We’ve been so busy preparing for Canada Day that we’ve barely had time to keep up with our blog!  We couldn’t leave our readers hanging though, so here’s a blog from the past which should make your summer camping experience a little easier.

Camping is a great way to spend some quality time outdoors during the few Canadian summer months and if you can endure the bugs, there are a lot of activities, such as hiking and swimming, to keep everyone entertained and happy.  But one thing to seriously consider before heading to your camp site is what type of food to bring with you and how you’ll be storing it. Here are some handy tips to take some of the guess work out of it.

1.       PREPARE A MENU FOR YOUR TRIP

If you’re planning an overnight camping trip, you’ll still need to be careful of what foods to pack but less concerned than if you’re camping out for the week.  Planning a menu is a great way to make sure you have all the supplies you need.

Frozen meats such as chicken, are suggested.  Because they need time to thaw, they’ll stay cold for longer than fresh meat.  Pack a separate cooler specifically for your meats to avoid cross-contamination.  Consider marinating meat before freezing it; this way all you’ll have to do is thaw and cook it. Once thawed, meat should be consumed within two days, but most importantly, when cooking meat, make sure you have a food thermometer handy that way you’ll know when meat is properly cooked through. (You’ll find this information under “More Tips”)

Whole grain breads, such as bagels are great for breakfast.  Bring them frozen and let them thaw.  They’ll last longer this way.

Peanut butter is a great topper for bagels or other whole grain breads and is also a good source of protein.

Whole grain pastas can be boiled in a pot over an open fire with the proper camping cookware.  Add in tomato sauce, herbs and seasonings for a very simple dish that will please the kids, or add sundried tomatoes, garlic, herbs, seasonings and a splash of olive oil for a simple yet flavourful meal.

Sweet potatoes can be baked in foil and have plenty of flavour just on their own.  They are also packed with antioxidants!

Canned beans such as chick peas, red kidney beans and black beans can be heavier to carry but make great bean salads.  Because they are high in fiber, they’ll fill you up and you’ll probably have some leftovers.  Toss in a can of tuna, chicken or salmon for some extra protein!

Condiments such as oils, different types of vinegars, salt, pepper, dried herbs and spices are a great way to make marinades for your meats or a super tasty dressing for that bean salad!  You may want to consider some lemons, limes or oranges too!  Use the juice and zests to add some zing!

Granola and trail mix make a great snack!

Powdered Milkis a great option.  You can make as much as you need to last you one meal.  Your kids can also enjoy their favourite cereal for breakfast.

PLENTY of water!!! Keep any drinks in a separate cooler.  You’ll often be grabbing drinks from this cooler letting warm air into it, so avoid storing foods in the same cooler as your drinks. Remember, you are camping and therefore sharing the great outdoors with Canadian wildlife, so if you’ll be away from your camp site for a while, find a safe place to hide your food.  After all, you didn’t do all that meal planning to feed the raccoons and bears!

2.       KEEP THINGS COOL

Bring two coolers - Keep all foods in tightly sealed containers and separate meats and drinks into their own coolers to prevent any cross contamination.

More tips: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency offers some great tips on preventing food borne illness while camping, including a list of internal cooking temperatures.  Check out their handy tips here.

Find us under “Canadian Chicken”on Facebook, “like” us and you’ll be entered to win an iPad2 – it’s as easy as that.  That won’t be all, though – we’ll have lots of great contests throughout the year – so join in on the fun!

You have until July 1^st to go for the iPad prize, so enter today and get the word out! So far we are up to 801 “Likes”!

Also, if you are in Ontario and you’re a fellow Tweeter, tune into Hot 89.9 every weekday at 2:35 p.m. Ottawa time. Host Kenny B will share an actual Tweet from one of today’s hottest stars and he’ll give three celebrity names.  The first called to correctly guess “Who Tweeted?” will be entered into a draw to win an iPod Touch, courtesy of Chicken Farmers of Canada!  There will be one more draw, this Thursday, June 30^th – so, time’s running out!

Thank you to all of our new Facebook friends and Twitter followers and good luck!

On June 6, 2011, some of our staff volunteered their appetites to choose the winning sandwich to be served to thousands of Canadians at our annual Great Canadian Chicken BBQ on Canada Day.

Here’s how it went down and here’s the recipe for the winning sandwich.

