black beans & bacon

i always end up making this meal for friends after they have had a baby. i'm not sure why - i think because it is easy so i know if i promise a meal and then my day goes horribly wrong, i will still (probably) be able to make this meal (just!). i also know that post-baby people can be brought a lot of lasagne's, shepherd's pies and beef stew type meals and can end up craving some beans and veg. so this one is on the lighter side and very tasty. black beans are one of my favourites.

1. chop and saute a big onion, 4 strips of British bacon, a red pepper, a green pepper, a stick of celery.

2. add a box of ready-cooked black beans, a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tsp chilli powder, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and simmer for 20mins

serve with rice and a big dollop of soured cream on top

polenta & mozzarella

this is one of the easiest meals ever. the ratio of effort to tastiness is brilliant! it has 4 ingredients! and it is easy & fun for kids to make which is a bonus... whether they eat it or not is another question. polenta does have an unusual texture!

slice a packet of hard polenta in to 1cm thick slices

lay the polenta out in a roasting dish

pour a tin of chopped tomatoes over the polenta [or use this tomato sauce for more flavour: 1 tin chopped tomatoes, tbsp oil, tsp salt, tsp sugar, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, pinch of pepper - all simmered for 30mins]

rip apart 2 balls of mozzarella and spread over the top

bake for 20mins

sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and a grind of salt & pepper

served here with corn and our new pig corn holders

rhubarb & apricot compote

this is so delicious and can be served as a pudding with yoghurt on top... or for breakfast with yoghurt underneath.. or on top of porridge. make a big batch and have a little at each meal..

you can experiment with different fruits or just do plain rhubarb.

chop the fruit and place in a saucepan with 1/2 tsp water. add 3 tbsp sugar. simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. test and add more sugar to suit your taste. 

breakfast - on porridge

pudding - with yoghurt & chopped toasted almonds on top

summer superfood salads

i have discovered ready-cooked puy lentils and they taste divine. this salad was a favourite of mine. i made it in tupperware pots for after a hospital appointment with my sister (where she found out she doesn't need chemotherapy - hooray praise God!). we were travelling to london for the day and i knew she wanted to be eating healthily. i also knew that healthy wholesome cafe food in central london is ridiculously expensive . So i packed up this salad for us. It contains: - roasted butternut squash, spinach, chopped apple, cherry tomatoes, feta, pumpkin seeds, puy lentils, sweetcorn, chopped celery & cucumber.

here is another one that i love - as does my sister because it is full superfood, antioxidant, cancer-fighting raw beetroot and raw carrot. She has been investigating the benefits of various foods and she came across the benefits of sunflower seeds - apparently they 'counter fatigue, irritability, depression and lack of energy' - i could definitely do with some of these little superheroes - they sound like they could fix all my problems!.. better get munching!

so a simple winner with huge health benefits (apparently): - spinach, grated beetroot, grated carrot, chopped orange, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds.

a similar one is lettuce, rocket, chopped orange, chopped beetroot (for a change!) & chopped walnuts

this simple salad (spinach, grated carrot, feta, tomatoes & pumpkin seeds) i accompanied with toasted pitta and hummus and sticks of parsnip roasted in oil and honey.

oats & eggs

when i was away, Little Mr Z invented a recipe and told Daddy he'd like to make it. so they embarked on this simple recipe and it turned out really well. i'm not sure i would eat it myself but  it made a great meal for the kids.

Big dollop of ketchup in the bowl

Stir in 4 eggs

stir in 2 cups of oats

pour in to a muffin tray and bake for 20mins

enjoy!

kids shoes

i can't believe how much children's shoes cost. i have bought very few pairs because i have been given so many hand-me-downs... even my mother saved most of our shoes and all our wellies from when we were kids. it's strange putting my kids in shoes that were on my feet when i was their size

i also can't believe that unless you spend ridiculous amounts of money on girls shoes, you end up with revolting shiny pink & purple tack. the girls selection in Clarks is apalling. i did find some sweet tan shoes at Clarks on sale for £22! still seemed like a rip off to me... but we went with them.

what i  was delighted with was this find -

these are Livie & Luca who, i looked up and discovered, make beautiful shoes. These sell for £48 new. I found them in a charity shop in great condition for £8.80!... rather pleased with these.

gingerbread men

Little Mr Z is so full of sweet questions at the moment. They go something like this: 

why is the inside of ginger yellow?

why is ginger hard?

does butter grow?

this [bicarb of soda] grows deep under the ground doesn't it?

why is this called 'kneading'?

and so on...

if i hesitate for too long it's followed by "why? why? why?"

what does keep him quiet is a good bit of batter to lick. this recipe was so quick to make (probably aided by my desire for a little bit of quiet... and for Little Miss M to not nap for too long) that as i handed Mr Z the beater to lick he said with extreme delight "already? that was the shortest lick day i've ever heard of!!"

