Sunday Supper: What to eat this week

 OH MAN.

This past week was BAD, real bad. (for food😆)

Every single day there was a party. There was a lot of ice cream and pizza.

Safe to say the entire family is not feeling their best. We enjoyed the partying, don't get me wrong 😂

But being out of the house so much was tough! We weren't home at all and when we were it was KD and pizza here as well because we were rushing out the door!

I did make the Benjiman TV creamy spaghetti which is one of my absolute favourites!! 

It is so quick and easy & SO tasty! The whole family enjoys this one and I had been craving some comfort pasta. 

I love this recipe because it is fast to pull together, I usually have everything on hand  and I always keep a frozen garlic bread on standby for the side. If nothing else the kids will demolish a garlic bread!

See the Youtube video below 

I use any canned pasta sauce but this one is a fav of mine but I'll tell you my secret with canned pasta sauce, let me know if anyone else does this.. 

We don't like it chunky.. so I pour that jar in the food processor and whip it into a smooth, rich sauce!

It makes any sauce better, I swear! Its richer and creamier, we love it this way.

I didn't find we had enough sauce to ground beef so I added a can of these Pomodoro San Marzano tomatoes to the food processor and whipped these into some extra sauce.

I CANNOT live without these tomatoes now!! but they're so expensive!!! I could cry. 

Someone message me when these go on sale 😂

$6.49 a can omg. I just checked. I remember basically last year they were $5 bucks a can and I couldn't handle that. Ugh. I am sad now. 

Anyway, I was going to say I can't live without these tomatoes. I always have them on hand because they make the best pizza sauce, just blend them up with some Italian spices. 

& They make fantastic tomato soup!

And they can fill in on any recipe that requires tomato sauce.

do you need to see a photo of my KD?

No.

But I need to know how you use your ketchup with your KD 😆

Dollop on the side, zig zag, happy face.. don't answer if its no ketchup that's just crazy! 

Nick and I went out to Sushi Nami which was really nice and I had the teriyaki bowl. I use to love their teriyaki bowls but I hadn't had one in years and it was much more spicy than I remember!

These Smokin' Corn ribs from Presidents choice were a hit!

PC sent these over to me to test out from the Summer Insiders Collection and they are so yummy. 

They eat like a rib would and they're covered in a tasty BBQ sauce but its the perfect amount, not too much, definitely kid friendly!

I made them in my air fryer and they were easy peasy! Will purchase for future events, especially good for a quick side that you know will be satisfying but doesn't need much fuss.

Why did I order pizza when we had pizza 367 times this week already!?😆

BECAUSE, JUST LOOK AT THIS MASTERPIECE!

Someone in a local group shared this post from Alexandras Pizza that said grease is a good thing when it comes to pizza boxes and honestly they're not wrong. It was pretty good pizza. Not Cape Breton Pizza.. but it was a nice treat!

We never have Alexandras and I think that's going to change. The secret is to order the 4 cheese garlic fingers (pictures above) I don't think I can go back to 1 cheese! 

Alright, I just got a major grocery order yesterday so hopefully this week will be better than last. 

Whats on your menu this week? I'm still trying to figure out if I'll have time to make a turkey. 

I did purchase a rotisserie chicken so I can make some sandwiches and soup and I also made a little surprise purchase... I BOUGHT A PANINI PRESS. 

Just a $40 one from Amazon, it's on sale right now, see below!

Good reviews and good price as a beginner panini lover but an experienced Sammy lover!

Nilah and I are obsessed with Press Play Cafe in Lower Sackville, Its a play place, board games and a cafe, great atmosphere.

Their food is so yummy! I am obsessed with the chicken cranberry panini and I have to learn how to make them at home. I swear I could eat that sandwich everyday. I always go in and get the same thing, chicken cranberry panini and tomato soup. 

So say tuned 💝

Sunday Supper: What to eat this week

 I have NO idea where this week went!?? 