The Royal Gala was top choice but the Coronation sandwich was also absolutely delicious, which made the judging process very difficult.  Just because we’re not serving this other tasty sandwich on Canada Day doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try, so here’s the recipe for all to enjoy!

The Coronation Sandwich

Marinade:

• ½ Cup of Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp of Tarragon
• ½ tsp of Grainy Mustard
• 1/3 Cup of Peach & Orange Puree
• ¼ cup of Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp of Salt, Black Pepper

Sauce:

• 1 Cup of Mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp of Horseradish

• 6-5oz Breast of Chicken
• 1 Head of Romaine or Green Leafy Lettuce
• 6 Sesame Buns
• Thinly Sliced Dill Pickles

1. Add all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Place all the chicken breasts in marinade cover and let sit in refrigerator for 8 hours.
3. Remove as much of the marinade from chicken as possible. (This will help reduce the flare-up smoke)
4. Grill the chicken breasts on each side for 3 to 4 minutes or until the internaltemperature reaches 165 ˚C.
5. Mix the mayonnaise and horseradish in a small bowl.
6. Spread a dollop of sauce on each side of the bun.
7. Place chicken breast lettuce and pickles on bun.

Tearing your hair out because your kids won’t eat your healthy food choices? Sometimes the solution is simple, but unexpected. One mom told me if the fruit is too big, her daughter doesn’t like it. She now buys the tiniest apples she can find and they disappear like magic.

Other parents tell me their kids give fruit the cold shoulder when it’s in the fridge but devour room temperature fruit. Try filling a bowl with grapes, bananas, tangerines and apples and keep it in plain sight on the counter or table.

Younger kids love to play with food, so serving snacks that allow them to play will ensure they get eaten.

• Dipping is good! Chunks or slices of fruit can be dunked in yoghurt; celery, peppers, carrots or cucumber (or be adventurous and try turnip) in any low fat dip are sure to please.
• Be an artist! Spread mini pitas or rice cakes with low fat cream cheese or peanut butter and then make a face with nuts or raisins.
• Kabobs are cool! Use cubes of cheese, chunks of cooked chicken or grapes on pretzel sticks. Fun to make and watch them disappear!
• Give them their own container of spread for whole grain crackers and banana chunks. Experiment with hummus, red pepper dip and low fat cream cheese.
• Offer a dull knife (those fancy dip spreaders are perfect) and let them cut a banana themselves.

As caretakers of our kids we often think we have to do it all for them. This is not the case!  Most kids like to put their own sandwiches and snacks together – that’s probably the appeal of those pre-made lunch kits kids seem to crave. Here’s how to recreate a lunch kit at home:

• Make a sandwich assembly line with bowls of shredded lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions etc and let them load up whole wheat buns or pita pockets.
• Send them to school with a nifty ‘Bento Box’ style sectioned lunch kit filled with a variety of foods where they can put the pieces together themselves.

Until next time, keep well,

Judy Foodie (Judy Scott Welden)

It came – with a vengeance.  Baby was sitting there, quietly eating his dinner (that should have been my first clue), and blam – projectile vomiting. Okay, I thought, it must have been something he ate.  We’ll take it easy for the rest of the day and see what’s what.   Nope.  He was sick several more times.   We did all the right things, fluids, showers, laundry, you name it. The next morning was a little better.  After negotiating with my husband, I went into work in the morning, he went in the afternoon – we traded off taking care of Little Man, since he obviously couldn’t go to daycare.  When I got there, he seemed a little better, so we went for a little walk and played quietly later in his room. 

Then, the phone rang.  “I’m sick,” came the sound of my husband’s strained voice, “I’ve got what the baby has, and worse. I’m coming home.” Worried that I was going to have to spend the next few days taking care of two sickies (and quietly boasting to myself about my super strong immune system), I got ready for the evening routine, bath, cuddle, bed – twice – once for each patient.

Suddenly, I felt like I was spinning.  Then, it hit me too. The three of us were sick – so very, very sick.  What a disaster.  You always hope that these things will space themselves out – but no luck in our case.  I’ve learned that it takes a special kind of strength that you pull from heaven-knows-where, to take care of a sick child while you yourself are feeling like death.  It wasn’t even a question – he came first.  My husband, on the other hand (and God bless him for it), was on his own.

