As a busy mom who works outside the home and commutes nearly an hour to get there, my time is scarce. As a result, meal times can prove to be some of the most chaotic moments of my day.
By the time I get to daycare, pick up my toddler and get home, it is at least 6:30pm. From that point I have to survive the constant pleas for a “snack” until I can get dinner on the table. Add to that the fact that our daughter was recently diagnosed with Celiacs Disease and I am primarily vegetarian (fish & some chicken)…we can be a complicated household to feed when there is time to spare.
Naturally, I am always looking for ways to speed up prep and even create some meals ahead of time, without relying on the same meals over and over again. Finding time-savers in meal planning can be tricky because convenient can sometimes equal a lack in health and quality. That’s why I was so thrilled to discover Cavendish From the Farm Potatoes.
Hunting through the local Real Canadian Superstore, I snagged a bag of Cavendish Rustic Reds diced potatoes and a bag of Cavendish Wedges. I was really excited to try these out because they are so upfront about exactly what is in each bag, where they source their potatoes (right here in Canada!) and the process used to prepare them. This level of honestly in labeling is something that is very important to me.
A little bit about Cavendish From the Farm:
- Potatoes are harvested exclusively from PEI, Canada,
- Only the highest quality, premium potatoes are selected.
- The skin is left on, providing additional nutrition and they are prepared them with 100% canola oil and lightly season them with sea salt.
- They are also low in saturated fat.
- While they are a frozen prepared product, they maintain the quality and look of a true homestyle favourite.
Now onto my creations!
I started out with the Wedges, which were so easy to cook up one night after work. I simply spread them out on a cookie sheet and popped them in the oven for 12 minutes. They didn’t need any other additional seasoning, since they already have so much flavour.
Having a toddler, a good variety of finger food based meals can be a big hit. I am a fan of the “toddler buffet” as it has been dubbed and see great results with Lilly when I give her finger foods in a creative way, especially on evenings that I can tell she might be in a picky mood.
For Lilly, we have to ensure that ever part of the meal is gluten free, right down to the sauces. For this particular dinner, I pan fried some gluten free, vegetarian burgers, steamed some frozen veggies (baby carrots, broccoli and baby corn) and baked the Cavendish Wedges. I then added a gluten-free BBQ sauce for her to dip her cut up burger. The result was a success!
Gluten free toddler buffet! |
The second meal I whipped up was a lot more creative. I didn’t have a recipe, just an idea in mind. I wanted to use the bag of Cavendish Rustic Red diced potatoes in a casserole of some sort. Sundays are a good day for me to get caught up on all the chaos of the week, so a slow cooker meal on the go in the background is a perfect solution.
Everything needed for a lazy Sunday potato casserole. |
Ingredients:
1 full bag of Cavendish From the Farm Rustic Reds
Half of a red, orange & yellow sweet peppers, diced
Half of a cooking onion, diced
Approx. 1.5 cups of grated cheese
Two chicken breasts, diced
One can of chicken broth
Pinch of pepper, basil and oregano
Directions:
Put all ingredients in slow cooker. Mix together. Turn on. Go do something else for 4-6 hours. Yep, it’s that simple.
Deliciousness slowly cooking away. |
Nom nom nom. |
I’ll close out this blog post with the Cavendish From the Farm commercial. Filmed with real PEI farmers who are really singing. It perfectly captures the genuine nature of these products. Plus a good chunk of my immediate family lives on the island, so this commercial just makes me smile
Disclosure – I am participating in the From the Farm blog tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Cavendish. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Nickie H says
I love the little red tray it is precious and it looked like she was really lovin’ the meal!
By the way I tagged you in the Blogger Tag Game, you can play along or not..completely up to you. Have a great day!
http://nickieslittlebubble.blogspot.com/2013/02/blogger-tag-game.html
Crys Wiltshire says
Thanks Nickie! She’s a good eater to begin with, but she definitely loves the creative display on occasion. She loves to ‘dip’ food like mom and dad
I’ll check out the Blogger Tag Game. Sounds like fun! Thanks.