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A Spot Of Healthy Indulgence With Giovanni Rana

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This post is an entry into the Giovanni Rana/Foodies100 competition to win a place on a pasta Masterclass.

We eat a lot of Giovanni Rana pasta in our house. I’m not just saying that, we really do. I tend to buy it whenever it’s on offer in Asda. It’s so quick and easy to make yet also so good that it was a life saver in the first few months after Chloe was born. In fact it was our first meal at home after we returned from the hospital. I normally just cook it as per packet instructions and then toss it in a little olive oil/butter and black pepper. Sometimes I add wilted spinach or rocket or a sprinkling of cheese. It’s delicious.

Inspired by this recipe challenge I decided to do something a bit different with my pasta ..I put my thinking cap on and created this healthy (ish) pasta bake recipe.
Most pasta bakes are laden with cheese or cream and as I’m currently watching my fat intake I decided to try to cut out as much of the fat content as possible whilst still being a tasty dish.

This happened to be made on a (very) rare day when I was lunching alone. Normally I would just have a sandwich or some toast so this was a lovely treat for me. For a meal for two just double the quantities.

Individual Chicken, Bacon and Rosemary Pasta Bake:

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You will need:

1/2 packet of Giovanni Rana chicken and rosemary large ravioli
3 tbsp natural yoghurt ( I used fat free)
2 tbsp of breadcrumbs – I mixed a little garlic powder in with mine
2 tbsp of bacon lardons or cubed pancetta
A large sprig of rosemary ( 1/2 diced and 1/2 for decoration)
1/4 red onion diced
Knob of butter
A pinch of crush black peppercorns and seasalt

Preheat your oven to gas mark 6. Sauté your bacon, diced rosemary and onions in a large pan. Add your butter and once golden take off the heat. Cook your pasta to packet instructions, drain and place into the pan, mix together and place in a small ovenproof dish. Pour over your yoghurt and top with your breadcrumbs, seasoning and top with a sprig of rosemary.

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Bake for 15 minutes until the breadcrumbs look golden.

Eat whilst still hot and enjoy.

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The Big Feastival 2014

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This was our second trip to visit the home of Alex James and spend a little time playing in his garden. The Big Feastival is a magical weekend and I have to say we enjoyed this trip even more than our first.

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Having a nearly 3 year old along for the ride as well as 9 month old Chloe just made everything a bit more special. Seeing all that was on offer through their young and excitable eyes was wonderful.

In one short weekend they were able to:

Make necklaces ..from fruit..
Sit on a tractor – a real one.
Ride on a tractor – toy ones.
Hold a chick

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Feed a goat
Stroke a donkey
Pretend to drive a car
Watch DJ BBQ rock the bandstand with his set and dance metres away
Make a million new friends

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Watch Justin Fletcher bopping on stage
Watch Mr Bloom singing all about his veggies
Ride on teacups
Eat LOTS of new and exciting food…

And so much more than that. Sounds a bit good hey?

That’s just what she did.

We ( Andrew and I) also ate a lot of new food. Katsu burger anyone? Or deep fried risotto balls? Yum. We drank some totally delicious cider in the wonderfully relaxing Westons Wyldwood cider teepee.

Have you tried Wyldwood cider?

Westons has produced organic cider for over 15 years and Wyld Wood is a brand that comes straight from the heart of our values. It illustrates our deep and on-going passion for good quality cider and our respect for nature and wildlife. It was re-branded Wyld Wood back in September 2011 to emphasise its organic and rural origin. We wanted to refresh the brand so consumers feel more connected with the simple, natural beauty of its origin.

Wyldwood were the official cider of Jamie Oliver and Alex James’ Big Feastival, the family-friendly foodie and musical festival for 15,000 in the Cotswolds, for the second year running (29th – 31st August). The Wyld Wood Cider Bar was located within a cool tepee.

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We both tried our hand at cooking new dishes in the AEG cooking academy:

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We went to coffee and cider master classes and spent an awful lot of time at the AEG big family kitchen.. Izzy playing and me drooling over the state of the art kitchen equipment especially the new ProCombi SousVide cooking system.

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All in all we had an absolute ball and really hope we get to go again next year.

* Thanks AEG and Wyldwood Cider for inviting us on such a fun weekend.

Happy Birthday Mam

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It’s my mums birthday today. Mum, mam, mammy, mother, ma. All just words which do not really begin to describe what this woman is to me.

