#FoodieseekerFriday - Seuss at Sea and Fun for the Kids

For this weeks Foodieseeker Friday post I thought I would tell you all about the children's activities. As I am sat writing this I have two excited twins telling me to click here and there! To prepare the children for the Dr Seuss adventure on board Carnival Vista they already have Dr Seuss teddies and books so they are already familiar characters. In true Carnival style there are so many Dr Seuss themed activities, including the legendary Green Eggs and Ham!

The Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with the cat in the hat and friends is going to be a breakfast like no other. The dining area will be brightly decorated and filled with all of the fun of Dr Seuss.

The menu makes this a truly unique breakfast. The menu is full of classic Dr Seuss style poems to describe the culinary delights that await, such as...

• Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham? "Would you, could you, on a boat? Try them while you float. Try them and you may, I say."
• Scrambled Super-Dee Dooper-dee-Booper, Special de luxe a-la Peter T Hooper Omelette's "We'll crack'em and shuck'em and chuck'em in pans. We'll mix in some beans and use fifty five cans. We'll mix in whatever you wish; feel free to create your own stupendous egg dish."
• Truffula Tree Pancakes "Those pancakes! Those pancakes! Stacked high as the trees. I've been searching my whole life for stacks such as these!"
• From There to Here, From Here to There, Funny Belgian Waffles are Everywhere "One berry, two berry, red berry, blue berry. Waffles with whipped cream, waffles without. Just tell us which one; no need to shout."
• Fox in Socks Steak and Eggs "Don't blab such blibber blubber! Try to say filet mignon topped with two fried eggs, Bearnaise sauce, chopped potatoes and grilled tomatoes. Now is your tongue numb?" 

Finding The Perfect Car For A Growing Family!

Once the twins arrived we knew that we would need a larger car. As soon as we knew that they were on their way we had to say goodbye to the sporty car and say hello to the practical larger car. Since the twins arrival, four years ago we are now on our third car! How have we got through so many cars you may wonder. This is simply down to poor choice, until the car we have now. The second car that we bought, we thought that it was going to be bigger, but in hindsight we rushed the purchase and really did not make the right decision.

We underestimated how much room three growing children would need especially when it comes to going on holiday! As the children grew, so did our need for a larger car. It got to the point where our boot would be jam packed and we would need to put other things in a second car. Be it my parents or my mother in laws car. This was fine, but we were not always going to have people in a second car going on holiday with us!

Summer Berry, Mint and Arbikie Kirsty's Gin Jam

Over the last few weeks berries have been a huge part of our daily diets. This is all thanks to the bumper harvest of soft fruits that we are having. So far we have enjoyed fresh strawberry and mint porridge, homemade cordial, berries with meringues and plenty of berry topped cakes! Having the extra berries this year has even got me making preserves again so as to not waste any.

I recently made a softer jam to what I usually make. This was inspired by a River Cottage Fridge Jam recipe that I had found in my trusty River Cottage Handbook about Preserves. These are a treasured collection of books that I have found to be full of information about preserving foods, growing vegetables, using herbs, keeping chickens and of course contain some fantastic recipes!

I decided to make a fridge jam as they contain about half the sugar of regular, thick set jam. So it is simply a healthier option for a jam. But fridge jams are also fantastic additions to bakes and desserts like trifle! Yes, I will be using some in a cake, so keep an eye out for a future fridge jam cake recipe!

This jam also has an optional added extra. This recipe made three jars of jam. I made two plain summer berry and mint jam but with the final jar I added something special to give the jam an added kick of flavour. I added some of the deliciously floral Arbikie Kirsty's Gin that we found while on our last holiday in Aviemore, Scotland.

