We had a Crack'n Win Chinese New Year with Kinder Surprise | #kindermom

As a #Kindermom I love seeing the delight on my boys faces when I pull out a Kinder Egg as a special treat or reward and watching my boys share them with others just fills me with pride. I know sharing is supposed to be an inherent trait, but in reality, sometimes its just hard to share all the goodness that is a Kinder Egg.

By a strange twist of circumstances, my boys and I found ourselves in Vancouver for Chinese New Year this past week. Although we were exhausted from the four hour drive from Kamloops, both boys were getting over the flu and Simba proceeded to be carsick all over me as soon as we arrived, we had a great time.

We ate good food and exchanged lucky money and THIS time when everyone pulled out treats (most of which are not safe for Bolt to eat), I pulled out two boxes of #peanutfree Kinder Surprise Eggs and sent my boys to do the rounds. It's amazing how easily Kinder Surprise can cross age gaps; the little ones love them, the teenage girls loved them and the adults, well we happily devoured ours too.

And as we all enjoyed our full tummies and sugar buzzes, we immediately had entertainment for the rapidly fading children. They loved their little animals, cars, puzzles, spirographs and bracelets and suddenly spending another half an hour together seemed totally feasible.

And the three teenage girls in attendance were the ones most excited about the Kinder Crack'nWin Campaign. All the specially marked Crack'n Win Kinder surprises have a PIN that can be entered onto the Kinder Website for a chance to win some great prizes.  There's a Fiat 500 POP!, two family trips to Orlando, over 27,000 family movie nights and 201,000 free Kinder Treats all up to grabs.

Maybe its your turn to be lucky.
Have you entered a PIN to see if you're a winner yet?

“Disclosure: I’m part of the Kinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own”

Gung Hay Fat Choy & VH Sauces | Weeknight Sweet & Sour Pork Recipe

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

2014 is a year of change for my family; it has brought with it a new job, a new city, a new home and a new reality.  This will be the first year, of my life, that I won't be spending Chinese New Year with my family. Each Chinese New Years Eve, we all go to my Popo's (grandmother) house and we eat, we play and we exchange lucky money.

This year, my boys and I will be in Kamloops, 4 hours away from the craziness that is my family and given that its a weeknight this year, driving down to Vancouver simply isn't an option.

When #collectivebias presented me with an opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year with VH Sauces, everything came together for me. ALL VH sauces are now gluten-free (and their new labels clearly state 'gluten-free food'), but they are also quick, which is a requirement for our busy new lifestyle, where Dad does most of the cooking because Mom doesn't get home until 6pm.

I decided to make a simple sweet and sour pork and white fish with black beans, however I wasn't able to find any dried black beans. A simple reminder, I'm not in Vancouver anymore. Fortunately, I was easily able to find VH Sauces at my local Superstore and I decided to make honey garlic cod to accompany my pork instead. I simply pan friend the cod with a little bit of oil and VH honey garlic sauce; nothing fancy, but it sure was delicious.

The entire meals took me about half an hour to create, though I admit, I just wasn't in the mood for veggies. If I had been however, I could easily have thrown a handful of frozen peas in with the pork. If you're looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal, that your kids will in fact eat, why not try some sweet and sour pork?

Weeknight Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 boneless pork chops
• 1 jar of VH Sweet and Sour Sauce

Directions:

1. Thinly slice your pork across the grain (it is easier to cut your pork thin if it is a little bit frozen). I also cut each slice in half lengthwise, so I had long thin pieces of pork.
2. Mince garlic, while you heat the oil over med-high heat. 
3. Add the garlic to the warming oil and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the pork and stir regularly until no longer pink. Do not over cook or your meat will be tough.
5. Add the VH Sweet and Sour Sauce and simmer for 3-5 minutes. (You could add frozen peas while simmering to make this a little bit healthier).
6. Serve over rice and enjoy.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

With yesterday's new moon, a new lunar year began.

In Chinese culture, that's the only year that matters.  In fact, my grandmother can't even tell you her exact birthday since she counts it on the lunar cycle rather than the traditional calendar.  Much like the traditional new year, our family celebrates on the eve of the new year.

Although I'm sure there were fantastic parades and festivals around Vancouver, our family simply gathers at my grandmother's house for a home cooked meal and of course the exchange of the lucky red envelopes.

As you may know, although I am half Chinese, I don't speak Chinese and as such my knowledge of Chinese culture and traditions is minimal, though I have travelled to China three times, including my most recent trip when the boy was only 8 months old. 

When I was young, red envelopes were a cause for celebration; married relatives must provide the unmarried children with cash filled lucky envelopes.  As far as I know, there are only a few simple rules.

• Each adult must provide each child with a lucky envelope, couples may not give a single envelope.
• All envelopes must be received with two hands, accompanied by the appropriate thanks, dough-ja in Cantonese.
• One must NOT open their envelopes and count their money until they are in the privacy of their own home, to open them when received is simply rude.
• Lucky money must NOT be spent on bills, groceries or other household expenses.  It is meant to be enjoyed, so its a perfect excuse to splurge on something unnecessary.

Although I'm a day late, I want to wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY