Meal Planning Monday; 31st December 2012

So as I thought, last week's meal plan pretty much was a waste of time. We ate party food and visited relatives where we had, er, more party food? Oops! We did have the roast on boxing day though so some normal food was consumed, promise!

Bubbah quickly got into the swing of Christmas and was given the almost obligatory first Christmas Santa suit (courtesy of his aunt)

He definitely got into the swing of ripping off the wrapping paper (and becoming preoccupied with that and the cardboard most presents came in) to reveal TOYS. His favourites seem to be a musical set from the in-laws (especially the maracas and drum) and a musical phone (ish) toy from me and hubby.

Last week was a bit hit and miss as I got some bad family news concerning my grandad. As mentioned briefly here I went and visited him in hospital while hubby looked after Bubbah (a hospital isn't really up there on a list of places I want Bubbah visiting) where he thankfully was lucid enough to realise that a) I was there and b) who I was.

This week we're determined to get back on track with meal planning after a week of overindulgence at Christmas (hubby) and worrying about food/money wastage (me). We're sticking with quite simple meals and I'm hoping to batch cook a couple of them before hubby goes back to work on Wednesday.

And now, to the soundtrack of McFly (my soundtrack, although feel free to join in as you read this) here is this week's meal plan;

• Cheesy sausage pasta bake (brought over from last week)
• Pizza
• Mushroom risotto
• Vegetable bake for hubby/ lasagne for me
• Ratatouille for hubby/ sausage and mash for me
• Mushroom soup for hubby/ cheesy jacket and BBQ sauce for me

 I'll be linked up to Mrs M so head on over there to have a look at everyone else's new year meal plans.

What I did 30 December 2012

It was the last full week of December and I...

• celebrated Bubbah's first Christmas

• finally cracked open my Jon Burgerman tin of mini Lush bath bombs (I've had it about three years)
• hit the sales and bought hardly anything in them - but several new bits from regular stock
• found my new scent after all of my perfumes spoiled from sun exposure (Dot by Marc Jacobs)
• ate lots of party food over my usual meal plan (oops)
• fed some ducks and got ambushed by seagulls!
• visited my grandad in hospital
• got a Little Chef lollipop after visiting there on the way back from hospital (for a cheeky pre-dinner time snack and decadent hot chocolate)
• got woken up by Bubbah blowing raspberries on my stomach!

And that was (more or less) my week.

Meal Planning Monday; 24th December 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...


and I am SO excited! Hubby and bubbah are at the in-laws as I type this (Sunday afternoon, I already know the next few days are going to be absolutely manic)

So who's looking forward to the big day? What's your favourite bit? Personally I'm looking forward to the various roasts (two turkeys and one beef ones have been planned so far), opening presents with Bubbah (that wrapping paper will be so much fun for him to rip open) and Christmas t.v.! I've already set The Snowman and the Snowdog, Doctor Who, Call the Midwife, and about a million Christmas films to record on our Sky planner and cannot wait to watch them all.

Last week's meal plan went pretty well as practically all of our meals came from our freezer stock (handily clearing room for Christmas food) except Saturday night's which was a quick buy of sausages and curly fries after we had a date at Frankie and Bennys before realising we had pasta planned for tea (oops) and had to hastily come up with something else.

This week is very much a loose plan. Hubby isn't fasting because of all of the food he'll be surrounded by and lack of work to distract him. The only concrete things are Christmas day, Boxing day and Friday. But here's what we're thinking of having...

• party food picnic (mini loaded potato skins, chicken nuggets, sausage rolls, mozerella sticks, cream cheese bites, chicken satay sticks and chicken goujons)
• Christmas day roast (hurray) which will be had at the in-laws
• Hoping to see my dad Boxing day afternoon so possibly tea there
• Pizza (a Friday tradition that hubby asked to keep)
• Pasta bake - sausage and cheese for both of us
• freezer meal (as we still have a few left)

And that's our week! Hope everyone has a great Christmas.

What I Did 23rd December 2012

In the run up to Christmas next week (eek) I spent my week...

• hunkering down for last minute Christmas prep including food shopping, people planning and helping my mum wrap my niece and nephew's (bazillion) presents
• dying my hair in preparation for any surprise photos
• indulging myself in clothe sensuality courtesy of Tesco's cashmere jumper (it was on sale, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)
• watching excitedly as Bubbah got more adventurous with his cruising and tried to take some steps by himself (and failing but hey, it's the trying that counts)
• cheering as he managed to balance himself enough to stand completely alone
• swapping Christmas presents with my best friend
• despairing as he ate an entire corner off his favourite book (he likes me to pretend I'm the lion in Dear Zoo touch and feel book and eat his fingers when he sticks them through the hole)

And that was my week! 

Just another manic Monday...

And I definitely wish it was Sunday! We're all feeling very sorry for ourselves this morning. Hubby practically dragged himself to work this morning as he was so exhausted; Bubbah spent most of last night crying in pain and kept being sick for some mysterious reason to the extent that I ended up sleeping in his bedroom out of fear he'd be sick in his sleep and choke; and I've got a horrid cold so I feel generally rotten and could do with a day where all I do is eat comfort food, watch cheesy movies and do not much else.

Unfortunately I can't courtesy of everyday living so things such as cleaning the kitchen and the mountain of washing that need dealing with prevent me from doing so. Humph.

Fortunately Bubbah fell asleep on the way back from Tesco (for a sweetie and tissue run) so I've managed to grab a few moments to myself after sweeping and washing our kitchen floor with an ice cream and an old(ish) episode of Doctor Who (The Pandorica Opens for anyone who cares, I love Rory the Roman!)

Here's hoping things calm down!

Meal Planning Monday; 17th December 2012

It's the week before Christmas! After a very slow build up I've finally become excited about the big day. I think it helps that the last week or so has seen me finish wrapping up presents and writing cards so all of that stressful part has finally disappeared. Although Bubbah has decided to add a new element called "pull down the Christmas tree decorations when mummy's back is turned"

I've come down with a horrible cold that's left me feeling rather miserable, thankfully last week's meal plan went pretty much according to plan. Friday (our pizza night) I had spag bol at my dad's house but hubby did still get his pizza so I'm counting that as a successful meal plan night! Saturday's meal failed when hubby decided he didn't want the meal I'd planned and we ended up with curly fries and chicken kievs.