We dragged ourselves to the doctor’s office the next day and were confirmed as having a Norwalk-type (if not Norwalk itself) virus. 

Short version:  Hubby and I got over it more quickly than Little Man – who was sick for nine agonizing days. Our place felt like a bio-hazard for a while there.  Several trips to both doctors and hospitals – even playing the Grandma card. She made the drive with no complaints.

Anyway, once we started to feel a little better, and could keep something down, the adults craved Pho – Vietnames rice noodle soup, with Vietnamese basil, lime and bean sprouts.  After the baby started feeling better, we indulged – he was able to enjoy it as much as we did.

I confess, we ordered out – but, had I felt a little better, I would have made my own.  In fact, for many days, while weakly clinging onto the walls as I walked, I imagined having the strength to make my recipe.

I would have put the following together:

Wrapped in some cheesecloth and tied off with a string – or in a tea diffuser

• 4 slices of ginger
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, smashed
• 2 tsp lemon rind, grated
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 cloves allspice

In the Soup

• 3 tbsp lime juice
• ½ onion, pulverized in the food processor
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cooked chicken breast
• 3-4 cups cooked rice noodles
• 3 green onions, chopped

• Garnishes
• 1 lime, quartered
• Bean sprouts
• Fresh coriander
• Basil
• Hot sauce
• Hoisin sauce

Boil everything but the chicken and the noodles – including the spice bag – for about 5 minutes. Discard spice bag.

Slice chicken really thin.  Add to the boiling mix.  Add noodles to the mix and give it a minute or two. Serve with garnishes, so everyone can make theirs to taste.

Chicken noodle soup helps everything!

We’re all better now.  Thinking about getting my Pho stock ready for the next time and keeping it in the freezer.

For father’s day this year, skip buying Dad yet another tie and give him a gift he really wants like a good man meal!

Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you can always turn chicken into a great meal for Dad by cooking it up on the BBQ with flavourful sauces or marinades.

I’ve made this a no brainer by creating three different menus for you to choose from.

BREAKFAST – this recipe doesn’t use a BBQ but it takes a traditional breakfast sandwich and kicks it up a notch by adding chicken and vegetables like red peppers and mushrooms.  Yum!

• Chicken and Cheese breakfast muffins
• Hash brown potatoes
• Orange juice

LUNCH – Make sure you tell Dad that this sandwich uses beer in the marinade.  That should make him happy!

• Dad’s favourite chicken sandwich
• Garden salad with Dad’s favourite dressing
• Cold beer

DINNER – wings, wings and more wings! 

• Tandoori chicken wings
• Balsamic honey chicken wings
• Curried rum chicken wings
• Mixed green salad with Dad’s favourite dressing
• Cold beer

Happy Father’s Day to all you great Dads out there!

Just because you have tiny tots doesn’t mean you have to stop dining out. In fact, it’s important to teach table manners, appropriate restaurant behaviour and the ability to sit patiently to young children. Plan ahead. Do some homework ahead of time to find restaurants you know will have something on the menu that’s healthy and appeals to the whole family.

• Simple is often best when ordering for young ones, and a side dish of steamed vegetables can be the perfect order for toddlers.
• A plain baked potato or sweet potato mashed at the table is a great dinner with a bit of your chicken added to your kid’s plate.
• Restaurants with salad bars can be a good choice, as everyone can load up on their favourite veggies.
• Stir fries or pasta where you get to pick the add-ins are often good ways to find pre-schooler approved ingredients.
• Avoid the ‘kids menu’. It is usually full of high fat, high sodium selections with few vegetables or fruits. Instead, order from the adult menu and ask for a smaller portion, or ask for an extra plate and share your meal.
• Keep it healthy. Try ordering low fat salad, pasta with marinara sauce, chicken, baked fish, soup or a potato.
• Share a menu item with your child.
• Don’t be afraid to try something new. My friend’s daughter in Grade 2 LOVES sushi - you don’t always have to limit toddlers to typical kids’ menus. Lots of kids enjoy the adventure of trying something different.
• Keep your kids busy – a dietician friend recommends asking for carrot sticks and dip right away while you wait for the main meal to arrive.
• If you do opt for fast food, try to stick with a plain hamburger, fruit, milk and a salad.
• Encourage kids to order fat free milk, plain water or make your own ‘soda’ by mixing equal parts fruit juice and sparkling water.

