Blog - Munchies and Munchkins

Cooking In The Kitchen Having Fun – Cherry & Coconut Rock Buns

September 22, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 6 Comments

It’s been aggesssssss since I last wrote one of these posts so I apologise for that but we have still been baking together and having fun – sometimes I forget to take pics or write down recipes while make lots of mess and eat all the cake mixture!

Last week we baked a few times together firstly in preparation for her birthday party – cupcakes freeze well don’t ya know?

And secondly we made some rock buns which always go down well as it means Izzy can put her hands in the mixture and have a good play about in the kitchen. This time around I gave her some more challenging jobs such chopping the cherries up and helping me weigh the ingredients out and we had a ball.

Izzy preparing to bake with one of the lovely spoons that was gifted to us by Flora as a present when Chloe was born:

Cherry & Coconut Buns

You will need:

225g Self Raising Flour
100g Butter/Margarine ( we used flora buttery)
50g caster sugar
1 medium beaten egg
1 large handful of glacé cherries ( roughly chopped)
30g Sweet shredded coconut
2tbsp of milk

Preheat oven to gas mark 6.

Rub your butter into your flour – this is the fun and messy part for kids!
Add your sugar, cherries and coconut and mix well. Now add your egg and 1tbsp of milk and mix to a stuff dough – kids may need help here. If it’s too dry add your second tbsp of milk. Place in balls on a greased baking tray or you could use a silicon cupcake mould. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden.

Izzy chopping the cherries.. one for the bowl ..one for her belly.

And the only pic I have of the finished product. They were devoured still warm in about 10 minutes. Oops.

I’m linking up to Tasty Tuesdays with Honest Mum

A Frozen Party

September 21, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 4 Comments

Izzy is only three years old ( just) so I was surprised that she is as caught up in the Frozen fever as every other little girl in the UK. She has watched it a few times and certainly likes the songs but I didn’t think she was ‘that’ into it.

I was wrong. We sat down a few weeks ago and had a look at photos of her previous birthday cakes. The first one was a Hungry Caterpillar cake and last year was Mr Tumbles spotty bag. I absently asked her what she would like this year expecting nothing specific but no. She looked at me and said:

“I want a build a snowman cake with Elsa, Anna, a reindeer and a man on top..”

I asked:

” Which man?”

She answered..

“the mean one”

So there it was. My challenge.

I love baking but I’m not particularly fussed on decorating although my skills are improving but I just don’t have an awful lot of patience. This however was the first time she had asked for something like this so I decided I was doing it. Looking back I suppose I could have ordered in! I had in mind a pretty spectacular affair but after a long week of sleepless nights this was all I could muster but she loved it all the same.

The Cake:

I made a simple sponge filled with blue buttercream, covered it in white fondant icing and homemade blue sugar glass and topped with some cake topper Frozen figures:

The Outfits:

I bought her a rather cute Elsa dress from Ebay which unlike most other costumes wasn’t too fussy or scratchy against her skin.

The Food:

Standard party food. Sandwiches, crisps, sausage rolls, crudités and dips. PARTY RINGS, cadburys fingers, grapes and chicken goujons. Cupcakes and birthday cake were abundant too. Ooh and did I mention I made an ice cream cake? And then forgot to take any photos of it. Grr. It was good though.

The party bags:

I kept these very simple with bubbles, party blowers and some sweet treats. Each child also took home a cupcake.

The activities:

Firstly we set up our lounge like a relaxed kids cinema and played Frozen on the projector. This went down very well and the kids popped in and out as they pleased. We served bowls of popcorn in there for a real cinema vibe. Outside we had big sheets of cardboard for the children to write and scribble on which they all loved and in the conservatory we had a table set up with cupcakes and icing pens for them to decorate their own cakes. I simply made some cupcakes the night before and decorated each one with a plain circle of white fondant and let the kids do as they pleased. We were very lucky that one of my family members has a party planning business and arranged a visit from a special guest too:

Sous Vide BBQ Chicken Thighs

September 20, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

We have had our Sous Vide Supreme for about 4-5 months now and I’m still in love with it. We use it ALL the time. My favourite things to do in it are sous vide chicken thighs. Because they taste awesome.

