thoroughly.
4. Fold in chocolate chips and peanut chips.
5. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet, approximately two inches apart.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

I’ve had the pleasure of writing this guest post for the Practical Mum! You can find this recipe and more at http://www.howto-simplify.com!

Related posts:

1. Recipe of the Week: Nat’s Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
2. Recipe of the Week: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
3. Batter Three Ways (Muffins, Pancakes and Waffles)

Do you reach for the delight of something sweet, or the gratifying crispiness of a salty treat? The M&M’S^® Brand, famous for products that provide the ultimate in colourful chocolate fun,  is getting in the middle of this great debate and making the decision easy for Canadians from coast-to-coast with the launch of new M&M’S^® Pretzel Chocolate Candies. M&M’S^® Pretzel chocolate candies combines the delicious milk chocolate of an M&M’S^® chocolate candy with a crispy addition inside – a round, salted nugget of pretzel in the middle, all with 30 per cent less fat than other leading chocolate snacks.

Review by Sebastien

Sweet Meets Salty, Now You Don’t Have to Choose!

A new breed of M&M’S® has hit the marketplace. They come with a little pretzel ball inside.  Practicalmum.com had the priviledge of trying them out this week.  They are delicious.  The great taste of the M&M milk chocolate has been combined with the salty pretzel taste in just the right proportions.  The sweetness and the saltiness hit your taste buds at different times and then together.   The candy looks much like the peanut M&M’S® but are perhaps a little larger.  Despite the X-ray image on the bag that depicts the classic knotted pretzel, the pretzel inside is indeed round.

The 32 g bag has about 15-16 M&M’S®, 150 calories, 5g of fat (zero trans fat, 3g saturated), and 150 mg of sodium (6% of recommended daily intake).

We do believe they make a great addition to the M&M’S® line up!

Have you tried them yet?  What do you think?

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Just so we’re clear: We were sent free samples of the Pretzel M&Ms to try… but this had no influence on our opinions at all.  We loved them, and ate them all.

Related posts:

1. Recipe of the Week: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
2. Recipe of the Week: Nat’s Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1. WaySpa

20% off $25 Gift Certificates (5 points – $5 savings)

20% off $50 Gift Certificates (10 points – $10 savings)

20% off $100 Gift Certificates (20 points – $20 savings)

WaySpa offers you the opportunity to live your spa experience at over 600 spa partners across Canada, including 120 in Québec.

2. Boston Pizza (10 points)

Receive one free kids meal with a minimum $14 purchase.

Boston Pizza restaurants offer a casual dining setting with over 100 menu items including gourmet pizzas made with our signature hand pressed dough.  We also have mouth-watering pastas and a wide variety of appetizers, salads, entrées and desserts. The restaurant is perfect for families, teams and groups of all ages and the sports bars have big screen TVs to catch your favorite game.

3. Stratford Shakespeare Festival (30 Points)

Buy one ticket, get 50% off the second one ($49 saving)

From the Forest of Arden to the Argentina of Eva Perón, from Prospero’s enchanted island to the Never Land of Peter Pan, the productions of our 2010 season will transport you to the realms of memory and magic, revenge and reconciliation - where the potent art of theatre is bound to capture your heart, your mind and your imagination.

4. Medieval Times (30 points)

Buy 1 adult admission and get 1 child’s admission free ($31 value)

Take in a show whether it’s a musical, a comedy or a tragedy, there’s nothing like seeing the spectacle of a live performance.

5. Ontario Parks (5 points)

50% off the regular price of an Ontario Parks Daily Vehicle Permit ($7 savings)

Spend a day with Ontario Parks and see what we have to offer!  Experience fabulous swimming, hiking and cycling.   You’ll find picnic shelters and fire pits; equipment rentals (canoes, life jackets, fishing rods), and stores on-site for any missing necessities.  With over 110 operating parks located in every corner of Ontario – there is always one nearby.  Immerse yourself in the magic of nature in an award-winning interpretive program.  Make memories you’ll talk about again and again!