On one of our journeys we discovered a quaint little shop that has whiskey and gin from floor to ceiling. The Whiskey Castle at Tomintoul became a favourite shop to stop by. It is like no other shop, you immediately feel at home and in the company of friends it is so welcoming. While you are there if there are any drinks that you would like to taste, and they have a bottle open, you are welcomed to try it. It was here that I spotted Kirsty's Gin from Arbikie. It was a new distillery to me and as it had my name I just had to taste it. I immediately fell in love with the floral notes of lavender that come through. All of the botanics that are used in Arbikie Kirsty's Gin have been grown on the estate. It is grown, distilled and bottled on the one estate and is a true farm to bottle product. Even the water that they used is mountain filtered water that has come directly from their underground lagoon! We love finding products that are more unique and away from the mass produced products that you can find anywhere and everywhere and Arbikie is just that. Arbikie also produce Potato Vodka which is Scotland's first potato vodka, Chilli Vodka and they even have some Arbikie Whiskey that is currently sleeping in a variety of bourbon, sherry and red wine casks!

Back to my jam recipe with an added kick. The gin goes perfectly with the soft, summer fruits and makes this homegrown jam extra special!

This is what I did...

Introducing Organix Punk'd!

Now that the summer holidays are here I know that my kids will be saying"I'm hungry!" even more than usual. I am sure that I will not be the only parent hearing this. My kids never seem to be full, they always seem to be hungry so finding a snack that will fill them up, give them the energy that they need for lots of play but they need to be healthy too.

Thankfully my children are not too fussy and will quite happily snack on fruit but sometimes they want something more. So when I discovered that Organix are bringing out a new snack bar for older children I was excited to find out more.

Introducing Organix Punk'd!

Soy, Chilli and Ginger Pork Loin Steaks

At this time of year we all prefer lighter meals. Today I am sharing with you a great and easy way to marinade and add flavour to your pork loin steaks. These can either be grilled or placed on a barbecue and have a real summer feel to them.

Aldi have a great selection of summer dressings which are a quick and easy way to flavour salads but also meats and fish. Three of their Specially Selected sauces caught my eye:

• Bloody Mary Ketchup
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Soy, Chilli and Ginger

This got me thinking about how I could incorporate the sauces into a meal and do something different with them. Now that it is summer we are enjoying being able to get in the garden, having barbecues and eating al fresco. Today's meal is perfect for that!

I decided to go for the spicy and fragrant Soy, Chilli and Ginger Dressing. This dressing is a warm combination of ginger and chilli in a dark soy sauce.

This is what I did...

Interior Design Trends For 2016 - How To Increase Your Property Value

You may remember that recently I have been talking about how to save money. Sometimes spending money can also have huge benefits. One benefit is increasing your property value. This is a great way to make a long term investment. So when I was asked if I would share a great infographic with you I thought it would be a great idea. I love all of these tips so thought that you would to!

Here are the top interior design trend for 2016 and how you can increase the value of your property...

#CookBlogShare Week 29 Round Up - It's All About The Berries!

Following on from last weeks round up of homegrown recipes I am still attracted to the recipes that use what we have in our garden. As we are harvesting a lot of berries at the moment I was certainly drawn to the recipes that use them.

Before I tell you all about my favourite recipes from week 29 of CookBlogShare I want to say thank you to Mandy from Sneaky Veg for hosting, commenting and sharing all of the posts last week.

Now on to my berry round up. Here are my four favourite recipes from week 29 of CookBlogShare...

Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 25th July 2016

Last weeks meal plan went out of the window. I am blaming the gorgeous weather we have been having and the heat. The last thing that I wanted to do was have the oven on cooking. So last week we had a lot of quick, easy meals and also had a barbecue, it would have been a sin not to!

The children have now broken up from school. One has now finished primary school and moving up to secondary school while the twins have now finished nursery! September is bringing a lot of changes so I am wanting to enjoy these summer holiday that bit more. This weeks meals will all be dishes that can be prepared easily without needing too much time.

This is what we will be enjoying this week...

Foodieseeker Friday - All About the Food and Drink!

Being the Foodieseeker Blogger for Carnival Cruise has meant that I have spent a lot of time looking at what food Vista will have to offer. I have already told you about the places to eat on Vista but today I thought that I would tell you about what meals I am looking forward to tasting!