Chicken thighs are by far my favourite part of a chicken to cook with as they are so full of flavour and much tastier than a breast. The Sous Vide just takes them to another level. They are tender, succulent and just so chickeny. Yes chickeny.

I like to rub them with brown sugar, garlic powder and paprika or a simple BBQ seasoning and cook them for about 6 hours for the ultimate taste, they will be cooked after 4 hours and taste great up to 8 hours but 6 hours is my fave and we have tried them lots of times. I use bone in chicken thighs and I normally remove the skin as I’m trying to cut down on fat -boring I know.

Sous Vide BBQ Thighs

You will need:

6 chicken thighs ( bone in, skin off)
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tbsp of garlic powder
1tbsp of sweet smoked paprika

Heat your water bath to 80c.
Rub your thighs with your sugar/garlic/paprika mixture and vacuum pack immediately. Place into your water bath and cook for 6 hours ( min of 4 and max of 8). I tend to cook about 4 batches at a time. I cook one immediately by cutting open the bag and placing meat (carefully) onto the BBQ. This tastes incredible. Perfectly tender but BBQ’d. Yum. I quick chill the other three bags and place 1 in the fridge for later in the week and freeze two.

When cooking the chicken from the fridge, I tend to cook in a hot pan or oven to brown and it makes the juices/sauces go incredibly sticky and sweet. Delicious. To defrost your freezer chicken just pop into the fridge the night before you need them.

I can tell you that this is the tastiest chicken you will try. Cooking it in the Sous Vide Supreme is by far my favourite method.

If you don’t fancy BBQ chicken, a simple bit of salt and pepper is fine or some fresh herbs. Even plain this chicken is outstanding and leaves some lovely stock in the bag to make a gravy or sauce to accompany.

Fancy finding out more about what I think of the Sous Vide Supreme? Check out this interview I gave on their website.

* As stated in previous posts we were gifted the SVS & Vacuum Sealer for the purpose of a review. All opinions are my own.

Upbeat Protein Drinks

September 20, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

We were recently invited to try out some new Blueberry and Raspberry Upbeat Protein drinks.

What is it?

The new addition, which was voted for by Upbeat’s Facebook fans, is not only flavoursome, it also contains high quality protein which keeps skin and hair looking healthy, perfect for those looking for that summer glow. Protein, as the most filling of foods, is especially important in the morning as it helps set on-the-go people up for the day. And don’t worry..Upbeat won’t make you look like a body builder, though it will help you to resist that mid-morning doughnut!

Low in fat, containing just 150 calories and with half the sugar found in most fruit juices and smoothies, Upbeat is a great option for the health conscious at a time when unhealthy snacking remains high on people’s agenda as they look to get in shape

We really enjoyed sampling them. My other half is always looking for ways to increase his protein intake and I don’t take anywhere near as much interest in my own so it’s really handy to be able to get such a large portion (20g) all in one go. My 3year old also loves them which is great as I find if she has more protein throughout the day that it really helps with her sleep at night.

If you see them whilst on your supermarket shop I highly recommend you give them a whirl. We have also tried out the strawberry which is pretty tasty too.

Blueberry & Raspberry Upbeat is available from Tesco and Holland and Barrett from mid July. Existing flavours of Upbeat are also available from Waitrose, WHSmiths Travel, Ocado and selected petrol stations, RRP £1.79 for a 250ml bottle.

* we were sent some vouchers to purchase upbeat for the purpose of this review.

Teething Gems

September 19, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 1 Comment

Chloe has nearly seven teeth. SEVEN.

Each one didn’t exactly appear overnight. They were accompanied by days and especially NIGHTS of crying, whining, clinging and a severe lack of sleep for all of us.

Apart from the obvious medicines and soothing gels there are few things I wouldn’t be without now from a wide selection of teething toys and gadgets which we seem to have accumulated over the past few years.

Munchkin UK Massaging Teether:

I was sent this as part of my role on the Munchkin blog ambassador panel and Chloe ( and Izzy ) really loves to chew and play with it. The teether vibrates when they clamp down on it so I imagine it gives poor gums a little massage..similar to when we rub it with our fingertips. You can buy them from Amazon for £6.99 with free delivery if you have a Prime account.

