Food Mamma

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resolutions, ninjas and green smoothies

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January is here and we are back to school and back to routine. I try and stay away from resolutions, they always seem short-lived. There is something that needed implementing around here though, and the new year seems like the best place to start. Although we eat fruits and vegetables, I really needed us to have more. Keeping plates of cut fruits and veggies out has helped. No one can resist snacking if it’s right there, ready and waiting. Salads are an easy way to add veggies but they can become boring. Smoothies seem like the best way to add a whole whack of nutrients, changing it up everyday so that there is variety.

To help with this goal, the folks at Ninja sent me their Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ Compact System. If I could choose one word to describe this machine, it would be power. I loved watching it break down spinach and grind ice into a smooth refreshing drink. With this Ninja, you have a nutrient and vitamin extractor as well as a high performance blender – it pulverizes any vegetable or seed. On top of all that, it comes with a Blend and Prep bowl, making this powerful blender into a full food processor. Hubby’s quite happy about this fact, hoping to get rid of a few of my appliances.

I loved this recipe for a refreshing green smoothie. With apples, lemon and ginger, along with a big helping of spinach, this drink was pretty delicious. I never thought I’d say that about a spinach smoothie! Watch for more smoothie recipes over the next couple of weeks and check out this board on Pinterest for inspiration.

Disclaimer – I was sent a Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ Compact System to try out and keep. All opinions are my own.

Sweet Spinach Detox
From Ninja

1 green apple, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 lemon, peeled, seeds removed
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup ice

Place all ingredients into the 24-ounce Tritan Nutri Ninja in the order listed.
Select Auto-IQ™ BLEND.

copycat p.f. chang’s mongolian beef

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I love love love P. F. Chang’s. If there’s a city that I visit that has the restaurant, you can be sure that I will visit it at least once (maybe twice) while I’m there. I love the Asian dishes that they have and there really is something for everyone.

When I found this copycat recipe of P. F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef, I could not wait to try it! I am so thankful that Tiffany had it on her blog. It was easy to make and the sauce was soooo good. It was pretty close to the real thing. As mentioned on her blog, the recipe makes way more sauce than you need but it’s perfect for anything really. I still have some left over which I might use with some chicken.

Until I can get to P. F. Chang’s, this dish is delicious and satisfying!

Copycat P. F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
From Creme de la Crumb

1 pound stir fry beef strips

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 TB corn starch
1 TB soya sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 TB oil

4 tsp oil
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 TB minced garlic
1 cup soya sauce
1 cup water
1 2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 TB corn starch
3 TB water

green onions
sesame seeds

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Pour into a zip-lock back with beef strips, seal and chill 1 hour or overnight.

Drain marinade from zip-lock and set beef aside.

In a medium sauce pan combine sauce ingredients. Stir and heat over medium high heat until brown sugar has dissolved. While sauce is cooking, whisk together corn starch and water in a small bowl until corn starch is dissolved. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and stir in corn starch-water mixture. Allow sauce to thicken slightly, then remove from heat.

In a large pan or skillet, cook beef strips over medium high heat until cooked through (5-8 mins) turning strips over throughout to ensure even cooking, reduce heat to medium. add ½-1 cup of sauce. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes longer. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

happy new year!

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Happy New Year!! Wishing you all a year filled with peace, happiness and love. May your days be spent with genuine people, creating lasting memories and may your adventures be delicious ones.


These glasses filled with sparkling apple juice and gummy bears by my friend S were a fun touch for New Year’s Eve celebrations.

goodbye 2015

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The year has just flown by. It’s been a great year and I’m so grateful for all the blessings in my life. Thanks to all my readers for your time and for your feedback. I truly appreciate you!

Here’s a look at my best nine pics on Instagram for 2015. See you next year!

brie in puff pastry

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Q’s favourite cheese would have to be brie. So, when I made him responsible for a couple of appetizers at our Christmas Eve appetizer party, naturally, he wanted to make something with brie.

