Tips For Saving Time & Money And Still Getting A Healthy Dinner On The Table

SupperWorks is convenient, most people are aware of that.  But is it budget friendly?  It is!  It doesn't really add to my grocery bill.  And I am a price matching shopper.   In fact 88% of respondents in a customer survey said that, since using SupperWorks, their monthly food bill has either stayed the same or gone down! It can seem expensive as it is an upfront investment because you pay for multiple meals at a time. But it is something you will use over several weeks, and I buy less week over week when I know I have a SupperWorks meal built into my plan for the week.

SupperWorks has done the cost comparisons and when you compare what you would pay to purchase all the ingredients, the cost of using their service is not a hit to the budget as you may think it would be.  Here are the reasons that using SupperWorks doesn't inflate my grocery bill:

1.  SupperWorks uses Triple AAA or higher grade meat.  And the portions you get are huge value. For a pork tenderloin recipe, you get 2lbs of pork.  Any chicken breast recipes includes chicken breasts that are 5 ounces.  When they say that one meal serves 4-6 people, I always find they base that on large serving sizes so you absolutely get what you pay for, if not more.  If you bought the same grade of meat, you would pay a higher price as they have access to volume discounts and a restaurant level supply chain.  At this point, to get enough chicken to feed my family (with a bit left over for lunches) for dinner is costing me $18 or more!  And I haven't even bought the rest of the ingredients for any recipe yet!

2.  Ingredients you don't use often and fresh herbs.  I love using fresh herbs but to buy them at the grocery store leaves you with large portions that I find hard to use up.  Cilantro, fresh rosemary and fresh parsley are three herbs that I love but usually stick to dry versions (or omit them all together) as I don't want to buy the large quantity and have it go to waste.  To me that seems like a waste of money.  At SupperWorks you use fresh herbs and the recipes are full of flavour and freshness.  I also love using things like shallots and sherry in cooking but often don't have those items on hand (and cleaning shallots is a pain!) but I love being able to incorporate those things in the meals I choose at SupperWorks.

3.  Variety.  I find trying new recipes can be expensive as you usually have to buy ingredients you don't have on hand.  SupperWorks adds variety to my dinner table and gets us all trying new recipes and proteins (Basa fish anyone?) with little effort.  One of the reasons people stick to the same recipes is because they want to use up ingredients on hand but that leaves little flexibility and makes the cost of trying new recipes expensive.

If I bought the exact same ingredients for a SupperWorks recipe I might be able to save a bit of money (I do have honey and garlic, etc on hand) but if I add in the time for chopping and prepping and cleaning...there is no contest in my mind.  The money I spend at SupperWorks is totally worth it to me and doesn't bust my budget.  SupperWorks is a smart solution for those who appreciate family time and good food while sticking to their budget.  No more last minute poor quality meal choices that are expensive and unhealthy.

Still some time to take advantage of their free entree offer! Choose an additional entrée of your choice when you book a 6, 9, or 12 entrée session or pick up in January!



Click here to see the January menu
Click here to see the February menu

Beansprout Nutrition Provides Healthy Eating Tips And Support For Oakville Families

Jennifer Buccino is so excited to let the momstown Oakville community be the first to know about her new business that offers nutrition advice and consultation to young families.  Introducting Beansprout Nutrition! As a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a mom, Jennifer knows first-hand the challenges that parents face when feeding their children. Jennifer's aim is to bring the most credible nutrition information to you in a variety of different ways to help you make the best choices for your infants and children.  Jennifer knows those tough moments both from personal and professional experience which includes working with children for almost 15 years at the Hospital for Sick Children. Advice received can be conflicting and as a new parent you want the best for your child.

Some common areas of concern that Beansprout Nutrition can help with are:

• Do I start with pureed foods or go with baby-led weaning?
• Do I introduce cow’s milk at 9 months, 12 months, or never?
• Is my child growing well?
• Why is my 2 year old suddenly so picky
• My school aged child brings her whole lunch home untouched

Beansprout Nutrition welcomes you to contact them to work through these questions and issues. Jennifer has answered these questions and many more over the years that she's been practising dietetics. In fact it was her own group of “new mom” friend’s that inspired her to start Beansprout Nutrition and bring knowledge and expertise to other new moms in the area.

Beansprout Nutrition services include:

• Nutrition Assessments
• Nutrition Plans
• Workshops 
• Family Counselling

Getting a great nutrition start is essential to health and well being. Beansprout Nutrition will challenge you to think about establishing your own nutrition philosophy to guide you through making the best choices for you and your family. The added benefit of working with Beansprout Nutrition is that they come to you! It can be for an in depth nutrition assessment and plan or a more informal chat but you get to stay put and won’t have to bundle up your little ones in jackets and car seats. If after bedtime works better consultations can take place by phone, Skype, or email.