This week I've moved from cupboard staples to freezer staples as I'm determined to rid our surplus food as opposed to it sitting there languishing until I end up throwing it out. I might do some baking this week, probably some cupcakes (in Christmas cases because I actually do own Christmas cupcake cases, I do like my bake ware) on top of the normal meals.

So, this week we're eating a rather mismatched set of meals where no two meals match up for me and hubby:

• Tuna pasta bake for me when hubby is fasting
• Ratatouille/pasties and potatoes
• Broccoli, tomato and cheese quiche/bolognaise
• Pizza
• Sausages and roasties, possibly with home made yorkshire puddings
• Bolognaise/soup/pasties for me on hubby's other fasting day

And that's our week! As usual I'm linked up to Mrs M's linky so head on over there and see what everyone else is cooking up pre-Christmas!

What I did this week

This week I...

• enjoyed (well Bubbah and I did) more snow...
• ...although I'm not enjoying the cold that has come along since then!
• did some last minute Christmas shopping
• wrote what felt like a million Christmas cards
• and finally, made some gingerbread biscuits;

Meal Planning Monday; 10th December 2012

Goodness me, just over two weeks until Christmas; how scary does that sound! Thankfully I've done all my wrapping (bar two last minute presents when my brother and his girlfriend decided they were actually doing presents after all and I hurriedly bought them gifts) and just have a few cards for family to write.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post Bubbah has been much better this week, much to my relief! He's also learnt a new trick; climbing the stairs. Imagine my horror when hubby went upstairs while I was in the kitchen washing up and didn't shut the door properly. Of course as curious as any other baby, Bubbah crawled off excitedly to explore. I realised it had suddenly gone quiet (usually to be treated with suspicion when children are involved in the day time) and went to investigate to discover Bubbah hitting the bottom step. Several minutes later, with me firmly wedged in behind him to stop any falling over, he'd scaled the stairs. He repeated this later on yesterday after I went to put some washing away and he's so proud of himself. Time to start bolting everything down!

Cheeky, well padded and cosy!

I didn't really go out much last week because we had some snow(!) and that always makes me want to hibernate. I did venture outside with Bubbah to explore the snow because I couldn't resist his excited face when I showed him the newly whitened back garden. We also went Christmas shopping with my mum on Thursday and put up our Christmas tree so it was a very festive week indeed!

Last week's meal plan went pretty well, although we didn't have sticky chicken as I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer (doh) but I did manage to remember to blog the recipe for those who asked so here it is. Instead we had a nice lazy Chinese take away (yummy) while watching the first half of the X Factor final with my mum and discussing Christmas presents, onesies and snow boots.

This week is a store cupboard week as, after reading everyone else's meal plans I realised our cupboard was disgustingly full of tins and I had no idea what we actually had in there! So I cleared it out and made a list while Bubbah was asleep and came up with a meal plan from pretty much everything in there.

So this week we are having:

• Risotto (probably vegetable or sausage and vegetable)
• BBQ mac n cheese
• Pizza
• Pasta bake (tomato for hubby, tuna for me)
• Pasties or fish fingers for my free meal days (when hubby fasts)
• Egg fried rice and chicken chunks

I've also got lots of soup in the cupboard so I'll probably have those for my lunches with the doorstep bread I bought today (easily the best thing to have with soup) or just some of the bagels I got in the reduced section while shopping today - 24p for a packet of 5, needless to say I bought two and promptly pre-sliced them and whacked them in the freezer!

As usual I'm linked up to Mrs M so head on over there to see what everyone else is cooking up.

My week; a round-up

Hello and happy Sunday! I've been unhappy for a while with how little I've been posting other than my weekly meal plan. The truth is Bubbah keeps me so busy that I have little time to blog during the day and I simply have no energy left to do anything other than veg out with a book and my tea by the time he's in bed. Sunday is usually my big blogging day so I've decided to make an effort and blog on a Sunday to be scheduled out during the rest of the week.

And here is the first of said posts, a little round-up of my week with links, videos and pictures...

This week I...

• watched with excitement as Bubbah walked very well (and very quickly) with his walker:
  


• rejoiced at getting back to normal after two and a half weeks of a horrendous viral infection ruling our household
• looked into getting a physical copy of my Nano WriMo novel
• did all of my Christmas wrapping

• indulged in several jumpers including a Christmas one and a pretty one (because everyone needs pretty knitwear, right?)
• received a lovely bouquet of flowers from hubby

• put up our Christmas tree (out of Bubbah's reach!)
• cleaned out our cupboard
• bought a new non-novelty hat for Bubbah as he kept trying to eat his lion one

And that was my week!

Recipe Binder: Sweet sticky chicken

This has appeared several times in my meal plan since I pinched it from some foodie browsing online. As several people kept asking for a recipe after its latest appearance, here it is! Apologies for the bad photo, I just about remembered to take one before scoffing it down.

What you need:

• One chicken breast per person
• Soy sauce
• Runny honey

What you do:

• Mix up approx four tablespoons of runny honey with a couple of tea spoons of soy sauce, adding soy sauce or honey to make it runnier/thicker as needed
• Marinade the chicken in the soy sauce and honey glaze in a baking dish for a couple of hours (or all day if you're going out)
• Cook for 30 minutes, gas mark 7 or 8
• Serve with pasta/mash/noodles/rice

Meal Planning Monday; 3rd December 2012

Hello everybody and hello December! Blimey that's come about quickly, hasn't it?!

The last week has been extremely tiring as Bubbah dealt with his horrid viral infection and the ever impending Nano WriMo deadline. Thankfully both have passed and hopefully the next week will be a bit easier. Bubbah seems to be getting over his viral infection after two weeks of it and is finally back to his normal happy self. I also completed my NaNo WriMo successfully with a grand total of 50,618 words, so cheers all around!

