Steak

I have nothing interesting to say about this. Really. Nothing.

I am thinking that I will no longer blog about EVERY dinner. I really want to just review restaurants and talk about interesting things we cook. Seriously, does anyone want to read about the fifth time I make tacos from a box?

Anyway, this was steak. Look at the size of the steak Matt made me. I didn't eat most of it, and we are off for three days tomorrow. I hate to waste, but it looks like I will have to.

Chicken Caesar

Cost: $8

Prep: 15 minutes

This is one of my favorite dinners. I just love chicken Caesar salad. We used leaf lettuce, light dressing, crisp bacon, croutons, and grilled small chicken breasts. I also made garlic buns (margarine and crushed garlic).

Cook In/Out

Well, it is raining pretty hard, so our Goldstream campfire dinner is postponed (there will be a campfire ban next week, so VERY postponed).

"Camping" dinners are usually not very healthy, and this was no exception. I mostly ate chips.  I also had 1/2 a hot dog (I'm sure all the judgey and first time preggos and momma just gasped in horror). I also had a diet pop (judge away).

My mom made a curried potato salad, macaroni salad (Charlie's fav), and a veggie salad.

No one eats as unhealthy as my brother though. Granted, he's a teenage boy. He ate hotdogs with just ketchup.

The best part, however, was that my parents have this strange old chimney thing in the yard so we could still roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Charlie was very well behaved. He sat on this little chair and poked the fire, but he didn't wave his stick around and his butt stayed planted.

Sausage in a Bun Cookout

Cost: $18

Prep: 30 minutes

The cost of this dinner was higher than usual because we had our good friends the MacLellans over to eat (so 6 instead of 3).

We barbequed some nice sausages: honey garlic and bratwurst. We ate these like a classy hot dog.

I made two salads to go with dinner. The first was a simple Caesar. THe second was an awesome pasta salad. It was tortellini, yellow peppers, green onions, and a balsamic vinaigrette. I wish I had a better picture, as it was also very beautiful!

Chili Dogs and Jello

Cost: $10

Prep: 20 minutes

The only reason the prep for this meal was so long was because it included making chili.

Matt gave me some time to get things started in the morning, so I had the chili slow-cooking by 8AM. We called my grandparents and invited them over, as we have been so busy lately we haven't seen much of them.

I have only ate a chili dog one time. It was when I was pregnant with Charlie, and at Maude Hunter's. I don't think it is on their new menu. It wasn't too awesome, and everyone laughed at me when I ordered it with salad.

But, I say, screw you all, because here I am 2 years later eating a chili dog with salad again!

Anyway, I didn't add meat to the chili; just kidney beans, chick peas, black beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms with seasoning. No spice; grandparents can't handle it.

We barbequed the hot dogs (all beef) and served with marble cheddar. It was a hit all around.

I also made dessert. My friend Amanda was over, and I was saying I should make a dessert. She joked I should make Jello with fruit because that's what old people like.

And you know what?

That is what I made because we had the ingredients. Mixed fruit sugar free Jello with a can of fruit cocktail in it. Classy.

Beef Dip

Cost: $4 (the meat is leftover)

Prep: 20 minutes

This is an old favorite of Matt and mine. We haven't made it in a long time, and I think I found a much better way to do it.

I used the leftover roast beef from the other night. It was SOOOO much easier to thinly slice the meat when it was cooled.

I also used the leftover potatoes that were not very good on slow-cooker night as a bit of hasbrowns tonight. Served up with a big serving of au jus (that was fun to watch Charlie attempt) and a Caesar salad care of Matt.

It was a good, hearty meal. Food like this feels like a real family dinner.

Chicken Caesar

Cost: $12

Prep: 15 minutes

A simple meal for a simple family. Matt and I used to eat chicken Caesar salad all the time in university. ALL. THE. TIME.

Of course, we also used to eat something we called "toast pizza" all the time too...

Anyway, we rarely have chicken breast. It is just so expensive, and we don't have a deep-freeze so can't buy the big box. This week packs were about $20 for 5 large (very large, I only managed 1/2 of one), but the packs were buy one get one. 10 huge chicken breasts for $20; it is what it is.

The bread is some stale buns I heated up after buttering and crushing garlic onto.

The salad we made from scratch with store bought dressing (that is our next step, making our own dressing), croutons, and bacon.

Lazy Salad Night

We are still very full from our big day out, so we just whipped up a salad. We call it a "strange Caesar" because it is essentially a Caesar base with grated carrot, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes.