Please contact Jennifer for more information (Jennifer@beansproutnutrition.ca) and visit their Facebook page for helpful tips and information.

Oakville Small Business Spotlight - SupperWorks

I actually can't remember where I first heard about SupperWorks but it has certainly cemented a spot in my family as it reminds me of special times in my life.  The SupperWorks Stork Special was part of my post baby plan with both kids, the cottage pick up special makes our time at the cottage easier and more enjoyable and I've even served SupperWorks meals to friends who were over for dinner to rave reviews.  I love the story (I can totally relate to losing interest in cooking) of how SupperWorks got started so I'll let Joni Lien, the owner, tell it in her own words.

Click the image to watch a video of how SupperWorks works!

Tell us how you came to start your own business.

We first came across the “meal prep” concept in Oprah magazine!  We did some research and discovered that there were none in Canada.  My life at this time was very full.  I was married, had 2 young daughters in lots of activities, had relocated within Canada a few times, had gone back to school, and was always busy, busy, busy. I had long lost any sense of enjoyment in the kitchen. Quality home-cooking had given way to convenience foods, take-out, and restaurants; expensive and not always particularly tasty or nutritious. What really irked me is that when the kids were little, I’d spent lots of time in the kitchen with them, making cookies and teaching them basic cooking skills, but we’d come to a point where all of that was being lost in the piles of take-out containers.

I couldn't get the business idea out of my head - somebody else does the grocery shopping, tests the recipes, does all of the prep work like washing, chopping, grating, and making sauces, washes the dishes, AND cleans up when I spill. In other words, I can get a good, nutritious meal on the table in a fraction of the time, spend some time around the table with my family, AND make it to soccer practice on time!

What do you love about running a small business?

I love being part of something I’m so passionate about – something that has made a difference in my own life and in the lives of so many of our customers, in so many different ways.  I’ve had people tell me that SupperWorks has saved their marriage, has helped them lose weight, has taken the stress out of entertaining, has made cottage life more enjoyable, etc.

Curious to learn more about SupperWorks?  Here are the top 5 things you should know about this great Oakville small business.

• SupperWorks uses only high-quality, restaurant-grade meats in our recipes. Oakville’s own Woodwards Meat Purveyors has been out meat supplier since we first opened our doors.

• SupperWorks has special “bring your child” sessions on Saturdays.  You can bring a child (aged 5 and up) and prepare your family’s meals together. Our customers tell us that kids who have a hand in meal-making are more willing to venture outside of the “nothing but pasta with butter comfort zone” and try more adventurous foods!

• SupperWorks offers complete meal packages for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  They are easy, easy, easy to cook at home (and they’re really good!) so that you get to spend the day with your family, rather than in the kitchen.

• SupperWorks is all about quality food at reasonable prices. 99% of respondents in our customer survey said that they eat healthier and better with SupperWorks, and 88% said that, since using SupperWorks, their monthly food bill has either stayed the same or gone down!

• The great thing about getting to do the assembly yourself is that you can take into account allergies, likes and dislikes (recipe calls for cilantro and you don't like it?  Don't add it!) and still come out with fantastic meals prepped and ready to go!

Feeling hungry?  Go check out their upcoming menu and book your session!  This Oakville small business is definitely worth a look!

Healthy Food Kids Will Love: Chia Pudding Recipe

One of the reasons that I love the momstown Oakville message board is that its a great source for recipes that come with direct feedback from other moms about what worked, what didn't, what was a hit with their kids, etc.  A recent recipe posted by a member was for Chia Pudding.  Chia seeds are all the rage these days, right up there with coconut oil and flax seeds.  Have you tried chia seeds before?  They are a great source of healthy omega-3 fats and fibre.  And yes, they are the same seeds that grow those beloved Chia Pets!

Photo credit

This recipe for Chia Pudding has been a hit with Oakville kids so I knew it was a recipe worth sharing!  Try this recipe for breakfast or for a yummy snack.

What You Need:

3 Tbsp chia seeds
1 cup almond milk (vanilla rice milk or coconut milk works too)
Vanilla and cinnamon to taste
1 Tbsp maple syrup

What You Do:

Mix it all up in a mason jar and cover in the fridge over night.  Stir it on your way up to bed and break up the clumps. In the morning it will be gelatenous and kind of like tapioca pudding.  You'll need to give it another good stir in the morning as well. Toss in some berries too if you want. The consistency is similar to that of tapioca pudding.

