Finally, a healthy easy mac and cheese option!

Between a business, blogging, and running around with activities for a 3 year old, I am always looking for ways to save time for the daily household duties.  Like making dinner! 

There has been a lot of press regarding unhealthy mac and cheese dinners out there. With a warning label on the powdered cheese kind that reads "This product may have an adverse affect on activity and attention in children.", it's enough to scare me cheese-less.

However a solution has arrived! Recently, I was sent some healthy pasta cheese sauce from Antonella’s to try...and it has proven to be a healthy time saver over the last little while.  Macaroni and cheese is definitely a favorite of my son.  Antonella's has no preservatives and is gluten free.  At any time I can whip up some noodles, add this healthy cheese sauce, a few veggies and some chicken and I have a healthy meal.  It has a convenient screw top cap that allows me to keep it in the fridge for a few days and use only as much as I need (you can freeze the unused portion too for up to a month). But that’s what I do for last minute meal emergencies. 

Antonella’s has also provided some great recipes on their website...so you can wow the hubby too! I know mine would be all over the Beef and Bacon Baked Potato with cheddar sauce. With only 30 calories per serving in the sauce, the cheese sauce is low in fat and calories! Can't wait to try one of the other 3 flavors.

 

Heading to the Drive-In

Last weekend we went to the Drive-In, something we have wanted to do for a long time.  And it was so much fun!  There are so few Drive-Ins left, and I hope they don't disappear.  This one is a good 1.5 hour drive from our place in Enderby, so it was definitely a road trip!

The early show was Despicable Me 2, which was great fun for our little one...and the late one was World War Z.  Totally not suitable for a toddler, but started at close to midnight, so he was fast asleep by the time it started.

The Starlight Drive-In shares some great tips & rules on their FAQ page, but I thought I would share some tips that they didn't mention. You can join their Facebook page too! I have to say what also made this great was that the Drive-In was clean, the staff were pleasant, and so helpful!

So here a few other things to remember:

1. Snacks - lots of people will bring their own, but we do need to support these places with their concession if we want them to stick around.  If you buy popcorn...bring a small bag to put popcorn in for the little ones. And rig up some sort of drink holder...we forget we don't have one in the back of the car...even a closeable drink container would work. 

 

2. Blankets and pillows - you want it as comfy as possible! A small foamy mattress would be sweet too.

3. Zero gravity chairs...we didn't have any with us, but they look like they work way better than regular lawn chairs.

4. Something to do until the movie starts. Games/sports/etc...it looked like so much fun!

5. Hot cocoa for the late movie (the concession closes 20 minutes after the last movie starts).

And possibly mosquito repellant.   We didn't need it but it could be crucial to your enjoyment!  I think even one of those coils would work well. 

It was such a great experience...and we can't wait to do it again!

Aprons and Chef Hats that go together.

I have been a little tardy on my blog posts lately.  Life is just so darn busy, and I always seem to have a million projects on the go.  The Okanagan here is ripe with fruit so canning season is about to commence for me.  But prior to that, I had a little project that I wanted to complete.  I had made some aprons for the kids of some friends last year.  And I thought I would give it another attempt for the birthday of a dinosaur loving 4 year old of another friend..but this time I added a Chef's hat.  And it was a success!  I can't remember where I got the actual pattern for the apron from, but there are so many free ones on the internet.  I created a pattern that I keep and have used several times now. 

But I do remember the Chef's hat pattern that I used.  I didn't do that gathering bit...just free-sewed the top of the hat.  And I think it turned out pretty good, here is a close up of the hat!

Easter Eggstravaganza

My first attempt at an Infographic...for the Easter Eggstravaganza! Open to JCI Okanagan members (and space permitting their friends and family)! http://www.facebook.com/events/500449733348078/

Global Citizen Week Feb 16- March 3, 2013.

www.globalcitizenkelowna.org

The theme for this year's Global Citizen Kelowna is "1.4 BILLION Reasons and Can't Ain't One".

Global Citizen Week is coming up Feb 16th - March 3rd, 2013 in Kelowna.  This is a great opportunity to find out about some of our local organizations who help eradicate poverty in the world. And it turns out this is also a great time to introduce your child to the responsibilities of being a Global Citizen.

I knew there were some great adult focused events like the Speaker Series with Taylor Conroy on Feb 20th or the Global Music Fest on Mar 1 & 2 (March 3rd Global Music Fest is open to the family!).  And on Feb 28th find out how local students would help the world at the Millennium Development Challenge.

But did you know about all the great events geared for children?  Give them a taste of some of the different types of ethnic foods at Taste of Home on Feb 23rd.  Or expose your children to art, at An Artist's Eye on the World on Mar 2nd.  Show them how people live in some of the villages around the world in a simulated slum at the Global Children's Villages on Feb 16th.  There is even a Global School House being offered to Grade 6 students, so that they can experience going to school in a third world country.

Our world is getting smaller every day, help your child have a greater awareness of the challenges children face around the world and how they can get involved!