Tamara Taggart talks food & family

We were delighted to catch up with BC’s favourite weathercaster, Tamara Taggart, to talk about food, family and what inspires her. Tamara is indeed one of BC’s most lovable personalities, which probably has something to do with the fact that she genuinely seems to enjoy the people she encounters every day on her high-profile job. She definitely makes it look easy. Yet, this Modern Mom of three juggles the demands that accompany a nine-week old baby, a two-year old and a three-year old one with special needs. Along with managing a very busy schedule as she gears up to go back to CTV after her three-month mat leave. So, we wanted to know, what is she doing (and eating) right? Here, she tells us!

What does a week in the life of a busy CTV personality look like? Can a busy working mom like Tamara Taggart find time to eat together with her family? Yes, indeed, but, as Tamara explains, she’s had to let go of some expectations in order to make it happen, “For example, when I first met my husband we had family dinners every Sunday at his mother's house. After having three kids, we moved the family dinner to our place and my mother-in-law offered to bring the meal over with her! At first, I was horrified to not be cooking the meal myself but now, I’ve embraced it because it’s made for such a lovely time together each week!”

Improvising is key. Both Tamara and her husband have demanding jobs with schedules that don’t bring them together around the dinner hour during the week, “So, we tend to make breakfast our family meal during the week. It’s important to us to eat together often and connect with the kids around the table. You know, kids learn by watching so if we are eating healthy, they’ll eat healthy!” So true.

Tamara’s advice to busy families? Recognize your limitations at certain points in life (like when you have a newborn, for instance!) “Right now, my priority is simple: to make sure everyone is fed and clean. Let’s face it: Babies won’t wait. These days, I end up eating after everyone else a lot of the time and I’m ok with that.”

We wanted to know, where does miss Tamara turn for an extra bout of recipe inspiration? “I love those mini Martha Stewart cooking magazines at the cash register, that are filled with the three step recipes! They always have ingredients that I have on hand.”

"I’m also a blog fanatic! My fave’s are: Flourish Design & Style; Poppytalk; Pinecone Camp; A Day in the Country; and Lovely Design." 

"And right now, I have absolutely every food magazine at home."  

And finally, we asked Tamara to leave us with her favourite go-to family recipe. Here she shares her recipe for Turkey Chili, a tried and true household staple. Enjoy!

Tamara's Turkey Chili

The great thing about this chili is that you can add anything you want, sometimes I add in chickpeas, sometimes yellow peppers, sometimes a little corn....feel free to do what you want!

Ingredients:

1 package of ground turkey breast

1 package of ground turkey thigh

1 large can whole tomatoes (crush by hand, much better than buying crushed tomatoes)

1 small can tomato paste

2 cans Heinz beans in tomato sauce (no pork)

1 can kidney beans

2 red peppers, diced into bite sized pieces

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

mushrooms (my husband hates, I love)

olive oil

pepper

Directions: In a large pot, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and add the onion and garlic until transparent. Add in the chopped celery; once it starts to cook add in the red peppers. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, beans and stir well. If you like mushrooms, add them in now. I use a spice called "country pepper" which I add in once all the ingredients are in the pot, you can also just use ground pepper, chili flakes and a little oregano. I simmer the chili on a very low heat for a few hours. Serve it up in a bowl with some bread or if you're looking for a really hearty meal, serve this chili over some brown rice - it's delicious!

Thanks Tamara! If anyone has a favourite chili or stew recipe to share, please join our conversation on FB. It’s the season of comfort food and we want your tips, as always. On that note, we’ll be giving a set of adorable mouse measuring cups from Cookworks in our Facebook prize draw. Let us know what you’re cooking this week for a chance to win!