Lentils, Eh?

I'm slightly obsessed with lentils - they're quick, easy and I love supporting our Canadian lentil growers! But I realize not everyone is overly fond of the little bean. I'm married to one of those people *SOB* I remain convinced that I can convert the wayward lad, and bring him over to the land of plentiful little lentils.

Here's why I love lentils:

• I just can't get over how easy lentils are to cook - no soaking necessary! They take on the flavour of any sauce/soup you put them in, and can be ground down to make fantastic dips. They're also lovely in salads!

• A huge package of lentils will cost me $1.50, compared to the $10-15 (sometimes more!) I spend on a meal that includes chicken, pork or beef.

• They're packed with fibre and protein and all sorts of healthy vitamins/minerals. If you pair lentils with a grain or cheese, you end up with a complete protein, something which is really important if you're eating vegetarian.

This is called Curried Red Lentil and Kale Soup, and was adapted from Living Without

2 tbsp veggie oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small onion, diced 1 celery stalk, diced 1 large carrot, diced 2 medium potatoes, diced 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp curry powder 1 cup red lentils 1 cup chopped kale 4 cups veggie stock (I mixed 2 cups water, 2 cups veggie stock to cut down) 1/4 tsp ground coriander 1/8 tsp ground cumin 2 tsps lemon juice 1/4 cup coconut milk

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for several minutes. Add the celery, carrot and potato and cook for 5 minutes until tender.

Add the tomato paste and curry powder, and cook for 30 seconds while stirring. Add the red lentils, stock, coriander and cumin. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the kale and cook for another 5 minutes.

Garnish with lemon juice and coconut milk and enjoy! Serve with freshly baked whole grain bread or naan bread.

Making Evenings Work for You

What are your evenings like? Ours go like this: 3:10pm: pick up A from from 4:45pm:I get home; someone walks the dog 5:30pm: hopefully have dinner ready, depending on how much I've planned out 6:00pm: dishes and playing with the kiddos 6:30pm: Bathtime 7:00pm: Storytime 7:30pm: Kids (hopefully) asleep! 7:45pm: curl up on the couch, watch TV or read a book. Hubby goes downstairs, watches old episodes of Top Gear or works in his shop.

There's not much "wrong" with this schedule until we hit about 7:45/8 at night. Then suddenly we become couch potatoes - and separate couch potatoes at that! No fun Scrabble games, or interesting conversation....just a boring old couple too tired to do much else.

Last night I was angry going to bed, because I realized that in addition to sitting all day long at my desk job, I basically sat all evening long, and went to bed with a sore back and neck. I've never thought of myself as a couch potato until I had a child, and now I'm the queen potato!

So, today I have compiled a list of things that hubby and I could be doing in the evenings. Some are projects that we can work on together, while others are personal goals of ours that we should be attempting to achieve.

• Using our indoor bike trainer (hubby)
• Doing yoga (Me)
• Creating a family budget
• Planning for our 2014 garden!
• Work on organizational tasks
• Meal planning

What do your evenings look like? Any tips for ways to reconnect as a couple?

Birthday Parties at Cineplex Odeon Theatres

A couple of weeks ago, my son celebrated his 6th birthday. We had decided weeks before to seek out a relatively simple option for celebrating his birthday. When we saw The Lego Movie trailer, the idea light bulb clicked on. My son was thrilled when I suggested we watch it for his birthday. We called up Cineplex Odeon and booked the party that week. The standard party package includes admission to the movie (birthday child is free), a kid’s tray combo per child, a party host, reserved theatre seating, and one hour in the party room. The premium party package includes all of the above plus additional food from the concession stand.

Overall, it was an awesome party! A good option if you’re looking for a simple birthday party with only a few details that require your attention.

Positives:

• Ready-made invitations that can be picked up at the theatre.
• Since no outside food was aloud, the only thing I needed to bring was birthday cake. They provided all cutlery, napkins, plates, etc. 
• I could have brought in some of my own decorations if I wanted to but they assured me it wasn’t really necessary as the party room was already pretty festive. I opted not to and, in the end, was content with that decision.
• The staff noticed us as soon as we came in, took the cake into their fridge, and gave us a bin for our coats and another for the gifts. They were exceptionally friendly with us and the kids.
• When everyone had arrived, our party host led us to our reserved seats and once everyone was settled, handed out the popcorn and juice to each child (and even asked us adults if we’d like some complimentary coffee). 
• The party leader checked on us several times throughout the movie, asking us if there was anything we needed.
• After the movie, she was there to lead the group to the party room. There was an activity booklet and crayons waiting on the table for the kids. The food arrived soon after and they brought the cake when we requested. The gift and coat bins were also there waiting for us. We really had very little to do!

Negatives:

• The only real negative I can think of is that no outside food is permitted except birthday cake and their food options aren’t too healthy (fries, chicken nuggets, pizza, hot dogs).