As I type this on a freezing Sunday night I have a discounted Sainsburys' lasagne cooking away while half of my nails are drying in a beautiful sparkly blue (hey, t'is the season and all that jazz) and Bubbah is with hubby at hubby's parents to give me a bit of a rest after several nights that included me staying awake with a screaming baby until 3/4am.

I got a bit of a pick me up when some photos arrived from Pixi Photo we'd had done of Bubbah at the beginning of the month, it was a nice reminder of the fact that he could smile when not horrendously sick.

We managed to stick to last week's meal plan pretty well, with the exception of Friday where I shared a sausage plait with my mum instead of having pizza. I also had some lamb meatballs as opposed to a pasty one nights as they needed using up.

This week it's a bit of a mix between freezer stock and fresh meals...

• Fish pie while hubby is fasting (he hates the stuff so it's normally my only chance to have fish)
• Pasta bake (tomato and veg for hubby, cheesy tuna and veg for me with some set aside for Bubbah)
• Sweet and sticky chicken (honey and soy sauce marinade) with potato, rice or noodles
• Jackets with spaghetti/beans
• Pizza
• More fish pie/tuna bake for me on hubby's other fast day

And that's pretty much it! I'm making some mini cakes for a friend's little boy's first birthday too so there'll be some cake in the cupboards for yummy snacks during the day.

I'm linked up to Mrs M so mosey on over there to have a look at what everyone else is cooking up this week.

Meal Planning Monday, 26th November 2012

Phew what a horrid Monday it is! It's cold, it's rainy and poor old Bubbah is horribly ill. He came down with what we though was a case of teething gone bad last Monday but it quickly transpired this was nothing to do with teething (although he has had the top two middle teeth through, hurrah). He has a nasty nappy rash which is quite dried out and splits nearly every time he needs a nappy change, which is about 15+ at the moment. Safe to say he is not a happy Bubbah most of the time. Today heralds us going back to the doctors for more special cream to help the rash and find out what exactly is wrong because they said viral infection last week but I'm not happy because it's not getting better.

We also didn't get the flat (booo) because the landlord didn't want tenants with children. So that combined with some bad family news and poor old Bubbah the week has been rather a rubbish one.

Needless to say last week's meal plan was pretty much abandoned after Tuesday and home cooked meals went out of the window. I'm pretty sure we lived off food from the freezer topped up with pizza and chicken pops from our local Tesco. OH took a day off to help me out as I was running on empty come Thursday and managed to get Bubbah to fall asleep without too much struggle on the way to the shops (compared to me rocking him for two hours as that would be the only thing that would settle him. My back is in so much pain) allowing me to have a sleep catch up of my own.

Bubbah before the start of all things poorly

I'm a little more hopeful this week so I've tentatively put some more normal food plans back on the menu. The slow cooker is coming out (which makes things easier) again this week too for an old favourite.

So on the menu we have:

• Sausage casserole
• Fajitas
• Jackets
• Pizza
• Lamb meatballs for me when OH is fasting
• Vegetable pasties for me on OH's other fasting day.

And that's the plan! I'm linked up to Mrs M so pop on over there to see what everyone else is cooking up!

Meal Planning Monday; 19 November 2012

Hello everyone! Phew, it's been a bit quiet on here between these posts so I feel that these are all I write on here at the moment. This NaNo WriMo takes up pretty much all my spare time (read: time Bubbah spends asleep) but there are only 12 days left, eek! I've currently got 30,308 words so only 1,641 words a day to hit the target. Hurrah! I'm feeling pretty positive but it is very dependent on Bubbah sleeping!

This last week has been rather an exciting one because (whisper it now) we may be getting our very own flat! We currently live with my mum due to funds and houses/flats being ridiculously expensive and the waiting list for council property being about three years long or something insane like that. However we came across a little gem of a place at the beginning of last week and, everything crossed, we may be renting it. The estate agent is getting back to us this week with news as the landlord has been on holiday so it's been a bit of a weekend spent on tenterhooks! 

We also spent the weekend with my brother, sister in law, my niece (who is 4) and my nephew (who is 2). My poor nephew is poorly and has a horrid cough so he's been a bit subdued but still managed lots of cuddles and running around. My niece spent a rather large portion of Sunday lunch laughing and then telling me I was funny for no reason what so ever. Strange but cute. And hey, I'm happy to take the compliment!

Bubbah has been teething something awful this week so we've had a week of intermittent sleeping, crying and biting anything and anyone within reach (and I have the puncture marks to prove it). As such there hasn't been time for much else but I did want to share with you this rather funny/sweet picture of him from my nephew's birthday a fortnight ago...

He was rather enamoured with a toy hard hat my nephew got and was trying to model it for my mum when my nephew decided that, actually, he didn't want to share the hat any more and he wanted to wear it!

Last week's meal plan went very well. I managed to make gingerbread which we took with us on Friday when we had dinner at a friend's house where he made us burgers from Lorraine Pascall's cook book (so obviously pizza was scrapped, but the burgers were so good it was worth it) as I always like to take some sort of gift (normally baked goods as they're easy and always appreciated) if someone is cooking me dinner.

This week the slow cooker is back out in force as I shall be desperately writing/waiting about the flat/celebrating or mourning the flat and occupying Bubbah.

Our meals look a little bit like this:

• Sausage casserole
• Vegetable soup
• Freezer meal
• Pizza
• Jacket or pasta bake for me when OH is fasting
• Lazy meal of fish fingers, wedges and veg for me on OH's other fasting day

I really want to make cookies this week because I'm in the mood for something like that but we shall see if I can fit that in around everything else.

As always, I'm linked up to Mrs M so head on over to see what everyone else is cooking up.

Meal Planning Monday; 12 November 2012

Happy Monday everyone! Last week's meal plan was completely achieved with the exception of toad in the hole which got turned into sausages in buns, chips and beans/sweetcorn. I did hit my baking quota for last week, although I swapped gingerbread out for some chocolate pots (a mix between chocolate ganache and mousse). And on that note, meet my smores!