We now have our tables booked to visit three of Carnival Vista's speciality restaurants Cucina del Capitano, Ji Ji Asian Kitchen and Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. You may remember that in April I told you about Cucina del Capitano and made my own version of Nonna's Linguine and Meatballs so this is a meal that I will definitely be ordering when we visit.

As I am terrible at ordering when in a restaurant I have decided that a bit of forward planning is needed. I simply cannot make my mind up when faced with so many delicious meals to choose from. I am known for taking a long time to decided and for changing my mind!

The first speciality restaurant that we will be visiting is Cucina del Capitano. As we all love Italian food I just know that we are going to love eating there. I have looked at the menu in the past but have revisited it and am planning to order:

• Appetiser - Antipasti - This is a favourite dish of ours, we love to start a meal with breads and olives so this will be a must have!
• Entrees - Nonna's Linguine and Meatballs - I cannot wait to try this dish, especially after I cooked how I imagined it to taste!
• Dessert - Magic Tiramisu - In my mind tiramisu is the ultimate Italian dessert and Vista's Cucina del Capitano's tiramisu sounds amazing!
• I am planning to accompany the meal with a glass of Cucina Chianti

Fresh Strawberry and Mint Porridge

As you will probably know we are having a bumper harvest this year of soft fruits. So I am using them in as many different dishes as I can. Today's recipe is now a favourite of mine. There is nothing more satisfying than going down the garden in the morning to pick fresh berries and mint for breakfast.

This is what I did...

The Evolution of McDonald's

I was lucky to be invited to a recently refurbished McDonald's restaurant in the centre of Leeds. McDonald's has to be the world's best known fast food chain and one that we have been enjoying for years! I have fond memories of having McDonald's as a child and even of my late Nanna asking for cutlery when we gave her her meal. With McDonald's you know what you are going to get. If you order a Big Mac in Spain, you know that it is going to taste the same as it does in England. So when I was offered the chance to learn more about how McDonald's are evolving and how they are making their food even fresher I could not wait to attend!

The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the Briggate Leeds restaurant was the modern, street art deco throughout the restaurant. The restaurant had a fresh feel to it and was the first way that I saw how McDonald's is evolving.

To start I met some of the senior McDonald's staff, the press team and two other bloggers. It was during this meeting that we were given some background information about McDonald's.

Did you know that in the UK there are 1250 restaurants? I knew there were a lot but what I did not know is that a lot of these restaurants are actually franchise restaurants! At the end of 2013 beginning of 2014 McDonald's started to refurbish their restaurants. They wanted the digital age to be a huge part of the refurbishment. This includes self service kiosks. So far 500 restaurants have undergone the refurbishment and they aim to have all of their 1250 restaurants completed by 2018. Not only is the digital age a big focus but the companies commitment to the environment is essential. They now have two bins for your rubbish. One for landfill and the other for recycling waste. They have also been using their waste cooking oil to fuel their delivery lorries! What a genius way to reuse it!

After having a chat it was time to go down to the restaurant and the kitchen. While we were there we got the chance to see and even have a go at ordering a meal using the new digital self service kiosk.

Chicken and Kale Korma

We love a good curry. But as we are keeping our spending down we cannot afford a takeaway. The other week we decided to buy a ready made curry from an upmarket food chain and after we had eaten we really were not happy. The quality was not good and we really did not enjoy our meal after spending as much as we had. So to try and make up for that disaster I thought I'd make my own curry with the help of Aldi's Specially Selected Mild and Creamy Korma curry sauce. 

I have never used this sauce before but I loved how it came with a sachet of spices to add to the chicken before adding the sauce. This enabled the flavours to fully develop as the meat cooks. This sauce creates a deliciously creamy, fragrant and mildly spiced curry. The coconut, cream, yogurt and ground almonds give it a truly authentic finish. To give this curry some added goodness I have added some shredded kale. When it comes to leafy, green vegetables you just know that they are good for you. Kale is classed as a super food, it is an excellent source of vitamin K, C and A. But what not many people know is that kale is an great source of calcium which makes it a useful source for vegans or people who follow a dairy free diet. But the list does not stop there, kale also contains folate (folic acid), anti oxidants, manganese, copper and it virtually fat free and low in calories! If you struggle to get the kids to tuck into some kale at dinner time, then do what I do, add it to a meal that is sauce based and watch them eat it all up!