Tips: For picky kiddos, a dollop of whip cream or a few mini chocolate chips on top helps or add in 1 and 1/2 Tbsp or cocoa and another 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup.  

Are You Using Coconut Oil? 5 Easy Ways To Work It Into Your Diet

More and more information seems to be coming out lately about the huge benefits derived from cooking with and eating coconut oil.  Has it made its way into your house yet?  The word on the street is that coconut oil is heart healthy, can help build resistance to viruses and bacteria, balance hormone and blood sugar levels and even help get rid of that pesky abdominal fat that seems to hang on for dear life and won't let go!

Piqued your interest?  I thought so.  And just so your not confused when you go buy it in the store, coconut oil will mostly come in thicker format then say, olive oil, and changes depending on the temperature.  In the summer months, it will be more like an oil and in the colder weather, will be more like a solid mass.

Coconut oil has been a hot topic on our message board so I thought I would share some quick and easy ways that Oakville mamas have been working it into their diets and into their family's diets as well.  Most people said the addition of this oil was very smooth with no complaints!

1.  Spread it on toast instead of butter.

2.  Use it in baking instead of vegetable oil or butter.

3.  Use it to pan fry foods (think stir fry or browning meat).

4.  Add it to oatmeal, it makes it thicker and creamier.

5.  If your kids like pasta with butter, put coconut oil on top instead.

While no ideal amount of coconut oil has been determined, it seems as though 1-2 tablespoons a day is the suggested amount that will produce healthy benefits.  If you use coconut oil, let us know your favourite use for this fantastic super food in the comments below.

Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Thanks to Amanda, one of our momstown Oakville members, for sharing this yummy recipe!  This is a great appetizer or also a light summer meal when paired with another yummy side dish.

Photo credit

Ingredients required:

16 Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves (you can also use a regular head of lettuce, rinsed - use the large leaves)
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 large onion -- chopped
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or 1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes (optional)
1 can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts -- drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, slice thinly
2 tsp sesame oil

How To Make:

Rinse lettuce leaves, keeping them whole. Set aside to drain.

Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often to break up the meat. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and spices. Cook until the meat is crumbled and brown. Add water chestnuts and green onions. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Stir in sesame oil. Arrange lettuce leaves on the outer edge of a platter. Spoon meat mixture in center and eat like a taco!

Nutrition Tips for Weight Loss and A Healthy Body From Living Force

The first momstown Oakville fitness challenge is well under way, in fact, we had our mid point weigh in last week.  Oakville moms have had lots of fun trying out several new workouts, but we also wanted to include some information on nutrition as part of the challenge.  Nat from Living Force nutrition met with the momstown Oakville fitness challenge group and gave us some really great tips and information about how to improve our eating to give our bodies have more energy.

Nat began by asking a simple question, "what do you think of when I say the word 'food'" and she got some interesting responses.

Diet
Portion Control
Yummy
Nutrition
Losing Weight
Balance

Do any of those words resonate with you?  We could all relate to the fact that over the last few years we've had big changes in our nutrition and eating habits due to pregnancy or breastfeeding or both.  It can be a challenge to get yourself back on track again.

Nat was really keen on making sure you fuel yourself at the start of the day and have protein at breakfast. Her suggestions included eggs, quinoa, steel cut oats or natural nut butters. Some great recipes to try are as follows:

Quinoa Hot Cereal
Poached Eggs with Brocoli and Goat Cheese

We also talked about cravings and Nat provided us with a great handout to help combat your cravings.  The sheet listed foods you might crave along with what your body may be missing to have such a craving (craving chocolate?  Your body needs magnesium) and foods to eat to replenish the deficiency (need magnesium? Eat nuts, legumes or fruit - not chocolate!).

And finally, a reminder to us all about what your plate should look like.  50% vegetables, 25% mixed whole grains or starch, 25% protein source.  How does your plate rate?

Nat has a wide array of services to help you and your family find balance when it comes to food.  She offers cooking classes (even ones tailored to getting your kids to eat healthier!), meal plans, and a stock your kitchen option.  Click here for a complete list as well as some great savings for her Jump Start programs.

Eating better makes you feel better but it also takes some work to break free of old habits and convenience foods that can be ready in 3 minutes.  Nat can make you appreciate good food again and remind you of what you need to fuel your body.  Did you know that many employer health benefit plans cover a nutritionist, just as a naturopath or massage therapist is covered?

Your body does a lot for you every day.  Make sure you say thank you by giving it the best fuel you possible can!