Anyone who knows my mother thinks she is wonderful. And they are right.

She is generous, loving and supportive with seeming endless depths of love.

She has ten children – yes I’m one of ten. Read here for more about that.

She is there for each of us. Whenever we need her and whatever we may need.

She has thirteen grandchildren and treats each one as if it were her first.
We are loved.

Chloe is held and squeezed and kissed as if she were the first baby to be born in our family. She is loved.

Izzy is adored and spoiled and coddled in the way that only grandparents can. She is loved.

My mum does so much for her church, for the community ..for extended family and for friends. She doesn’t ask for anything in return.

The last year has been so difficult but she ( and my dad) have lightened the load in every way they can. From a pile of washing and ironing to Sunday roasts or simply taking the girls for a few hours. It all helps. I actually don’t know what we would have done without her this year.

We are so lucky to have her in our lives.

Happy Birthday Mam xxx

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My House Is Like A Toy Shop

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We have so many toys. So so many.

Izzy and Chloe have 10 older cousins and they gets lots of toys and games passed on – this is great of course. It saves us an absolute fortune and they love them.

But my house well… It’s overtaken. I think I just have to accept that until they are ..teens possibly..that every room has the potential to be a lego foot injury.

Izzy has her favourite toys such as her horses, cars and dolls house. Chloe has her favourites such as her Fisher Price toys which have been passed on from Izzy now that she is a big girl. They have both had hours of fun putting things in and out of the cookie bowl shape sorter and making pretend calls on the chatter phone.

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It’s Izzys birthday next week and amongst other things I’ve had my eye on this Fisher Price pirate ship that I found on the Tesco website. Izzy loves pirates and boats and toys which have previously been seen as typical boy toys – I’m so glad that gender specific play seems to be disappearing slowly. It’s now not so shocking to see a boy play with a doll or a girl play with a tractor. Yay.

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Although she would be equally happy with the princess castle I’m sure. Because boy toys or not the girl loves pink. We haven’t encouraged or discouraged it but it’s her favourite colour by far at the moment.

We try not to spoil the girls too much. As much as we love to treat them I just don’t think it’s a great idea to constantly be buying them the latest fad. So typically for Christmas and birthdays we buy one toy type present for Izzy ( around the £20-30 mark) and she will also get something she needs ( clothes normally) and something we like her to have ( books or learning materials) – this is something we hope to continue with Chloe. I guess it’s easy for us to not feel the need to buy much when she gets so much passed on from family anyway.

My lounge may no longer be a calm and serene room and yes I may find the odd toy under my duvet at night BUT I’m learning to embrace the clutter. After all in 10 years time when my children are sat in a world of their own with headphones on, latest gadget in hand I will be wishing that they would ask me to put the pink shoes on the horsey just one more time.

Does your house feel like a toy shop? What are/have been your children’s favourite toys?

* this a collaborative post.

Tefal Cook4Me Review – Part 1

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Over the last week I’ve been reviewing a Tefal Cook4Me multi cooker.

What is a Tefal Cook4me?

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Well it’s a pretty clever cooker:

*50 pre-programmed savoury and sweet dishes with a maximum of six ingredients
*Automatically sets cooking temperature and time
*Cooks with no need for supervision
*Keeps food warm for up to 90 minutes after cooking
*Can be timed to start up to 15 hours in advance
*Easy to clean – the ceramic- coated bowl is non-stick, removable and dishwasher safe

It can currently be purchased from Lakeland at the reduced price of £220 ( normally £249 )

As I said we only received the item last week but we have already used it to make two of the pre set recipes. Firstly we tried the butternut squash soup which was delicious and we all really enjoyed including Chloe who had seconds!

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Apologies for the slightly blurry pic of the cooker. It was a very bright day and I struggled to get a good photo in my kitchen but I will get some better ones this week and add them to my next post.

It’s super simple to use with clear instructions on screen telling you exactly what to do. Perfect for newbie cooks or those with a busy lifestyle.

We also tried spaghetti bolognese which turned our fabulously well considering the cooking time is just 16 minutes. It’s a breeze to clean afterwards which is another big perk in my book.

Next week I’m going to try some of their preset desserts and also some of my own recipes in the cook4me and feed back to you on what I think but for now I’m firmly in the loving it camp.