This is what I did...

#CookBlogShare Week 28 - The Homegrown Round Up

Welcome to another round up of CookBlogShare recipes. As always there were so many delicious recipes linked up last week. But one thought kept popping up as I was reading the posts. That thought was "Ooooh we have that growing in the garden!" So bearing this in mind I knew what my round up would be. 

Here is the homegrown round up and here are my four favourite recipes from week 28 of CookBlogShare...

Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 18th July 2016

Yay! It is finally the last week of term! Whether I will be saying yay in a couple of weeks is a different matter, but at the moment I am looking forward to the kids breaking up!

This weeks meal plan is using more ingredients from the freezer. I am keeping my shopping expenses down to a bear minimum at the moment as we are trying to save up some much needed money for our holiday. Plus it gives me the chance to run down the freezer!

On Tuesday I have got an event to attend in the evening so I will be making a hot meal at lunchtime as the hubby is at home and saving some for when J gets home from school.

I have also come to the acceptance of my body. So the diet has gone out of the window! But I am just going to eat a healthy diet and still enjoy treats in moderation. But no more calorie counting for me, life is too short!

This is what we will be enjoying this week...

Emergency Loan Solutions

We all have those moments when we need some more money. Whether it is thanks to a broken washing machine or a broken car having somewhere to go that can help is a necessity in this day and age. The vast majority of us just manage to get by each month, paying rent or mortgage, the bills and buying food. But when an emergency happens we are not always prepared. It is a relief to know that there are people out there that can help you in the short term.

Photograph courtesy of Vivus Blog

Foodieseeker Friday - Making Plans

From now until the big departure I will be posting a weekly Foodieseeker Friday post. We are now counting down the sleeps until we go.

Now that the holiday is getting closer I am thinking more and more about what we will need for our holiday. Being a family of five, and someone who does not pack lightly, I have a feeling that my lists are going to be long. But it is going to be important that I remember the holiday extras such as sun hats, sun cream and swimming aids for the twins. So far I have got the sun protection sorted and swimming aids are due to arrive. I will be telling you all about them in a future Foodieseeker Friday post!

Today I thought that I would tell you a bit about our accommodation on Carnival Vista and activities that we are most looking forward to.

Having children with a big age gap it was important that we would be able to have connecting rooms. This is exactly what the Ocean View Staterooms offer. So we will have the three children in one room and us adults in the other. This will enable us to let the twins go to bed before J and have their own space. It is important that J has this time with us in the evening as the twins do tend to take over.

Lamb and Chive Bake

I love being able to go in the garden and pick fresh produce for our meals. Chives are one of the herbs which I love to add. Many people automatically add rosemary to lamb but in this wholesome bake I have added chives.

This meal is delicious all year round. Eating in the garden al fresco near the fresh herbs or in the winter as a warming, comfort meal.

This is what I did...

Creamy Smoked Bacon Pasta

During the week life can be busy. Between school runs, doing my blogging, and looking after the house, as much as I love cooking, I want a quick and easy meal. But when I cook a quick and easy meal I do not want to compromise on flavour or quality.

Today's recipe is so simple and easy but so full of flavour. This is my new "go to" meal. Using just five ingredients this meal will leave everyone wanting seconds!

For this dish I chose to add Aldi's Specially Selected smoked streaky bacon. These flavoursome rashers are from outdoor bred, British pigs that have been both RSPCA assured and carry the trusty red tractor logo. The streaky bacon has been traditionally hand cured and gently smoked over oak and beechwood to give it a deliciously smoky, meaty flavour. These rashers do all the hard work of balancing the flavours for you.