Gross Salmon

Cost: ???

Prep: 15 minutes

This dinner was gross. Matt made it, but that wasn't why. I hated the salmon. It was maple-something, and just awful.

Everything else was good: rice and salad. The salad was especially good: cheese, bacon, red pepper, and carrots.

Charlie liked the rice. I am pretty sure he ate about a cup to himself, and then got another 1/2 cup on his lap.

Better than Fast-food

Cost: $12

Prep: 45 minutes or more

This is a labour intensive meal, but it is the healthier version of "deep fried" because nothing was fried.

My favorite part was the yam chips. These are also the most labour intensive part. A little olive oil, broil, flip, broil. But, because of our oven we can only do 1 tray at a time, and we ate 4 trays (1.5 yams).

I also made turkey strips. A simple egg wash and panko breading + baking. I prefer chicken flavour and cost wise though, but it was something different.

Matt made the salad. Lettuce, tomato, red pepper and cheese. My only problem was I HATED the salad dressing I put on and had to start again. I used Compliments Citrus Poppy Seed and possibly would be okay starving rather than tasting that again.

Charlie seemed to enjoy his meal, especially the part where he ate it with salad tongs.

5th Street Bar & Grill

Cost: $10 for disaster, $30 for dinner

Prep: 35 minutes + clean-up + drive+wait

We had a dinner disaster last night. Matt chopped up a tonne of veggies for a stirfry. Peppers, broccoli, onion, green onion, carrots, and more. Then, just as he was finished, a can of fruit JUMPED from the cupboard above the veggies, landed on one of the Correll plates, and shattered it. No, not shattered, sharded it.

He was frustrated, the food was all COVERED with shards of glass, the clean up took quite a while (and involved moving the stove), Charlie was pissed that he could help vacuum, and hunger was roaring.

So, we went out for dinner.

We decided to try the Fernwood Inn again, since it was about 5PM on a Monday. However, on our drive over, traffic was heavy, and it was 5:15 by the time we reached Hillside.

We decided, in a split moment, to turn right instead. We haven't been to 5th Street in a while, so we decided to pop in.

The last time we were at 5th Street was almost a year ago, and honestly, it was a bad experience. I had the $20 Prime Rib, as did 5 of the 6 adults at our table. It was terrible. So much fat, about 75% fat, and WAY too much added fake smoke flavour (WHY?). THEN, to top it off, Glee star Corey Monteith had been dining there as well, and Glee is one of our favourite shows (mine especially), and he ran into Matt, who was carrying Charlie, then 6 months, and didn't apologize! It just left a bad taste in my mouth, both food and experience wise.

But, it was not a bad enough experience to cross 5th Street off. (Charlie, Grandma Sharon, and I have been here once since.)

There are things I do and don't like about 5th Street. The first thing I don't like is the parking lot. It is way too small, but at 5:15 on a Monday, it was great. Even when we were leaving at 6:30 there were still a few spots.

The thing I like is the menu, $5/$10/$20 (plus a bit more now). BUT WAIT. Those prices and that style of menu are DONEZO! I couldn't believe it. Overall, the prices really weren't that different, but I still think it is a mistake. One bonus is the kid's menu: $5.55 for any item (and great choices for when we need a meal for Chuck).

I also, generally, like the service. It is usually fairly quick, and the waitstaff is friendly and professional. Last night we had Maia (I think that is her name) who we have had a few times, and she is accommodating even to a baby stealing her pens and devices while she is trying to take orders.

We ordered three appies and a meal to share. It was a bit much, but I think Charlie would have liked a bit more food even though his patience was stretched.

For appies, we had the oysters, fries (the dip is C's fav), and flat bread (our fav). Charlie likes to use 1 fry to eat as much dip as possible, lick that from the fry, and then dip again...and repeat. His most favorite food in the world is anything pickled, so olives, and thereby the flat bread, was also a hit.

As out shared entree, we had the burger with salad. The burger was great, huge patty and perfect for sharing.

Besides the change in menu, my only real complaint last night was the high-chair. It had no working buckle, which is a problem for parents with an acrobatic toddler and a possible liability for the restaurant. Actually, I do have another complaint, not 100% 5th's fault: there was a smoker smoking just outside the open doors, and the ENTIRE restaurant really stunk before they shut the doors/asked the person to move. THERE ARE LAWS AGAINST SMOKING THAT CLOSE TO DOORS AND WINDOWS YOU GROSS SMOKERS, just saying.