It’s worth being prepared for the massive jet of steam that pours out of the top when the cooking time ends. My daughter compared it to a rocket and loves to watch it 🙂

She’s Just A Skater Dude*

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Izzy is just started to get into the whole world of skateboards and scooters. Her dad loves skateboards and surfing so I think he would love it if she followed in that hobby…if only so he gets a chance to do it more.
When we first met he would often be popping out skating and he would sometimes bring his skateboard out whenever we went somewhere for a walk.. which often meant me lagging behind! I tried once or twice but as with surfing I’m just a bit useless.

This is Izzy on her first attempt at just 18months old:

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I can see Izzy being good at it. She’s pretty daring and will try most things and loves to be just like her dad.

Skatehut have a really wide selection of skateboards and scooters on their website to suit most tastes. We have been taking a look at possibly starting Izzy out with a scooter for her birthday next week and maybe a skateboard for Christmas.

As with any kind of sport it’s worth looking into getting protection such as knee and elbow pads as well as a helmet for your children. While they may not think it looks quite so cool it’s definitely needed with the amounts of knocks and bumps they are likely to get.

If you have children who are interested in the skating scene why not try looking out for your local skate park. We have two quite close to us that we hope to take Izzy to soon. Mainly for her to watch all that goes on rather than participating. She is only 3 ( well nearly) years old you know!

If your child is a little too small for skateboards or traditional scooters I found these pretty cool ride on scooters on the SkateHut site which enable your toddler to sit on the scooter until they are ready to scoot 🙂

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Does your child like any adventurous sports?

Nine Months Later..

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It’s been over 9 months since I gave birth to our daughter Chloe. It’s a bit of a cliche I know but it really has flown by.

Aside from the updates and developments which I will share with you as they happen I thought I would tell you how my life is 9 months after a traumatic birth.

Yes. It was a truly incredible day. The day that our second daughter arrived in the world and obviously one of the most important days of my life.

It was also one of the worst. I think it’s a good thing that I am finally ok with saying that.

For a long time I felt guilty, embarrassed and just really selfish to think that way about the day of Chloe’s birth. But it’s not her fault. Or my fault. I love her very, very much. In fact this is really not about her at all.

The days around her birth and the days after are a blur. Some days I can think about it clearly and other days the thought of it makes me want to sit and cry.

Last week I had a nightmare with flashbacks from the birth for the first time in quite a while and it was so real once again. Since then I feel like a bit of a dark cloud is hovering over my head. I know by next week I will feel ok again but when will it stop completely? Soon I hope.

A lot of people don’t really understand what a traumatic birth is. They may that assume my life was in danger or that my baby was seriously ill and whisked off to intensive care as soon as she arrived.

It was none of those things. In fact in many ways things went well.

In many ways it also didn’t.

Like in my head and how I felt so completely out of control.

And why I still hate that fact.

9 months on I still have nights when I lie in bed and remember something new that happened during labour. Something the midwife or my mum or OH said to me or something I tried to say in return. Something I thought or something I felt.

It’s annoying and to a point a bit embarrassing.

I’m a grown woman. Women are supposed to just deal with childbirth. Yes it’s hard. Yes it’s painful but it’s what we do, our bodies were built for it.

I still feel ashamed for feeling this way.

I’ve finally been proactive in that I have chased up my therapy appointment and also went to see my GP on Friday, he suggested medication as I imagined he would but I am hoping that if I can get an appointment for counselling sometime soon it’s possible I can avoid that. If not then perhaps medicine is a route I will have to take in order to feel better.

Accepting that I have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and also possibly post natal depression is very hard. I feel like a failure almost. I want to be the happy me. The laid back me. The person I know who is still inside but for some reason is being overshadowed by all of this. When will I see her again?

The Mothergrain From Quinola

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We were recently sent some baby foods from Quinola for Chloe to try. The new range of food called The Mothergrain is suitable for vegans, vegetarians and is gluten free as well as being 100% organic.

Quinola are ethical importers of award winning organic Peruvian quinoa.

They come in three stages:

Smooth stage 1:

Sweet potato, Beetroot and quinoa
Carrot, red lentils and quinoa

Fork mash stage 2:

Pinto beans, sweetcorn and quinoa
Swede, parsnip, carrot and quinoa

Small bits stage 3:

Butternut squash, carrot and quinoa
peas, spinach and quinoa

The food comes in really cute packaging and can be served at room temp or microwaved in the internal pouch for 30 seconds.