What did we eat all week? I have almost no photos and even worse, almost no memory! 😆

We were out of the house A LOT this week, Nicks work has still been incredibly busy and the kids are wrapping up some sports while others are already starting (I'm looking at you soccer... wish they would hold off until the end of the school year 😅) 

I have been buying the kids lunch at the school cafeteria so its one meal I won't have to worry about.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays Nilah goes to a 9-2pm Preschool so she gets lunch provided on those days. 

I know that we were still snacking on a lot of leftovers from last week, we finished off some waffles and I had some chicken parm subs and some soup to finish earlier this week. 

Then at the beginning of the week I made a slow cooker pulled chicken. 

Pulled Chicken or Pork is a staple in this house! I just added it to the rotation this last year and I will never go back. It is so simple to make, I use the EPICURE pulled pork seasoning and drop it in the crock pot with either boneless skinless chicken breast or some type of pork (I usually have chicken breast so that ends up being more common). 

I saw my friend Jen from Simple Local Life - Click here for her sweet and sour meatball recipe that is an absolute favourite of ours!! Sweet and sour meatballs - click here 

Jen posted in her instagram stories about a package of sweet and tangy pulled chicken seasoning from clubhouse I believe, so I will be checking that out when at the grocery store.

I like pulled chicken because it can turn into anything!

A fresh bun with nothing, or add mayo, or add cheddar, or add coleslaw. 

Enjoy the chicken on rice or salad or, or, or.. 

Its so easy!

Next I did some Nacho Dip cups for Noelles Dance Awards Night and this is my GO-TO party snack.

I make it for everything 😆 Every Birthday, party, book club.. Its just so simple but so tasty and you can take it as far as you'd like to when it comes to toppings or side dishes. 

I usually make this on a large platter and smear it across the entire thing, I have a really nice sized platter from Superstore and it has a little lip on the edge so the dip doesn't fall over the plate. 

But since Covid I have been making individual cups if its for a larger event so that everyone can take a cup and a handful of Tostitos on their plate and hopefully that way it saves some of the cross contamination 😄

Holly's Famous Nacho Dip

- one package cream cheese 

- one LARGE tub sour cream

- one package of taco seasoning mix

- marble cheese

- tomato 

- green onion

- bag of tostitos

I always use the non brand name items for all the above, except the Tostitos! I am a Tostitos snob.

This recipe is SO simple and you don't need any gadgets to make it but let me tell you... 

Nick and I have been making this for 100 years and we use to use a potato masher and mix the dip by hand but these days we use either a handheld mixer or even our mini food processor and its a world of difference!!! so much quicker and easier!

Take out your ingredients and allow the cream cheese to warm a bit on the counter, you just want it a little soft or it may be chunky. 

Mix 2/3 a block of cream cheese, the entire tub of sour cream and 2/3 (or to taste) package of taco seasoning, this is where you could use a potato masher but its much easier to use a handheld mixer!

Mix until all combined and the dip turns a light pink shade.

Then you can spread this on a platter or make individual cups.

Next top with whatever toppings you like! We do a lot of cheese, sometimes we do only cheese because the kids like a plain dip. But mostly I top ours with cheese, tomato and green onion. 

It is so tasty!! You can serve this along side some tacos or picky plates and we use it as its own meal in those situations.

Or you can pack them up for a party! 🎈

When we picked Elliott up from Scouts Camp this weekend they provided lunch, love a provided lunch!! haha 

BBQ'd hotdogs, veggies, chips and cake!

I made myself a mozzarella, avocado grilled cheese style sandwich and it was really yummy!

I pulled this together from nothing so I was pleased with it, added lots of lettuce and some cracked pepper. 

It was delish!! but next time I will be trying to match it up with either a tomato, bacon or both! 

It needed something salty. We just bought a tomato plant for our back deck and I'm so hopeful that I will have fresh tomato this summer 🤞

So tell me what you made for supper this week!!

I actually bought a turkey this weekend so we will have turkey supper this coming week and then I can make soup, salad, sandwiches etc with the leftovers.