Last week I attended Aldi's Christmas in July event and had the privilege of being able to personally speak to some of their head buyers. One that I was particularly keen to talk to was the meat and fish buyer. It was fantastic to hear that all of Aldi's meat, apart from New Zealand lamb, is British sourced and all carry the red tractor logo which tells you that the meat has been assured by the British food standards. I am planning to tell you more about what Aldi have got coming for Christmas, but I will do that nearer the time!

Back to this weeks recipe. This is what I did...

#CookBlogShare Week 27 - The Vegan Round Up Plus Week 28 Linky

Last week, as always, there were so many delicious recipes shared in the CookBlogShare linky. For this weeks round up I have gone for some vegan inspiration. 

I am not a vegan but I do enjoy experimenting with vegan meals. I find that they make a healthy alternative and are often just as delicious. This weeks vegan recipes include cakes, a juice and a fantastic start to the day.

Here are my four favourite vegan recipes from week 27 of CookBlogShare...

Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 11th July 2016

Wow I am so organised this week. My meal plan was actually written on Thursday ready for me to do the weekly shopping on Friday. In an aim to save some money for our holiday we are budgeting on our food shopping. Thankfully I do have a full freezer. This is thanks to finding meat and fish in the good old reduced section.

This week I managed to do the food shopping for £47.87 which, for me, is really good! I aim to not buy any food now until my next weekly shopping trip. I have bought some frozen vegetables so that when I have used the fresh ones I have a back up. So fingers crossed I can report back on a successful week!

I am planning on sharing my top tips for saving money on your weekly shopping over the next few weeks so keep an eye out for that. There are also my weekly recipes that I create using ingredients from Aldi. These posts go live on a Tuesday and are always super money saving dishes!

Back to my weekly meal plan. This is what we will be enjoying this week...

Week Commencing 11th July 2016

Monday - Mushroom and Bacon Pasta

Monday's meal is going to be a quick and easy meal. I have got J's final high school meeting before he starts in September so I will be preparing the meal in the afternoon so it can be warmed up later.

Tuesday - Sausage Meatballs and Rice

When I was looking through the freezer I found some sausage meat so on Tuesday I will be using it to make some juicy meatballs which will be served with rice.

Wednesday - Soy, Chilli and Ginger Pork Loin Steaks with Jacket Potatoes

This dish is for an upcoming blog post. So keep an eye out for it next week!

Thursday - Smoked Salmon Rice

This is going to be a kedgeree style dish served with an egg on the top.

Friday - Treat Night

As usual Friday will be a treat night of cheeses, breads, dips and meats. The children will have pizza as their treat.

Saturday - Pulled Chicken Wraps, Rice and Nachos

After the success of a similar meal the other week we will be having picky Mexican dishes again.

As always I am not planning for Sunday as we will be going to my Mum and Dad's for a Sunday roast!

If you write a weekly meal plan please feel free to join in with the MealPlanningMonday blog hop. As At Home with Mrs M is no longer running the linky it has become a blog hop. So please join in and lets get #MealPlanningMonday going again!

I hope you all have a great week x

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2nd July - 8th July 2016 One Picture Everyday For One Week

It is that time of week again. It is time for me to show you my week in pictures. This week has been a busy one. Last weekend I was struck down with the dreaded cold bug that the children had so the weekend went by in a daze of sleeping and sniffles. On Tuesday it was the Hubby's birthday, on Wednesday I was in London until late then on Thursday the Hubby had the day at home. So with all of this the week has flown by! Now it is the weekend and I am well and truly ready for a relaxing one.

Here is my week in pictures...

Degustabox - Green Pesto Pasta Recipe Plus June Contents

It is that time of the month when I share a delicious recipe that I have made using some ingredients from the most recent Degustabox. As always the contents of the box did not disappoint. In fact as soon as I opened the box I immediately knew how I was going to use the ingredient in today's recipe and made it that very night.

Before I tell you all about this months Degustabox recipe let me tell you about the other products that arrived...

