Remembering the Classics–Steak and Vegies

Sometimes I can get a bit carried away with trying to create interesting, exotic meals each week when really, nothing beats a good steak and some vegies. There are no special secrets here, just a good T-Bone cooked to your liking with a side of Maggi Cheesy Vegetable Bake.

Because there was no other side dishes for this one I made sure there was heaps of vegies in the bake including zucchini, carrots, peas and corn, broccoli and cauliflower. All the vegies with the exception of the carrot and zucchini were frozen so all I had to do was shake them out of the packets and pour over the sauce before baking in the oven. Of course, the best part of eating a T-Bone is making sure you don’t miss any of the extra tender pieces of meat against the bone, as Skye has demonstrated below.

Where Does Skye Get Her Curly Hair From?

The number one question I get asked by people when they see Skye is where she gets her curly hair from. I very often think they are joking as I turn to look directly at them and they still do not see the frizzy mop sitting on my head. Skye looked very much like her daddy when she was first born, similarities in the hairline, and tiny mouth blew us both away when we saw this photo (below left) of Luke when he was just a couple of days old.

But you just can’t fight the ‘fro and over the last 19 months she has started to look more and more like me every day. I figure after being the one to carry her for nine months, it’s only fair I get the bigger say in her genetic makeup.

Coming Clean–All About ME!

In the interests of telling the full story of who I am, here are a few snippets of me that you may not have encountered just yet.

1. My husband and I went to High School together, we didn’t become a couple until after we left school but we were good friends for a few years before that. The first time I went to his parent’s house for dinner, his dad got me so plastered I put my feet on the dining table to show them my new shoes, then walked into the toilet door before passing out on the front veranda when Luke took me home. People think its a little strange, but we always call each other “mate”.

What’s On The Menu This Week?

Oh how I love a good meal plan! I have used them to try to save money on the groceries for many years and to monitor our somewhat excessive consumption of pasta. The only problem is I am a bit of a commitment-phobe when it comes to designating meals to specific days. I have learned it is much neater to write my meal plans in pencil because it invariably changes. This week however, I am writing it in indelible blogger ink so I guess I am committed this time.

Here is the plan for this week:

Monday – Singapore Noodles
Tuesday - Tuna Casserole
Wednesday – Left over Tuna Casserole – yes it’s that good!
Thursday - Slow Cooker Roast Chicken 
Friday – Homemade Chicken Pizza
Saturday – Out for a friends Birthday Party
Sunday - Spaghetti Bolognese

So, what’s on the menu at your place this week?

Happiness Is…

A little girl at the beach on a sunny winters day

 

 

Packing Egg and Nut Free Lunches for “Play Days”

A couple of months ago, Skye began going to a Family Day Care 1 day a week to give her a chance to play with other kids around the same age, help her develop skills in a way that I am not capable of teaching her and of course to give me a day to do all those things that can be a little tricky with a little assistant in tow. You know, all those indulgent flights of fancy like seeing the dentist and meetings with the accountant. Because of the Family Day Care, structure Skye is required to bring her own lunch with her, which suits me just fine because I know exactly what she is eating. Like many child care facilities, Skye’s FDC is an egg and nut free zone so what to pack her for lunch takes a little more consideration that I am used to. 

Not Sick–Just Whingey

The last couple of weeks have been somewhat unpleasant in our house. Skye had a bit of a virus followed by a bout of teething which has developed into a full blown case of I-Want-My-Mummy. After initially dismissing her uncharacteristically sooky behaviour I began to get concerned that she did in fact have some kind of serious illness I had not been aware of, so I booked an appointment with the doctor. I was actually starting to hope she had an ear infection or the like that would magically vanish once a dose of antibiotics kicked in – hold your Mother of the Year nominations till the end, please.

IKEA Madness

After much organising and excitement, last weekend my pregnant friend and I set out for a last items for the baby shopping trip to IKEA. It is roughly an hour and a half drive to our nearest store and not somewhere that I make a regular trip to so when the chance to tag along as her assistant came up I was more than happy to help. To make matters even more exciting Skye was going to spend the day with daddy and nannie at the farm so I only had me to worry about packing into the car – bliss! It was a good thing that we only had to fit 2 people in the car because the list of things I had to check out while I was there grew very quickly and of course my friend would need some room for her all important purchases too. Trust me, that trolley was flat-pack Tetris at its best because I didn’t wish my friend to be pushing trolleys in her delicate state.

The Day I Told My To-Do List to “Shove It”

To-Do lists are integral to my sanity. I love the satisfaction of writing a long list of task’s and seeing them whittled down. Plus, I have the attention span of a goldfish so if I don’t write things down, they just won’t get done. Just to add to the crazy, I don’t cope very well when plans get changed last minute, I’m very comfortable in my routines and don’t really “do” adapt. But today I could see that my routines and lists were not going to happen. Skye has been a bit out of sorts over the last couple of weeks, she has had a couple of teeth cut through and seems to be going through a bit of a clingy stage which means I am spending much of my day picking up and soothing her and listening to many, many screams of protest over pretty much everything. Daddy simply doesn’t cut it either, usually my boisterous tomboy wants to rough house with Luke the moment he walks through the door, but right now she want’s her mummy, end of discussion.

Happiness Is…

A little girl and her mummy taking some time out to do nothing.

