Month: September 2015

September 14, 2015

The Inheritance by Marianne Perry

A family is torn through loyalties in the novel, The Inheritance.

About The Inheritance

Set during the period 1897 to 1913, the Calabria region was subject to earthquakes and tsunamis; the land harsh and poverty the norm. Superstition clashed with religion and a class system ruled the people who lived there. Calabria is the perfect backdrop for the tragedy that unfolds in The Inheritance.

Caterina is an atypical woman, and The Inheritance chronicles her life from birth to young womanhood. Born with an inheritance of loss into a society that has predetermined what she can and cannot do, she vows to live a life of her choosing. Caterina refuses to allow the limits of her gender, the constraints of her class and the demands imposed by those in power to stand in her way. Caterina remains steadfast in her commitment to become the woman she imagines. Her decisions ignite conflicts and fuel a chain of events that result in dire consequences for all whose path she crosses.

My Thoughts

Wow. My first thoughts after I finished this novel, was just wow! It was far more intense and powerful than I had ever imagined. Living in our times, it is hard to imagine the rules that were imposed on people by others who assumed control by force and violence. Women were expected to do as they were told but yet in this novel we see a young woman try to break out of this control and live life as she wants to. The repercussions of these actions are shocking and heart breaking.

Her life is intertwined with a young man who ultimately his family becomes her demise. It is her love for him that gives her strength and courage. He to is forced into the constraints and expectations of Italian men during this era, of putting family and blood first. He was always viewed as the outcast, the weak one and it is unclear as to how far he will go to either gain his Father’s acceptance or to defy him. The ending was difficult but promising at the same time. It shocked me with its probable truth and pain. It was full of raw emotions and heart ache but also hope. I definitely would love to see and find out what happens to Caterina. The Inheritance is a novel that you will definitely not want to put down until you find out what happens to our two main characters.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters.

Rating: 5/5 +++

About the Author

Family dynamics, genealogical research to solve ancestral mysteries and international travel are Marianne Perry’s priorities. A second-generation Canadian-Italian, she is the author of The Inheritance, a historical fiction set in Calabria, Italy from 1897 to 1913 inspired by her grandmother’s early life in Calabria. With a thirty-year career in education and communications, Marianne holds a Master of Education Degree from The University of Western Ontario (Canada).

A past member of the Board of Trustees, the Canadian National Arts Centre Corporation, she has also published non-fiction genealogical articles throughout North America. As a girl, Marianne fell in love with The National Geographic Magazine and dreamt of exploring the world. With her recent visit to Antarctica, she achieved her goal of stepping foot on every continent. The mother of two grown children, Marianne and her husband live on the shores of the St. Mary’s River, which drains Lake Superior on the outskirts of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. She continues to research family history and write non-fiction genealogical articles. In addition, she is working on her second novel and planning further adventures.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

September 11, 2015

Make Meal Time Easy and Healthy With Nudge Foods Vegetable Mac N Cheese #GetNudged

Simple Weeknight Gluten Free Mac N Cheese with Nudge Foods

It is hard to resist the creamy, satisfying and just overall goodness of macaroni and cheese. It is a meal that all family members love but making it from scratch can be difficult during the busy school week, we just don’t have time for that. What I am not okay with is unhealthy ingredients that make you cringe not to mention that you can’t even say the names on some of the boxed products.

So how do you find a simple boxed macaroni and cheese that helps you eat better? Enter Nudge Foods. The Nudge team set out to create a product that not only tasted great but also be a product that you would be confident to bring into your home.

The result: four macaroni and cheese products that are:

made with organic ingredients
made with grass-fed dairy
peanut free
non GMO ingredients
no artificial colours, preservatives or flavours
a source of Omega 3 fatty acids (from the grass-fed dairy and flax pasta)

My family and I were quite impressed with the creamy taste of the macaroni and cheese, good doesn’t have to taste yucky!. The gluten free shells were fantastic and delicious, sometimes gluten free pasta can be quite textured and almost mushy tasting but the shells maintained their shape and texture with a great taste.

While the Nudge Macaroni and Cheese variety is perfect on its own, why not shake it up a little bit and add in vegetables to not only fill you up faster but add even more nutrient value to your meal.

Ingredients

one box of Nudge Foods Gluten Free White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
margarine or butter (2 tbsp)
milk (5 tbsp)
one zucchini and one carrot (other great vegetable combos are: spinach and red pepper, mushrooms and green beans)
one tbsp of coconut oil
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare the macaroni and cheese as directed on the box.

While the macaroni is cooking, cut up your carrots and zucchini. I like to quarter my zucchini and shred my carrots. In a separate pan, add the coconut oil, zucchini and carrots and cook until tender. Add the black pepper as desired.

Once the macaroni is fully cooked, drain the pasta and mix in the butter/margarine and milk. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the macaroni and cheese and mix.

Serve and enjoy!

Make sure you follow Nudge Foods on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date. Watch out for another simple, week night recipe using Nudge Foods that your children will love.

Watch out next week for a new recipe using my kids favourite the elbow macaroni and cheese!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.

September 10, 2015

Week Four: One Month Down!

