Filled Rolls recipe, more freezer meals

Yesterday was baking day - I put away:

• Orange Carrot Oatmeal muffins (from Muffin Mania),
  
• Bran Muffins (from Muffins and More),
• Oatmeal Energy Bars (the same ones I made for Christmas tins here; the recipe, from Canadian Living, is here)
  
• Filled Rolls (recipe follows)

And then made pizza for dinner. Lots of cooking, it's very satisfying to see that freezer filling up with meals for after baby's arrival! If there's a theme to the day's meals, aside from 'baking', it's fiber... I hear that's pretty important for post-natal mamas! ;)

Filled Rolls
(Vegetarian - but they don't have to be. Read the options!)

• Your favourite bread or roll dough. You could use frozen (thawed) pre-made here. I used the whole-wheat mix-and-match dough recipe (from Canadian Bread Machine Baking) and added 1/4 tsp thyme. This was a small recipe, using only 1 cup of flour (a dough ball about 6" in diameter).
• cooking oil
  
• 1 onion, finely chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup finely chopped button mushrooms
• vegetarian "ground round" - I used about 1/3 cup of "plain" because that's all I had on hand. You could substitute the spiced versions, or cooked meat if you prefer). I think 3/4 cup would be a good amount.
  
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp chipotle sauce (or Worcestershire sauce, to taste, if you eat fish - it contains anchovies)
  
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• milk
  

Saute the onions, mushrooms and zucchini in a little cooking oil for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Let cool. Taste it - you may wish to add more seasoning.

Divide the dough into dough balls about 3" (my dough made eight, your dough recipe may make more) and roll them out to about 1 cm. Fill with 2-3 Tbsp of the filling, gather and pinch the edges together firmly to seal. Place the rolls, seam down, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or greased). Brush the tops with milk (to help them brown).

Bake in a 375* oven for 25-30 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

Makes about 8 buns that are a decent size for lunch, but the amount does depend on how much dough you start with, and how much filling you allocate per roll. Freeze them baked, and pop in the microwave when you want a hot, filling lunch.

Options (you know I love options!):
You could really fill rolls with anything. Here are some ideas:

• Peanut butter and jam. Seriously... this would be so yummy.
  
• Pizza fillings (1 Tbsp of sauce, cheese, and your favourite toppings)
• Spinach and ricotta (use your favourite recipe for manicotti or shell filling (leave out egg); or simply mix frozen, thawed & drained spinach, a tub of ricotta, a pinch each of nutmeg and salt, maybe some sun-dried tomatoes). Serve buns with tomato or marinara sauce for dipping.
• Taco filling (bean-based or meat-based), serve with salsa.
• Chili (vegetarian or meat)
• Cinnamon bun filling (use a plain white or sweet dough): butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts.
  

for the carnivores:

• Swiss cheese and ham with a bechamel sauce
• Saucy barbequed chicken or pork
• Sloppy Joe meat (here's a good looking recipe - vegetarians can, of course, sub in veggie ground round for the beef!)
  

You could put tons of tasty things in there, all starting with just a batch of dough and some imagination.

BTW, for you foodies, there's a Vitamix giveaway going down at Chocolate Covered Katie...

Stocking the freezer - your ideas?

I'm trying to build up meals in the freezer so that after this baby is born, we won't have to think about cooking so much and can spend our time thinking about her!

So I've been searching for meal recipes that I can prepare ahead and freeze. Some are fully cooked and just need defrosting; others are prepared up to the point of baking and can just be popped in the oven.

So far I've made:

• Chili (3 meals for 2) (my own recipe) + 1 meal's worth of biscuits (recipe from Muffins and More)
• Bean burritos (1 meal for 2) (my own recipe)
• Spaghetti Pie (4 meals for 2)
• Four Cheese Stuffed Shell Casserole (3-4 meals for 2)
• Breakfast burritos (15 burritos) - I doubt these will last long enough, but I want to see if we like them before making a whole whack. Frozen eggs sounds weird to me, not sure if they'll make the transition well. (To those of you who have been following a while - yes, I'm eating eggs again after a year's abstinence, and not too thrilled about it. I'm buying the 3x more expensive "free-run, organic" ones at the store as I haven't been able to find a local farmer from whom I can buy more ethically farmed eggs. It is a source of major frustration for me. For the newbies, here's why I am anti-eggs.)
  
• Cheesy Spinach and Rice Casserole (4 half-meals - to serve with a salad, probably)

(the spaghetti pie and shells casserole are quite similar, actually... I hope we don't get tired of baked pasta dishes)
We also have a LOT of soups that we made over the summer in there already.

Still to do:

• Twice-Baked Potatoes (from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian) - maybe - I make these quite a bit and do get tired of them.
• ???
  

*We're vegetarian, so that limits the options a little.*

I'm considering making runzas (a.k.a. bierocks), but have never done them before and am not sure what to fill them with as we don't eat meat, and my husband hates cabbage (the traditional filling has both). While I sometimes use those vegetarian versions of ground round, I'm not too keen on them (soy's a phytoestrogen, not something I want to play a huge role in my diet). Maybe some kind of vegetarian sloppy joe type filling? Pizza toppings? They seem like they'd be a pain to make, but yummy and tidy to eat - great for one-handed lunches.

I'd like to get a dry-erase magnetic board to put on the freezer so that we have a menu of meals & an up-to-date list of freezer contents. It would be nice to be so organized!

Here's where I need your help: I need some more ideas - and recipes! Do you have any favourite meals that are happy to spend some time in the freezer? Though I haven't made much in this line yet, we love ethnic foods (Indian, Mexican, whatever), so bring it on.

Ready?

I'm full term. 37 weeks (and a couple days). Wow. I can hardly believe we made it this far after what we've been through in the last couple of years.

