Mom, the Lunch Lady

 This  moist and fluffy Coffee Cake is studded with tart spring rhubarb and topped with a sweet and crunchy crumble topping. Perfect paired with a cup of tea, this buttery cake with rhubarb is the perfect afternoon snack. Jump to Recipe My rhubarb plant is still going strong, so I decided to bake this delicious coffee cake, by using one of my favourite vanilla cake recipes and adding a super simple and yummy crumble topping. It bakes up light and fluffy, isn't overly sweet and the crunch adds wonderful texture. Rhubarb is a vegetable that usually begins to grow in early April. It is said that the best time to pick and eat rhubarb is from April to July, but it can be enjoyed until late August. As someone who has grown up with rhubarb growing in our back yard, I've enjoyed it until late August with no significant change in taste or texture.  What is Coffee Cake? Coffee cake is what you call a cake that is intended to be eaten with coffee or tea. It differs from a regular ca...

 This lentil dip is packed with yummy veggies, a burst of citrus, intoxicating herbs and salty cheese. Loaded with protein it is a wonderful snack to serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or crackers! Jump to Recipe Week two of my back to work journey has been wonderfully exhausting. I was nervous about not being able to stay true to my weight watchers plan, while working and coming home to be mom. I've made a big effort to pre-plan and prepare both my breakfast and lunches for the week. This second week has been as successful as the first in that regard. I am struggling on meal planning dinner though. Something I definitely need to work on! At the beginning of August we had a Civic holiday here in Ontario, which means we had a long weekend. My SO's family planned a small family gathering, which we attended before spending the remainder of the weekend at the cottage. We all brought stuff to snack on, and for dinner; and this lentil dip was a yummy snack that made an appearance...

 A wonderful way to use fresh corn on the cob, this Southern favourite is a delicious summer side dish! Jump to Recipe August is finally here and many of us are starting to get ready for back to school. Thankfully this year, I will be returning to my cafeteria, after being off for 1.5 yrs. I am so excited to start training again to acquaint myself with the opening procedures which have been put in place due to Covid-19. I just hope that I can juggle work and my blog, once school is back in session. Every year around this time, corn on the cob becomes readily available here in Ontario. There really is nothing better than sweet locally grown corn. While we enjoy delicious corn on the cob, this skillet corn recipe is one of my favourite ways to use leftover corn on the cob. Years ago,  I had some leftover corn on the cob, staring at me anytime I opened the fridge door. Normally I would use it up in a salad, or transform it into a fabulous Chicken and Corn Chili , but I wanted som...

Turn a favourite summer vegetable, into a family favourite treat! You'll love the spices in this loaf, that is sweetened with maple syrup and studded with fresh wild blueberries. Jump to Recipe Last summer was our first attempt at growing our own vegetables. Having moved, our new yard was a blank canvas, to make little gardens along one of the fences. In our old yard, we had extensive flower beds that contained tiger lillies and other plants, so gardening was not possible. So both my SO and I jumped at the chance to grow some veggies in our new yard.  One of the veggies we decided to grow was zucchini. I had to help them along a bit at first, since the female flowers weren't getting pollinated. After a reluctant start, the zucchini became abundant and we were left trying to figure out ways to use it.  I've always enjoyed zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting, but wanted something different. That's when I decided to create a loaf, with a streusel topping. I love makin...

Looking for a quick and healthy meal, sure to satisfy the pickiest of eaters? With only a handful of fresh ingredients, egg rolls in a bowl comes together in under 30 minutes, and is a delicious and quick meal for a busy night. Jump to Recipe Are you craving Chinese takeout but don't want all that sodium, sugar and oil? Well have I got a meal for you. Packed with all the delicious Asian flavours of egg rolls, this egg roll in a bowl recipe is a healthy, gluten free and low carb way to cure that craving.  This recipe can be made all year long, when you get a hankering for Chinese takeout. Using store bought coleslaw mix, helps simplify this delicious and low carb recipe. For the last month I've been trying to get back on track with my self care. I took what was suppose to be a short break at Christmas and just never got back into the swing of things. When I say I fell off the wagon, I fell off hard! With all the Christmas sweets, my birthday, both my kids Birthdays, Valentine...

 This deliciously creamy baked cheese pasta has been all the rage on TikTok and Instagram. Super simple to make and so delicious, your family will have you making it time and time again. Jump to Recipe Keeping up with all the social media trends at my age can be exhausting. Every week there seems to be a new TikTok dance, a new Instagram challenge, or a new recipe that blows up the internet. That was the case with this Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta which originated on TikTok. For months I've been hearing about this recipe and how delicious it is. My friends have made it. Some of my family has made it. All with rave reviews. The thing with me is, I am not really one to hop onto trends. I'd rather march to the beat of my own drum, rather than copy every trend going around. BUT this trend I had to try. What is TikTok Pasta? I am not 100% who first posted this recipe video on TikTok. Basically the concept is that you place grape tomatoes in a baking dish, with garlic, a block of feta...

 This Broccoli Soup, is so flavourful, thick and creamy, that it will become the only soup you'll ever want to make. So good, it puts Panera Bread's copycat version to shame! Broccoli soup is one of my children's favourite soups. Having lived in Nashville 13 plus years ago, that was the first time I tried what I deemed the best Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Many of my Mommy friends and I would often have outings with the kids, to Panera Bread for lunch. That's when I fell in love with the soup. When we moved back to Canada a few years later, Panera Bread had yet to make it's appearance in Ontario. So I searched the internet and found a copycat version of their soup. Over the years as I grew more confident with my palate and cooking abilities, so have altered the original recipe to what I deem better than what they serve at Panera bread. My recipe is flavourful, thick, creamy but not heavy and full of ooey gooey cheese. Even my son says my version is better (any time we go ...

  Crispy fried perogies are the star in this hearty sausage and butternut squash stew. It comes together in a flash, and is deliciously satisfying on a cold winter day.  It is officially 2021 and I for one could not be happier. Though 2020 was a very rough year for me, both financially and mentally, there has been a few positives I am taking with me into the new year. The pandemic and being laid off from my job, gave me the time and motivation to start on my self care and fitness journey. Since June, I have been trying to work out 5 times per week. I have to be honest though, and say that some weeks were more successful than others. I also have to be brutally honest and say that I have not worked out regularly since I was told I had pneumonia; about a week before Christmas.  That was a scary time for me. I all of a sudden was getting short of breath walking to the bathroom, or walking up the stairs. That was something that had stopped occurring after I started working out...

  A fluffy combination of mashed potatoes and cauliflower, is topped with caramelised onion, cheese and bacon. Wow, it's almost the end of November already! Am I the only one who finds that each year passes more quickly? Thanksgiving in the U.S was Yesterday. I hope all my readers, family and friends in the U.S enjoyed their day, and that you were able to celebrate with ones you love. Despite the pandemic, we've been so blessed this year. While I am out of work, my SO has been able to return to his place of employment. I am thankful to be able to stay home, to make sure my children are on track with online/distance learning. I am on year 11 of being pain free, in regards to my Crohn's disease, and the pandemic has given me the time and motivation to start my self care/fitness journey. But most of all, we are blessed that everyone has been able to stay healthy, during this stressful time.   During my self care journey, one of my struggles has been to eat healthier. While I...