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So what did we think:

Right I will be honest.. The food doesn’t look that attractive. Quinoa and veg or beans won’t look amazing however you serve it really but it tastes good! Yes I tasted it. I try all of Chloe’s food. Why would I serve it to her otherwise?

It tastes really nice, nothing too strong or overpowering so ideal for first foods really. The texture isn’t too bitty or chewy and Chloe seemed to enjoy them. Her favourite was the butternut squash variety – she loves squash so I wasn’t surprised there. It’s food I would certainly buy for Chloe again and food I feel happy about feeding her.

Degustabox July Review

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I’ve reviewed the Degustabox quite a few times now and I’ve never been disappointed. Some subscriptions boxes fail to live up to the hype but this is definitely not one of them. This month is slightly late as we were away quite a lot in August so haven’t had a chance to try all the products until now.

Here is what was inside this months box:

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There was also a bar of Green&Blacks dark chocolate with lemon in there and somehow it vanished without even getting a pic taken.. Oops. It was good let me tell you. I love G&B.

Our favourite things from the box this month were:

Hornsby blueberry cider – we have tried a few of the Hornsby varieties now and loved each one. It’s crisp, fruity and refreshing.

Portlebay popcorn – these are delicious. One bag is missing from the pics as we dove in quite quickly and that was the bacon and maple syrup flavour which was just wow. Will be looking out for these in my locals supermarkets.

We also loved the Dr Oetker baking goodies I’ve used the
violet crystals to rescue a fairly awful looking chocolate cake and they are really nice. Think crushed up Parma violets. Yum.

One over cooked and cracking on top chocolate sponge..

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Cut off the burnt bits, topped with icing and sprinkled with violet crystals.

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The cake tasted delicious ..and to think it almost went in the bin!

I’m going to use the black tea from The Berry Company to make a cake later this week and I will share the recipe if it works out!

The Maggi bags are really useful to have in the cupboard and did you know you can also use them in the slow cooker? Tried and tested by me. Just add a little water to the slow cooker first.

It’s worth noting we also enjoyed the Zeo drinks and the Frank blueberry bar for some guilt free snacking.

Do you want to try a Degustabox? Well you can get £3 off using this code: KADM5

Check out the Degustabox website
Their Facebook and their Twitter

* We received a free Degustabox for the purpose of this review. All views are my own.

Procrastination

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“Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the “last minute” before the deadline.”

I am brilliant at procrastinating. In fact I could win a prize for it I’m sure.

I go to bed each night with a hundred ideas rolling around my head. I make mental lists of what I absolutely MUST do the next day and you know what the next day .. Hmmm. I may not get anything on that list finished.

I blame tiredness and yes I am oh so tired. Or I blame the fact that I’m busy with the little ones which of course I am but the crux of it is that I am responsible for lots of things which don’t get done when I need to do them.

When I return to work ..in just 10 weeks or so things will be even more chaotic so I need to sort myself out.

The more that piles up on my list, the less I seem to get done and the more I worry about it. It certainly doesn’t help my stress and anxiety levels.

So I’m making a list here. On the blog. Of ten things I need to do this week.

Next Sunday I will come back and publicly tell you if I got it done. Pressure huh?

In no particular order:

1. Call mortgage provider and chat about changing my mortgage – this is a big one. It’s been on my mental to do list for weeks and I’m potentially losing money by not doing it.

2. Write four blog posts, publish them and schedule a further three.

3. Sort out all household admin. Bills. Payments. Etc etc.

4. Another big one. Get at least half of Chloe’s new bedroom completed. We need her in her own room soon as she is getting woken up by us during the night.

5. Plan Izzys birthday party. Decide on the design of her cake and tell family when to be here.

6. Have a night out with Andrew. This is important as we need some time another as a couple.

7. Persevere with Chloe taking milk from a cup.

8. Keep to current nap routine for Chloe and bedtime routine for both girls.

9. Bake with Izzy. We did this regularly for months but lately it’s fallen by the wayside. She loves it. I love it. We should do it more.

10. Take girls swimming, we have a voucher to use for a local pool and because of coughs n colds etc we haven’t been.

Not a very exciting post is it? Sorry 🙂

I’m also planning to read up on lots of websites/blogs for tips on organising my life more – if you have any advice send it my way.

Are you organised or do you put things off?