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1. A Lying Toddler

In any case, the article was talking about the long term health effects of epidurals. From the (Globe and Mail, Thurs. Sept. 2, 2010): A new study out of Australia has found that an epidural may play a positive role in women’s health long after the baby is delivered by reducing damage to the pelvic floor muscles. Australian researchers used two sets of ultrasonic imaging on a group of almost 500 women undergoing their first pregnancy and planning vaginal birth – one taken during pregnancy and one three to four months after childbirth.  Because damage to a woman’s pelvic floor muscles during childbirth is known to be a risk factor for future health problems including collapse of the pelvic organs (pelvic organ prolapse) and incontinence, the researchers wanted to see whether style of birth played a role.

Of the 488 women in the study, published last week in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, about 13 per cent experienced “avulsion,” or tearing, of their “levator,” or pelvic floor muscles. Women who had had an epidural had a lower incidence of tearing. A forceps delivery was associated with the greatest risk of injury. (Not surprisingly, the women who had undergone a caesarian section had no pelvic floor injuries.)

I have popped out two babes.  The first one was 9 lbs 10.5 oz. (and yes the .5oz. counts) and the second 8lb 5 oz.  I opted for the epidural.  It wasn’t even up for discussion. I labored as long as I could without, then I pleaded mercy. I have big babies and they did enough damage WITH an epidural – I can’t even IMAGINE without.

I know there are millions of women who have a natural, drug free birth.  And I am very proud of them and I respect them completely.  Gisele (the supermodel who appeared in her bikini weeks after delivery with nary a stretch mark or a bump – they should call her a supernatural model) has been outspoken about her drug free birth. “Didn’t hurt a bit” she claims.  Bullsh*t.  Unless she is supernatural down there too, I don’t believe her.

I am also proud and respect those who do opt for an epidural. Because really… every mother’s pain is their own and they have to do what is right for them.

I am curious…would this study influence your decision to opt for, or against, an epidural?  What are your thoughts on the issue??

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Incorporating Music into Everyday Learning for Your Little Treble Maker

We’ve all heard the benefits of a good music education for our children.  Better mathematical reasoning skills, language development and even higher standardized test scores and entrance to better universities has been linked to music education (read more at www.musiclessonmatch.com/smarter.php).  But why wait until your child is old enough for formal lessons?  Incorporating music into everyday activities is a fun way for toddlers and preschoolers to learn important skills, not to mention the love of music that will last a lifetime.

1) B-I-N-G-O
We all know that farmer brown had a dog and BINGO was his name-o.  My daughter has been singing her name since age 2 by replacing B-I-N-G-O with V-I-O-L-E-T.  She loves spelling her name and finds it fun that we all sing this song together with her name in it.  Now when asked to print her name she breaks out into a chorus of BINGO.

2)  Have your children gain confidence by singing with a pretend microphone and doing a “show” while asking them to make eye contact with their audience.  You will be surprised when you model for them how to communicate with a larger group of people how much fun they have with it.  This will help later on with events like “show and tell” and important presentation skills that they will need later in life.

3)  Kids need to know their phone number.  Have them learn it using rhythm patterns.  We use drum sticks and “rock out” our phone number together.  Is is a repetitive game that never fails to entertain.

4)  Alphabet by piano.  Have children go to the lowest note on the piano.  A lot of people don’t realize this, but the lowest note on any piano is an A.  The musical alphabet goes up from A-G then repeats.  If children are gently lead to play the white keys from the lowest to the highest, it can be a good tactile and aural introduction to letters.

5)  Invent a new song using “Twinkle Twinkle.”  Have your kids fill in the blanks with rhyming words (this one might be for slightly older children getting ready to read).  Start with the main song and have kids invent other words that rhyme.  Ex:  “Twinkle twinkle shiny hair.  Please get down, now off that ______.”  Complete nonsense words are fine!  Being familiar with rhyming patterns is a key reading strategy.

Music and learning can easily be combined.  These are just a few suggestions that have worked well with my daughter as we begin our musical education journey.  Share what has worked for your family!