And now the waiting game begins... To think that she could "arrive" any time within the next 5 weeks is kind of disconcerting. Five weeks is a BIG window.

I am, and am not ready. We have the stuff we need (okay, I still need to pick up some arnica or witch hazel), and we've taken a prenatal class together. I've read a dozen books and have attended a breastfeeding class. I've watched countless birth videos and read birth stories that have brought me to tears. I'm starting to really feel uncomfortable, not only for sleeping, but walking and - well, just existing in general. The weight of the belly (and the lack of decent sleep) are taking a toll. I'm slowing down. I want my body back, though I'll surely miss the belly and the movement! In these ways, I'm ready.
But can anything really prepare you? Not only for the work and pain of labour and delivery, but for parenthood? And, can someone please pack my hospital bag, because I've been putting it off!

I have a pretty good idea of the kind of parent I want to be. I realize that there are lots of things that it's easy to say "never" to when you're not a parent, and then when reality hits and it's a question of your sanity or upholding the "never"... I know what I'll be tossing, and it's not my mental health (I hope). It is so easy to pass judgment on parents when you're not one... I've tried not to be that person but at the same time have caught myself thinking, "Wow, I don't think that's the way I would handle (whatever)." Hopefully I can take those lessons and apply them to my own parenting skills. Not that I'll be the perfect parent. I'm just as fallible as the next person.

I suspect that the main thing is to be flexible. I guess that applies to most of life - you need to adapt when things aren't quite what you expected.

For now, the not knowing is the hardest part.

WHEN will it happen?
Will I be able to handle it, or will I give in and beg for pain meds?
Will she and I make it through okay?
Will I ever sleep again?
What if, when we meet her, the name we've picked just doesn't fit her?
What if we get a major surprise and she is a he??!!!

So my questions for you are:

Any guesses as to baby's arrival date? My due date is February 2nd (according to ultrasound dating), or February 4th (according to ovulation). She's 2/5 engaged (that's not the station, just how far down her head is by palpation). I'm having more frequent and intense Braxton Hicks contractions, but no other signs of labour yet. I haven't had any internal exams, so no idea on effacement or dilation. It's my first baby.

Any sage advice you want to share?

Hi-Tec Snowdonia Boots - Review and Giveaway!!

***This giveaway is closed.***
Winner: Stacy

You may recall a month or so ago I asked for your help in winning a giveaway - and then I won!
I was SO excited when I got my Hi-Tec Snowdonia boots. Hi-Tec has been making footwear since 1974 and they are pretty darn good at it.

Even though they are super cute, these are serious winter boots. I gave them a real test when I wore them on our trip to pick out our Christmas tree. What I thought would be a half-hour walk at a tree farm turned into a three-hour trek through foot-deep snow, as we hit two different tree farms and ended up picking - no joke - the FURTHEST tree from the parking lot. At seven months pregnant, three hours of walking is a real marathon!

This is the tree farm on the day we went to get a tree! Major snow!

Despite the very deep snow, not a bit went into the tops of my boots. I was trying to walk in my husband's footsteps, but I think the drawstring at the top of the boots was the key to keeping my feet protected from ankle snowfall. (And who can resist the adorable pom-poms??? My husband calls them my "oompa-loompa" boots...)

They also are dry from the bottom and sides. No wetness, no complaints! I have been cursed with perennially cold feet, and to my amazement, my feet were not cold for one moment the entire time. I kept waiting for ice cube toes, and it never happened. The boots are super warm and comfy. Test PASSED! And, we finally did find the perfect tree -

Don't I look fierce? Ha! As if I cut down that tree. All my husband. Cadbury and I just watched.

One thing I noticed is that the boots are roomy. Perfect for fitting your thick winter socks into! I happen to be somewhere between a 6.5 and 7 shoe size and I think that you could safely pick the smaller size if you are between sizes like me.

I got to talking with Hi-Tec and learned that they were just in the process of launching their new Hi-Tec Canada Facebook page! How awesome. In conjunction with the launch, Hi-Tec has offered a pair of Snowdonia boots to one of my readers!!!


The giveaway:
One winner will receive their own pair of Hi-Tec Snowdonia boots!*

How to enter:
This is a two step entry, so make sure you follow the steps to qualify! Put both of these in ONE COMMENT. This is the mandatory entry - do this first to qualify for bonus entries!

1. Follow Hi-Tec on Twitter (leave your Twitter name)
2. "Like" the brand new Hi-Tec Canada Facebook page (leave your first name and last initial)
   

Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Bonus entries: (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link to your tweet! You can do this once a day and you can use this tweet if you like:
  

  #Win a pair of @HiTecUSA **Snowdonia Boots** at Emily's Latest! Warm and stylin'! http://bit.ly/ih6nrA @emilyisland US/CAN (Ends 1/26)
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends January 26th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn within the next day or two (as long as I'm not in labour!), announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

*If the winner’s size is out of stock, Hi-Tec will replace with another style of equal or lesser value.

And, yes, I'm usually not a big fan of daily tweets. I know. It's not that cool. Just trying it out for this one.

Philips SatinPerfect Epilator Review

I've been a BzzAgent for a few years now and while I find the campaigns I'm invited to are few and far between, I was lucky enough to join the BzzCampaign for the Philips SatinPerfect Epilator.

I've tried sugaring and waxing, but can't take the pain of it (or the price), and I absolutely cannot stand the smell of hair removal creams, so I have always shaved my legs. It's a bit of a pain (especially now that I am eight months+ pregnant and can barely reach them) and I'm not fond of prickly stubble, so I shave frequently. Laser hair removal is tempting, but very expensive. I could see doing that for bikini and underarm hair, but I doubt I'd ever do it for leg hair. Unless I win the lottery - then, sign me up.