Some other considerations:

• A good movie is key: I think this worked out so well in part because The Lego Movie was a hit with all the kids; they were all really into it. No one stirred throughout the entire movie.
• Number of kids – we had 7 kids at the party (including our own 3) and I’m glad we didn’t invite more. It was a bit stressful making sure we didn’t lose any on our way to the party room (even with the party leader’s assistance). Also, the party room is big enough, but not huge. We had just enough room to move around comfortably. I would say the ideal number would be 5 kids.
• I didn’t think an hour in the party room was very long but it turned out that we had some spare time after eating, birthday cake, and gift opening. I wished I had planned a simple party game or 2 to keep them entertained and active at the end.

My son really enjoyed himself. It was nice that he got to share the experience of watching The Lego Movie with a few of his friends. They enjoyed reliving some of the movie’s funnier moments in the party room afterwards. Now if I could only get that song out of my head!

Delta Jones is owner of Just Play Toy Rental, a local online toy rental service that delivers toys within the greater Ottawa area. Check out the website, and you can find Delta on Facebook and Twitter.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Flour Tortillas

Kids seem to love flour tortillas - my daughter definitely prefers the thin, flexible flatbread to a traditional sandwich. They're also so versatile - you can stuff them with any kind of protein, tons of veggies, or use them for taco night.

But I have issues with store-bought tortillas. They're super soft, flexible and yummy, but only because they've been made with a number of additives and preservatives. Take, for example, this package of Old El Paso soft tortilla shells. If you click on the image, you'll be able to read the list of ingredients - the ones that concern me are basically everything but the flour, water and baking powder!

So I set out to make my own flour tortillas. I've heard that this can be really difficult, but other than the 45 minutes I need to get it done, I have had an easy time of it! Most likely it's the recipe I use, but I think more than anything, it's the instructions. So here I've included pictures of the process, as well as detailed instructions. This has gotten easier the more I've done it, and I find it's not taking me as much time. A full batch yields enough to last us about a week as a family of four. I call Sunday my "tortilla making day" :)

Ingredients

• 4 cups of all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsps of room temp butter, cut into cubes

• 4 tbsps of vegetable oil shortening (a healthier choice would be lard!)

• 1.5 cups of warm water

Step 1: Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter and shortening into smallish cubes and throw into your bowl of flour

Step 2: Use a pastry cutter (or your hands, or 2 knives) to cut the fat into the flour. You want to do this enough that you end up with little pea-sized pieces of fat mixed in with the flour. Doesn't take much!

Step 3: Slowly pour in 1.5 cups of warm water, mixing as you go. I start with a wooden spoon, and then use my hands as the dough starts to form. Note: the dough will stick together, but it's ok if it's a bit flaky. If it's too sticky and wet, add 1 tbsp more flour. If it's too dry and won't form a ball, add 1-2 tbsps more water.

Step 4: Cover the dough with a damp tea towel, and go make yourself a cup of tea

Step 5: Separate the dough into 16 balls. Cover again with the towel while you heat up a non-stick frying pan on HIGH heat.

Step 6: sprinkle your surface with flour. I like to use a pastry mat!

Step 7: Roll out your dough. It's very important that you get it VERY THIN...if it sticks to the mat, just sprinkle with a bit more flour

Step 8: Throw it into your hot pan, and watch it rise and bubble. Depending on how hot your pan is, this could take a mere 15 seconds or 45 seconds. Watch very closely, as they burn within seconds! Flip it once it bubbles, and toast on the other side for 10-15 seconds.

Step 9: Repeat! I've gotten good enough that I can throw one in the pan, and roll out another by the time that one has cooked. It takes practice :)

Step 10: Eat and enjoy! (tortillas freeze really well - we put waxed paper in between each one so that they don't stick or break)

New to Ottawa and Snowed In!

Our little family moved to Ottawa from Calgary in October of last year. We thoroughly enjoyed the fall that we had, including the beautiful colours of the leaves that we do not experience in the West. Everyone warned us about the winters in Ottawa, about how much snow you get, and how the cold was “different”- the kind that chills you right to the bone. I chose not to believe them - really, how bad could it be? I teased my mother with pictures of our backyard in November, bragging to her that we still had not had any snow, while Calgary was covered in it. She responded back, “Oh, just you wait”. Being from Ottawa herself, she knew what was to come.

The snow came, and with it came the cold. It really is a different cold. The snow, oh the snow! There was a point in the winter that I looked out of my backyard window to see just white. The snow was so high I couldn’t even see the top rails of my deck!

But yet, it was one of the most fun winters I have experienced. I was nervous with a toddler about what we would do, but we made our own fun. My son experienced true “Canadian” snow for the first time. We built a maze in the snow, and the piles of snow were well past his head - he loved it! We made snow angels, and even had our own sugaring off party, just my son and I. We had picnics on the floor in our house when it was just too cold for even our snow-loving dog to venture outside. We went for winter walks … to the mailbox…. 50 meters away. And being a photographer we took pictures – lots and lots of pictures. We made memories.

I am ready for spring – but I am happy to say that I survived my first Ottawa winter, and actually quite enjoyed it! Here's to no more snow until December!

Alyssa lives with her husband,18 month old son, and excitable dog and is a photographer in the Ottawa area. She loves all types of ethnic food and is always up for an adventure! Check out her website and Facebook page!