Sophie La Girafe toys:

We have long been fans of Sophie teething toys here. We first bought a Sophie giraffe in France when Izzy was about 9 months old and going through teething hell, it was chewed..thrown.. cuddled and played with until it got lost. We then bought a slightly different version for Chloe when she was about 4 months old which again got lost! Arrggh. Lucky for us I was then offered the latest Sophie toy to review and it’s a hit.

You can buy it on the official Sophie La Girafe websitefor £10.99

Gumigem Teething Jewellery:

I was sent a Gumigem teething necklace and bracelet a few months back and it has been used over and over again. The bracelet is the teething toy I most often pass back to Chloe in the car if she is whining and the necklace is fabulous for distracting her while feeding. It’s also used constantly when she has a tooth breaking through. It’s jewellery that I feel quite comfortable wearing and it goes with lots of outfits.

You can buy this set and more on the Gumigem website

Funky Giraffe Bibs:

If you have had any teething experience you will know that bibs, muslins and extra tops always come in handy. Our favourite bibs for teething are from Funky Giraffe UK. Stylish and cute. Funky and functional. So many designs. Such a reasonable price.

Check out lots more designs on the Funky Giraffe website

* The above items were gifted for the purpose of a review.

Pets At Home?

September 19, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

A lot of my family members have pets such as dogs and cats. When I was growing up we had a number of them over the years.. Hamsters, fish, birds etc etc. I think it’s an important part of childhood to have something that you are (kinda) responsible for and that you can take care of.

There are lots of benefits to having pets whilst growing up, you can read about some of them on the What To Expect website.

Izzy and Chloe are still too young in my opinion but when they are older I definitely think we will look into having some sort of pet. Hamsters are great but I’m not a huge fan of the smell and the constant scratching around the cage or the squeaky hamster wheel would definitely get on my nerves. After watching my parents struggle with their new dog and spending two weeks looking after my sisters cat – who knew cats pooped so much? I’m thinking that some fish will be our easiest option! At least until they are old enough to take a dog for a walk or empty a litter tray!

I’ve been looking at some pretty amazing fish tanks and aquariums over on the All Pond Solutions website and I’m loving the look of this cabinet tank which looks stylish as well:

I already know how much Izzy loves to gaze at the fishies from the hours she spends playing in her grandparents garden and nosing at their pond plus I think there is just something so calming about watching fish swim about. I can always do with a little bit of calm in my life.

What kind of pets do you have? Did you have them before having children? Do you think children benefit from having pets?

*Collaborated Post.

Birth Trauma – What is it?

September 18, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 2 Comments

A year ago I had no idea what birth trauma was.

To be honest even a few months ago I had no real idea about what it meant.

I knew I had a traumatic delivery and birth experience with Chloe. But that was it.

I knew how I felt but I didn’t realise that a LOT of other people felt the same way. I didn’t realise I wasn’t the odd one who felt this way. I’ve felt very strange about it all. I have 3 older sisters and a mum who have between them given birth to 16 children – none of them have had dark clouds of anxiety lingering over them and birth flashbacks almost daily. I started to feel it was just me. Maybe I was just weak, a bit useless. A bit of a wimp.

Recently I’ve read lots of articles on birth trauma and it’s a lot more widespread than I thought. I’ve also found that typically birth trauma occurs because of one particular thing which happens during or prior to the birth.

Yes of course birth trauma occurs on a serious level for people who experience stillbirth, health issues with their newborn or themselves which I imagine must be horrific and cannot comprehend how you deal with losing a child or a child having life threatening health issues BUT sometimes birth trauma happens for what others may consider minor reasons. After all birth is on most occasions a painful and possibly scary time so why is my experience any different to anyone else’s? Why was this birth so different to my first child’s birth? They were both hard. Both painful. Both resulted in wonderful and healthy children.