I assure you there were more than this when I made them but I didn't have the chance to snap a picture of them all chopped up into smaller bits before hubby found them and snaffled some (alright I had some too, they were too good to resist), whoops!

The Nutella cookies have also gone down really well but a busy weekend has meant we have a few left going into this week. I may actually make gingerbread this week to celebrate finishing my Christmas shopping over the weekend. Has anyone else finished or am I just a bit obsessive about hating the shops come December when people start a mad rush of present buying?

Now I didn't make the above cakes (I wish I could decorate mine that well) but these were the (slightly sickly if an entire one was eaten) delicious birthday cupcakes my mum got made for my nephew for his birthday last Monday. He was thrilled with them, his presents and seeing myself, Bubbah and my mum. He did, however, cry when we all sang happy birthday to him because he didn't like the attention, bless!

NaNo WriMo is going well too, I've managed to jump up to 17,530 words but unfortunately haven't been able to get any writing done this weekend as Bubbah has been teething and so has been rather clingy with me, meaning no laptop (he tries to eat wires, strange child) for me.

Speaking of Bubbah he has developed a bizarre new habit of shaking his head and then staring at me until I nod mine. He finds it hysterical but I have absolutely no idea why! He's also decided that he can't eat smallish bits of bread like he used to but has to shove the entire bit into his mouth which, as you can imagine, makes lunch a delightful experience! Let's just say my mess mat is getting plenty of use.

He also got into bed with daddy one morning while I was in the bathroom and made himself most comfortable indeed. Every time I tried to get him out to take him downstairs for breakfast he'd pull the covers over his head!

This week we're having a pretty basic week of food and I've put the slow cooker back to work. I've also brought out an old summer favourite because I've just fancied it and hubby keeps asking for it. 

So, this week we are having:

• Quiche (plain old cheese and bacon for me, spinach and tomato for OH)
• Lamb casserole for me (and my mum who loves this) on one of OH's fast days
• Freezer meal (ratatouille for OH, tuna pasta bake or mac n cheese for me)
• Pizza as usual on Friday
• Jackets with cheese/cheesy beans
• Freezer meal or jackets for me on OH's other fast day

As always, I'm linked up with Mrs M's linky so head on over there to check out everyone else's meal plans.

Meal Planning Monday; 5th November 2012

Happy Monday and happy birthday to my nephew who is two today! As you read this I will be visiting him with my mum and Bubbah to hand deliver his presents and some bee cupcakes as a nod to his favourite t.v. show The Hive. I'm rather excited because small children always get so excited about opening presents and he's particularly hilarious with it, taking the present round to everyone in the room demanding they "look" before running off just as quickly. Lovely.

This last week has been a bit of a hibernation one, simply because I had no plans and couldn't be bothered to leave the house in this hideous weather! I just about managed to convince myself we needed some fresh air by the end of the week and braved the cold and the rain for a trip to Tesco where I stocked up on baking stuff (courtesy of their 3 for 2 special offer which got me a bit excited) and promptly made two cakes. One was my normal marshmallow cake and another was a Smarties and marshmallow cake.

I've also taken the plunge and taken part in NaNo WriMo. I'm quite happy with my progress so far, the first few days have seen me manage to write 8,000 words amidst Bubbah's naps and evening times which I'm pretty impressed with. Is anyone else taking part in it this year?

As usual Bubbah has been displaying his mischievous side by turning completely around in his high chair and using me as his climbing frame because clearly that's what mummies are for! He's had a bit of a cold this week but it hasn't dented his playfulness in the slightest. We have, however, been keeping him wrapped up extra warm in cute little jackets such as the red one in the picture below, complete with ears on the hood, something I always find adorable.

Due to the horrendous weather I'm sticking with the warming, comforting food of the last week or two. I'm also thinking of stocking up on soup and casseroles to have ready in the freezer for equally nice, warm lunches. I've already made extra batches of food this week; something about winter makes me want to bunker down and have lots of food ready in the freezer. This week I made cheesy tuna pasta bake for myself and Bubbah (OH hates tuna to the point he can't feed Bubbah this meal because of the smell) and a vegetable bake for OH. I also used a baby sauce pouch (one of those stir in ones) to make Bubbah mild fruity curry with veg, something I'm hoping to replicate myself this week now I know Bubbah likes it.

Anyway, this week's meal plan looks something like this:

• Toad in the hole
• Breaded mayo chicken (for me during OH's fast day)
• Mild curry
• Cheesy mushroom pasta
• Jackets or freezer meal for when OH is on his fast day
• Pizza and the last of some dough balls we have in the freezer

I'm also hoping to bake a bit this week. I found a yummy recipe for Nutella cookies and I'd also like to make gingerbread cake and smores (courtesy of one of my many foodie magazines)

Clearly I'm anticipating that we'll be snowed in or something in the near future, or perhaps I just turn into a bit of a nester this time of year! What are you like come winter, do you like to stock up on meals and yummy snacks or is it just me?

As usual, I'm linked up with Mrs M so head on over there to look at what everyone else is cooking up this week for some foodie inspiration.

Meal Planning Monday; 29th October 2012

Good morning everybody! It's actually looking rather sunny outside this morning, although I've been informed it's freezing which doesn't surprise me. The weekend was horrifically cold and Bubbah's winter hat was whipped out with much joy by me...and Bubbah

Last week the slow cooker was well and truly out in force with chicken, lamb and sausage casseroles on the menu. Our meal plan went pretty well last week, although Saturday night was ruined and I ended up just having BBQ pork with tortilla chips.

This week we have the slow cooker out just once as I cleared out our freezer and discovered a plethora of freezer meals begging to be eaten.

Here's this week's plan:

• Gammon and curly fries for me for both of OH's fast days as I have some gammon steaks to use up
• Vegetable soup courtesy of the slow cooker
• Freezer meals (probably ratatouille for OH and sticky chicken for me)
• Freezer meals (it's either bolognaise or bbq pork [I can't quite work it out] for me and honey and mustard veg for OH) on jackets

I'm linked up to At Home With Mrs M's linky so head on over there to see what everyone else is up to this week.