It is almost hard to believe that one month has passed by already. It feels like yesterday that I had finally had enough and wanted to fix the mistakes that I was making and become healthier not only for myself but to give a positive example to my boys. Now it is week four and while I am still sticking to it this had to be my hardest week yet. As you can see by how late this post was! Not only was it the first week of school for my babies (and my youngest who is now officially a Kindergarten kid!), I also had my Dad over helping me with caring for the boys the week before school started and he is the most divine cook ever. No lie – I can’t stop eating his food!

This week, I chose to keep better track of my fitness by using a calendar on the fridge. The mental tracking was just not cutting it anymore. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t giving in to weaknesses nor was I lying to myself.

So here is how I did it week three:

1-2 pound weight loss. I may have gained two pounds with my Dad’s cooking! Oops!!
Weight training three times this week. I managed it once 🙁
Yoga three times this week. Zero times this week.
~~Daily squat, lunge, push up and crunch challenge.~~
11,000 steps a day. While I didn’t hit 11,000 every day, I always made it to 10,000.
One 3 km walk.
One 4 km walk.

This week I know I have to step it up even more, especially with The Great Camp Adventure Walk coming up in the next few weeks (yay!).

Week four goals:

1-2 pound weight loss.
Weight training five times this week.
Yoga three times this week.
Daily squat, lunge, push up and crunch challenge.
11,000 steps a day.
Two 3km walks.
One 4km walk.

I am quite excited to see what this week four brings me. Hopefully it will only continue to become easier and more routine as this week passes by. Don’t forget to head over to my initial post and enter the giveaway before time runs out. Have a fantastic week!

September 9, 2015

Five Tips to Survive the Allergy Drip

Five Tips for Surviving the Allergy Drip

This post was sponsored by the makers of REACTINE®. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Allergies. Just the word itself makes me want to cringe! Allergy season for me brings what I like to refer to as the dreaded ‘allergy drip’. Starting in the spring right through to the fall it is not unusual to see me with tissue stuck up one nostril trying to prevent the ‘drip’ from escaping, red-eyed and just overall in a miserable mood. This is also the busiest time of the year for us as a family with our son’s competitive soccer, swimming outside and travelling, so there is no way I can just hide away in my bedroom (which honestly most days I want to when allergy season hits!).

After several years of dealing with allergies I have learned some tricks to cope with allergy season. Here are my top tips to get you through this difficult season.

Make an Appointment with Your Family Doctor

Before you start on any type of medication routine, seek the opinion of your family doctor if you have any questions or concerns about medication. Your family doctor may refer you to an allergist and this is important for so many reasons. Your allergist will likely complete a skin prick test to determine what exactly you are allergic to (indoor vs outdoor allergens or pet/food allergies) and help determine what kind of medications you should be on, especially if you have any coexisting conditions such as asthma. Knowing what allergens you are allergic to is essential to minimizing symptoms during the peak of allergy season. You can’t prevent allergic symptoms if you don’t know what you are protecting yourself from!

Find a Product That Works For You

Find an over the counter medication that works for you, in my case this is REACTINE®. REACTINE® provides me with 24 hour non-drowsy relief during the day and prevents what I like to refer to as the ‘Allergy Fog’ (the lovely sedating effect some allergy medications can have on your mind and body). When I take REACTINE® morning after morning, my body constantly maintains the level of antihistamine so it doesn’t need to build the level up again (talk to your doctor for daily use beyond 6 months).Make an appointment with your family doctor to see if you require a nasal spray.

Use a Nasal Rinse

While this may not be everyone’s favourite thing to do, it offers a lot of sinus relief. Allergic sinus pain can be quite painful, with the pressure in your cheekbones, forehead or extending into your teeth. Using an over the counter nasal rinse (I use mine twice daily during the worst part of the season) will help to remove any excess mucous build up while moisturizing dry nostrils. The bonus (but a bit of a gross bonus) is that you can literally see this technique working, plus the relief is instant. This can be used in addition to allergy medication, like REACTINE®. If it still feels like you have some water in your nose after you complete the rinse, try to gently blow your nose to remove any additional saline.

Keep the Windows Closed and Air Conditioner On

While it is always nice to leave the windows open during the summer months (not to mention better for the environment and electricity bills), this is actually introducing pollen into your home. This only makes it that much harder for allergic individuals. I still remember how last year, my husband tried to cool down the house with the windows open but when it came to go to bed I could not sleep because my eyes were itching and my nose was running.

Monitor the Air Quality and Pollen Reports

Your local news station and the Weather Network are perfect for keeping you up to date with the air quality and pollen reports. You can also follow @ReactineCA on Twitter for local pollen forecasts. If the air quality is poor and the pollen count high, it is a much better idea to stay indoors as much as possible. Why worsen your symptoms if you can avoid them? If you do have to be outside, ensure you medicate as indicated and if you require inhalers bring them with you. Try to be in locations where if it is needed you can find somewhere to cool down inside at intervals.

While you can’t erase all of your allergy symptoms no matter how hard you may wish that they would just go away, you can significantly reduce your symptoms with a combination of REACTINE®, nasal sprays, rinses, being aware of pollen reports and planning wisely. Always remember to keep a large stock of tissue wherever you go because there is nothing more embarrassing than being caught with your nose dripping and no tissue around!

How do you treat your allergies during allergy season?

September 1, 2015

Summer Round Up #WW with linky

Summer is coming to a close as the kids start school next week, so this week’s Wordless Wednesday is a re-cap of all my favourite things from this summer we did. Enjoy!

Make sure you link up below so that I can come visit you too!