Gather:

butter (soft)

1 egg

golden syrup

brown sugar

plain flour

ground ginger

bicarb of soda

1. Beat 125g butter and 1/2cup (110g) brown sugar together until creamy

2. Add 1 egg and 2 tbsp golden syrup and beat until combined

3. sift 2 cups (300g) plain flour, 2 tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp bicarb of soda together

4. Fold the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients until a dough is formed. On a floured surface knead gently to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill (the dough and you!) for at least an hour.

while the dough was chilling, i sent Mr Z to wake his little sister and heard him saying to her: "So, have you had a brilliant sleep? would you like a kiss and a cuddle?" - that melted my heart

5. preheat oven to 180C and roll the dough out to 1cm thick

6. cut out your shapes and bake on a greased/lined tray for 8-10 mins

here are our more traditional shapes

and the more unusual

 cover in various coloured icings (looks like there is more licking than decorating going on here!)

finished product

or just enjoy with a nice cool cup of milk

lunch wraps

can you tell i'm a bit addicted to grated beetroot at the moment? i do love it and we've been getting so much in our organic box recently. they are one of the superfoods - full of antioxidants. this time i put some in a wrap. try this for lunch -

pile up liberally:

chicken (or tuna) mixed with sweetcorn and mayonnaise

grated beetroot

grated carrot

grated cucumber

lettuce

cherry tomatoes

wrap and enjoy!

another favourite is tuna sweetcorn with cherry tomatoes and cheddar - zap in the microwave to melt the cheese. Add lots of spinach and wrap!

the kids LOVE chicken or tuna wraps - generally without any of the vegetables added - they like to eat veggies separately!

basic risotto

i associate risotto with rocket & pine nut salad and we have so much rocket growing in the garden i thought i best make a risotto. i made a bacon & mushroom risotto because that's what we had in the fridge but i would also recommend chicken & broccoli. 

risotto is the ultimate comfort food for me.. and so delicious with a fresh salad. but it does involve lots of stirring which can be tricky with little ones demanding attention. i frequently burn food at the moment because i get side-tracked by the kids or go to put them to bed and forget the meal i've left on the stove for Sam and i. i tend to make risotto after the kids are in bed so i can lovingly stir it and eat it as soon as it's ready - it's best eaten fresh off the stove.

basic risotto 

[bacon & mushroom can be replaced with chicken and broccoli or whatever combination you prefer]

1. chop and saute 1 onion for 2mins

2. add (chopped) 2 cloves garlic, 4 strips bacon, 4 medium mushrooms, 2 sprigs rosemary (optional) and saute for 3mins then set aside

2. in a separate saucepan, heat 2 tbsps olive oil

3. add 1 cup of risotto rice and stir for 2 mins

4. add 1 cup of white wine and stir until wine is absorbed

5. slowly add 2.5 cups of stock 1/2 cup at a time - stirring and letting the liquid absorb before adding more

6. once all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is sticky, add the meat and vegetables and stir

7. add 1/2 cup grated parmesan and a few grinds of pepper and stir to melt the cheese

serve with rocket, cherry tomato & pine nut salad

here is a shrimp, pea and asparagus version. my kids love shrimp - i bought it cooked and added it towards the end, with the vegetables.

precious ones

i love my precious family so much .. sometimes it hurts

life is good right now - the kids are at a stage that is enjoyable - while utterly exhausting, demanding and chaotic, they are so very precious - they can listen, understand and reason (to some extent!)- they are curious, playful, adventurous, creative, interesting, funny and fun. they love to play with each other... which gives me a little breathing space here and there as well as so much joy...
day trips and outings are fun and easier... we don't have to worry about naps and snacks as much... can be a bit more carefree... and hoping it won't be too much longer until we're nappy freee..
maybe it's time to have another baby and be plunged back in to total exhaustion, mayhem and insanity.
having said all that i currently have a screaming, hungry, tired 2 year old by my side with a nappy full of poo and i'm feeling guilty because there has been too much shouting & chaos in the house today... not all roses after all... better go.. no recipes today.