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I was half-tempted to title this blog "Totally Junky and Fattening Granola Bars" because I thought it might attract more of you!  But, it’s true, these granola bars are HEALTHY!  And not only are they healthy, they’re DELICIOUS!  

I was scanning Passionate Homemaking’s blog, and Lindsay posted this recipe for granola bars.  Boy are they amazing!  I made mine with pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, raisins and maple syrup (there are a few variations for some ingredients).  I also added about less than a 1/4 cup of granola as well.  They are so good!  You should check out the link and make them!  Both my husband and I love them.  And the best part is that we know that we’re not eating any crazy chemicals or other preservatives that most granola bars have! (That’s my granola bar featured above!)

Not only are they great for snacks, but they’re great for company.  They could even be used as a treat at a holiday dinner!  If you cut them into squares instead of rectangles you can put them out on a plate and enjoy them at a potluck this party season!  

Happy healthy treat eating!   

Last Wednesday I shared some household tips on ways to use tea beyond drinking it!  Today I want to share with you the differences between preparing different types of tea, as well as a couple of gadgets that we like to use at our house.

Black Tea: The boiling point for black tea needs to be at 99C or else the active substances in the black tea will not develop.  The most common problem when making black tea is using water that is not hot enough!  Black teas are best when steeped for no more than 5 minutes, but definitely not less than 30 seconds.  A popular black tea that my husband loves is Darjeeling tea.  He also loves vanilla plantation tea, which is another yummy black tea.  My personal favourite black tea is Lady Grey.  

Green or White Tea: Water for green tea should be around 80-85C.  Hotter water will burn green tea which will produce a bitter taste.  If you are drinking a high quality green or white tea you can add more water to the tea 4 or 5 times.  Bring the water to just before the boil and steep green tea for 1-3 minutes, and white tea for 3-5 minutes.  I like normal plain green tea.  It’s great for digesting food.

Herbal Tea: After bringing water to a full boil, steep your herbal tea for 7-10 minutes.  My favourite herbal tea is Peppermint.  It’s so aromatic and relaxing when needing unwind.

The Tea Tube: I have struggled with various tea balls, and other tea gadgets, but I have now discovered the most amazing tea gadget!  We own a tea tube, and it is wonderful.  It doesn’t let the little tea bits float all throughout our tea, and it is easily cleaned in warm soapy water.  This is used daily at our house!

French Coffee Press: I know, I know…this post is about tea…so what’s with the French coffee press, right?  Well, as much as I love the tea tube, sometimes you need to make a full pot of loose tea, not just one cup.  This is where the French coffee press comes in handy!  You sprinkle your loose tea in the bottom of the press, and pour your water on top.  Put the lid on, but DON’T PRESS THE PRESS DOWN yet…let it steep as per the instructions above, and the slide the press to the bottom.  You’ll be amazed at how clear your cup of tea is!  

Stay tuned next week for more info on the love of tea! 

I was realizing that in the busy-ness of life we weren’t eating breakfasts and lunches as well as we were eating dinner!  So I decided to make a basic meal plan that will help us with our overall planning for more specific meals.  Here is what it looks like:

Breakfast: Fruit, granola and yogurt OR cereal with soy milk and fruit on the side OR oatmeal with fruit on the side.

Lunch: Veggie and Sandwich OR Veggie and Soup - both with fruit on the side.

Dinner:

Mondays: Chicken

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays: Meatless (chickpeas, rice, lentils, black beans, etc.)

Thursdays: Beef

Fridays: Pasta (with or without meat)

Sundays: Leftovers

This week is a vegetarian week at our household!  1.) Because of costs 2.) Because I feel like it!

Monday: Spaghetti (with lentils added into the spaghetti sauce!)

Tuesday: Costa Rican Beans & Rice in wraps with salad on the side.

Wednesday: Couscous Salad

Thursday: Chesse Tortellini with homemade white sauce, and salad.

Friday: Lentil Vegetable Soup, with homemade bread.  I don’t have a recipe, so google one!

Saturday: Mexican Omelette with toast.

Sunday: Leftovers

What are you cooking this week?

This week is going to be a good one!  Of course, it helps if you start off thinking about it that way. :) This week I’m going to give a recipe for a tasty dessert, a favourite new kitchen item I got, and perhaps more!  Stay tuned!

Monday: Quebecois Chicken (See below)

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner - eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and toast

Wednesday: Happy Canada Day!!  Canada Day Cake (stay tuned on July 1st for that recipe!), Homemade burgers (anyone have a recipe they want to share?!), and salad.

Thursday: Chicken Lasagna with White Sauce

Friday: Curried Beef, Rice, Raisins and Chickpeas (I don’t really use this recipe, but it can be a basic guideline for you.  I add chickpeas and remove pineapple b/c I’m allergic to it!)

Saturday: Fruit Salad, Hotdogs

Sunday: Homemade Burritos

Quebecois Chicken:

2 lbs. chicken pieces

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves (minced)

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. ginger (ground)

1 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix with chicken.  Bake in the oven at 350F for 1 hour covered, and uncover for the last 15 mins.  OR cook in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.  OR barbeque on medium-high heat until the middle of the meat is white.  Turn frequently  Serves 4.

Check out what others are cooking this week!

I have been in HEAVEN since buying my bread maker last week.  I had been thinking about buying one for a while since I’ve had such poor luck in making bread by hand.  So, when we were at wal-mart I noticed a Black and Decker one on sale, and I snatched it up!  Since then, I’ve been extremely impressed at what I can do!  Or rather…what IT can do!

For my Black and Decker All in One Automatic Breadmaker, it comes with various recipes in the instruction manual.  So far I have stuck to those and have enjoyed the results.  Here are a couple of recipes straight from the manual (with a few minor adjustments from me to use whole wheat flour more often):

Whole Wheat Bread:

1 1/4 cups water (80-90F)

2 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine, cut into pieces

2 tbsp. honey

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups bread flour

3 tsp. active dry or bread machine rise yeast

Measure ingredients into bread pan in the order listed.  Follow your bread machine’s instructions to set it up for whole grain bread and choose the appropriate loaf size (2 lb.) and colour. 

Dinner Rolls:

1/4 cup milk (80-90F)

1/4 cup water (80-90F)

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp. butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/4 tsp. active dry or bread machine yeast

Measure ingredients into bread pan in the order listed.  Follow your bread machine’s instructions to set it up for dough.  This recipe can also be used for cinnamon rolls.  When the dough is complete you roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to be 9x14" rectangle.  Brush with 2 tbsp. melted butter.  Sprinkle with a mixture of 3 tbsp. sugar and 3 tbsp. ground cinnamon.  Top with 1/4 cup raisins.  Roll up jelly-roll style starting at the long end.  Cut into 1-inch slices and arrange in greased 9x12" baking pan.  Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).  Bake at 350F for 30 mins. or until golden.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. 

I have also been enamoured with the clean-up process.  Why?  Because there really isn’t much of one!  Once the bread has been made, or the dough has been prepared, the bread pan generally just needs to be wiped out.  It’s not really dirty at all, which is wonderful!

Here is a recipe from a fellow blogger, Emily!  Check out her blog post about a soaked whole wheat bread machine bread! 

So, do you have a bread maker?  If so, what are some of your favourite recipes?  Please leave them in the comment section, or post them on your blog and leave a link in the comment section, and leave a link back to this post on your blog!  Happy bread making!