The Juggle Is Real Podcast Recipes

What an absolute treat to be a guest on Andryanna Gonko’s podcast: The Juggle Is Real (click here to listen).

We chatted about realistic ways to feed your family, taking the pressure off mealtime perfection, and I shared some ‘delicious & doable’ recipes and ideas that use pantry staple items and will fuel you & your gang well.

Grab all the recipes we chatted about below. Wishing you Happy & Healthy 2026!

Get-Up-And-Go Morning Muesli

Fuel up with a simple, delicious and nutritious ‘no-cooking’ required breakfast. Simply stir together all the ingredients and voila! Bonus: only one bowl and a spoon to clean-up. This muesli was a go-to recipe in our home while Tyler & Colgan (now 22 & 24) were growing up (and they still make and eat this muesli!). It makes a great breakfast, lunch box treat and/or afterschool snack!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) large flake oats
• ½ cup (125 mL) dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) each of green pumpkin seeds and shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) each of ground flaxseed, chia seeds and hemp seeds
• 1 cup (250 mL) plain Greek-style yogurt
• finely grated zest of one orange
• ¾ cup (175 mL) orange juice
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup (or brown sugar)
• 2 tsp (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) each of ground ginger and salt
• 2 small Ontario apples; well washed, cored and finely diced *leave skin on for added fibre

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Makes 4 cups (1 L).

Delicious & Doable Tips:

~ Use raisins, sliced dried apricots, or dried cherries instead of dried cranberries. ~ use a coconut based yogurt for a vegan variation of this recipe.

Muesli Variations:

~ Chocolate Cherry & Orange Muesli (click here)

~ Coconut Pumpkin Muesli (click here)

Ultimate Supper Sandwich

Often used as the base for party spinach dip, I love using a big pumpernickel loaf as a blank canvas for all those leftover bits and pieces hanging around in the fridge. This was actually one of the very first recipes I taught Tyler and Colgan how to prepare on their own. This sandwich is more about assembling than cooking, and it showed them how to get creative with leftovers. Hands down, this sandwich became a family favourite in our house. Slice into wedges, add a side of kettle chips and dill pickles, and you’ve got yourself a simple, delicious meal!

Ingredients

• 1 large (approx. 600 g) round pumpernickel or sourdough loaf
• ⅓ cup (75 mL) mayonnaise + 2 tbsp (30 mL) Dijon mustard
• 2 cups (500 mL) lightly packed baby spinach leaves or mixed salad greens
• ½ lb. (250 g) thinly sliced deli-style meat (turkey, ham, or roast beef)
• 1 cup (250 mL) grated quality aged cheddar cheese
• ½ cup (125 mL) Char’s pickled onions (click here for recipe)
• Half cuecumber, thinly sliced
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 small apple or pear, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Cut a round cap off the top of the cottage loaf. Reserve top. Hollow out the inside and top of the loaf to make a bread bowl, leaving about ¾ -inch of bread inside the crust.
2. Stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Spread over the inside of the bread bowl and inside the cap.
3. Place spinach leaves at the bottom of the bread bowl and layer with remaining ingredients. Place the cap back on the sandwich and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. To serve, remove plastic wrap and cut into 8 wedges.

Delicious & Doable Tips:

~ No deli meat? No problem! Add sliced hard-boiled eggs or a can of tuna or salmon (drained) to the sandwich in place of deli meat.
~ Use prepared hummus or Pumpkin White Bean Dip (click here for recipe) instead of may/Dijon mixture.

Char’s Curried Pumpkin Slow Cooker Stew

Simplest (and super nutrient dense) comfort food ever. Let the slow cooker do the work! Serve stew straight up, or over a bed of rice.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, chopped in cubes (well washed, leave skin on)
• 1filling cup (250 mL) pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 (540 mL) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 (400 mL) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) curry powder
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• ½ tsp (2 mL) each of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and chili flakes
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
• 1 apple, cored and chopped (leave skin on)
• 4 cups (1 L) lightly packed baby spinach leaves

Garnish

• ½ cup (125 mL) each of chopped green onions and roughly chopped fresh mint
• ¼ cup (60 mL) roughly chopped peanuts

Instructions

1. Place chopped onion, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, chickpeas, coconut milk and spices in a slow cooker. Stir until combined. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours.
2. Stir in apple and spinach and cook, covered, for an additional 15 minutes.
3. Garnish each portion evenly with green onions, fresh mint and peanuts. Makes about 8 cups (2 L).

Delicious & Doable Tips:

• Freeze leftover canned pumpkin and use it for your next batch of stew.
• Use canned lentils instead of chickpeas.

Where to Find ‘Delicious & Doable’ Across Ontario

‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ can be purchased here or at one of the below retailers across Ontario:

Type Books ~ 883 Queen Street West, Toronto
Lemonberry ~ 2 Orchard Heights Blvd #10, Aurora
Fanfare Books ~ 92 Ontario St, Stratford
Casual Gourmet ~ 1027 King Street West, Hamilton
The Post Office – 18 Front St. N, Thorold
Chef’s Paradise ~ 1314 Bank Street, Ottawa
Gift It Grey ~ 19492 Opeongo Line, Barry’s Bay
Creative Cook ~ 35 Manitoba St, Bracebridge
Muskoka Brewery ~ 1964 Muskoka Beach Rd, Bracebridge
Stephen’s Butcher Shop ~ 8 Harris St, Port Carling
Hilltop Interiors ~ 1150 ON-141, Rosseau
Cedar Canoe Books ~ 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Clark’s On Main ~ 1090 Main Street, Dorset
Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen ~ 39 Bolton St, Bobcaygeon
Farmer’s Daughter – 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Kitchen Bits ~ 1390 Kingsway, Greater Sudbury