Until next time, keep well,

Judy Foodie (Judy Scott Welden)

Today we are featuring one of CFC’s staff members, Eric Braff.  Eric is not only our expert Market Analyst here at CFC but an avid hockey player who puts much effort into keeping fit for the love of the sport. 

1.     At what age did you start playing hockey?

I started playing hockey at age 5. Growing up in Cole Harbour, NS we would play street hockey every day after school no matter what. It was almost like I was forced to play because everyone else played.

2.     How did you get into hockey?

My career took me from minor hockey in Cumberland, to Kingston in the OHL, to St. Francis Xavier University in the CIS, to Pensacola, Florida in the ECHL, then to four years in Europe (between London, Eng and Italy). I also tried out in the NHL for the LA Kings!  Currently I just play (twice a week) in the recreational leagues around Ottawa.   

3.     Which foods do you fuel up on before a game?

As a professional on every game day, I would start with a bowl of cereal around 9am, 3 scrambled eggs and toast around 11am, my main meal around 1:30pm would be some sort of pasta and chicken. (I would usually cut up a boneless skinless breast and mix it in with my pasta). Then I would take a nap from 230-4pm. At 4pm I would have a yogurt and an apple then head to the arena at 5pm. Game time is 7pm and I would eat a banana before warm up and then another banana after the second the period. That was my routine that never changed for the last 5 years of my career!!   

4.     Do you enjoy a cold pint and a few chicken wings with your teammates after a game?

After the game would vary, in Italy it would be pizza and a beer. But nowadays in the recreational league, I enjoy chicken wings and beer, before and after a game!

If you follow our blog then you already know that on Monday, June 6, we announced what tasty chicken sandwich we’ll be serving up on Canada Day and as promised, here’s the recipe for the Royal Gala Chicken Sandwich.

Marinade:

• ½ cup of Vegetable Oil
• ¼ cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
• ¼ cup of Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbs of Fresh Minced Mint
• ¼ tsp of Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp of Nutmeg
• 3Tbs of Organic Honey

Sauce:

• Equal portions of Royal Gala Apple Puree
• Hellman’s Mayonnaise
• Mix together Apple Puree & Mayonnaise until well blended
• 6-5oz Breast of Chicken
• Sesame Buns
• Romaine Lettuce
• Sliced Cheddar Cheese

1. Marinate Chicken Breast overnight in the fridge.
2. Remove from marinade, Grill on BBQ until cooked thru.
3. Place in Sesame Bun Top with Cheddar Cheese, Apple infused Mayonnaise, and Lettuce.

Don’t forget to join us for the Great Canadian Chicken BBQ at Major’s Hill Park on July 1^st where we’ll be serving up this tasty sandwich starting at 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or until supplies last!

Hey folks – Quick, shameless plug!

We’re having a contest!  Are you on Facebook?  Look us up at Canadian Chicken!  If you “like” us, we’ll put you in the running to win an iPad 2!  It’s that simple – you only have until July 1^st, though!  Tell your friends!

Also... Who Tweeted?

Live in Ottawa?  Like listening to Ottawa radio from wherever you are?  Tune into Hot 89.9 every weekday at 2:35 p.m. Ottawa time! Kenny B will share an actual Tweet from one of today’s hottest stars and he’ll give three celebrity names.  The first called to correctly guess “Who Tweeted?” will be entered into a draw to win an iPod Touch, courtesy of Chicken Farmers of Canada!  There are four draws for each week in June, so tune in today!

Last weekend I made a marinade for two large chicken breasts which I grilled on the BBQ.  They were delicious!  I didn’t use a recipe, I just used what I had on hand and the chicken turned out so moist and flavourful.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup lemon juice
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 11/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients together in a plastic container or a large sealable freezer bag.
2. Pierce holes in raw chicken with a fork and place in marinade.
3. Marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.  The longer the better just don’t exceed 24 hours because the acid can start cooking the meat.
4. Heat BBQ to Medium heat until the grill is nice and hot. Place chicken directly on rack and let it sear on both sides (6-7 minutes per side).  Cook chicken until it reaches and internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

Note - This is also a perfect marinade for making delicious shish kebabs!  Just make sure to cube the chicken before placing it into the marinade for the full flavour effect.

