Wonderful Fall Flavors - #LMDConnector

I love fall!  It's definitely my favorite time of year.  The summer heat is behind us and I love going for walks on a crisp sunny day and checking out all the beautiful fall colors around us then cuddling with the family in front of the fireplace on cool evenings.

Another great thing about fall is our yearly visit to the pumpkin patches, corn mazes and apple farms and this year it was actually warm enough to wear shorts.  It's great to be able to pick our own pumpkins and apples straight from where they were grown.  It's equally as great to then turn our handpicked goodies into homemade treats.

I don't cook with pumpkin a lot so I decided to browse the Life Made Delicious website and make the pumpkin crumble cake.  Because it's not after Halloween yet I opted to use canned pumpkin and leave the field picked ones to carve.  I generally stick to baking cookies, bars and muffins rather than cakes but this recipe was really easy.  The store was out of the size can it called for so I bought the bigger one and did a rough measurement.

It was a hit with the whole family!  I did end up using too much pumpkin I think because mine doesn't look cake like in the middle as it does on the website, it's more like a pumpkin pie consistency with some areas that look like cake.  The crumb topping is really good and I don't think the texture ruined the taste.  

I"m looking forward to this season of fall flavors and trying out new rib-sticking stews, chilies and slow cooker meals!

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Weekly Meal Plan

It's a longish story that I do not wish to tell but I did not go grocery shopping this week.  I will be picking up what I need when I need it but not doing that weekly big shop.  Not only are we stocked up pretty good but I also grabbed a few good deals the other day.  So off the top of my head here's the plan:

1.  A turkey dinner repeat

2.  Turkey Shepard's pie - ground turkey, not leftovers

3.  Turkey Stew

4.  Chicken Legs and Roasted Potatoes - got a great deal on the legs already coated in some sort of spice rub ready to be baked

5.  Chicken Mini Burgers

New Pillsbury Chocolatey Crescents - #LMDConnector

I always wanted to be the kind of mom who'd always have freshly baked goodies on hand at all times for the kids for snacks or just as a treat.  This was, of course, what I thought before actually having kids.  Between the endless piles of laundry, cleaning up spills and putting away toys constantly there's just so little extra time.

Pillsbury has many products that make our lives easier with the newest addition being the Chocolatey Crescents and I was sent some coupons for my family to try them and some extras to share.

They are similar to the original Crescents but with chocolate in the middle and more chocolate drizzled on top and they were really easy to make but the first time I did manage to make a few mistakes but thankfully we have another box!

I forgot to curve the dough on the ends to make them look like crescents, I cut the hole in the bag that the chocolate is squeezed from too big and I put the chocolate on the top before putting them in the oven instead of after (oops)!  So mine look nothing like the ones pictured on the tube but they still tasted chocolately  delicious and the whole family quickly gobbled them up.  

Grab a box today for a quick, and easy breakfast or delicious afternoon snack freshly baked from your oven!  

"Disclosure - I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador Program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on this blog are my own."

My computer isn't running all that great right now so I'll make this meal plan (a little late!) short and sweet:

1.  Breakfast for dinner - we don't have time to make a big breakfast in the morning so why not for dinner

2.  Baked Banana Oatmeal - I will have to post the recipe as I can't find it but I make it ahead of time for breakfast and the kid love it!

3.  Chili Sauced Pineapple Pork - can't find this either

4.  Snappy Pineapple Chicken - never made it and the ingredient list looks big but it's a slow cooker recipe so can't be that bad

5.  Cottage Meatloaf - I was never really a meatloaf person but I love this meatloaf

6.  Chili Stuffed Peppers - can't find the recipe I use

Stay tuned for more fall favorites!

Meal Plan

So the last 2 weeks plans weren't posted because the one week was spent just eating up whatever we could around the house without buying much more food as we weren't going to be around for a week and didn't want to leave a bunch of stuff in the fridge and the second week was spent at a cabin eating foods we wouldn't normally eat on a regular basis.

For this week we're having:

1.  Veggie lasagna from the freezer made previously

2.  Pasta with frozen sauce

3.  Slow cooker chicken fajita - quick and easy!  

4.  Tuna cakes

5.  Shipwreck - this is not the exact recipe I"m following but it's really really close.  

I will be going out of town for the weekend which is I'm using some easy stuff from the freezer for hubby to make while I'm gone and he's left in charge of the kids!

Planning and Packing for Vacation with Toddlers!

Today I'm spending the day packing and preparing to leave tomorrow for one week at a cabin on a lake with private beach.  I've done this many times in the past but before having kids and it was a LOT easier then!

We always have a meal plan for the week complete with shopping list and everything bought ahead of time and even some stuff prepared and frozen.  It's taken a few weeks just to do this and I had no meal plans the last 2 weeks since I was focusing on using up leftovers or heating up previously frozen meals.  I also write up lists of other important items such as clothing and toiletries.  Being in a cabin means not having to pack bedding and cookware or dishes though we're taking the kids plates and stuff.  

I think doing all this with both kids underfoot is about 10 times the work of doing the same with no kids.  I have to keep stopping what I'm doing to take them off the back of the sofa, break up a fight, tend to who's crying, feed and change them or see what they're up to when it's quiet.  

The weather at the lake for the week looks hot and sunny so we're happy that it'll still be summer for us which means sunhats, sunscreen and sunshades!  Thankfully there's a bigger town 20 min away from where we're staying in case we forget something (which is pretty likely).  

Stay tuned for more recipes, meal plans and product reviews next week!  In the meantime I'll be working on my tan as I have yet to get some color this year!

Family Taco Night With Old El' Paso and a Contest - #LMDConnector -

I love Mexican food be it the authentic food in Mexico or Old El Paso.  I grew up eating tacos and want to continue that with my children.  Old El Paso has come out with some new products sure to please the whole family on taco night.  The hot and spicy fajita kit, extra mild super tasty hard taco kit and the mild taco seasoning.  I receive the goodies pictured to try them for myself.

For our family taco night we made the extra mild super tasty tacos.  My kids are still young and not too keen on spicy foods so the new mild kit and seasoning is perfect for us and the whole family enjoyed it.  My kids can't eat the shells yet so their dinner more resembles a taco salad but they sure loved the flavor of the ground beef.  My tacos include cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.  I liked that the flavor packet for the meat is a sauce which makes it easier to blend in and  I also really enjoyed the sour cream seasoning. It really adds a nice tangy taste to the tacos.

Visit the Life Made Delicious facebook page and grab yourself a $1 off coupon while they last and try some of the new flavors for yourself.

One of my lucky readers will win the same package of goodies shown above worth $50.  Just leave me a comment whether or not your family prefers hot or mild when it comes to tacos.  Contest is open to Canadians only and closes on Sept 20th, 2012.

Disclosure - I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador Program by Mom Central  Canada on behalf of General Mills.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on the blog are my own.