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Shelley Steele-Gittel has been a highly-respected school and private music teacher for 10 years.  Along with Laurie Campbell, teacher and web-entrepreneur, she created MusicLessonMatch.com to help parents find a local private music teacher anywhere in Canada.  Both are moms to active, healthy preschoolers.

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1. Studying with an Ankle Biter

Here’s one of their newsletters that caught my eye – particularly the recipe attached.  YUM!  Love to know what you think about it!? Leave a comment and let us know.  And do make sure to join the group – you won’t get better information than from Sick Kids Hospital!

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From one of the SickKids publications,  Better Breastfeeding: A Mother’s Guide to Feeding and Nutrition –authored by D. Kalnins, D. Stone & J. Touw (Robert Rose Inc.), we have picked out a couple of great facts for you to know and a delicious recipe for you to try! Better Breastfeeding: A Mother’s Guide to Feeding and Nutrition has many other useful tips and over 100 recipes to serve the unique needs of the breastfeeding mom.

DID YOU KNOW?…

Childhood Anxiety Reduction

Researchers recently reported that 10-year-old children who had been breastfed had less anxiety than their formula-fed peers. The close physical contact early on between a baby and a mother during breastfeeding may be one explanation for the findings. Another may be that breast milk affects the metabolic processes associated with the stress response.

DID YOU KNOW?…

Reducing Cancer Risk

A combination of studies reveals that the longer the total time of breastfeeding, the more protection from developing breast cancer the mother receives. A woman breastfeeding for a total of 1 year reduces her chances of developing breast cancer by 6%, while a woman breastfeeding for a total of 2 years reduces her chances by 11%. Longer periods of total breastfeeding time provide even further protection. The earlier that breastfeeding occurs in a woman’s reproductive years, the stronger this protective effect may be.

1.       In serving bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, coriander, green onions, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and chili powder; let marinate 1 hour before serving.

Source of:

• Folate

Tips

Serve with crackers or tortilla crisps. For an authentic, intense flavor, use ½ tsp (2 mL) finely diced chili pepper or more chili powder.

Make it ahead

Prepare up to 4 hours ahead, stir before serving.

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1. Recipe of the Week : Introduction to Lentils
2. Recipe of the Week: White Bean and Kale Soup
3. Recipe of the Week: Saucy Mexican Chicken

Chudleigh Farms in a word? Lovely.

We took our 22 month old to the famous apple farm on a beautiful Thursday morning in August. When we parked the car, he oohed and ahhed at the school bus that was parked in front of us. Kids this age are so easy to impress. We started out on the tractors which seemed to be a big hit with boys his age especially. Then we were lured over to the play area by squeals of delight from kids on summer camp field trips going down the giant slides. There are two huge slides that deliver grinning little faces into heaps of soft hay (or straw? Is there a difference? I am such a city girl). After a dozen or so trips down the slide (and about three dozen pictures), we ended up in the giant sand pit with plenty of trucks, pails and shovels to argue over play with. We had a bit of a hard time pulling the toddler away from there to get lunch. I am sure it was partly to do with the copious amount of snacks we plied him with during the 45 minute car ride to get to the farm. Once we did manage to get to the food area, my husband and I each got a $10 special which included a sandwich, dessert and beverage. The roast beef sandwich was good, the apple blossom was amazing and the cold apple cider which was so delicious, we bought a gallon of it on our way out.

Once we were well fed, we decided to check out the farm animals. My son was most taken with the sheep who come up to the fence and eat feed right out of your hand. But we also checked out the pigs, donkeys, deer, etc etc. I was still checking out the animals when our toddler became enraptured with the stones on the pathway and the pole holding the hand sanitizer. Sometimes I wonder why I buy toys. We checked out the tractors one more time and then headed out on a hay ride to pick our own apples. We had a choice between Ginger Gold and Sunrise (you can pick different apples at different times – starting in mid-August right through to the end of October). As soon as the friendly tractor driver compared Sunrise to Honeycrisp (which are my absolute favourite), we quickly decided to pay the premium for the Sunrise ($2/lb versus $1.50/lb for the Ginger Gold). As soon as I bit into the first one, I realized it was well worth it. Crispy, sweet and juicy just as advertised. I revelled in the glory of eating an apple that had been on a tree only an hour or so earlier. And what did my little one think of the whole thing? Check out the picture for his glowing review. I think we will be headed back around September 24^th for Honeycrisp picking season!!