Anyway, I am not against 5th Street. We had a good experience last night and the baby genius like it.

Mother's Day Whoomp Whoomp

Matt made a special effort to make dinner on Mother's Day so that I wouldn't have to. Unfortunately, it didn't go so well. To Matt's credit, I should add that Charlie didn't help at all. He was a total terror, then sat on the couch topless eating socks.

The main dish was a Shepard's Pie (or whatever the beef version is). I saw him making it and I knew it wasn't going to work out. He had onions and raw ground beef going at the same time in a pan, added a can of corn, and raw carrots. I knew the veggies would be under cooked, but the carrots were still hard. To Matt's credit, it really just needed to cook longer, since my mom ate it the next day and said it was great. i did also think the red-skinned mashed potatoes on top and the home-garden grown chives on the side were yummy.

I asked Matt to make a salad on the side, since there were no green veggies going into the pie. I had bought dressing, croutons, and lettuce already. I should have supervised though. It was pretty such a crouton soup with lettuce. He used almost 1/2 a bottle of dressing and an entire box of croutons. It also became one of the most expensive salads we have ever had ($8-9). Charlie like it though, since he sucks the dressing off the lettuce and mostly eat croutons.

For dessert, "Charlie" made me a free cake a Thrify's. The cake was okay, and the decorations were ADORABLE. Good for Thrify's for offering this, as you know I was kind of writing them off and this was good publicity and got me in the store shopping while the boys created, as I am sure it did for many moms. we paired this with strawberries and mango that needed to be eaten.

Dad Chef

Berries

Topless Sock Eater

Goldstream Cookout

I don't have much of a post about dinner last night. Our nutritional intake (all-day) was not very good.

My family goes to Goldstream Park often to partake in cookouts. We met up with my parents and brother, as well as a bunch of friends, last night for a nature walk, fire, and weenie roast.

Charlie began the evening by burning calories. I did not, since I end up walking very slow as we look at every rock, stick, plant, puddle, and leaf that we attempt to pass. Charlie was fascinated by this big fallen tree. Because he has no fear, he ventured inside despite me telling him there are monsters in there (just kidding).

We then returned back to the fire site. Charlie began with a few cheezies and water. I had a few chips, which were luckily a variety I didn't like, and some camp-fire tea.

For the main course, Charlie ate some more cheezies and a few pieces of a turkey hot-dog. I ate a turkey wiener sans bun. I also had Caesar salad, which Charlie helped himself to a bit of bacon and the croutons from. Charlie and I shared two very small backed potatoes with sour cream (full fat). He did great with that.

For the finally, Charlie ate a few bites of two different Digestive cookies, although both times it fell in the dirt before he could fish.

I had a s'more made with a SUPER jumbo marshmellow the size of my fist, and then one more small marshmellow. Just one, but only because it was then time to go.

Deluxe Burgers

Cost: $5

Prep: 25 minutes, but hard to say as Matt and I did it together.

Today was shopping day, and we scored on some marked down pre-made fresh burgers. Thrify's makes very nice gourmet burgers (another kind will make an appearance later in the week). These were beef burgers with bacon and cheddar cheese immeshed.

We grilled these up on the griddle, not the George Foreman. The GF is put away and is a pain to take out. It lived on the counter previous to us buying a Tassimo, and it was utilized constantly. Now, it has scarely made it to non-cupboard air since Boxing Day.

As our side-dishes, we made yam chips and salad. The yam chips are delicious, especially with the chipotle aioli from Costco, but I rarely make them because they are a lot of work. If I had a mandolin, it would be easier to cut them, but I don't so I refuse. Matt had to do all the cutting to be able to eat these this time. We decided one yam was enough, but honestly it looked like it was going to make much more before the yam was cooked.

Once the yams are cut, it is an easy dish to make. I put olive oil on a pan and spread the chips out in a single layer, and then lightly brush the tops with olive oil again. Then, I broil for 5 minutes, flip, and broil a few more minutes.

There was also a large side salad, but I am still really not feeling lettuce, so Matt and Charlie "ate" it: ie Charlie sucked the dressing off and gave all the lettuce back to Matt.

To get some veggies in, I loaded my burger with onion and tomato. The burgers also made a gourmet relish, spicy mustard, mayo, and pickles. One burger this size and no sides in enough for me. It was the first time Charlie was served his own burger, and you can tell by his face that he was not so sure what to make of it. He did end up eating most of it, but like all foods, he dissected it first.

Special Hotdogs

"What is this?"