Recipe binder: herby toad in the hole

Toad in the hole is one of my favourite meals both to make and to have. It's definitely up there in my list of top comfort foods and one I love to bring out this recipe when it starts to get colder. Apologies for the dark picture but it was the best I could do with OH complaining how hungry he was!

What you need

• Sausages (I tend to use two per person)
• 200 ml milk
• 100 ml plain flour
• 1 egg
• Rosemary and thyme

What you do

• In a casserole dish cook the sausages for ten minutes
• While they cook beat the egg before adding the flour and milk
• Mix well
• Add the herbs and mix again
• Pour over the sausages making sure the batter covers all of the bottom of the casserole dish
• Cook for 30 minutes gas 7
• Serve with vegetables, mash/chips/roasties and gravy

Recipe binder: vegetable soup

This is another simple recipe I use my slow cooker for (although you could just do it on the hob) when the nights are long and the days are short (and cold)! It's perfect for when you want something filling and warm at the end of the day. Ignore the mark on my place mat in the picture by the way, Bubbah decided to play with his yoghurt and some escaped!

What you need:

Carrots

Peas

Sweetcorn

Potato (1 per person)

Vegetable stock

Plain flour

What you do:

Cube the potato and carrot if not using frozen

Make up approx 400ml vegetable stock

Add all the veg into slow cooker

Pour stock in over the top and mix in

Cook on low for 6 hours

If you need/want to make it thicker, add a bit of plain flour and stir it in. It doesn't change the taste but makes all the difference for thickness!

Serve with crusty bread (and cheese if you wish, I do but that might just be my own preference...)

Meal Planning Monday; 22 October 2012

My oh my how lovely and Autumn-like is it?! Bubbah and I enjoyed a nice few trips out with me pointing out the pretty crunchy leaves (much to a passer-bys amusement) to him. Last week's meal plan went pretty well, although we ended up having jackets AND cheesy pasta so sausage casserole fell to the side. As predicted, I had a very busy week; a coffee catch up with my friend on Monday, lunch out with my dad on Wednesday plus my mum ended up having three days off (two of them courtesy of a stomach bug Bubbah had at the beginning of the week) which Bubbah enjoyed very much!

He's certainly coming on with his movement; not only is he speedy with his crawling and pulling himself up but he's also twigged how to move along furniture to the point where he'll end up on the other side of the room if I look away for two seconds! His curiosity also seems to know no bounds as he decided to help me sort through our washing!

This week the slow cooker is coming out again in force with a sausage and a chicken casserole in the mix. There's also toad in the hole, pizza and fajitas. For OH's fast days I'm having chicken casserole and either fish pie or BBQ pork with veg.

As always I'm linked up to Mrs M's linky so head on over there to check out what everyone else is having.

Meal Planning Monday; 15th October 2012

Hello everybody!  What a crazy week it has been this week. Bubbah has really got the hang of crawling now and I'm frantically running around stopping him from eating cables, leads, DVDs and the such like. He's also moved onwards and upwards, having mastered the ability to pull himself up on stuff. We've also had a lovely weekend with my brother, his girlfriend and his kids visiting which included yummy picnics indoors and a fun swimming session.

Last week's meal plan was a rousing success, with the exception of Friday and Saturday after an impromptu dinner at my dad's with the clan Friday night, and a cheeky McDonalads on the Saturday. I used the lamb to make lamb casserole in the slow cooker and I used some chicken I bought to make cheesy mayo chicken (as seen on the Hellmans mayonnaise adverts, recipe to appear later in the week) for when OH was fasting.

This week it's part slow cooker, and part oven meals;

• OH has requested sausage casserole again this week as he's declared it one of his "favourite meals ever"
• I'm hoping to make a chicken casserole too.
• I'm planning pigs in blankets and cheesy mayo chicken for OH's fast days
• We'll have pizza as usual on Friday night with some dough balls I have sitting in the freezer
• Finally we'll probably just have a nice lazy option of jackets with cheese or mac n cheese for Saturday

I'm hoping to make some bread this week, mainly just to see if I can(!) but that depends if I can fit it in with my week's plans of seeing a friend for a coffee and a catch up, quite possibly seeing my dad and step mum as they have the week off and my mum having a day off which will be spent doing chores around the house and shopping for my nephew's birthday in a couple of weeks. I've also got to have Bubbah's feet measured as his feet seem to be taking after mine and being rather on the big size, resulting in generic baby shoes not fitting him any more and me having to fork out for some (undoubtedly rather expensive) cruiser shoes from Clarks. Expensive it shall be, but I am quite excited about him getting his first pair of "big boy" shoes.

As usual I'm linked up to Mrs M's meal planning linky

Recipe binder: lamb casserole

I love casseroles around this time of year. The weather is rubbish, I'm usually feeling lazy and in want of yummy comfort food. Enter the slow cooker. My OH hates lamb so I usually do this when he's having a fasting day. What's great about this is that you can just bung it all into the slow cooker in the morning and leave it, save in the knowledge that come tea time a gorgeous meal will be awaiting you!

What you need

• Lamb pieces
• Potatoes cut into small squares
• Carrots
• Peas
• Any other veg you want
• 300-400 ml meat stock

What you do

• Make up the stock
• Add all the ingredients into your slow cooker
• Pour the stock on top and mix the ingredients about a bit
• Cook on slow cooker's low setting for 6-7 hours
• Serve with dumplings/stuffing

Rainy days and Mondays

Thanks to the atrocious weather outside today I've had the Carpenters stuck in my head all morning! My chest infection is slowly getting better and the fever has subsided, which is lovely. Bubbah's cough seems to be getting better too, although we seem to have given my mum our germs; whoops!

