As if we weren’t excited enough when we launched the Everyone Wins With Canadian Chicken contest on April 23^rd, over the past couple of weeks, the contest has gone gangbusters on Twitter and Facebook.

It just goes to show how important this cause is to Canadians and for good reason. Did you know that 40% of people who use the Food Bank are children?

You can do your part in helping feed Canada’s hungry by getting your local MP to participate in our contest by sharing their favourite chicken breast sandwich recipe here http://contest.chicken.ca and if you need more information on the contest, you can find it here http://appconnected.com/everyonewinswithchicken/

Not sure how to contact your MP? Here’s how:

Email – You can find your MP’s email using this link http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx

Twitter – You can find your MP’s twitter handle using this link.

http://appconnected.com/everyonewinswithchicken/mplisting.php

Facebook – Usually, MPs will have their sites listed on their homepages.  Find their homepage using this link.

http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx

The first prize sandwich will win a $10,000 donation

The second prize sandwich, a $5,000 donation

The third prize sandwich, a $2,500 donation

That’s a lot of food to go around so don’t forget to spread the word!

The winning sandwich will also be served at our Great Canadian Barbecue on Canada Day, so if you happen to be in Ottawa on July 1^st, come by and see us.

Hunger affects everyone – and over 40% of the people who use food banks in Canada are children. Here’s a chance for you to make a difference. The Everyone Wins With Canadian Chicken campaign wants to get all Members of Parliament to submit their favourite chicken breast sandwich recipe for a chance to win!

First Prize - $10,000 donation

Second Prize - $5,000 donation

Third Prize - $2,500 donation

The winning recipe will also be served to over 10,000 people at the 20th Annual Great Canadian Chicken BBQ in Ottawa on Canada Day.

All MP entries will be included in a downloadable digital cookbook that can download.

Ask your MPs to share their favourite chicken breast sandwich recipe and let them entertain you with tips, techniques and expert advice on what makes their sandwich special. MPs can enter at http://contest.chicken.ca.

Get more info from our website’s front page at www.chicken.ca

Tell your friends!  We need your help!

Many thanks to Maple Leaf Foods, Food Banks Canada and The Hill Times for their support of this great initiative!

Have you signed-up for our monthly newsletter?  If not, what are you waiting for?

Our newsletter will keep you updated on all of our latest recipes, blogs and contests in one place!  To sign-up for the newsletter, go to www.chicken.ca and click on “subscribe” on the top right-hand corner of our homepage and enter your email address in the “Your email” field.  It’s as simple as that.

We’ll also be running contests on Facebook on a regular basis so don’t forget to” like” Canadian Chicken for your chance to be entered into our draws for one of these items.

• Stainless steel BBQ set
• Bamboo carving set
• Insulated cooler seat
• Stainless steel and bamboo utensil set
• Set of mugs

Enjoy our monthly newsletter and we hope to see you soon on Facebook!

Find us under “Canadian Chicken”on Facebook, “like” us and you’ll be entered to win an iPad2 – it’s as easy as that.  That won’t be all, though – we’ll have lots of great contests throughout the year – so join in on the fun!

You have until July 1^st to go for the iPad prize, so enter today and get the word out! So far we are up to 801 “Likes”!

Also, if you are in Ontario and you’re a fellow Tweeter, tune into Hot 89.9 every weekday at 2:35 p.m. Ottawa time. Host Kenny B will share an actual Tweet from one of today’s hottest stars and he’ll give three celebrity names.  The first called to correctly guess “Who Tweeted?” will be entered into a draw to win an iPod Touch, courtesy of Chicken Farmers of Canada!  There will be one more draw, this Thursday, June 30^th – so, time’s running out!

Thank you to all of our new Facebook friends and Twitter followers and good luck!

Hey folks – Quick, shameless plug!

We’re having a contest!  Are you on Facebook?  Look us up at Canadian Chicken!  If you “like” us, we’ll put you in the running to win an iPad 2!  It’s that simple – you only have until July 1^st, though!  Tell your friends!

Also... Who Tweeted?