This brie in puff pastry is so easy to make and so delicious to eat. It is perfect for a party – the cheese oozing out of the pastry was a sight to see. It definitely was a winner!

Brie in Puff Pastry

1 sheet puff pastry
1 small round brie
1 egg, beaten

Place the brie in the middle of the puff pastry. Bring the edges of the pastry up so that the cheese is nicely wrapped. Brush the egg on top off the pastry.

Bake on parchment at 425 degrees until golden, approximately 25 minutes.

2 ingredient cookies and GLAD

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It’s been a fun couple of weeks baking for the season. From shortbread
to palmiers to Christmas crack, we have been busy in the kitchen.

GLAD sent me some of their seasonal items which are perfect for holiday
baking! The practical containers and bags made festive with snowmen and
mittens are great for wrapping up goodies, either for yourself or as gifts.

With only two days until Christmas, these 2 ingredient cookies paired with GLAD holiday-themed products are a sanity saver! These limited edition designs are perfect for carrying these chocolate
chip peanut butter cup cookies. These cookies are super easy and perfect for last minute baking!

This post has been sponsored by GLAD. All opinions are my own

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 tube chocolate chip cookie dough
1 bag mini Reese peanut butter cups

Put little chunks of dough into a mini cupcake tin and bake as per
instructions. When the cookies are done, make a small indentation in the
middle. After cooling for five minutes, add a peanut butter cup in the
middle.

setting the mood for the holidays

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It’s always fun to have a party that stands out from the crowd. For me, it’s not about being over the top, just the small touches that engage guests and leave a lasting impression. Nouwee sent me a couple products which I fell in love with and so did our friends.

Nouwee is a Canadian company based in Quebec. Their mission is to create unique and magical moments to share with your friends and family. 

One of the products that we loved were the Luminous Balloons. As seen on The Dragon’s Den, these balloons have little LED lights which stay illuminated for 20 hours. We turned out the lights and let the kids play with the balloons, with the lights from the Christmas tree as a backdrop. The colours are vibrant and the balloons created a really fun atmosphere.

We also loved the Santa Lantern! The kids wrote a note to Santa and attached it to the mini hot air balloon. We all headed outside and watched the lantern fill with hot air and then float away into the distance. It was definitely a memorable night!

There is still time to get these for your Christmas or New Year’s party. Check out where you can get them at www.nouwee.com.

Nouwee sent me these great products for review. Opinions are my own.

top ten holiday comfort foods

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It’s my favourite time of year! Christmas is not a religious holiday for us but we love to celebrate it! I love putting up the tree and sitting in the dark watching the lights reflect off the ornaments. I love driving around and seeing how people have decorated their houses. Most of all, I love spending time with family and friends. These gatherings ALWAYS include delicious, comforting food.

I recently partnered with Del Monte (the makers of premium canned vegetables and so much more) to share some fun stats on what people love to eat during the holidays. They just published their Del Monte Comfort Food Index, which ranked the Top 10 Holiday Comfort Foods.

Potatoes (mashed or scalloped):  84% (percent who feel “comfort” by eating the food)

Pie:  82%

Baked goods (cookies & muffins):  81%

Macaroni & cheese:  75%

Cake:  71%

Casserole:  69%

Stews and hearty soups:  68%

Meatballs (with or without pasta:  65%

Sweet potatoes (mashed or cut):  61%

Cornbread:  60%

It is definitely not surprising that potatoes, pies and baked goods are on the top of the list. All of our faves!

Going through the Del Monte America’s Recipe site, I was inspired by the recipes that are available. A few stand out, which I’m hoping to make in the next couple of weeks.  I recently tried my hand at scalloped potatoes and loved them. I’m looking forward to trying out the skinny version on the Del Monte site. I also want to try out the Green Bean Casserole. I love the idea of putting fried onions on top!

Check out the site and comment below on which Del Monte holiday comfort recipes you’d like to try!

Although this post has been sponsored by Del Monte, all opinions are my own.