The Philips SatinPerfect Epilator may just be the solution for me. I've been using it for about 5 weeks now and am quite happy with the way it works.

Here's the package - I really don't find the package that appealing (hello, 80's), but this is what you'd look for in the store.


And, here's what comes inside: a storage pouch, the cord, three heads (one is installed on the epilator here), the epilator, and a cleaning brush.

Like any product there are pros and cons, so here is my take:

Pros:

• It works! The way it works is with a set of spinning discs that basically grab the hairs and pull them out. I would say that it is very effective.
  
• It has a bright light on the front of the unit that shines on the area you're about to go over. The light reveals the fine hairs & means you can use it in a regularly lit room.
• The cord is really long. It must be plugged in to work, so having the ability to plug it in across a counter and still reach the far end of your legs is important.
• The unit is not too heavy, and comfortable in the hand. That's important because I find it takes me about 15-20 minutes to go over my legs with it.
• It lasts longer than shaving (which makes a 15-20 minute session okay). I have used it maybe 3-4 times in the last 5 weeks, and the time will get longer between sessions. What happens when you start, if you've been shaving, is that shaving has simply cut all the hairs no matter what stage of growth they are at. With hairs growing quickly when they first appear and more slowly as they age, you end up with stubble that grows at different rates. Since the epilator needs hairs to be long enough to catch in the discs, it takes a while to get all the hairs to be at the same stage. So yes, I still have some stubble from when I was shaving - but less and less each week.
• It is simple to use. It has two speeds, and comes with three different heads (basic, massage & hair-lifting). I've been using the massage head (which has rollers on either side of the disc), and I find the extra sensation of the rollers helps mitigate the minor pain of hairs being yanked out.
  
• It is simple to clean. Really simple. The heads and the disc attachment pop off easily and it comes with a small brush to clean out any little hairs stuck in there. It takes no time at all. You can run the removable parts under water if necessary - I haven't found it necessary to do so, though - a quick brush has been enough to keep it clean.
  
• It has a cute design. I know that's not hugely important, but I like the look of it :)
• It comes with a storage pouch to keep everything together, and it's roomy enough that you're not fighting with the darn thing trying to get it in there.
  

Cons:

• It's a little painful, especially the first time you do it, and in sensitive areas like the back of the knees and thighs. It does get less and less painful, though, as you get used to it and as you begin to be removing younger (finer) hairs. I'm a bit of a wimp (see comment above re sugaring and waxing) and I can handle this.
  
• It's loud. This is not something you'll be doing discreetly. It is louder than my hair dryer. Bzzz!
• It doesn't do bikini or underarm areas (though there is another model that does that). That said, it would hurt like heck to be yanking those hairs out. Those brave women who get bikini waxes might be able to take it, but not me.
  
• It is slower than shaving. But, you don't have to do it every day, you end up with soft, fine hairs coming in rather than prickly stubble, and over time you will need to do it less and less often.
  
• There is the potential for ingrown hairs. This is something I am prone to even with shaving, and I am finding I do get more with this method of hair removal. However, to be fair, I can't be bothered to exfoliate.
• It is awkward around knees & ankles. The size of the head makes it tricky to get into small, concave areas.
• Stubble left from shaving lasts a while. As I mentioned, I've still got stubble 5 weeks in. You really need to be able to stand living with that until it is long enough for the epilator to pull out. Thankfully for me, it's winter and I don't really care that much.
• That long cord is annoying to wind up and store. It's a pain to fold it all up and bind it so that it will fit neatly into the pouch. Maybe not everyone's as bothered as I am if the cord just goes in all tangled, but that drives me nuts, so I'm folding it every time.
  

Other comments:

• It would be nice if it were cordless, or at least had a retractable cord for storage.
• Learn from my experience - all those little hairs go somewhere, and if you use it over the floor that's where you'll find them. Use it in a dry shower stall or a dry bathtub, so you can rinse away hairs after (it is NOT meant for wet use).
  

Overall, I like it much more than I expected to. It means less everyday maintenance, just one 20 minute session every week or two. This is a product that I will definitely keep using (and I am happy to stop buying expensive razor cartridges too!). I think once I get past the remaining stubble on my legs, they will feel a lot smoother than before, even when I have fine hairs starting to come in. They already are smoother than they would be after a shave, because the stubble is reduced greatly. I also think that if I were a little more proactive about exfoliating, the ingrown hairs would not be a problem. Maybe once I'm not pregnant and can reach my legs again that will happen :)

Visit philips.ca to learn more about the new SatinPerfect HP6570 and the rest of the hair removal line.

I was sent several coupons for $10 off your purchase of this product (for Canadian stores only). If you want one, let me know in a comment or email me your mailing address and I'll send one over. They expire on January 31st, so make it snappy :)

I tried this product for free but was not paid for my review.

The Bump at 36 1/2 weeks

I haven't shared a bump photo in ages, so here it is. I'm 36 weeks plus 3 days (or 5 days, depending who you ask!). Pretty close to full term. My husband is convinced she can come any time now. Me, I'm getting a little more apprehensive about the birth.

This morning I was trying to visualize what I would feel like if the contractions started today - and I got pretty excited about the prospect of finally meeting our baby girl.

I am afraid of the pain, afraid of having to get a c-section, and afraid of losing the baby still, but I'm also confident that I can get through it, whatever happens.

She could come any time between now and February 16th... what a window! I think the suspense is the worst part!

Prenatal classes and cloth diapers

We attended prenatal classes this weekend. The educator was Lamaze-based, but the course went way beyond the "breathing" which is what most people think of when they think of Lamaze. That was about 5 minutes out of the two-day course.

During the diapering part of the class, there were a few cloth diapers available for people to try on the baby dolls, but 7 out of the 8 couples went straight for the disposables.

We were that eighth couple.

The instructor gave very little information about the cloth diapers, and I ended up actually giving a demo to some of the couples, and then sharing information about cloth diapering to the whole group for a few minutes. Me, a first time almost-mom who has NO hands on experience with it (though I have done two year's worth of research and feel that I have learned a lot. I can talk knowledgeably about the different types, different materials & absorbencies, various brands, how to do laundry and stain removal.).

Two of the men seemed interested and actually came over to see me demonstrate the different types that were there (they had some fitteds and covers, and AI2's). NONE of the women were remotely interested and several said they didn't consider cloth diapering for a second.

We could see on their faces that they had no interest in the cloth. My husband and I mentioned the environmental benefits, the financial savings, the possibility of using a diaper service if the extra laundry was a turn-off, the reduction in diaper rashes and earlier potty training. That you never need to do a midnight run to the store for diapers - because you've always got them handy.

We talked about how you are supposed to empty poo out of disposables into the toilet, too, so there's really no difference in a diaper change, only instead of the CD's going in the garbage, they go in the wash (everyone seemed shocked that you are supposed to do that with disposables. RTFM, folks). We talked about the chemicals in disposables, and the fact that even though they go in the "Green Bin" (municipal compost bins), the diapers end up separated from the compost stream and head to landfills. We talked about baby knowing when she's wet and letting you know, so you actually change the diaper when it needs to be changed and don't have baby sitting in a chemical soak of urine-saturated gel. Which means you can keep better track of baby's wetting and ensure she's meeting the goals for adequate feeding - and leads to that earlier potty training.

I really found it disappointing that they seemed so closed-minded about the idea. I guess I should have expected it, but the community of bloggers and tweeters that I read and relate to are so pro-cloth diapers - so I guess I've surrounded myself with like-minded people - and it came as a shock that the instant reaction to CD's in this group was "NO" even before they knew anything about them.

Anyway... I don't mean to rant about it, it just made me realize how prevalent the convenience factor is, and how resistant people are to "new" ideas - not that cloth diapering is a new idea, it's just been pushed so hard and fast out of the media in the last, say, 4 decades, by the money that goes into marketing disposables. Even though there are so many pros for cloth and so many cons for disposables. Ugh.

Otherwise, the classes were good - I think we already knew much of the information, though. My husband did a lot of care of his younger siblings in his youth, and I did a heck of a lot of babysitting, and spent one summer as a nanny in my youth/young adulthood. I think I've read about 14 pregnancy/labour/birth/baby care books in the last 8 months. (One of these days I'd like to do a comparison review of the books I read, and talk about which ones were the most helpful and informative, and which were not so great. I've linked to a couple of my favourites in the Amazon widget at the left.)

So, if anyone in the York or Durham Region is looking for prenatal classes, I can recommend one to you (just leave me a comment, I'll email you with the deets). It covered from labour through to aftercare. The instructor was good and even took the time to email me some info outside of class based on a conversation we'd had. It's a good overview of what to expect, if you haven't read a zillion books already :)

Winner - Tropical Traditions Coconut Flakes!

Someone has a lot of coconutty goodness in their future! Random.org picked a last-day entry for the Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flakes...

Which is...Congratulations! I'll email you shortly.

Didn't win this time? Not to worry - I've got lots of good things coming up soon! So stick around :)

Time, just ticking away!

Hey! It's the last day to enter the giveaway for Organic Coconut Flakes! Link is at the top left!

And... It's now officially less than a month to baby's due date. YIKES!

Catching up

My husband and I have spent the week catching up and "recovering" from months apart. I am so glad he's home. We had a quiet Christmas and plan a quiet New Year - perfect.

I confess, I've also been sleeping a lot. The fatigue I experienced in the first trimester has returned for my ninth month in spades. I haven't slept through the night in months, and now the pee breaks are more frequent, I'm too hot, I'm uncomfortable (I long for the day I can sleep on my back or stomach again), and often insomniac too. Ah, the joys of pregnancy. I wouldn't trade it for anything, though. I've been incredibly lucky this time around, passing the tests and not experiencing a lot of the more unpleasant symptoms that can happen. My worst complaint is the discomfort and back pain.

I can hardly believe that in just a few short weeks we'll be meeting our little girl for real. I've spent all these months loving her and feeling her move and hiccup in there, it seems strange to think I haven't really met her yet. I wonder what she looks like, what sort of baby she'll be. I know I will miss the feeling of her moving, it's such a joy. I expect I'll feel empty inside, in a way.

We're nearly ready for her - the nursery needs a few more things, but nothing major. We picked up a stroller on Boxing Day (the Britax B-Ready) and after a problem with the brake not working on the first one we got, the replacement works fine. I need some practice folding and unfolding, though! We have yet to get the car seat, but all we need to do is pick that up from a friend as we're borrowing one (a non-expired, non-crashed one from a very close friend I trust). I haven't packed our hospital bags, but will get on to that soon. We have our big prenatal crash course next weekend, a hospital tour booked, and a prenatal breastfeeding class as well.

Oh, and we need to figure out what to do with the dog when the big day comes... the plan is to labour at home, mostly, head to the hospital for the birth with the midwife, and then come home 3-4 hours after the birth. That's if all goes well. So hopefully it won't be too long away from home. The hospital's only about 10 minutes from home.

Hmm, written out it seems like there is a lot to do yet!

So, I haven't spent much time online or blogging lately. I will have to post a belly photo - tomorrow I'm 35 weeks (amazing, where did the time go??) and I feel big!

All I want for Christmas is...

my husband home safe and for good.

After a six-month stint of working in Calgary, he flies home for the last time tonight. I get to keep him this time!

And now that I am closing in on the 8-months-pregnant mark, I will be even happier to have him around. I'm starting to worry about the baby coming early - four babies have already arrived in my online February birth club, and one more mama is in hospital trying to slow down her baby's impending early arrival.

I am, and am not ready - the nursery is pretty much ready (though she'll sleep in our room for the first few months), I have only finished three of the eight pregnancy books on my bedside table (I know, I know. But I like to be informed!), I am excited and terrified at the same time! I am confident that we can do this, and do it well - but I worry about how the lack of sleep is going to affect our coping ability in the first few months. The birth, I am not as worried about. I may be crazy, but having read so much and feeling good about going with a midwife whom I trust, has made me a little complacent about it.

Cadbury will also be a happier dog when my husband is home. He's gotten even needier than usual over the last few months (which has been really annoying), and that's got to stop - because we're soon going to have another priority over him. He's very well-behaved, but he can be incredibly demanding at times. So I guess I'm hoping for a more laid-back version of Captain C for Christmas, too.

Wishing you a very happy holiday season, and I hope all your Christmas wishes are granted!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flakes - Review & Giveaway!

***This giveaway is closed.***
Winner: Jennifer

I hope you like coconut! Tropical Traditions was kind enough to send me a GIANT bucket of their Organic Coconut Flakes to try out. I'm talking about 2 lbs of fluffy flaked coconut here!The coconut is dessicated, so 2 lbs is a lot! I can't wait to use it in lots of things from curries to cookies and bars. It comes in a 1 gallon pail that I admit I had a little trouble opening. It has a break-off tab, and you peel off a strip, and then bend back the tabs to open. But the tab that you pull the strip with broke off completely... Thanks to sharp scissors and determination, I did get it open. To close it I had to kneel on it! That tells you just how strong the seal is! I am sure that with more openings and closings it will become easier to do. Sometimes you just have to put your back into baking!

This arrived with perfect timing for that last minute holiday baking. But I've done a lot of that - I decided to make Oatmeal Energy Bars. I got the recipe from my Canadian Living Baking Book(which I recommend - lots of great recipes), but you can also find it here, at the Canadian Living website. (Of course, there are loads of recipes on the Tropical Traditions blog too - just search for "coconut flakes"!) And although I was planning for these to be lunch treats for my husband to take to work, they are so pretty and tasty that they're going in the holiday tins, too, cut small into bite-size pieces.Check out that big bucket of gorgeous coconut! I also used Tropical Traditions Organic Thick Rolled Oats in this recipe (you can read my previous review of those here). The coconut smelled wonderful as soon as I got that lid off. It's crispy and fresh-smelling. I like flakes better than shredded, because to me shredded coconut has a sawdusty texture. I'm weird, I know.I didn't have apricots for the recipe, so I substituted raisins. I would have used dates, only someone (okay, it's my husband) doesn't like them. Bah. And slivered almonds? I only had whole. So I whizzed them in my mini food processor to chop them up. You could really substitute anything for the dried fruits and nuts in this bar. I love dried cranberries, so those go in for sure! But you could go for variety by adding anything from desserty options like chocolate chips and mini marshmallows to pepitas and goji berries.

And here's what you do when the recipe calls for a 9x13" pan, but your 9x13" pan is in the fridge, full of a cashew and eggplant casserole - line a bigger pan with parchment paper, fold up an edge to approximate a 9x13"-ish size, and fill the rest of the pan with your pie weights (we use beans). Looks funny, works great.
Look how they turned out! Yum! If you wanted to get fancy, you could drizzle them with melted white chocolate or that "yogurt" coating stuff (aka partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, whey powder, yogurt powder and sugar... not healthy at all).

Tropical Traditions has generously offered one of my readers the chance to try the Organic Coconut Flakes for free!

The giveaway:
A 2 lb pail of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flakes!

How to enter: Head over to Tropical Traditions and let me know one other thing you'd like to try, OR one thing that you learned there. Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each):

• Subscribe via email to the Tropical Traditions newsletter
  
• Follow @troptraditions on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:

  Win ~Organic Coconut Flakes~ from @TropTraditions at Emily's Latest @emilyisland US/CAN http://bit.ly/fCuvqU (Ends 1/6)
  

• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
• Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Tropical Traditions – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
• Let me know what you'll be making first with these if you win!
  

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺ If you already do any of these things, it still counts for entries!

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends January 6th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for Canadian entrants: Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway. (FYI - it's unlikely to have a charge, being well under the $60 that incurs duty charges. There was no extra charge on my shipment, which came to Canada quickly and packaged well.)

I received the product to review, but was not otherwise compensated for this review.

The Easiest Fudge Ever, and No-Sew Tutu tips

Want an impressive, crowd-pleasing treat for the holidays in under 10 minutes? This is it... Great for holiday baking tins, after dinner with coffee, to take to or serve at parties, and so many variations!

Super Easy Microwave Fudge

• 3 cups chocolate chips (any variety - dark or milk chocolate, peanut butter, mint chocolate, white chocolate, go crazy!)
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup of add-ins (mini marshmallows, chopped nuts, candied cherries, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips if using dark or vice versa, crushed candy cane, chopped candy bar, Skor bits, coconut flakes, anything goes!)
• 1 tsp vanilla
  

Combine chips, milk and butter in a microwaveable bowl. Heat 3-5 minutes on 50% power, stirring every minute until chips are melted. Stir in vanilla and add-in ingredient (save some for sprinkling on top if you like!).
Line an 8x8" pan with foil and grease foil (if you forget, don't panic - it's just a little harder to peel off the foil later).
Pour the chocolate mix into the pan and refrigerate until set.

I used chocolate chips and chopped pecans - yum!

