March 26, 2015
Tomato and Sausage Slow Cooker Soup Recipe
While I *thought* the weather was perking up we are suddenly in the midst of a flash snowstorm. As if Mother Nature hasn’t given us enough snow this year? She surprises us with just one more!
With all this cooler weather I decided to make my favourite meal – soup. I love how hearty, warm and feel good soup is and wanted to share this simple recipe with you. And when I say simple you can’t get any easier than this! Plus the slow cooker gets to do the majority of the work, a win win right?
This super simple soup recipe can be thrown in the slow cooker and is ready to eat in four to six hours. It uses up leftover sausages as well as any vegetables you have sitting in your fridge, you can add more vegetables in to suit your preference.
Ingredients
- can of diced tomatoes
- carton of chicken broth
- can of kidney beans (washed)
- one cup of spinach
- one medium onion
- two precooked sausages cut up into 1/2 inch slices
- one tbsp each of garlic powder, black pepper and rosemary
Directions
Empty the carton of chicken broth, diced tomatoes and washed kidney beans into the slow cooker.
Add in onions (cut to desired size), spinach and pre-cut sausages. Mix together.
Add your spices: garlic powder, rosemary and black pepper and stir again.
Set your slow cooker to cook on high for four to six hours. Watch the soup as it nears the five-hour mark. If it looks fully cooked and the onions are soft, turn it off.
You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to three days or freeze unused portions.
What is your favourite soup to make in the slow cooker?
March 25, 2015
Go Fish – Easter Style!
Do you love a fun game of Go Fish? We certainly do especially on game night!
Why not spice up your game of Go Fish and take it to a whole new level, Easter egg style!
Cathy, from Cathy Thinking Out Loud, has put together these fantastic templates to help create your own game of Go Fish – Easter Style.
To put the cards together you will need:
- printer paper
- scissors
- pencil crayons/crayons
Directions
Print out the two templates below seven times each. This will give you a total of fifty-seven playing cards.
Have your child colour in the template including the card and egg. They can go with traditional Easter colours or choose to change it up a bit. Let their creativity shine through here.
Assist your child in cutting out the egg-shaped card. If they are too young you can do this for them.
After the cards are cut out, shuffle them up and get ready for an exciting new way of playing Go Fish!
As a refresher, the rules of the game are:
- Minimum of two players
- Five to seven (depending on how you play) cards are dealt to each player. The remainder of the cards are placed in one pile in the middle.
- Choose a starting player (in our house it is always our youngest, hands down he wins each time!).
- Each player should remove duplicates and place in their own pile (to keep track of how many cards they have).
- The first player will choose another player and ask them “Do you have a <insert number>”. That player will either respond yes and give them the card or “no – go fish!” and they will have to pick up another card.
- The game continues to the left and ends when all the cards have been used. The winner with the most amount of cards wins!
March 25, 2015
Easy DIY Easter Baskets
One of my favourite things to put together during the Easter season are children’s Easter baskets. I love designing, decorating and choosing chocolates that they will love. Creating our own baskets allow us to tailor the items in the basket to their likes and creates a personal gift for them.
For this basket you will need:
- Easter basket (I picked up mine from the Dollar Store – two baskets for $1)
- small chocolate eggs (I chose Hershey’s cookies and creme)
- Kinder Surprise Eggs
- foam
- green filling for the basket
- styrofoam eggs (these came attached to a stick so it was easy to insert)
Directions:
Using a knife or scissors trace the bottom of the container on the foam to ensure it will fit in the bottom of your basket. Using a knife cut out the foam and place it in the bottom of your basket.
Fill the basket with the green filling to cover up the foam.
Insert the styrofoam eggs and place the Kinder egg in the basket.
Fill the basket with chocolate eggs (or another favourite of your child’s).
And voila – your basket is complete!
These are perfect for the little ones that come over during the holidays or a friend’s child. I have stopped buying the store packaged Easter baskets due to the quality of items included so these are great alternatives to store-bought baskets!
Do you make your own Easter baskets? What do you like to include?
March 24, 2015
March Break Fun with Linky! #WW
Last week we were off enjoying March Break and here is a glimpse of our week!
We attended a Raptors game (where unfortunately they lost) but my son taught me a lot about basketball and it was fun to just spend some one on one time with him. He has quite the humour!
We went for a couple of hikes as the weather has finally let up and the snow is starting to melt. The views by the lakefront were spectacular!
We went bowling where my eldest and I tried to re-gain our Number One Title but we lost to my husband and youngest son (we still say there was definitely some cheating going on by those two!).
To top it off we baked and baked!!
What have you been up to this week?
Make sure to link up below so that I can visit you too!
March 24, 2015
Who Is Egg-cited for Easter – This Kinder Mom Is! #KinderSmiles #KinderMom
The sun is finally shining and the snow has melted (in my part of Canada because I know my friends in the East are still having quite a bit of snow falling!) and Spring has finally come. We have been busy preparing our hearts and home for Easter and our children are excited for all the fun that Easter brings – time with family and all of the Easter egg hunts!
I have been busy preparing the children’s baskets this week, preparing crafts for the boys and working on our Lenten promises. While it is usually a busy time in our family it is also the most rewarding.
Kinder eggs have always been a family tradition in our home. Our children look forward to finding them in their Easter baskets on Easter morning – not to mention how much their Mom loves those mini eggs!!
This year Kinder Canada is celebrating Easter in a big way on Facebook by unwrapping your very own Kinder egg online!
So how does this work you may ask?
Between March 16 and March 31st head over to the Kinder Canada Facebook page and open the new Kinder Easter tab at the top of the page. Tap the image with your mouse to unwrap the egg. The Kinder egg will reveal either an instant prize or a message to try again. Every time you unwrap a Kinder egg you are automatically entered in to a grand prize draw. Awesome, right? Make sure you get those entries in soon because this unique giveaway will end soon.
How do you celebrate Easter? Are Kinder eggs a part of your tradition like they are in our home?
Make sure you are following Kinder Canada on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with new products, games and giveaways!
Disclosure: I am a #KinderMom and receive perks associated with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.