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Just so we’re clear: Erin was given complimentary tickets to visit Chudleigh’s farm.  This has not impacted her opinions in the slightest.  She had a fabulous day!

If you live in or near the Toronto area, Chudleigh’s is a worthwhile visit! Chudleigh’s Farm is located five minutes North of Milton (9528 Hwy 25 in Halton Hills)  and is open seven days a week from 10am-5pm.

It is a short country escape for parents and children of all ages.
Although it is known as an apple farm, there are tons of attractions year-round:
- A petting zoo with alpacas, deer, goats, peacocks and more
- Tractor-drawn wagon rides
- A large safe & fun playground complex with a sandpit, towers, bridges and slides
- Straw maze
- Face painting and pony rides on weekends
- A restaurant great for farm-fresh summer lunches
- Store where you can take home an apple pie and many other treats
- Picnic area
- Nature walks featuring a teepee

A family of four can visit for $17.50, those aged four and over is $5.00 per person.

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Back-to-Homeschool: How to Plan Healthy After-School Snacks

You have your curriculum chosen and prepared, you have gathered together all the materials you need. You have books and notebooks and art paper. The music lessons scheduled, the afternoon homeschool football games arranged.

But remember how you said that this year, you were going to be more organized and figure out a way to make the whole day run more smoothly?

Snack Time

What about the after-homeschool snacks? You have sworn to upgrade your family’s eating habits from getting-by to super-healthy but you have not yet put a plan in place.

Here is how it will go. You will have a full day of homeschooling under your belt and finally, you will be ready to tackle the other things on your schedule. You will taste a sense of freedom because there are hours left before dinner time. And then, one or more of your children will ask for a snack.

You are going to need something easy and quick so that you can get back to what you were about to do, but filling enough to hold them until dinner.

The Simple, No-Cook Snack Solution

Now, when I say no-cook, I do not mean that you will not have to heat anything up. But I am advocating that there be no mixing, chopping, slicing or dicing during your homeschool day. If you do want or need to slice or dice, do it during the weekend and store or freeze it.

Sandwich Wraps

Buy square wraps, spread cream cheese on them and then, pile on a few slices of ham, turkey, tuna or roast beef. If you want to add bell peppers or onions or celery or grated cheese, go right ahead. Heat it up for a few minutes in the oven and you have one snack ready to go.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

This one is a no-brainer, obviously, but I suggest adding interest with apples, bacon, celery or some other surprise ingredient that you already know your child likes. Melt the cheese with a make-your-own-grill assortment of frying pan and spatula, and voila, you have another quick and easy snack.

Afternoon Tea

Add a touch of whimsy, elegance and fun by taking a brief break to snack with them. Prepare a cup of tea for yourself and each of them and offer cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese. Slice them ahead of time and leave them in the fridge in a Ziploc bag. For the occasional snack treat, you could make cinnamon apple muffins or homemade bread or cookies to go with them.

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Jeanine Byers Hoag is a certified holistic health practitioner, an afternoon tea enthusiast and consultant, a write-at-home homeschooling mom and the author of the forthcoming book, The Life That’s Waiting for You: Four Simple Steps to Identifying and Living Your Life Purpose.  http://www.afternoonteaforone.com

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3. quads at school

In Toronto from London, England, Chef Marco kicked off the first-ever Knorr® Stock Exchange™ competition where Canadian home cooks will have the chance to submit their favorite, original recipes that need to include the newly unveiled Knorr® product: Knorr Homestyle Stock. The Knorr® Stock Exchange™ competition will see Canadians firing up their stoves from coast to coast for a chance to win a grand prize trip for two to London, England! Click on the Knorr site to see contest details.