I decided to brave the downpour currently occurring and headed out on a walk with Bubbah (all wrapped up in his winter coat and foot muff and protected from the rain with his rain cover) and my Mickey Mouse umbrella that my niece has set her eyes on (admittedly I think it may be a children's umbrella but it's adorable and doesn't look like one) to the local shops. It was set to be the park, before I knew it was raining, but obviously I can get Bubbah playing on wet slides/swings/bouncy toys now can I?

My local co-op must have a field day whenever they see me, I go in there several times a week and always end up buying something - quite often something I don't need. Today it was mini marshmallows, 100s and 1000s, and, er, birthday candles. Admittedly these will all be used up and they were all reduced to about 60p each so I thought I'd stock up and pop them in my baking box.

Some foodie magazines also found their way into my basket. I always have trouble resisting these, especially BBC Good Food magazine as everything looks so good! I also picked up Take a Break's recipe magazine as there are quite often good ideas in there.

Bubbah fell asleep on the way home so I'm enjoying a nice bit of peace and quiet before he wakes up. I've done a load of housework today plus about six lots of clothes washing and the smell of thyme is drifting through the house. I decided to indulge myself on OH's first fast day of the week and have slow cooker lamb casserole, with a generous helping of thyme.

I'm also recovering from lunch where Bubbah decided he wanted to feed himself the last few bits of his lunch (fish cakes in parsley sauce, courtesy of Ella's Kitchen because mummy was too lazy to do anything in her own kitchen) and then thought that blowing a raspberry at me with a mouthful of food would be a good idea. I keep finding smears of food on my top and cardigan, and Bubbah had to have an entire outfit change once he'd finished. He enjoyed himself though and after a few misses - mostly ending up at his eye/forehead - he did manage to get the spoon from his bowl to his mouth:

Success!

Meal Planning Monday; 8th October 2012

Hello again! Last week practically whizzed by thanks to being struck down with a chest infection (as mentioned earlier this week as a mystery cold/flu thingy and later in the week as an actual infection) and, as to be expected, my meal plan went completely out of the window. I think we managed toad in the hole, and jackets but that was it. We did have pizza but it was a naughty take away after I phoned OH at work begging him to come home to look after Bubbah so I could sleep.

Bubbah has also come down with a bit of a bug this week, he's on some yummy smelling cough medicine which is helping so I've literally been struck down with a clingy baby because hugs from mummy make everything better apparently...

He doesn't look unwell but this was at 12:30am Saturday night/Sunday morning! That's my mum's iPad case by the way, he seems to prefer fake leather over teething rings and a new tooth is close to breaking its way through.

This week, I'm breaking out the slow cooker from its cupboard confinement. It's cold, we're all a bit miserable and missing the summer sun. 

• Sausage casserole done in the slow cooker including potato and a variety of veg. Possibly with home made yorkshire puddings and stuffing as well, but that's to be decided as and when we cook it.
• Chicken soup probably in the slow cooker as well to save me constantly hovering over the oven hob while Bubbah crawls around the kitchen (and attempting to play with the oven)
• Pizza; home made this time, promise!
• Mac n cheese. The most lovely and lazy option I have in my meal planning repertoire 

For OH's fasting days I've got some lamb and mince so I'll probably mint the lamb in a cooking bag and have it with roasts and veg. I'll most likely do a bolognaise style with the mince and freeze the leftovers. This will be served with a jacket or some pasta, rice or noodles depending on my mood and how much time I have to spare for cooking.

As always I've linked up to Mrs M's meal planning linky.

Sick day bluespart two and the mummy wardrobe conundrum

So it's official, I have a chest infection. Hurrah! (Not) I went to the doctors on Friday as my cold/flu/ill thingy was beginning to interfere with my asthma - and breathing is so important when running around after an exploring seven month old Bubbah - and I was promptly diagnosed with said infection. I'm now on a round of amoxicillin which is helping a bit but I still feel a bit rubbish.

Also, on top of that, Bubbah has come down with a cough. Unfortunately not much can be done about it except a bit of apple flavoured cough syrup for babies (it smells amazing, like a sour apple sweet) which actually seems to be improving matters. It certainly is a welcome change not to be dashing into his room at 3am because his coughing sounds like he's choking. I'm sure any mummy readers will appreciate how horrendous that would seem at such an hour when you're brain is foggy with sleep!

Partly due to being ill, and partly due to the weather, I've been reaching for warm, comfy clothes. Yes, my summer dresses and skirts have officially been put away into the spare wardrobe in Bubbah's room. I needed new winter clothes as last year it was all maternity bits.

Which is where I hit a bit of a conundrum.

I'm a mum, yes, so clothes need to be practical, but I'm also young. I'm only 21 so didn't want to be looking fuddy-duddy. Heck I did fashion journalism and was fashion editor on my university online magazine. I needed a fashionable yet functional wardrobe for winter. I like to have a bit of quirk with my outfits somehow, and accessories are out as Bubbah still puts everything in his mouth.

So, I headed out on the high street after a mega online browse and begun my mummy wardrobe make over. My new wardrobe consists of:

• Numerous pairs of coloured jeans (green, purple, blue, pink, teal, black)
• Some basic vests that I already had
• Cardigans from many moons ago
• Some jumper dresses including this one from Asos curve;

I bought an Asos jumper dress last year while I was at uni and it was pretty much this in yellow with black cuffs and a thick black stripe in the hem. It also had a higher neckline which often felt a bit uncomfortable, which is something I was pleased to see was different on this one.This one also zips up on the back, but it isn't really needed. It's a good length so I can get away with wearing it with tights as well as leggings.

• A gorgeous winter coat from Next (last year's needed replacing as it was about three sizes too big) which should last me a good few years
• A few print t-shirts which I risked from Asos. I'm not normally confident regarding fit with Asos as I've found in the past their sizes come up a bit small. However, this time around they fitted and I could have actually gone down a size(!)

 
This first one I picked because it was adorable and I couldn't resist. It's a t-shirt with a koala bear hugging you from behind, what's not to love?!

I also bought this one as I loved the print and I love deer. It is a bit sheer so you have to watch what you wear underneath it but they're both so comfortable it kind of overrides that fact.

