Menu Plan - October 1 to October 7

This past week I have been under-the-weather.  So, I have not been cooking that much.  I have made the easy meals that were on last week's plan and we ordered in Chinese which lasted two nights.  So, the good news is that I have three recipes for dinners that I can put on this week's plan and don't have to shop for.  Also, Thanksgiving is next weekend in Canada so we have a meal out and I'm cooking a big meal for Saturday night.  I have made use of the Special Occasions section of the menu planner to help plan the details.



Menu Plan Oct 4-7

Menu Plan October 1-3


 

Glow Baby on Babycentre.com

Our Menu Planner has made an appearance on Babycentre.com!

To read the full article click here.



Organized Family Menu Planner on Babycentre.com

Menu Planner Review: Herebewillers.com

Check out what Emma Willer of www.herebewillers.com says about our menu planner.

http://herebewillers.com/2012/09/review-meal-planning-with-glow-baby/

Another great review for one of my favourite products!

Best,

Lindsay

Fab Recipe: Zucchini Bread from Better Homes and Gardens

In an effort to get my girls to eat more vegetables I am trying different recipes that hide the healthy parts under yummy goodness.  Last week I made Zucchini Bread from a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.  It was delicious!  The girls could not get enough of it so I will be making it again this week (see menu plan here).

The recipe can be found online here:  http://www.bhg.com/recipe/quickbreads/zucchini-bread/

I think that I may even increase the amount of zucchini when I make it next week and see what happens :).

Enjoy!

Lindsay

Menu Plan - September 24 to September 30

This week's menu plan is done.  I'm finding the planning goes much quicker now that we have been back to school for a few weeks.  I have a better idea of what items the girls like best for lunch and while I still add new recipes and foods into the mix, I can now go back to the previous weeks plans and pick from them as well.



Menu Plan - September 24 to 26



Menu Plan - September 27 to 30

Maple Leaf Monster Jam - Food Drive

 

 

THIS THANKSGIVING, THE MAPLE LEAF MONSTER JAM TOUR HOSTS LARGEST MONSTER JAM FOOD DRIVE TO CRUSH HUNGER

Northern Nightmare Driver Cam McQueen Fuels the Drive, Greets Fans in Toronto & Hamilton

TORONTO, ON – September 20/12 – Canadians are invited to crush hunger! This October, to help kick off the Maple Leaf Monster Jam^® 2013 Tour, Canada will host the largest food drive in Monster Jam history! As a part of its continued commitment to Monster Jam fans, starting Wednesday, October 3, 2012, The Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour presents CRUSH HUNGER – A MONSTER JAM CANADA FOOD DRIVE running in four Canadian cities:

October 3 – Hamilton, London & Winnipeg

October 5 –Toronto

Monster Jam’s goal is to help crush hunger and donate hundreds of pounds of food to those in need this Thanksgiving. Fans are invited to donate five non-perishable food items including: canned fish or poultry; canned soup, fruit, stew, chili or beans; peanut butter; pasta; canned pasta sauce; 100% fruit juices; high fiber and non-sugar coated cereals. All food collected will be donated to local food banks/nutrition programs in each city.

A select number of fans who donate five food items will receive one free voucher to a local 2013 Maple Leaf Monster Jam show. Vouchers are subject to availability* and discount coupons will be available on-site for all who attend and do not receive a free ticket voucher.

In each participating city, Monster Jam drivers will greet fans, sign autographs and collect food donations, plus there will be entertainment for the whole family including tattoo stations and crush-car decorating.

In Toronto and Hamilton, fans will have an opportunity to meet Meet Monster Jam star Cam McQueen and snap a photo with Canada's new world champion truck Northern Nightmare.

“The Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour is thrilled to be back in Canada for another roaring season," said Amy Dubinsky, Feld Motor Sports Regional VP of Event Marketing and Sales. “But hunger is a problem we can’t ignore, and through our food drive efforts we hope to raise awareness about the issue while helping those who are less fortunate this Thanksgiving.”

