My kids may be well past the napping stage, but until we send them off with a suitcase and a bus ticket on their 18th birthdays, I’ll be relishing those pockets of time when they’re busy doing something on their own so I can get things done. Like get supper on the table. (Preferably something everyone will like.) Enter my new go-to:ย The I Heart Naptime Cookbook: More Than 100 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Make in Less Than One Hour by Jamielyn Nye. It just came out this week but I received an advance copy to try and every recipe I’ve made has been such a hit! I think you’re going to love it.ย
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, snacks and desserts are all covered, along with a handful of adorable kitchen-y crafts like DIY napkins, plates and half aprons you can whip up in 20 minutes or less (no sewing machine required).
My kids were playing outside with the neighbours when I made the roasted balsamic carrots but the recipe was so easy they could have made it themselves. (Save for putting them in the oven and taking them out ย — I’m not ready for that yet.) And when I brought the plate into the backyard to shoot for this post, everyone clamoured around it like they would a fresh batch of cookies. I didn’t expect that kind of draw (it was crazy!) but the kids needed no encouragement — they devoured them like candy and two asked for seconds.
We like the baked chicken taquitos so much that I made them two nights in a row, stretching one rotisserie chicken to feed five of us twice. (It was like the loaves and the fishes!) And ready in 35 minutes, start to finish. I didn’t let the cream cheese come to room temperature before I started mixing the filling so it was a little clumpy in parts but no biggie.
My mom was visiting for the weekend and I wanted to treat her to something special, and the bakery-style raspberry cream scones were a nice touch of fancy for Sunday breakfast. (And you don’t have to spend a tonne of time in the kitchen making them either — just 40 minutes from start to finish.)ย My kids said they were too fruity and preferred the second batch I made with chocolate chips a few days later. SHOCKING.
And the hot buttered soft pretzel bites: OMG. So, so good! Jamielyn says it better: “They are warm, soft, and buttery and much better than anything you can buy at the grocery store, plus much cheaper … Dip them into your favourite cheese sauce for a savory snack, or add cinnamon sugar on top for a sweet dessert!”
I could eat the entire batch myself, cheese sauce or no. These were ready one Sunday afternoon when my kids came home from a long swim and I felt like Super Mom welcoming them in the door with a warm and satisfying snack.
The recipes are easy to read and make, the ingredients readily available and the results delicious. I heart The I Heart Naptime Cookbook!
GIVEAWAY!
To enter to win a copy of The I Heart Naptime Cookbookย (thanks Hachette Book Group Canada!), tell me one of your favourite dishes to make in under an hour in the comments below. This entry is mandatory. (Anonymous comments will not be posted.)
For an additional entry, followย try small thingsย onย Facebookย and share this post, then tell me you did so and your name on Facebook in the comments below.
You may also tweet the following once per day and leave the url for your tweet in the comments below (one entry per tweet).
You got this! Enter to win The I Heart Naptime Cookbook by Jamielyn Nye from @trysmallthings http://wp.me/p4xBed-2Od CAN 9/28ย
The giveaway is open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) 18+ and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST onย September 28, 2016.ย The potential winner must respond to prize notification within 48 hours, including the correct answer to a skill-testing question, otherwise another winner will be selected.
Hachette Book Group Canada sent me a copy of The I Heart Naptime Cookbook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.ย
try small things 
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