My FAVOURITE Vegetable Soup Recipe

I have to give credit to Liz for the idea behind this soup because I pretty much just copied her, but it has become a favourite in my house!!!  It's so easy, and very healthy too!  And the chick peas are a great source of protein so you don't have to add any meat to "balance" it out!!



You'll need:

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 potatoes , washed peeled & chopped(I dont always use them but they make the soup "heartier" if you're in the mood)
• 1 small onion chopped as fine as you like
• 4+ cloves of garlic (yumm) chopped up
• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil(evoo)
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1 can chick peas, rinsed well and drained
• handful of any frozen veggies you happen to have!  I like using corn, green beans, broccoli or even fresh celery
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 carton of vegetable broth (campbells or the store brand)

So you start out by getting a big pot, pour in your EVOO, add garlic and onions and carrots and curry.  Let is sautee for a few minutes while stirring.  Then slowly add your potatoes, chick peas and veggies and then the broth and tomatoes.
Voila!  Let it cook all day :)

It's DELICIOUS served with shredded cheddar cheese on top too!!!  But then I think you can add cheese to just about anything because I LOOOOVE cheese <3

Fun Ideas for March Break - That Won't Break The Bank!

I'm always looking for fun things to do with my kids when there is a holiday from school.  Unfortunately for them I'm not made of money.  Since I can't afford day-camps or other super exciting things that cost a mortgage payment I'm looking for inexpensive fun things!  I thought I would share my ideas with all of you :)

Bronte Creek Maple Syrup Festival ~
This is close to us.  Located in Burlington at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.  Fun for kids and adults, and only around $16 for admission of one vehicle. You don't have to eat there, you can picnic if the weather is warm enough, but you DO get a free maple syrup candy!!  *yum*

Scavenger Hunt ~
This you can do anywhere!  If it's a cold, snowy, wet or just plain yucky March Break, you can even do this indoors!  Take various items from your house, or from your kids rooms and hide them away!  Write all the items down (or put pictures of what they need to find for kids that can't read yet) and off they go!  I like this idea because it's not just for March Break, it's for any day your kids have lots of energy and you just don't have the time to run around with them!  Plus it makes them feel like they're sneaky spies, you can even let them wear disguises etc for fun!

Swimming~
Around here rec-centres are very inexpensive.  And they offer the chance to go swimming while it's still freezing cold outside!

Sledding~
Again, free, and again not just for march break.  But lots of places still have lots of snow right now!  Take advantage of it and go sliding down some hills!  It won't be around much longer!

Make Bird Feeders~
This one will cost you a little bit for the bird seed, but if you go to Bulk Barn it's pretty cheap!  The old "Peanut Butter Pine Cone" is a classic and easy bird feeder to make with your kids.  And if you have children under 2 you can use "Golden Pea Butter"  which is like "fake peanut butter".  I have it for school lunches since they have to be "nut free"!

Go Feed the Birds! ~
A continuation from the last idea of course, but it will still be fun!  Wear some rubber boots if it's muddy!  Here we are close to the Royal Botanical Gardens which is a great place to go feed birds and chipmunks and squirrels!  It's a nice walk on nature trails and gets you out of the house and lets the kids see their bird feeders in action!

Bake~
Not all kids are into baking so this isn't for everyone.  But odds are most kids are into the results of baking!!  Choose a simple recipe like peanut butter cookies!  3 ingredients!  1 egg, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup peanut butter! Mix it up, bake it up and voila!

Visit a Library~
Free!  Most libraries have a children's section that is littered with toys and fun activities!  This makes for a fun afternoon and you can also check out some books of movies for yourself while there!!

10 Changes I Made to Lose Weight.

So I've had 3 kids.  And during the summer of 2009 when Kady was only a few months old I made a promise to myself that I would get back to my "pre-baby" weight.  Not just "pre-Kady"  but ALL babies.  You see I happened to walk passed a store on Ottawa Street and saw some girl in the window and turned around because it looked like she was walking prettttttttty close to me.  When I turned and saw no one, and realized that chunky girl was ME...that's when I made that promise to myself.
I realize you can't just diet and lose weight, it doesn't work.  You really do have to change the way you are ~ your lifestyle, otherwise the weight will just come back.
I am more active now than I have been since high school :)
So here are 10 things that I've changed in my life that have helped me lost 29lbs! :)  And the list doesn't include spending a fortune on a gym membership by the way!

1. Eat breakfast.  Yes I used to preach about how it's the most important meal of the day, but there were so many days where I just didn't bother.  Really, eat it!  Some mornings I even just have a great big bowl of sugary cereal with the kids!!  (it's whole grain you know!)
2. Walk - walk - walk.  Some people don't realize just how lazy we've all become.  Driving your car should be a luxury.  If your destination is a 5 minute drive...MAYBE you should resist plunking your butt down in that car and walk there!  Unless it's miserably raining or too cold for me to breathe, I walk the kids to school and go on at least 1 walk a day with Kady in her stroller.
3. Find a Friend!  Odds are if you have someone to be active WITH you will stick with it longer than if you do it alone!
4. Control your portions.  It's hard.  It's REALLLLLY hard sometimes.  I find this one to be one of the harder changes because I really love food.  Sometimes I fail completely ~ like the other night when Dave brought me a cheesecake because I was ...well PMS-ing.  Kady and I shared the entire thing :(  Which brings me to my next change:
5. Don't Give Up.  If you eat an entire bag of M&M's or a whole cheesecake it's NOT the end of the world.  It's ONE meal out of ONE day.  There's 6 more of them in the week you know ;)  I used to fail for this reason a lot.  Eat a big feast one day and think "Screw it, I already messed up"  and then I'd pig out for a week!  Just get passed the fact and continue eating healthy!
6. Shop the Outside Aisles of the Grocery Store!!  Or at least focus 99% of your attention there!  They keep all the processed and convenience food on the inside aisles.  I still DO buy boxed and processed things, but nowhere NEAR the amount that I used to!  Cooking takes a bit more effort, but it's usually a lot tastier, and healthier too!
7. Take Advantage of Parks.  I have seen people do this on "Bulging Brides" or "Last 10 lbs Boot Camp"  Now I don't use PARKS really, but I definitely take advantage of living very close to the Niagara Escarpment!  I go up and down the stairs on them at least 3-4 times a week! You don't have to be a pro-star, you don't have to run.  Just MOVE :) 
8. Drink lots of water.  Not only is it good for your skin, and helps you digest your food better, but a lot of people are unaware that what they "think" is hunger is actually thirst!!  If you want a snack at 3pm grab a big glass of water first and then see if you're still "hungry" 10 minutes later :)
9. Play! (if you have kids this is much easier) Run around and play with your kids.  Enjoy them while they are little and still want you around!  Your dishes will be there after they go to bed!  Run and jump and take them swimming!  It makes you feel young again!
10. Don't Eat Like Your Husband!  Men are physically able to burn fat more easily than women.  Therefore when your hubby is wolfing down a bag of Doritos before bed, resist the urge and don't eat a bag yourself!

I heard someone on TV say "I'd rather be fat and happy than dieting and miserable"  And I realized that .... I'm not happy when I'm overweight. I'm not comfortable with myself.  I get embarrassed to wear my bathing suit or even tank tops and shorts sometimes.  And I want to be able to run around and be active with my kids for years, and THEIR kids too.  So I thought of my future.  I've had problems with my heart after I had Jeremy, and horrible asthma that's not well controlled... so for me it's a matter of health and quality of life to get and stay in shape :)

There are lots of other little things that we have changed as a family to be healthier, but we are always looking for more ideas.
How do you stay healthy and in shape?

Easy and Yummy Dinner Ideas :)

Since I'm hoping to generate enough traffic to get revenue from ads being on here I figured I might as well try to write things that are useful as well as just entertaining (like my life is THAT entertaining lol)

I get a lot of people telling me my dinners sound delish, so here are some great and quick dinner ideas that always go over well in my house :)

• Chili - we use ground turkey or pork because I can't tolerate red meat. But just throw whatever you have into it!  I've recently been told adding dark CHOCOLATE makes it super tasty!  And if you cook up your meat early in the day you just throw it all in the crock pot/slow cooker and dinner cooks itself all day!
• Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole - this is a FAVOURITE here.  It's ridiculously easy.  If you don't have leftover chicken breasts just cook some up and chop it into bite sized pieces. 

You'll need:
2 cups chopped cooked chicken,
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 cup long grain rice
1 cup (i use way more) shredded cheddar cheese
sprinkle of onion salta and garlic powder
1 bag (about 10oz) of frozen broccoli
3 cups of water.
Throw it all in the crock pot on low for about 5 hours.  YUM :)

• Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin  - just add a can of cranberry sauce (jellied) and a jar of chili sauce (like Heinz or something)  to the crock pot with a pork tenderloin.  Let it cook on low for about 3-4 hours and its GREAT with rice and veggies or mashed potatoes and veggies :)
• Tacos! - we forgot about tacos for a long time, and with my "no red meat" they just didn't sound appetizing.  But now I we use ground turkey or pork and they're delicious! 
• Homemade Mac & Cheese - not as hard as I thought.  Just cook your pasta, while it's cooking make up a cheese sauce!  Butter in the saucepan, add equal parts of flour when its melted and whisk like crazy for about 2 minutes, then add milk while still whisking until it's nice and thick, then comes the cheese.  You can use shredded cheese or cheese whiz.  Whatever you like.  Drain your pasta, pour on the cheese sauce and voila.  It's nothing fancy, but it tastes better than what's in the box!!!

I'll write up some more when little MISS has her nap, right now I'm being asked for lunch, and of course some play time :)

What are YOUR quick and easy dinner ideas??

A New Start

So,  I've found this place.  I can now write about things going on with my family and have a place to come look back and read about different memories :)
How nice.

 I'm not looking forward to the end of the month at all.  It's hard when I'm alone.  The kids are miserable, and I'm stressed trying to do the work of a single mom.  I really do wish I had family that lived closer to be able to help me out with my kids once in a while!!!
But we'll get things figured out.
When I'm "married-single mom" I am going to sign Jeremy and Dakota up for t-ball and softball.  That will give them something to do!  I can't wait until we have the MONEY to put them into something REAL.  Dakota wants to do gymnastics, and Jeremy wants to do soccer and hockey.  But we have no money for it.  That needs to change.

Since Kady and I are here all day together and the weather is nicer now, we're going to go out for another walk around the block today.  I like letting her toddle along the sidewalk looking at all the houses and animals etc. 
Can't WAIT to move so she has a quiet street to play on.
4 more years, and then we're either back in Rosedale, or up on the mountain!!  That's our goal :)

Time for that walk :)