MONSTER JAM CANADA FOOD DRIVE SCHEDULE

CITY	DATE	TIME	LOCATION	DRIVER	FOOD BANK
Hamilton	October 3/12	8:00AM - 7:00PM	Lime Ridge Mall	Cam McQueen	Hamilton Partners in Nutrition
London	October 3/12	10:00AM - 7:00PM	White Oaks Mall	Jim Koehler	London Food Bank
Winnipeg	October 3/12	10:00AM - 7:00PM	Polo Park Mall	Kreg Christensen	Winnipeg Harvest
Toronto	October 5/12	8:00AM - 4:00PM	Rogers Centre Bus Parking Lot	Cam McQueen	Fort York Food Bank

Tickets go on sale for the Maple Leaf Monster Jam 2013 Tour on October 1/12. For further details and to purchase tickets, visit www.monsterjamcanada.ca for details.

The 2013 Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour will stop in the following cities:

Toronto, ON: January 19-20/13, Rogers Centre

Vancouver, BC: January 26/13, BC Place

Edmonton, AB: February 9-10/13, Rexall Place

London, ON: February 16-17/13, Budweiser Gardens

Winnipeg, MB: February 23-24/13, MTS Centre

Hamilton, ON: April 6-7/13, Copps Coliseum
Halifax, NS: June 1-2/13, Scotia Speedworld

This Fall also marks the arrival of the officially licensed, 1^st Edition Hot Wheels^® Monster Jam^® Northern Nightmare™ 1:64 die-cast vehicle, which is available now at Canadian toy retailers. This long-awaited addition to the Hot Wheels Monster Jam 1:64 scale line is authentic and features a die-cast body, replica graphics and oversized tires.

Attracting more than 4 million fans annually at the most prestigious arenas and stadiums throughout the world, Monster Jam^® events showcase jaw-dropping freestyle and racing competition featuring the largest and most advanced automotive machines in the world. These custom-designed monster trucks average 12 feet tall by 12 feet wide, sit atop 66-inch-tall tires and weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds. There’s a reason they are called “Monster.” Built for short, high-powered bursts of speed, Monster Jam monster trucks generate 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower and are capable of speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. Monster trucks can fly up to 125 to 130 feet (a distance greater than 14 cars side by side) and up to 35 feet in the air.

 

#MonsterJamCrushHunger

 

About Feld Motor Sports^®, Inc.

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam^®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA^® Nitro Jam^®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

*There is a limited supply of free Monster Jam vouchers available on a first come, first serve basis (Toronto: 500, Hamilton: 400, London: 200, Winnipeg: 200). Maximum of one voucher per person. Once the limited offer is complete, donors will receive a $5 discount coupon for a Monster Jam 2013 show. Additional fees may apply.

Glow Baby Featured by The Giggle Guide

I was pretty excited to find out that Glow Baby was recently featured by The Giggle Guide! 

The Giggle Guide™ is the ultimate online destination for information related to today’s children’s marketplace.  The Giggle Guide makes it easy for retailers, buyers and consumers to find information on the latest children’s products and services.  So I was super thrilled that they noticed me!



The Giggle Guide

The feature can be viewed here:  http://thegiggleguide.com/grapevine/2012-08/glow-baby-helps-families-stay-track

Menu Plan - September 17 to September 23

This week's menu plan was easier than usual as we had way more leftovers than anticipated from the meals I made this week.  So, three of the recipes I had shopped for have been added to next week's menu plan.  What's great about this is that I have already shopped for these recipes so I won't be wasting the ingredients and I will save money as I have three less recipes to shop for.  Yay!



Menu Plan Sept 17 - 19

Menu Plan Sept 20-23

I'm a Mom on the Street - The Family Groove

I was pretty excited to be able to share my Fall plans for Glow Baby with The Family Groove.

Check out my plans here:

http://www.thefamilygroove.com/sep12_MomStreet.htm


Excited to share our next steps.

Best,

Lindsay

Great School Lunch Idea: Turkey Wrap with Cucumber Cream Cheese

I found this super easy recipe on Pinterest.  It's from Rachael Ray's website.  It's a great way of getting some veggies into sandwiches without being obvious. 