Makes 64 1" squares of deliciousness. They look great on a tray with cookies, or in a tin in those little paper candy cups. Some of the options that sound yummy to me:

• white chocolate macadamia nut
• white chocolate cranberry
• milk chocolate Skor
• milk chocolate with peanuts and raisins
  
• dark chocolate cherry
• peanut butter with white chocolate chips
• any chocolate with rice krispies
• mint chocolate chip with marshmallows
• adding a little cinnamon or even hot pepper flakes would make an interesting change

You can divide it into smaller pans and make different batches, too (half chocolate-nut, half chocolate-cherry). So versatile! I love it.

In other news, I did end up making tutus for my nieces, and bought my tricky-to-buy-for eight year old nephew a children's cook book, which he actually seemed pretty excited about (we had the big family Christmas on the weekend).

Here is one of the no-sew tutus I made, generally following instructions I found online. It took about 6 yards of tulle, cut along the bolt fold and cut into 6" strips, per tutu. I used pink elastic at the waist, about 20" long with an inch overlap, sewn (the girls are 3 and 4 years old), and added a ribbon at the waist as well, so that they can tighten it for now and it still has room to flex later. The trick I discovered for tying the tulle is to lay the closed blades of a pair of scissors along the elastic & ribbon combo and tie the tulle around the whole thing. The blades of the scissors easily slide over to the next spot to tie, and it prevents the knot from being too tight around the elastic (if it's too tight, it won't stretch or will stay stretched out).

I will say that this took a lot longer than I had expected - it was not a quick project. I think it would be faster to make a sewn tutu! A little basting and elastic, voila. I guess I will know for next time, if I ever tackle a tutu again. For now, I am so over tulle!

Winners - You! Lingerie

Here come some very lucky winners! The prize is a nursing bra and panty set from the new gorgeous You! Lingerie line. There were 208 eligible entries, and random.org got busy and picked two winners:
and... Congrats, ladies!

For those of you who didn't win this time, don't forget that You! Lingerie is not only comfy and attractive, it's also affordable. I absolutely love my Isis Blue nursing bra, and a bunch of the ladies in my birth club online have already ordered from You! Lingerie and reported back that they also love what they got! If you are considering it, I'd say treat yourself - you won't regret it!

Hang in there!

I will pick winners for the You! Lingerie giveaway on Monday! This weekend is the family Christmas with the in-laws, so it's kind of chaotic around here :)

I also have a review and giveaway coming up next week for Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flakes (yum!), and that recipe for super easy microwave fudge on the way (seriously, it takes under 10 minutes).

Sibu Beauty Coupon Code!

Just in time for your after-Christmas shopping (in case you don't get everything you wanted!), Sibu Beauty is offering a coupon code for 25% off your skin care shopping online between December 26th, 2010 and January 3rd, 2011!

You may recall my review of Sibu Beauty products here.

In case you can't read the fine print, the code is BLOGHAPPY, and it's valid for orders up to $300 and packages are not included.

Have fun shopping!

Heads up - Hi-Tec is coming!

Remember how I posted about the awesome boots I was trying to win on Hi-Tec's Facebook page - and then I actually won (with your help! You guys rock!)?

Those boots came today (how fast!) and they. Are. Amazing. I love them! These are the Snowdonia boots from Hi-Tec...So full of awesomeness. Anyway, the point of this (besides giddy raving about a. winning and b. how much I love them) is that I wanted to let you know that next month I'll be working with Hi-Tec on a review and giveaway! I know you're as excited as I am now!

If you don't know Hi-Tec, they're all about quality outdoor gear from footwear to their new apparel line. I'm crushing on their parkas... More about this stuff later.

Meanwhile, there are still days left of daily giveaways on their Facebook page that you can go enter. And stay tuned for the Hi-Tec goodness that is coming right here :)

Night light

We need a little night light - so that nighttime nursing is easier. Baby will be sleeping in a bassinet in our room for the first bit, and I am hoping that the middle of the night feedings won't disturb my husband's sleep too much. I'd also like to be able to see, but not with a bright light that will be more of an awakening than either baby or I need.

Features that I'd like -

- relatively dim
- small, perhaps portable
- something I can easily and quietly turn off and on

I don't want the kind that plugs into the wall and stays on all night - just something small that can sit on my night stand or on the table beside the glider. My bedside table light is quite bright for reading and has a fairly loud, clicky switch on it. We have a Cloud B Twilight Turtle for falling asleep lighting in the nursery, which is very cool but not ideal for this purpose.

I have read that a red light actually doesn't trigger a light response in the brain, so that it's easier to maintain that half-asleep feeling and get back to bed without a full awakening.

I got all excited when I saw this:
Which is kind of perfect, no? Cute, but not branded, not too icky-sweet, and not girly. Fun, bright colours. Fairly small, touch to turn on. The only thing I don't love is that it's battery-operated, but I'm not sure what I would really expect as I do want something portable (a charging base, maybe?). The light is in the white 'stem' of the mushroom, so it's not really red (and hopefully isn't too bright).

I just bid on one on eBay :) Let you know how it goes! Even if it's horrible... well, it's only 1 cent plus $2.62 shipping!

A start on holiday baking

I've started making the treats for my holiday tins -

kind of a lousy photo, sorry!

Chocolate dipped pretzels - two kinds. These are super easy to do, and fun. I think next time I would use pretzel twists, I was thinking rods would be easier (and they probably were) but they are not quite as pretty.

Just melt 1/2 cup of chocolate in the microwave at 50% power for 3-5 minutes, stirring every minute, dip the pretzels, lay on waxed paper, and sprinkle. I used Belgian milk chocolate sprinkled with Skor bits for half, and dark chocolate-mint (mint-flavoured chocolate chips make that super easy) with sprinkles for the other half. If I were really fancy I would have drizzled with white chocolate - but I'm not.