Live in Ottawa?  Like listening to Ottawa radio from wherever you are?  Tune into Hot 89.9 every weekday at 2:35 p.m. Ottawa time! Kenny B will share an actual Tweet from one of today’s hottest stars and he’ll give three celebrity names.  The first called to correctly guess “Who Tweeted?” will be entered into a draw to win an iPod Touch, courtesy of Chicken Farmers of Canada!  There are four draws for each week in June, so tune in today!

I’ve stopped telling my husband when I sub in new things at dinner.  Why?  Because he’s a picky eater and while I love him with everything I have, his resistance to new things makes me crazy.  So, I’ve stopped.  For example, he swears he can tell the difference between one and two percent milk – I know this not to be true (sorry, hon, but I’m confessing here).

I was worried for a while that the Little Prince would follow in Daddy’s footsteps and become a picky eater, too.  So, I’ve been secretly working on a plan.  I’ve been getting him to like things that his dad says he doesn’t.  We never used to eat fish much around the house – now that Baby likes it, it’s a staple in our weekly menu. 

It’s all about compromise.  I don’t serve the fish Hubby really doesn’t like, but we still get fish (much to my delight).  Hubby also says he doesn’t like dark meat – but Baby and I prefer it – so, this one’s a happy compromise:  He gets all the white meat he wants, and the little one and I share the dark meat.

I’ve learned a few things that I think we’ll benefit from in the future (and to be honest, I’m benefitting from now).  Number one:  I don’t always announce new meal ideas – I just make them happen.  Announcing it only puts picky people in the mindset to hate it – so, I intersperse it within days where I serve something everyone loves and keep everyone out of the kitchen while I’m making it.

Number Two: I generally serve something new with a staple that I know will get eaten.  In the case of Baby, I’ll cook a meat in a new way, but serve it with, say, noodles that he loves.  This way, I know he’ll eat something.  Same with Daddy – he’s more likely to try that new marinated meat if I serve it with his favourite veggies.

Now I’m looking for new things: I’ve mastered the “keep it in a packaged format that Baby can stab, scoop or pick up” and the “serve it with something that Husband likes” business.  I just want to get a little more creative and have found some interesting ideas to make meals more fun – at least for the little guy (the big one couldn’t care less).  I’ve heard colleagues talk about the many possible uses for cookie cutters when it comes to things like sandwiches and pancakes – cool idea there.  I’ve also heard tell of smiley faces being made of meals to make them more appealing.

How do YOU make your meals more fun?  Comment here and we’ll select one answer to win a special Chicken prize pack!

Our chicks are preparing to rappel down the Delta Hotel in Ottawa next Monday, September 27 to raise money for Easter Seals. The donations all go towards helping kids with disabilities. This event has been held in major cities across the country since 2005 but this is the first time for Ottawa. The countdown is on and we asked our girls if they could pick any superhero, even though their garb is all set, to dress as on Monday, who would it be and why? This is what they answered. “Cat Woman...just to wear the outfit” “I would be Wonder Woman…she is a strong, independent, confident woman!  She wears a cool costume and can still be girly while fighting for what she believes in. To top it all off she has beaten a lot of male superheroes in battle.” “Oh Boy! That's a hard one... This isn't a classic choice but I think I'd go as Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Because it’s pretty much guaranteed that if you showed up to a costume party, someone else would be wearing a Superman costume and there'd be at least two Wonder Women there... so I'd win the costume contest for sure!” Donating is easy and can be done in just a few seconds by clicking on this link: http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=185996&langPref=en-CA Please donate and help support kids with disabilities. Thank you so much for your support!

