Woman in Real Life

I was off watching my son's school basketball tournament today, so I'm late with my What I Ate Wednesday post. Here's a quick look at some of the meals I enjoyed this week, starting with a tofu and veggie stir-fry on top of Chinese noodles.

I have talked before about how and why my family sponsors a little girl through Plan Canada. My two kids have learned a lot from sharing an ongoing pen pal relationship with Mouzou, who lives a very different lifestyle from theirs.

I chose to help a girl because I feel that girls have more challenges to overcome in developing countries. As a mother, I shudder to think of all the little girls who are orphaned, without protection and without access to proper education. While we all have our favourite charities to donate to on a regular basis, Sears Canada also offers a fun extra way of supporting girls in need throughout the world.

Back in the fall, I posted about The China Study Cookbook, a collection of plant-based, whole foods recipes created by LeAnne Campbell, PhD, the daughter of T. Colin Campbell, co-author of The China Study.

Now, I am pleased to say, there is a follow-up cookbook with even more wonderful recipes. The China Study All-Star Collection is currently making its rounds on the "Spring Clean Your Diet" blog tour. The book once again comes from LeAnne Campbell, but this time she is joined by a cast of other vegan cookbook authors.

April 22nd is Earth Day and I am looking forward to celebrating with my kiddos. We are going to explore the natural world around us with the help of a few enticing books from DK Canada. Right now, DK is offering a selection of inspiring titles in their Earthly Pleasures Boutique. Best of all, these books are 30% off! (I confess there are few things I like more than a discounted book.)

Now that spring is here (albeit some days in name only), it's time to think about making fresh, light veg-centric dishes. Like this Miso Glazed Tofu & Watercress Salad (which also happens to be a great addition to your Easter meal).

We enjoyed one particularly lovely warm day this week and then it was back to snow (eek!) and cold on Tuesday. Needless to say, warming foods are still very much a part of the menu in this house. On Sunday afternoon, I was browsing through magazines when I spotted an easy, 30-minute Chickpea Tikka Masala recipe in Vegetarian Times magazine.

I decided to make it for lunch (above). It was so easy to make and quite tasty. I happened to have fresh cilantro in the fridge to pretty it up a bit. I can't wait for summer when we once again have a pot of herbs growing outside the back door!

I think most parents agree that we don't want our kids to watch a ton of TV, especially when they are toddlers and preschoolers. But when you are Mom, housekeeper and cook all wrapped up into one harried package, a few age-appropriate TV programs sure do come in handy.

My kids and I had the opportunity to try out Kidoodle.TV recently. It's an online, streaming video service for children ages 12 and under. From a parent's perspective, Kidoodle.TV has several key advantages over regular television programming. Number one is that all of the content is for kids. So there's no fear that your child is going to watch anything inappropriate.