Thumbprint cookies from the Canadian Living Baking book - made with brown sugar instead of white, and rolled in chopped pecans. For the filling, I did half the batch with Crofter's Europe Superfruit (pomegranates and black currants blended with red grapes and morello cherries), which wasn't as pretty as I'd hoped - the filling went really dark after baking, and the jam is so thick that it didn't spread out at all (they do taste great, though!). The ones that you can see in the picture are the other half batch, for which I used homemade strawberry-mango jam, and I think they were more successful. These were a bit of work for only three dozen cookies, but they are so pretty and delicious. You can also top them with chocolate chunks or Hershey's kisses - I was thinking how pretty and festive white chocolate or yogourt with a dried cranberry in the center would be, too. Lots of options!

The cookies go in the freezer for a few days until I am ready to make up the tins, to keep their freshness. The chocolate dipped pretzels can hang out at room temperature (freezing or refrigerating would make the chocolate "bloom").

Still to come - shortbread, ginger cookies, and super easy microwave fudge. I'll share that fudge recipe with you, too - it's so simple with great results.

Christmas and the Gift Dilemma

The thing with Christmas when you're all grown up is that you pretty much have what you need. And generally, you have what you want, too - at least, the people I know are the kind whose reaction to "want" is "go get". I can't seem to convince anyone to stop buying things they want for themselves in October so that they have a decent wish list by December!

Boy, does that make gift giving difficult.

Even the kids in the family are hard to give to. My nieces and nephew have wish lists, and two of the three (8, 5 and 3 years old) are asking for gift cards. Is that awful, or is it just me?

The last thing I want to give any of them is a gift card. Hey, let's teach them to be consumers and that plastic cards are the ticket to getting anything you want for free! Yeah. Great idea. These are the credit junkies of our future.

I was thinking of making the girls tutus (they like to dress up), but I've no idea what to get the 8-year-old boy. All he seems to do is play on one of those handheld video game consoles (for which he has all the accessories he could possibly want).

Hey! If you're a grown-up friend or family member of mine, better stop reading now!
I mean it!

I am giving mostly practical gifts this year. Things that I know people have worn-out versions of that need replacing. Things that will save my loved ones time doing un-fun chores. Sounds boring, I guess. Maybe it won't be the kind of delight that bursts out of the wrapping, but I hope that each time they use the gift they will find it makes their life easier or better in some way.

The other gift I am giving is treats from the kitchen - I really enjoy baking, and I know most people enjoy homemade goodies, but not everyone has the time (or inclination) to make them. So I'm going to whip up some batches and put them in holiday tins. These are such great neighbour gifts, and lovely to bring as hostess gifts. Some years I do preserves (apple cider or wine jelly is super easy to make, and always impressive), but not this year.

And the last thing I am going to say is that going shopping on a Saturday two weeks before Christmas, especially when you're 32 weeks pregnant, is absolute madness. Common sense, right? So where was my common sense this morning?! My feet are killing me and I can now say I have used every public washroom in the mall, as well as one at a grocery store (even though the lock was broken) on the way home. Desperate times...

A little help?

Thank you to those of you who helped me by liking my video! I ended up winning - amazing!

Hi-Tec USA has 8 more days of giveaways on their Facebook page, open to Canada and the US - worth a "like" of their page for sure! They make really nice outdoorsy/sporty hiking boots and outerwear for the whole family.

Shady Lady Review

When I was contacted to do a review for Shady Lady (aka YourCheapSunglasses.com), I was thrilled! They have replicas of designer sunglasses for amazingly low prices.

I have bought expensive sunglasses and cheap ones, and quickly discovered that they are equally easy to lose - and just as easy to scratch up if you're clumsy like me. So why spend massive amounts of money when you can get the same look for way less? You can be happily on trend without breaking the bank. I tried out the replica Christian Dior sunglasses (above) which are priced at $14.99 (USD)! My husband's comment was, "They're big!" Captain Obvious is awesome at compliments, no? What do you think? I don't think they're too huge, myself.

Sorry about the mums-at-the-end-of-blooming in the background. They were pretty once!

I like them. They're very comfortable and lightweight, and they do block out a lot of the brightness (especially since the snow has hit Ontario!). No more squinting for me!

They have replicas of many of the big designer brands, like Ed Hardy, Baby Phat, Coach, Gucci, Juicy Couture, Ray Ban and Nike, just to name a few.

I quite like these Ed Hardy replicas with the koi on them (though honestly I don't think I could pull them off). The classic Ray Ban aviator replicas are pretty sweet, too. There's lots of variety!

I also found that the packaging the sunglasses were sent in was great. They came in a strong mailing tube, wrapped in bubble wrap inside - quite safe from crushing or breaking. It would also be easy to wrap for Christmas!

Originally they had planned to offer a giveaway for my readers, but I've been having a lot of trouble getting hold of my contact there to arrange it. I will follow up for a fourth time and see what I can do in that direction.

In the meantime, they did provide a coupon code for you that gives you 25% off their already low prices (so you could score a pair for $11.25!) - um, stocking stuffers, anyone? Just use the code AGXUV8JB at checkout when you order.

Disclosure: YourCheapSunglasses.com provided me with a pair of sunglasses to review, but I was not paid or otherwise compensated for this review.

Winner - Tropical Traditions Organic Oats!

We have a winner for the 5lb bag of Organic Whole Grain Thick Rolled Oats! These will be great for that holiday baking or just for everyday use! Visit Tropical Traditions for these and more great natural products.

Random.org picked:which is...Congratulations!

In other news, I made these recently for the baby with some scrap fabric, ribbon, and flowers from an old lei that I had hanging around. (I knew it would come in handy for something!) :)Taggy blocks! Super easy (I just made them up)... 6 squares of fabric for each, each block is 1/2" smaller than the last. Bits of ribbon in the seams, flowers sewn on before sewing the squares together, stuffed with polyfil. One thing to watch with ribbon - make sure that tags are wider than long, so little fingers don't get tangled.