We have a full schedule until about mid July! and then its still really full just not as full 😆

So I have to try and get a head of things now 💗

Let me know if you try the nacho dip or make something similar! There are all kinds of variations out there 😍

Sunday Supper: Meal Planning

It's Sunday, I cannot believe a week ago at this time we were just at the beginning stages of the Nova Scotia wildfire nightmare.. my heart goes out to all my Nova Scotians at this time. 

I truly do not have the words for the devastation and loss, I hope everyone is doing as well as they can be. We will continue to look for resources to share and take part in.  Thinking of you all 💔

During the last few months we have been very busy and my meal prep has been almost non existent. You know I like the beginning of the week to get a start on things so I thought I would try to share more food content on the blog, starting today!

We finally invested in a garage freezer - yay! It is a big, beautiful stand up freezer and its my dream to have it filled with all sorts of soups and meals for not only our family but friends and acquaintances as well. 

I thought if we all share a bit more food ideas that would inspire me to get cooking! I'll share with you, you share with me and maybe we can get inspired to fill some freezers and some bellies. 

There is only 1 rule and that is that this is a 100% judgement free zone!

I am not a great cook, it's not all healthy, its a mess a lot of the time but it is just suppose to be inspiration. Take what you like and modify it for you and I will do the same :) 

I have come a long way in my cooking journey and dare I say... I enjoy cooking! 

So let's look at some food from last week!

The week started off great with these delish little lobster rolls from Presidents choice and a side of homemade french fries!

These are new from the Summer Insiders Report - Read The PC Summer Insiders Report Here

I always love the Insiders report for inspiration, style and fun new flavours. This season did not disappoint! PC dropped me off 2 bags of their new goodies so keep an eye on my meals to find out what the favs were. 

These Lobster rolls were so good because they come pre cooked! You literally only have to defrost and serve. The buns were so tasty but next time I purchase these I will make sure to pick up some lettuce just to fill up the sandwich and give it that little crunch. 

There are 6 buns in the box, & package of lobster for $24.99 

Ok, this was also gifted from Superstore and it is yummy, yummy, yummy. 

It's a sweet BBQ sauce which I used for many things so far but I really liked it mixed in with some cooked shredded chicken and baked for 10 minutes on top of nachos and cheese!

This would work for so many meals. I think I will try the BBQ chicken on little naan rounds as Bbq chicken pizza - a friend suggested this! yummy!

Speaking of chicken, I always seem to have some on hand. 

So this week I made Chicken Parmigiana sliders on sub buns. 

These were not fancy, I mixed some shredded chicken (I always have shredded chicken 😂) with some marinara I had left over in the fridge, topped with some mozzarella. 

But the trick to really tasty sliders is to mix some Epicure SPG with a little melted butter, brush over the buns and place back in the oven to bake until warm and toasty. 

Epicure has really helped me simplify spices and this SPG is good for every dish!

I rounded out the week with some homemade soup!

I love soup and would eat it every day so I usually alternate making homemade Tomato and homemade Chicken noodle. Whenever I make chicken and want to bulk it up for supper I mix up some dumplings and drop them on top! They're just so easy and add a nice cosy feeling to the meal.

Honestly life has been so busy lately, I have really leaned into DIY meals! 

Think Family style but even more DIY.. 😂

I have been prepping and placing all the foods in the middle of the table and getting the kids to help put their our plate together and serve themselves. 

Some examples that work great are: 

Sub station

Mini Naan rounds with pizza toppings

Chicken strips, macaroni and veggie meal

Taco night

So there are some of the meals we have enjoyed over the last week or so, what have you been making??

Tonight I cooked some ground beef and I made some pulled chicken in the slow cooker so we can make some meals out of those this upcoming week. 

We tend to do more simple & plant based meals for breakfast and lunch and hearty meals for supper but I am always looking for ways to up my plant based meals. You know I LOVE mushrooms! I eat so many mushrooms! 

A lot of veggies are hard on my IBS but we are big fruit eaters, I can't keep fruit in the house. It feels like it's all I buy and it is still gone by the end of every shopping day 😆

Lately I've been purchasing green juice and I find that's a good way to get some of those greens into us but it doesn't have the same harshness as eating raw veggies does (for me). 

Chat soon!

Take Care

XOXO