Chef White prepared this Risotto and it was to die for delicious. Here are Sebastien’s tips (learned from the Chef himself):

Asparagus Risotto with Chervil

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

2-4 tbsp      (30-60 mL)  olive oil

½                                 onion, sliced

320 g                            risotto, rice

¼ cup        (50 mL)       dry white wine

1 pot                            Knorr^® Homestyle Stock Chicken

4 cups        (1 L)           hot water

400 g                            asparagus

6                                  sprigs fresh chervil

½ oz           (15 g)         parmesan cheese, grated

4 tbsp         (50 g)         unsalted butter

Heat half the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and lightly sweat the onion, but don’t let it colour.

Melt the Knorr® Homestyle Stock Chicken into the hot water.

Add the rice, stir and add the white wine.

Pour in enough of the stock to cover the rice.

Keep working the risotto. This allows the risotto to absorb the stock and intensifies the flavour. Gradually add more stock as the liquid is absorbed.

Chop the asparagus – I prefer slices, but I keep the heads whole so that you can see its asparagus, not broccoli!

Add the asparagus with about 5 minutes to go. I put it in raw so that it infuses the rice with its own juices as it cooks.

Add a little piece or two of chervil at the end, but it’s optional. Add the Parmesan and then the butter, and this will make the risotto creamy and rich. Take some chervil to garnish, but again, this is optional.

What do you think?  Did you try it?  Any changes or improvements to add? Leave a comment and let us all know what you think!

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1. Recipe of the Week : Introduction to Lentils
2. Recipe of the Week : Mac and Cheese With A Twist!
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Seven weeks in with baby #3, my husband and I were keen for a little more sleep, so we jumped on the opportunity to test out some of the new products from zzzTIME.  Anything that promised “soothing sleep solutions for baby” and “peace of mind for mom” sounded good to me.

The first product we tried was the zzzTIME Snooze Sack.  We found the instructions hilariously detailed for what is really just a sleep sack, albeit a thoughtfully designed one.  A few of the design features that we liked were the lightweight fabric and side air vents, perfect for this scorcher of a summer.  The bottom-up zipper is also perfect for stealth diaper changes when you don’t want to disturb the baby too much.  (Surprisingly, not all sleep sacks share this feature.)  I’m not sure about the benefits of the “Comfort Wrap” – two swaths of fabric that wrap around the baby’s chest and are held in place securely with Velcro.  They claim to hold “even the wiggliest baby” properly in place and I suppose they worked although I don’t know how far out of place a newborn can really get.  As far as their potential to relieve the symptoms of colic, I’m not in that situation (thank GOD!) so can’t comment.  All in all, this is a good product and I would probably pay a bit of a premium for it over a standard-issue sleep sack.

Next up was the zzzTIME Snooze Wrap Plus.  This little sucker looks like a cross between a straitjacket and a backboard.  When trying to negotiate putting my baby into this, I wasn’t sure if I was committing her to an asylum with a spinal injury or getting her ready for bed. This is quite an elaborate set-up with many straps and padding and Velcro and in the end, I would have to say that our baby did not like being in it.  She definitely did not want to be swaddled in the “arms-in” position but that’s just personal preference.  Luckily, this versatile product also has an “arms-out” option that made our baby a bit happier.  The head support and padding under the body are nice and make it easy to breastfeed without taking the baby out of her wrappings.  Ultimately, our baby did not want to be so confined – she prefers to kick her feet and wave her arms – but I think for a baby that does enjoy being swaddled, this is an interesting and helpful product.  And it’s much easier than attempting to copy the nurses’ perfect burrito-like swaddle which I could never re-create even after three babies.

Both of these products can be paired with the Snooze Sheet which uses Velcro on the back of the sleep sack or swaddler to attach the baby securely to her sheet so she can’t roll off her back.  We didn’t try the sheet but I think it’s an interesting idea, especially for new parents who might be nervous about sleep position.

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Just so we’re clear: Amy was given a snooze sack and a snooze wrap plus to try with her little bambino.  This in no way influenced or changed her opinion on the product.  Come on, by now you know that we simply tell it the way we see it!

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1. Toddler who is anti-sleep
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