Turkey Wrap with Cucumber Cream Cheese - Rachael Ray

Here's the link to the recipe:  http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/fast-recipes/turkey-wrap-with-cucumber-cream-cheese
Enjoy!

Lindsay :)

Menu Plan - September 10 - 16

Here is my menu plan for next week.  I have found making school lunches and snacks SO much easier with the menu plan done.  Taking the time once a week to plan out the menu and search for different and yummy lunch ideas is so worth it.  There have been no complaints so far from the girls about what I have been packing.  It has only been one week though...



Menu Plan - Sept 10 - 12
 

Menu Plan - Sept 13-16

Time to Bust out the Crock Pot

We never really had room for a crock pot in our last house.  I have always wanted to get into crock pot cooking and when we bought our new house (which has lots more storage) one of the first things I went out and bought was a crock pot.  Now that we are moved in and relatively settled, I decided to add a crock pot recipe to the menu plan this week.

I chose a Pork Roast which was pretty straight forward and easy.  I didn't want to get too fancy on my first try.



Slow Cooker Pork Roast

It was super easy to prepare.  I had to marinate the roast over night but then I just threw it in the crock pot along with a bunch of vegetables and it was cooking.

It was nice not having to worry about cooking dinner later in the day when the girls were home from school.  The best part is that the recipe made so much that I was able to make them pork sandwiches for lunch today. 

Prepping Ahead for School lunch - Menu Planning

Now that I have a bigger freezer (YAY!)  I can start planning ahead for school lunches.  I've never been one to make multiple batches of anything because I never had the room to store it.  Not anymore! 

I was looking through Today's Parent special flyer for Picky Eaters with lots of great recipes and came across this recipe for Bake-Ahead mini-pizzas.  My girls love pizza and these don't need to be warm (no microwave at school).  The best thing about this recipe is that it makes 20 individual mini-pizzas and they can be frozen for up to 1 month.

The recipe can be found here.

I've put four of the mini-pizza in the fridge for Tuesday's lunch.  Yum!  I altered the recipe slightly to make the pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni (the girls' favourite toppings).

Mini-Pizza

The other 16 mini-pizzas were divided into four bags with the expiration date written on them.  This way, I can defrost one bag each week until they are gone.  That means that I have at least 1 lunch each week for the next 4 weeks covered.  Awesome!

Frozen Mini-Pizzas

The First Week of School - Menu Planning

I cannot believe that the first week of school is next week!  Where did the summer go! 

This year we have a lot of firsts happening.  It will be Juliet's first year of school and both Ainsley and Juliet's first year of full-day school.  This means, that I have to put together snacks and lunch for the girls everyday. 

I don't know about you, but I remember hating lunches at school.  They were always so boring.  There are only so many times that you can eat a sandwich before you never want to eat one again.  Also, here in Toronto, all our schools are peanut free so there goes the staple of peanut butter to mix things up.  I am determined to provide a variety of yummy and not monotonous lunches for the girls this year.  The first step: Menu Planning.

I have always been a menu planner.  Last year during the school year, I would plan loosely for breakfast and lunch and then I would always make a clear plan for dinner.  When I mean loosely, I would jot down lunches where we were going out and then make sure I had staples on hand such as mini pizzas, Kraft dinner, hot dogs and sandwich ingredients.  This year I am taking it to a new level.  I want to make sure that I am packing healthy and delicious lunches and snacks. 

I sat down on Thursday and created next week's plan.  I did all my shopping on Friday  so I was ready to go for this week.  I find that planning ahead makes things so much easier.  I have on hand all the healthy food I need and I don't have to think about what's for lunch this week (or dinner or snacks).

Here is the plan:






Glow Baby Organized Family Menu Planner

Glow Baby Organized Family Menu Planner

 

As you can see, all meals are planned and to the right is my shopping list.  This way I can make sure that I am mixing things up regularly and if I'm really stuck one week, I can go back to a previous week and pull from them. 

 

I hope everyone has a great first day of school.  At least I know my girls will like their lunches :).