Finally, I bought a new pair of winter boots from good old Tesco in a Chelsea boot style. I was reluctant to buy new boots but had to face up to the need when our local cobbler (aka the key cutting man) informed me my beautiful vintage boots I'd have for nearly two years had been worn to death and couldn't be saved because the toe was gone (apparently it's the only bit that can't be re patched.) It took my ages, because I'm very picky about my shoes and I finally came across my Tesco boots when I'd popped in to buy Bubbah some PJs. They (the boots, not Bubbah's PJs) are mega comfy and fit really well. They're also waterproof and haven't fallen apart which is a bonus as that's always been an issue with high street boots in the past. I might actually buy a second pair of these as insurance.

Phew! It didn't seem like that much when I look at it all hanging up!

Sick day blues

It's official; I am ill. It's quite rare that I get ill but I seem to have been struck down by one of the numerous winter bugs making their rounds. And it's lovely and sunny outside today, typical! I feel absolutely miserable, have used up a box of tissues, feel freezing but have a burning head and need water about every five seconds. You know the drill, I'm sure.


However, as some of you will know, unlike yesteryears when you could retreat under a duvet with your comfort food/drink of choice (tomato soup, ice cream and lucozade were my choices) and a box set of DVDs (usually the O.C. because Seth can always cheer me up) as a mum of a young baby there isn't that option. I can't just cocoon myself away (at least until the hubby gets home) and have to run around after a seven month old who has just begun crawling and wants to play exploring including (read; mainly) things that he shouldn't really such as the lamp base and cable, the pipes and living room radiator.

Mummy can we watch a DVD?

What's over there?

What's in here? 

Can I play with this?

As you can see, he's been up to quite a bit this morning! Thankfully he's gone down for a nap so I can zone out for a bit, down a bottle of water and consider what I'm doing about my lunch (because there's no way I'm up for much cooking)

Also, hubby may be making a trip to Tesco on the way home for some lucozade...


What do you like to do when you're having a sick day?

Meal Planning Monday; 1st October 2012

Hello October! Goodness the weeks are practically flying by at the moment! This week has had so much crammed in I feel like I've hardly had time to sit down, let alone do much else. Bubbah has started crawling properly now and is attempting - and quite often succeeding - to get into everything humanly possible. This includes our open front DVD unit, the tea towels and a metal dog statue that nods its head when you tap it (which he finds particularly fascinating).

The OH had a day off this week for a hospital appointment in the morning, and treated me to an afternoon in nearby town Hitchin complete with a visit to Just Desserts (I had a chocolate waffle with ice cream but was too greedy to wait and take pictures) and a second hand book shop I adore and visited loads when I worked in Hitchin, where I came across (and bought) a first edition Enid Blyton book for £10. Result!

Finally, Saturday saw Bubbah and I join my mum in a trip to St Albans where I enjoyed shops home doesn't have to offer including Lush and Whittards. We also treated ourselves to Nandos for lunch where I, again, was too greedy to take any pictures as I simply scoffed my meal as soon as it arrive. Oops!

In better news; last week's meal plan was a success as every meal was cooked (hurrah!) I added sausages to the cheesy mushroom pasta as I had a few to use up, and Risotto was mushroom, bacon and peas with meat gravy. I also made a batch of banana and berry pudding, including an adult portion for OH after his complaints last time.

This week we're having old favourites when OH isn't fasting;

-Fajitas with sausages, mushrooms, sweetcorn, peppers and onions

-Jackets with cheese/beans

-Toad in the hole with potato slices

-Pizza with potato slices

When OH is fasting I've got some fish fingers or marinated chicken to have along with curly fries.

I'll also make a batch of mac n cheese to freeze as after a few weeks without our microwave (it died after about 23 years so not bad) we have a diddy new one so I can batch cook and defrost meals for lunch quickly.

As always, I'm linked up to Mrs M's meal planning linky so feel free to head on over there and browse for inspiration for the week.

Meal Planning Monday; 24th September 2012

My goodness how cold has it been in the last week! We dug out the woollies, and after a lengthy search and a purchase of an insurance hat, my beloved winter hat was found. (Hurrah!) Bubbah looked adorable in his jumpers this week, particularly his lion one which I couldn't resist when I saw it in the shop...

Last week's meal plan went pretty well, except veg soup was substituted for chicken soup for me and mushroom soup for OH. Toad in the hole went down a treat indeed, although I swapped the intended day for it around as OH injured his back and had a day off work feeling miserable. He requested this when I gave him the option of meals I'd planned and I couldn't say no, could I!?

This week's meal plan is a bit of a store cupboard hoard of old favourites and a few lazy meals too:

• Cheesy mushroom pasta
• Risotto
• Pizza
• Jackets

I'll probably have sausages wrapped in bacon with cream cheese and curly fries, and fish fingers and curly fries when OH is fasting.

As always, I'll be linked up with Mrs M's linky so head on over there for foody inspiration

Recipe Binder: Banana and Berry Pudding

Just a quick recipe post while Bubbah is asleep. I have a terrible/brilliant (depending on your view) habit of hoarding recipe books/magazines. I do go through them eventually and last weekend was such a time. I came across this in a baby recipe book but adapted it a bit and I'm pretty sure adults can eat it too.

What you need;

• A banana
• A handful of berries (mixed or one[s] of your choice)
• A blender

What you do;

• Break up the banana into small chunks and place in a jug
• Add the berries on top
• Blend

And ta-dah! You have a desert that is simple and healthy. 

This makes about three (baby sized) batches and can be stored for two days in the fridge in an air-tight container.

Meal Planning Monday; 17 September 2012

As winter draws in, I swear time is moving quicker! I still feel as if barely a day has passed since I wrote last week's meal plan up, however my calender is telling me quite stubbornly that, actually, a week has gone by and it's time for another one so here we go.

We stuck to last week's meal plan very well, although stir fry was replaced with honey and mustard chicken and pasta one day after OH decided to swap around his fast day at the last minute and discovered I'd been hoarding this dish in the freezer.