Well the countdown is on! CFC’s Flying Chicks will be rappelling off the Delta Hotel to raise money for Easter Seals on September 27^th. We’ve asked the girls a few questions to get a feel for their thoughts just days before they have to lean backwards over the roof of the hotel and make their way down with nerves of steel, strength and courage! This is what they had to say: Why did you decide to participate in this fundraiser? “I actually didn't know it was a fundraiser when I first saw the posters by the elevators to my office. I just read quickly that you can rappel down a building and I thought, "COOL!" I kept forgetting about it until CFC decided they wanted to put in a team. After I added my name to the list, I was hit with a bit of a panic attack... WHAT DID I JUST SIGN UP FOR??? What was I thinking??!! Now that I can breathe again, I think it's a GREAT idea to get sponsors for such a good cause.” I know you all did a training session. Tell us a little bit about it? “Remember that panic attack? Well I wasn't until the training session that I could relax about this whole thing. The trainers were absolutely fantastic and very patient with every single one of us. They explained to us that each superhero will be strapped into a harness that is impossible to slip out of. We're then hooked up to two safety ropes that can hold 5000 lbs each. These ropes are connected to a steel beam attached to the building. We each got to do two drops from about 2-storeys high with an option to do more if we didn't feel comfortable. My husband actually mentioned that there was a big difference between me with no training (holy crap!) to me after training (YEAH! Let's do this!)” Are you excited or nervous? “I am totally pumped for this... but ask me again when I'm standing on the ledge of an 18 storey building... I might have a different answer and might need a new pair of underwear too.” What are you most excited about? “This is on my “bucket” list and at my age it will be a feat to accomplish.  Knowing that the money is going to a great cause is very rewarding.” What are you most nervous about? “Having to go to the bathroom right before I drop... that would suck.” Are you going to do anything specific to prepare yourself? “In order to prepare myself I plan to have a few words with the Big Man upstairs, mainly asking Him to spare my life seeing as how my 25^th birthday falls three days after the rappel…” How do you think you are going to sleep the night before? “Sleep? I’m sure I won’t even know what that means the night before…I’ve been saying that I’ll be fine and I’ll sleep like a baby but in reality I’ll be tossing and turning and tirelessly thinking about it.” What do you think “you will be thinking” when you’re on the roof of the building? “Hope this is over soon!” What are you going to do after? “Probably kiss the ground!” Is there anything you want people to know? “Although the element of “fear” looms, it’s for a great cause.  It’s a wonderful feeling that the chicken industry is behind “CFC’s Flying Chicks”….it just shows what kind of people I work for and with.” If you could pick a song to be playing loudly while you rappel, what would it be? “Peter Schilling's "Major Tom"; Kool & the Gang “Celebration”; and “Help!” by the Beatles.” Don’t forget to donate to Easter Seals on CFC’s team page by clicking on this link: http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=185996&langPref=en-CA

Three members of Chicken Farmers of Canada staff will step off the edge of an 18-story building in “The Drop Zone” - a fundraiser for the Easter Seals! The Delta Hotel at 361 Queen Street in Ottawa will be the site of a Superhero adventure on September 27^th , as regular everyday people drop over the edge of this building and rappelling down to safety- all to help support children and youth with physical disabilities. Our team of top chicks, aptly named “CFC’s Flying Chicks”, must raise a minimum of $4500 and will each be strapped into a harness and other safety gear, only to lean back over the roof of the hotel and scale down the wall, step by step. This will take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on their speed. Safety is a paramount concern and all participants took a training course and our top chicks passed! We’ll be posting video interviews with the girls in the coming days so you can watch what they have to say about their upcoming rappells. We will also be taping the girls on the day of the event, so you’ll be able to see how they did. And, of course, to make it even more interesting, the girls are going to be all chicked out in costume, including capes, masks and beaks...yes, beaks! The money raised during the fundraiser, which is taking place in major cities across Canada, will be used to help support kids with disabilities including special programs, camps and equipment. Every dollar counts and will help us reach our target of $6000. So please, donate if you can. The link at the bottom will take you to the team donation page. Again, please donate to this worthy cause and pass the message on to your friends and family! http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=185996&langPref=en-CA

Every July 1, we set up on Parliament Hill in Ottawa with a row of barbecues and dozens of coolers full of chicken, and spend the day dishing out chicken to people on the Hill, celebrating this great country. This year is no different, but we wanted to bring you in on the action as well. So, we’re holding a little contest with a bit of a barbecue theme. To enter, all you need to do is head to this page, and give us your favourite BBQ sauce or spice rub recipe. We’ll randomly draw a winner from all those who enter, and the winner will receive a $500 gift certificate to Chapters for the ultimate cookbook shopping spree! But wait! There’s more! If you’re a blogger or a Twitter user, spread the word about the contest and if you refer the most people to the contest, you’ll also receive the grand prize. The deadline for entry is noon on July 1, 2010, and the full rules and regulations are here. We can’t wait to read (and try) your spice rub and BBQ sauce concoctions, so what are you waiting for? Enter now!