Check out our tutorial on how to marinate chicken.

It’s a CFC Canada Day tradition!  Every year we sponsor a BBQ on Major’s Hill Park where we serve up thousands of tasty chicken sandwiches and chicken Caesar salads to satisfy the appetites of the patriotic crowds. This will be CFC’s 19^th year sponsoring The Great Canadian Chicken BBQ and it’s going to be an exciting one because not only will we be celebrating the birth of this amazing country, we’ll be celebrating it with hundreds of thousands of people who will swarm Ottawa’s downtown core to catch a glimpse of the visiting royal couple, William and Kate.

This brings me to the sandwich we’ll be serving on July 1st. With the help of the talented chefs at the Centurion Conference and Event Centre, who created the sandwich and with a few very hungry CFC staff volunteers who sampled the sandwich, we all agreed that the Royal Gala apple was the perfect way to add a little royal twist. 

Here are a few comments from the very hungry CFC staff:

“This is a classic chicken sandwich” – Eric Braff

“I like the apple and cheddar flavour because it’s not too strong” – Stephanie Turple

“Very good sandwich and I like the apple and cheddar flavours” – Elyse Ferland (that’s me!)

“A good classic chicken sandwich” – Lisa Riopelle

Here’s how it’s made:

It starts with a thick chicken breast that is marinated in a mixture of vegetable oil, dry mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper and then grilled to perfection.   Then a soft sesame bun is sliced in two and smothered in a royal gala apple mayo and a slice of cheddar cheese.  Put them all together and that’s the Royal Gala sandwich.

The sandwiches were devoured in about two seconds flat so I can honestly say that if you come join us at the Chicken Corner at Major’s Hill Park on July 1^st you will not be disappointed.  The event gets rolling at 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or until supplies last.

Stay tuned, because in the next few days I’ll be sharing the complete Royal Gala sandwich recipe for you to try at home.

It’s been a muggy week, not that I’m complaining because this is what we Canadians have been waiting for.  Summer is finally here!  I usually take advantage of this superb weather to fire up the BBQ but when it’s too hot and humid, I avoid the BBQ as well as my oven.

So here’s what I’m whipping up for dinner tonight.  I’m making a fresh Pico de Gallo which I will serve with diced breast from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and whole grain tortilla chips.  I’ll serve the chicken on one plate the tortillas will go into a bowl and the Pico de Gallo will also have its own bowl.  I’ll have a bottle of my favourite hot sauce just in case I need a little extra zing!

Pico De Gallo:

• 5 ripe red tomatoes, diced (I prefer to use plum tomatoes)
• 1 cup sweet onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (or to taste)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (if you don’t like cilantro, use flat leaf parsley)
• Juice of 1 small lime
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

You can also add 1 tablespoon of olive oil if you like a saucier consistency.  I leave it out because I like to experience the real freshness of the vegetables.

Mix all of the ingredients together in a glass or plastic bowl.

Place desired amount of chicken on your favourite tortilla chip and top with Pico de Gallo.  Add a small splash of hot sauce if you like the extra kick.

Me again!  My pantry contents are really starting to whittle away, which is great, because I’ve managed to save a ton on grocery bills over the past few weeks.  As a result, over the weekend, I was inspired to make healthy pasta salad! 

What I already had:

Cooked diced chicken breasts, whole wheat rotini pasta, sun dried tomatoes in oil, Kalamata olives (left over from a birthday get together a few days earlier), Feta cheese, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, Dijon mustard, garlic, pinch of paprika, salt, pepper.

What I bought:

Yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper and green onions.

What I used:

2 cups cooked diced chicken

2 cups cooked whole wheat rotini pasta

 4 sundried tomatoes, removed from oil and thinly sliced

¼ cup of Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

¼ cup of crumbled Feta cheese

1 cup of mixed yellow and red peppers, finely sliced

½ cup diced green onions

Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp paprika

2 cloves garlic

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Let it come to room temperature before adding the other ingredients.
2. In the meantime, mix together the dressing ingredients.  I like to do this by placing them in a jar or a tightly sealed plastic container and shaking it vigorously until it forms into a smooth creamy texture.
3. Once the pasta is cooled, add the rest of the ingredients and then toss it with the dressing.

For a lighter version of this recipe, you can add some of your favourite leafy greens.

Enjoy!