Have a great weekend with people you love xx

Spaghetti Bolognese–Smith’s Style

Spaghetti Bolognese is almost as critical to Luke’s survival as say air and water. Without fail whenever I ask him what he would like for dinner, the response is “sketti”. The fact that we had it 2 days ago is irrelevant, he would quite happily eat it 7 nights a week, but in the interest of keeping some variety and curbing our pasta consumption I try to make it only once a fortnight.

I’ve Started Christmas Shopping–In June

I am not sure what is worse – the act or the admission. I have inadvertently begun my Christmas shopping already… and it’s not for Skye. Ordinarily I am a super freaky Christmas nerd with many self-imposed rules and expectations. It is one of the only areas of my life that is consistently organised and tracked, actually some would consider it compulsive. Months ahead of the festive season my cupboard is overflowing with items that I have collected, always for a specific recipient (I rarely buy gifts without knowing who they will go to). I maintain a spreadsheet of all the people I buy gifts for to ensure that I don’t buy them duplicate gifts, and use a gift app on my phone to keep gift ideas on hand at all times, but even I have NEVER begun buying gifts before the new financial year. I am even a little overly keen for those who celebrate Christmas in July for goodness sake!

 

And All I Had To Do Was Ask!

I have been feeling a little undervalued of late and getting a bit resentful that so much of what I do seems to go unnoticed or unappreciated. Obviously maintaining a house and raising your children is a far cry from overcoming world hunger or curing terminal diseases, but Luke’s not doing either of those things either, so it won’t hurt him to get involved in the domestic duties occasionally. It’s the catch cry of mum’s around the world and sometimes it bothers me more than usual – this week was one of those weeks.

Do you have a Licence for that?

At the risk of raising alarm bells and being listed as a person of interest with DOCS, I would like to start this post with a disclaimer – Skye is a healthy, happy and all around delightful girl, despite her parents being completely clueless on many aspects of parenting. Lets just say grandparents are a wonderful thing, and we are relatively quick learners.

Happiness Is…

A mummy discovering a new band – I’m still so in touch!

Do yourself a favour and listen to this - You Tube City and Colour – Oh Sister (Live version)

Have a great weekend xx

Welcome Back Crock Pot–Roast Chicken

Our slow cooker has been a much loved winter necessity in our house for a number of years for its ease of use and the way it can magically transform cheap, tough cuts of meat into tender, warming comfort food. I just loved turning it on in the morning before work and returning at the end of a long day to a house warmed with the smells of delicious casseroles like mum had snuck into the house and been cooking up a storm all day. As much as I loved the convenience of a crock pot, I was never particularly adventurous with the meals I created in it. My standard crock pot fare was usually some kind of gravy beef casserole such as “lamb” ragout or beef goulash but all that changed a couple of weeks ago when I discovered that you can cook a WHOLE FROZEN CHICKEN in your slow cooker and it turns out just like the rotisserie style chickens you buy from the supermarket! I KNOW! Is that the most exciting thing you have ever heard??? OK, OK, I know this is not new to many of you, but just in case there is anyone else out there who was not privy to this information, I just have to share.

A New Venture

So some of you may have already been bombarded with my excitement about my new business venture on Facebook, but since I am prone to becoming consumed with new things in my life I figured it couldn’t hurt to do a little shameless self promotion here too. My friend discovered these recently and I was so excited I just had to get involved. Ever since I first laid eyes on them my head has been spinning with all of the delicious possibilities.

I present to you… Push Delights!

Very Exciting News!

In case you haven’t already come across it, there is a fantastic Women’s Lifestyle website launching very shortly called Lovely Living which will feature a huge range of information on food, kids, things for your home, weddings, health and beauty as well as some great giveaways. What makes it especially exciting for me is that I have been listed on the Blogs We Love page.

Be sure to check out the list of amazing blogs on the page and sign up for the Lovely Living newsletter so you don’t miss any of the action.

Best wishes to all the Lovely Living team with the upcoming launch, I hope to see you there!

I’m Back Baby!

It has taken a few weeks to get over my recent chest infection but thankfully I have made a full recovery and have been able to return to the gym (yes my house is also thankful see here). In my infinite wisdom I decided that a Spin class was as good a time as any to get back into the swing of things… mistake! I have a love/hate relationship with Spin classes, the lactic acid build up makes my legs freeze up, the sudden changes in speed almost cause me to pass out and lets not even mention how uncomfortable the damn seats are! But there is no denying their effectiveness and they are perfect for people wanting big results in a short amount of time so I try to make it to classes when I can. Below is a rare shot of me pretending to be happy about being on a spin bike, note the interesting shade of purple on my face.

Unhappiness Is…

A little girl with sore teeth

Tuna Casserole

Mum and I have always said that we need a new name for this dish because announcing Tuna Casserole is on the menu for the night is always met with groans and eye rolls. Once you have a bowl of this warming cheesy mash and vegies in front of you however, you often wonder why you weren’t enthusiastic beforehand. Luke really doesn’t eat fish (except fish fingers) but loves this meal and Skye gets a hefty dose of vegies that taste even better with the cheese baked on top.

Not the Blankie!

We have suffered a loss of sorts this week – Skye’s “blankie” has been destroyed. Ok, so I may be getting a little dramatic, it is still functioning in its intended purpose…its just in two separate pieces. The problem is that the material is so threadbare that I doubt my limited sewing skills will allow any kind of repairs to be carried out.