Month: January 2016

January 4, 2016

Kubo and the Two Strings

Get ready for a thrilling adventure and mystery, as a young boy must save his family in Kubo and the Two Strings.

Kubo and the Two Strings features some of your favourite celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara and Ralph Fiennes. The film, slated to open August 19, 2016, is brought to us by Laika whose film roll also includes The Boxtrolls and Paranorman.

About Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in Japan. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of Game of Thrones) eke out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Hashi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and Kamekichi (Academy Award nominee Brenda Vaccaro). But his quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past that storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara) to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny (no small task there!).

The Trailer

Watch out for more information coming to you later this year!

January 4, 2016

Energy Bites Book Review

Complete Family Nutrition: DK Canada Turn Over A New Page

Welcome to the new year! Many of you may be already making resolutions to eat healthier, lose weight and to get active. I know many of these are on my on long-term goal lists. Eating healthy is a long-term commitment, that sometimes we can find ourselves unsure of where to start and what food choices to begin with. Energy Bites turns snacks into protein packed and energy fueled nutrition for your body and overall health.

About Energy Bites

15 flavorful recipes for high-protein, bite-sized balls of balanced nutrition to increase vitality and wellness.

Keep your blood sugar steady and your energy levels high with the ultimate snack for active lifestyles: protein balls.

Energy Bites features 15 bake and no-bake vegetarian recipes for sweet and savory bite-sized balls to feed your need for a healthy treat. A core of protein-rich ingredients combine with low-GI carbohydrates and healthy fats in frozen avocado balls, yellow lentil seed balls, kale and seaweed balls, and more. Step-by-step photography, explanations of cooking techniques, and a special infographic feature will have you building and creating your own recipes in no time.

Whether you are looking for a post-workout refuel, an intense immunity boost, a healthy midday pick-me-up, or a nutritious on-the-go treat for kids, Energy Bites has a super snack that will help you achieve your goal without having to compromise on flavor.

My Thoughts

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this extremely helpful recipe book. It was easy to follow with clear directions (and substitutions you can make) along with bright, bold and delicious looking photographs. The ingredients I did have to pick up as some were not ingredients that I commonly stored but it was well worth it. I tried out the Banana Peanut Butter bites, Spicy Sweet Potato bites and Fruit bites. My personal favourite was the fruit bites and I added in some Goji berries! They were delicious, it was actually hard to stop eating them. I made several batches and kept them ready in the fridge to go as a snack. They made the perfect snack for work (easy to pop out for a quick break at the desk and not messy), late night snack or an early morning bite with my coffee. The book also includes the caloric breakdown for each item to help you with your meal planning. Energy Bites will be the perfect addition to your recipe book collection!

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Kate Turner is a biodynamic gardener, forager, home chef, author of the popular blog Homegrown Kate, and mother of three. Annie Nichols is a respected culinary writer, home economist, photographer, and stylist.

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

January 4, 2016

Dare to Dream with Disney On Ice

Disney On Ice has been a long-standing tradition not only in my home but throughout my childhood. Every holiday break marked our yearly trip downtown to Toronto to watch magic come alive with Disney On Ice. My parents would take us along with their close friends and their children to watch Disney come to life through music, dance and lights.

We would hop on the subway and our poor parents had to ensure we were at the front of the subway line to get the best view for our trip. Nothing beat watching the ride out of the front window and sometimes getting lucky and the conductor allowing you to view the inside of the controls. We all still have fond memories of hopping off and heading to the Sky Dome, which I still call it by this name to my children’s annoyance as they like to remind me that is now called the Rogers Centre!

Disney on Ice was magical from the moment you stepped inside the stadium. The vibe in the air is full of excitement (sometimes we dressed up in our costumes), the smell of popcorn and the areas marked off for souvenirs and programs. To think this is just the prelude to come! I can still remember the magic as the skaters brought the Disney story to life through dance, music and props.

This is what I couldn’t wait for my children to experience when we headed to Toronto for Disney on Ice Dare to Dream. Sharing these moments with my own children to me has been one of the highlights of parenting. I now know why my parents loved taking us year after year! The look on their faces as the stadium dimmed and the first sounds of music started and out came Mickey and Minnie was priceless. As the show evolved, we found ourselves singing and dancing in our seats. My children and husband were quite impressed with my Disney song knowledge (my personal favourite being all of the songs from The Little Mermaid). I won’t even lie our trip ended with us coming home for a Disney movie marathon! We watched the classics (The Sword in the Stone and Beauty and the Beast) and newer classics like Mulan. This made our whole experience memorable beyond compare. My children are already talking about what the next Disney on Ice should be!

What are your favourite childhood Disney memories? Keep up to date with all things Disney Junior, videos, games and more by visiting the Disney Junior website.

Disclosure: I received tickets to attend this event but was not obligated to post, all opinions expressed are my own.