The Birth Trauma Organisation and other websites list the following as causes of birth trauma:

* A bad experience with a care giver or doctor.
* A woman is given an episiotomy without her consent.
* A traumatic or stressful pregnancy
*Not being fully informed of procedures or problems during the birth.
* Feeling out of control during or before the birth.
*Lengthy labour or short and very painful labour
*Induction
*Poor pain relief
*Feelings of loss of control
*High levels of medical intervention
*Traumatic or emergency deliveries, e.g. emergency caesarean section
*Impersonal treatment or problems with the staff attitudes
*Not being listened to
*Lack of information or explanation
*Lack of privacy and dignity
*Fear for baby’s safety
*Stillbirth
*Birth of a damaged baby (a disability resulting from birth trauma)
*Baby’s stay in SCBU/NICU
*Poor postnatal care
*Previous trauma (for example, in childhood, with a previous birth or domestic violence)

Out of the above list of 21 causes I experienced 11.

As you can see there are lots of reasons why it can occur but it can still be incredibly hard to get help or to begin to deal with it.

Doctors don’t seem to take it very seriously and health visitors (mine anyway) barely discussed it with me even though I openly on many occasions told them how I felt.

I had a very stressful pregnancy with a number of problems throughout. I was in hospital most weeks and it was a very scary period of my life. Externally I felt I was dealing with it well at the time but internally I wasn’t at all.

When I arrived in hospital for the last time 4 days prior to the birth I was already a bit of a mess but the beginning of the trauma in my mind was a particularly painful and frightening time with a consultant. She was cold, uncaring and treated me in a harsh way. I won’t go into details as they aren’t pleasant but I was left in a lot of pain and I was so very scared from that point on.

10 months on I think of that moment and I still want to cry. I can feel the pain as clearly as if it happened five minutes ago.

The only thing that has begun to help me is talking about it. With my mum, with Andrew, online friends and with a counsellor. I’ve found websites where people talk about their own experiences which I imagine will help some people but I still find it all a little raw and too hard to read. I can’t watch films with birth scenes and my love of One Born Every Minute has gone forever. There are lots of forms of support for people who have post natal depression and rightly so. I have in fact suffered with this myself this time and I’m grateful for that help but I don’t think there is enough support for women who have birth trauma. The repercussions of it being left untreated/not talked about are huge. Even for myself, someone who has openly discussed it I suffer with anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks.

So what can be done?

Talk about it. Blog about it. Raise awareness. If you have it, go and see someone. Don’t let it fester. If someone you know may be experiencing it, go and chat to them. Tell them there are people who can help. Blogs they can read. Websites which offer support.

Above all treat it as you would if someone had an injury. Because that’s what it is. It’s a trauma. An open wound which untreated will not heal. It’s not a silly thing or something to be embarrassed about. It’s serious and life changing. Admitting you have birth trauma does not mean you regret your child being born or that you love them any less.

Dear Izzy

September 17, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Yesterday you turned 3. I swore I wouldn’t be like everyone else. Getting teary just because you are getting older. Spending far too much of the day reminiscing on your first few days. Looking at newborn pics of you and already dreading that day in January when you start school. But I did all of those things. You are the twinkle in our eyes. The surge of love in our hearts. Last year you were our world. Now you share that with your sister. It was your first birthday where you had to share our attentions as we also looked after your sister but like everything else you took it in your stride. Cuddling your sister when you woke up and telling everyone that your presents were from mammy, daddy AND Chloe. What a day we had.

You are funny and daring
You laugh all day long
You say the craziest things
And sing the best songs

You squeeze us
And kiss us with a smile in your eyes
You are brave
Independent
But still hate goodbyes

You eat so much food
But burn it all off
You are tall
And so beautiful
You make everyone laugh

This year has seen changes
Big ones at that
No nappies
No dummies
And no more cot.

You are a big girl now
I say it almost daily
But deep down inside
You are always our baby

You changed our worlds
In every which way
When you came along
That September day.

I will always be thankful
For that big surprise
You have no idea
What you bring to our lives.

We love you Isabelle. Izzy. Iz. Izzy Whizzy.Busy Izzy. Big sister. Best buddy. Daughter. Granddaughter.

A Spot Of Healthy Indulgence With Giovanni Rana

September 11, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 3 Comments

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:

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.

Bake for 15 minutes until the breadcrumbs look golden.

Eat whilst still hot and enjoy.

The Big Feastival 2014

September 11, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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