Cost: $8

Prep time: 20 minutes

In our house, special hotdogs are a comfort food. I associate really warm childhood memories with special hotdogs.

The first and only time I had these as a child was at my friend Chelsea Clark's house. Her family always seemed so perfect to me: a married mom and dad, two little girls, mom always home, little dog, living near the school, etc, etc. They just seemed like such a picture perfect family in my inexperienced childhood mind.

I remember being there for dinner one night. I must have been between 6-8 years old. Chelsea's mom made special hotdogs for dinner. I'm sure she made things to go with it, but the yummy wrapped hotdogs really stood out, as did the name "special hotdog".

Matt and I have been eating special hotdogs for years. We have tried many variations to try to make these healthier. Tofu dogs was a failure; a quarter hotdog is not quite enough. For a while we could buy low-fat hotdogs that were only 70 calories each, but those seem to be out of production.

What we have settled on is using 1/2 a wiener of the lowest fat or best quality wieners we can get. Tonight, it was Natural Selections variety. I know I know I know that everyone says this "no preservatives" stuff is just as bad for you, but I can't help but keep hoping they are wrong. Plus, the taste is really top notch.

We have also been using the lowest fat cheese we can find. It actually cooks better this way, as when it melts out, it does not get things all greasy but rather stays in a solid piece that can just be wrapped around  the outside.

I paired it with a simple salad tonight. Matt was out past the time when Charlie and I finished eating, so it was easier to just make things that were quick, easy, and didn't involve a lot of time, energy, or components (although I did put tomato, pepper, and cucumber on the salad).

I have a problem with salad. I tried a spinach salad at lunch, an then this one with a mixed greens base at dinner, and I just can't handle it. I hate the texture of raw spinach and lettuces. It is so hard for me to choke down. I ate all the other veggies, and the majority of the lettuce, but I couldn't do it all. Awful. Maybe next time I will switch up my dressing. Charlie and I both had a balsamic vinaigrette tonight, but I have had that on every salad not from a bag for months, so I should really mix it up.

Anyway, Charlie really enjoyed his dinner. I want to create positive memories around meal times with his family, and not just tied to what I serve. He is such a sweet boy, and we love him so much, I want to give him every possible thing and advantage in life.

Pilsbury Pizza Fail and Success

Cost: $10

Prep: over an hour

I am writing this very late tonight. I have a boy who stayed up long after his bedtime. I also feel a little sick.

Dinner sucked.

Dinner failed.

Dinner was started at 5:15.

Dinner was served at 6:35.

Dinner was raw.

Now, before I relay this saga, I will admit that I did redeem dinner, but I am never happy when I estentially need to make two dinners for one night.

We decided to try a product we have never tried before: Pilsbury Pizza Crust. It was 35% off of around $3.69 at the grocery store. We really like making our own pizza, as I am not a big fan of cheese and like a lot of toppings, which is the opposite of what you get when you order pizza. We used to get pre-made crust from Thrifty's, but 90% of the time when we went to use them, they would have fuzzy gray mould on them, so we had to stop. It was a downer, because those where a good price and yummy, but too many dinners were ruined.

So, we decide to try this product. The problems start right away. The directions say to stretch it to desired shape and thickness. This proves very difficult and the thing will not go to the size or shape we want it to. We try tossing, folding, pulling, nada.

Whatever. We keep going with our much smaller than expected crust. We get to the stage where we are baking it. The directions are 6-11 minutes baking at this point (already baked for 8). I take it out after 11 minutes, serve it up with the little salad I made, sit down, take a bite, and spit out a mouth full of raw dough. Gross.

So, collect it all up, put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes, take it out, still raw. Back in goes the pizza for another 10 minutes, take it out, raw. Matt eats some, Charlie eats a bit, but it is just too gross for me. I move on to an alternative. Some parts are cooked, like the outside of the crust, but the middle is a mess.

Before I move on, I must say that I am really disappointed that pizza didn't work out. We didn't have the crust very thick, but it was rubbery and chewy. Maybe it wasn't raw--how could it be after all that cooking--but it sure felt that way.

One of the many things I am making for the baby shower on Saturday is pigs in a blanket, so I also bought Pilsbury Wiener Wrap.

I used a package of this tonight, stuffing the wrap with a bit of the pizza veggies (onion, red and green peppers), a bit of pepperoni, and a pinch of cheese.

These were a lot more difficult to wrap than if I had simply been making Special Hot Dogs, but, in the end, these tasted good and were probably healthier.