You! Lingerie - Review and Giveaway!!!

***This giveaway is closed.***
Winners: Amanda & Luvin My Lil Monkeys!

You! Lingerie is pretty much brand spankin' new on the nursing lingerie scene. They launched their beautiful line just a few weeks ago and are already seeing an amazing response, with retailers lining up to sell and customers lining up to buy!

Here's why - these are quality products at a reasonable price. What's that?! A reasonable price for nursing bras? It's practically unheard of. And they're really nice, too - not your boring beige, black or white, but vivid colours and prints, with lace and bows - not overly frilly, but with some real pizazz. I love seeing products that make being a mama sexy and these definitely fall into that category.

I got to try out the Isis Blue nursing bra. The bra came packaged in an air-filled bag, which protected it from crushing but is still quite minimal packaging. You may recall that I take issue with a lot of maternity & nursing bras. Part of the problem is the sizing, part is the underwires, part is the uglies and part is the insane pricing of nice-looking bras. You! Lingerie addresses all of these issues. Their sizing chart and measuring instructions are quite easy to follow. The bras are supportive, but underwire free - which makes sense, as underwires can lead to clogged milk ducts and infection! They're pretty and affordable.

Not only that, they are functional. The signature hot pink clips (love) are easy to open one-handed. The lightly lined cups provide modesty without bulk. The straps are wide for comfort, and there is a triple hook at the back with four size settings, meaning a comfortable band (no digging in at the sides) and adjustability for fluctuating sizes during pregnancy and nursing. I found mine to be very supportive - now, I'm not super-sized in the boob department, but I am used to wearing underwires and I totally didn't miss the wire at all.

Here's the bra itself - gorgeous colour, love the hot pink lining, clips and bows! I also appreciate that while there is lace on there for style (at the sides it is backed by hot pink, it looks so pretty), it is situated so that it does not create a lumpy profile. The seamless cups are great, too. I really hate that lumpy look that some bras have under a t-shirt! You can see in the picture that the left side is a little crumpled from being packed with one cup inside out (this is fresh out of the bag). Not to worry - the cup reverted to a perfectly smooth shape very quickly!When you see the pretty lingerie models on the website, you might wonder how the bra looks on a real person. I know I always do - they're so perfectly proportioned and I always wonder about Photoshop hiding the flaws of a product. (Skeptical much?!) So here are a couple of photos of the bra in 'action' on a real person. Bear in mind I'm seven months pregnant, and definitely no professional lingerie model! Be easy on me :) I wanted to show the great fit, how supportive the cups are (there's lift going on here!) and how the bra is smooth under a knit top.
Each of the bras has a matching panty as well. There are currently seven designs available, and you can buy them online at You! Lingerie as well as at select retailers. If you are in the market for a new maternity or nursing bra, or if you want to jazz up your lingerie selection, without breaking the bank, I can happily recommend You! Lingerie. You can also pick up a gift certificate on their site if you are looking to impress a mama or mama-to-be for Christmas!

Here's the best part for you:

You! Lingerie has very generously offered TWO of my readers the chance to try a nursing bra and panty set for free! Who's ready to get lucky!?

The giveaway:
Two winners will each receive a You! Lingerie bra and panty set of their choice (subject to availability).

How to enter: This is a two step entry, so make sure you follow the steps to qualify! Put both of these in ONE COMMENT. This is the mandatory entry - do this first to qualify for bonus entries! Head over to You! Lingerie and
(1) select your favourite product (paste the link in your comment) and tell me why you chose it
(2) suggest a new product or fabric that you would love to see added to the You! Lingerie line (examples - new colour/pattern, other types of lingerie).
Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Bonus entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

• Sign up for the You! Lingerie newsletter
• "Like" the You! Lingerie Facebook page (leave your first name and initial for verification)
• Make a purchase from the You! Lingerie online shop, and tell me what you bought! (2 entries)
• Follow @YouLingerie on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
• Write a unique tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! Include @emilyisland, @YouLingerie and #bfcafe. Leave me the link to your tweet!
  
• Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
• Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends December 16th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn the next day, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for Canadian entrants: You! Lingerie is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this You! Lingerie sponsored blog giveaway. (FYI - it's unlikely to have a charge, being under the $60 that incurs duty charges. There was no extra charge on my shipment, which came to Canada quickly and packaged well.)

Disclosure: You! Lingerie provided me with a bra to review, but I was not paid or otherwise compensated for this review.

Promises, promises...

I know, I said the You! Lingerie review and giveaway would start today. It's written and ready to go, I'm just waiting on a link! So stick around, it's coming. I promise.
And, just to tease you a little more: it's REALLY good!

This weekend my best friend is hosting a baby shower for me! Isn't that sweet? I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone - most of whom haven't seen my bump in months (and it is certainly bumpy by now. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and there's no doubt about it). We actually have loads of stuff for the baby already (blame my little giveaway habit), so I'm sure buying a shower gift gave people some trouble. I hope that nobody went overboard - the only thing I really want is to share a celebration of our baby with them!

So I'm baking a lemon loaf (a favourite at our house, my husband will be so disappointed it's not for him), and a batch of Vanilla Chai Cupcakes - I found the recipe for those over at Bakingdom and I can't wait to try it. Lots of yummy goodness!

Other than that, not much is new. I have plans to make a dust ruffle for the crib to (sort of) match the glider. I'd bought one on eBay, and decided it doesn't work for me. So time to whip up one that I'll actually like. "Whip up" as in, it'll probably take me 3 hours. 'Cause I am slow like that and I'm just winging it. Hope it turns out!