Bubbah has also discovered the joy of cheesy vegetable mash, made for when we had fajitas Saturday rather than the stir fry as most of the veg had gone off by the time a non-fast day had come around after the fast day swap earlier in the week. We've started to have him eat tea with us as he seems to sleep better eating later then having bath etc rather than early tea then bed. Fingers crossed because it's been lovely having some form of evening time back!

I've discovered just how messy feeding a baby can be, as perfectly demonstrated by Bubbah decided he wanted to feed himself his fish pie when we were out at the beginning of the week whereupon he grabbed the bowl and pulled it towards him, tipping it at the same time. Cue one bowl of fish pie landing on my lap and all over my jeans (and the floor of the coffee shop we were in but like a nice mummy/customer I cleaned up most of it) Needless to say, said jeans were changed when we got home.

Quiet weeks and a full cupboard usually will involve some form of baking and true to form this week I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip and marshmallow cakes (recipe to follow)

There's a couple left, at least one of which shall be devoured by me while OH is out with Bubbah (who has taken up to staring at me pleadingly whenever I eat anything within his presence) possibly with a blob of nutella on top to make them even more yummy!

Anyway, this week's meal plan is again rather more winter based and *trumpet fan fare* the slow cooker is coming out! Technically it doesn't need to but I'm all for easy cooking and standing over a stove with a baby crawling/zooming about in their walker is not conducive to a calm mummy - especially when he's taken such a keen interest in the oven because it has shiny handles and he can see himself in the doors...

So, this week we are having:

• Toad in the hole with chips/mash depending on how lazy I'm feeling and veg. Bubbah will have some of the Yorkshire pudding (home made), mash and veg
• Vegetable soup consisting of potato chunks, carrots, peas and sweetcorn. I might add some chicken for myself and my mum (who has said she'll try some) depending on my mood.
• Pizza as normal on Friday with whatever toppings we have in the house - normally sausages, mushrooms, sweetcorn, peppers and onions topped with extra cheese, bbq seasoning and oregano. Served up with chips and salad
• Jacket potatoes have been requested by OH because he "likes it when you do them with cheese and sour cream"
• Quick freezer meals such as chicken and curly fries, or fish fingers and curly fries have been reserved for OH's fast days

Conveniently, OH asked for wraps this week for his lunches so I felt justified buying sour cream when shopping (as it's normally reserved for fajita week). They will include tikka chicken, salad, cucumber and tomatoes along with aforementioned sour cream.

I loaded up on bagels and crumpets this week (I blame value prices making the crumpets look even more tempting and the bagels were on special offer) so I've got those while bubbah has cheesy veg mash, fish pie, and mince and veg to get through..

As always, I'm linked up to Mrs M's link so head on over there to check out what everyone else is planning.

Meal Planning Monday; 10 September 2012

Happy Monday! After a bit of a hectic week without the OH about (and as a result a rather unsettled Bubbah) it's been nice to have a bit of a break for a few hours today. Bubbah has been swimming twice, the second time with his cousins (which made him practically hysterical with excitement) and I've got my winter coat which always makes me excited. I love autumn so much!

Last week's meal plan pretty much consisted of fish fingers and chips, with the occasional side of pork and noodles, and spag bol. Not ideal but it was a case of easy food as and when possible.

We also had a bit of a clear up and ended up unearthing a load of Bubbah's old newborn stuff, including the hat you see below. It looked massive and we (my mum and I) decided to test if it still fitted. It did and he pulled such a funny face, I couldn't resist taking a picture...

As it's now officially autumn, and as the weather turns to the colder side of things, this week's meal plan looks a bit more comfort-food orientated than light summery food.

-Fish pie
-Mac n cheese
-Pizza
-Fajitas
-Chicken and veg stir fry
-Honey and mustard with veg and rice

OH is, as per usual, doing the 5:2 fast plan so the fish pie and the honey and mustard with veg and rice will be my meals when he's fasting. Lunch will be a variety of things as I stocked up on bakery goods from the reduced section while shopping today.

As always, I'm linked up to Mrs M's meal plan linky so pop over there to see what everyone else is planning.

Meal Planning Monday; 3rd September 2012

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's September already! Last week's meal plan went pretty well, we moved Pizza Friday to Wednesday and made a romantic meal of it (there was candles and wine; that counts as romantic, right?) as OH was out helping his dad deliver some stuff Thursday night and Friday night he stayed at his parents as he had an early flight.

That's right, the OH has gone on holiday! He's gone to Spain with his family. I requested to stay behind with bubbah as he doesn't do well with heat, and he's getting in to EVERYTHING at the moment so I wouldn't relax and it'd be a waste of money for me to go.

As such, it's pretty much just me I've planned for this week. The bonus of this is I can have stuff OH doesn't like! Also, as shopping would be cheaper I managed to stock up on some basics that would ordinarily bumped up our shopping budget. I took advantage of Asda's baby even and got a month and a half - two month's worth of nappies for £14!

It's been a tough week for poor old Bubbah, I think another tooth is working its way into appearance so smiles like the one below were far and few between. Hopefully this week will be better as we're trying to get him settled in his own bedroom this week.

My meal plan is pretty simple this week, I'll literally cook whatever I fancy on the night so here's a list of what I've got in. Any meat not used will go in the freezer for a later date.

• Beef mince
• Lamb steaks
• Pork mince
• Fish fingers
• Sausages
• Beef burgers
• Tuna
• Chicken pieces

I'll probably make a bolognaise with one of the minces (sans tomato, using baby stock cube instead) with mushrooms and carrots for Bubbah to have alongside me.

His meals are very simple this week as I haven't had my free day due to the holiday so his food is restricted to broccoli and cauliflower cheese, rice pudding, pittas with cream cheese, aforementioned bolognaise, sweet potato, weetabix, fruit, yoghurt and baby jelly. Most of this is already in the freezer, it's just the bolognaise and sweet potato which will need cooking which should be simple enough.

As always, I'm linked up to Mr's M and her meal planning week so have a look