Bonding Over Sandwiches and Putting Family First

This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and Maple Lodge Farms #FamilyFirst sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. We can't wait to share all about our sandwiches and putting family first. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.

As a Mom, my biggest challenge has to be picky eaters.  I make the same school lunches every day and would love to send something new and not have it come home untouched.  I have tried to get Cheyenne and Dustin involved in the decision making but they love their usual so much that it is hard to break away and try something new.

We love spending time together as a family, preparing meals, and then sitting down to enjoy them together.  That’s why now, more than ever, I want to teach my kids that making healthy choices is easy and delicious.

When I create our meal plan and head to the store, I’m always putting my family first and looking for fresh ingredients with little to no preservatives—or words I can’t pronounce.  I find this is the best way to have wholesome foods, full of flavor, that nourish our bodies and give us the energy we need to get through the day.

When we got the invite to attend the Maple Lodge Farms event, we were all thrilled. We couldn’t wait to create our signature sandwich, try the Naturally From The Farm products, take our turn behind the camera, and spend the afternoon together.

Family. Natural. Simple.

These three words align so well with my values and outlook on life, I was shocked when learning that this 100% family-owned business focuses on them as well.  Four generations strong and 60 years of experience says a lot about Maple Lodge Farms and how they treat not only their employees but their customers too.

I’m not going to lie when we were handed the packages of chicken to create our signature sandwich, the first thing I did was read the ingredients.  To my surprise the list was short and I could pronounce everything that was on the label.  My excitement kept growing with the event and watching the kids laugh, learn, and create a whole picture with the lunch we were making.

Our signature sandwich – A Family Day At the Beach

We love to vacation together as a family and wanted to use that as our theme.  One of Dustin’s favorite spots is in the sand, Cheyenne loves the water and I love spending time with them so the beach was a perfect idea.

We used ingredients we all love, starting with sandwich bread topped with avocado, cucumber, lettuce and orange bell peppers followed by layers of cheese, Naturally From The Farm Oven Roasted Chicken deli slices, Black Garlic and Peppercorn deli slices another slice of sandwich bread all wrapped in Hickory Smoked Chicken Bacon.

But the sandwich wasn’t complete without a little sunshine. We added a palm tree made of almonds and Oven Roasted Chicken deli slice hearts.  For us, it was all about creating the perfect scene and a sandwich we could share together.

As we were building the sandwich, Dustin was our official taste tester and had to approve everything as it went on the sandwich.  Cheyenne loved the planning and was our artist's talent.  I was the glue that held us all together and was thrilled that not only did we make wholesome fresh choices but we did it together.  #FamilyFirst.

This event taught me that enabling the kids to help create their food in a fun atmosphere gives them the opportunity to try new things and actually like them. Who knew that making sandwiches together was an easy way of putting family first!