Delish Fish - Plus a Delish Smoked Salmon Sandwich Recipe

This is the first of what will become a new monthly feature on Hijacked By Twins. A Delish Fish recipe. You will see I have a new badge to the right! I am now part of the Delish Fish Blogger Programme!

I love fish so when Delish Fish asked me if I would like to be part of their blogger programme I jumped at the chance. When it comes to fish it has to be fresh and it has to be good quality. This is something that Delish Fish specialise in. Delish fish have an online shop as well as a shop in Aberdeen and another in Peterhead, Scotland. The business is situated in Peterhead and they have the fish market right on their doorstep, so you know that you are guaranteed to have the freshest fish! Each morning, bright and early at 6am, they go to the market to buy the fish for their customers. As soon as they have the fish it is time to fillet, smoke and package the fish. Delish Fish use a unique way of packaging the fish to ensure it stays as fresh as possible.

The recipe that I am sharing with you today uses their limited edition mustard hot smoked salmon. Delish fish supply a wide range of smoked salmon and fresh fillets. But they do not stop at salmon, Delish Fish also stock shellfish, exotic fish, a catch of the day, gourmet selection such as langoustines and scallops as well as ready prepared, battered fillets.

All of their fish portions come in handy individual packs which are perfect for freezing. When freezing fresh fish you are not compromising on quality. With fish as fresh as what Delish Fish supply you are locking in the goodness.

Today I am going to share with you a Delish sandwich that really is the perfect way to showcase their delicious limited edition mustard hot smoked salmon.

When it came to selecting ingredients for this sandwich I knew exactly which flavours would compliment each other to create a truly posh sandwich!

This is what I did...

Paella Rica

I adore paella. I fell in love with Spain's national dish while I was living there. One thing that I have wanted to invest in is a paellera, a paella pan. So when I saw one in Aldi for just £5.99 I had to buy it! I was also delighted to find some authentic Spanish ingredients to go with the paellera to help me recreate my favourite meal!

One of the things I love about Aldi has to be the fact that you can find so many delicious European ingredients. Today I am sharing my paella which is not only full of authentic flavour but is also an easy dish to make.

This is what I did...

#CookBlogShare Week 26 - The Cake Round Up

Welcome to another scrumptious CookBlogShare round up. This weeks round up will leave you begging for cake. Last weeks linky was, as always, full of delicious recipes but it really was the cakes that screamed out to me! 

Thank you to Mandy from Sneaky Veg for hosting last week. Soon, CookBlogShare will be changing slightly. We will be having a new face joining us for hosting. We are delighted to have Eb from Easy Peasy Foodie joining us. I know that Eb is really looking forward to joining us and it is great to have her on board. 

Now back to this weeks round up. Here are my four favourite cakes from week 26 of CookBlogShare...

Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 4th July 2016

Last weeks meal plan went well until the end of the week. A horrible cold has knocked us all so quick and easy meals replaced what was planned. I am still not feeling 100% so I will be starting with an easy dish!

This week is going to be a busy one. Tuesday is the hubby's birthday and on Wednesday I am back in London for the annual Christmas in July events. So I am planning to make two meals on Tuesday so that there is a meal ready for the hubby and kids to have while I am not at home.

The healthy eating has been going well so I am curious, if not a little nervous to see how I do on my weigh in this week. I have received some slimming aids in the form of Raspberry K2 to review so I am hoping to see a loss this week. As you know it is not long until our holiday and I would love to trim up a bit. There is nothing like leaving things to the last minute!

This weeks meal plan will consist of easy meals that are healthy as well as filling. This is what we will be enjoying this week...

18th June - 1st July 2016 - One Picture Everyday For One Year

Last weekend I was busy in London for BritMums Live hence the lack of Project 366 post. So this week I am writing a two week round up. 

The last two weeks have seen food, homegrown fruit, time in London, and some great products to review. Here are my two weeks in pictures...

The Cheesemakers Choice - Make Your Own Cheese!

As a family we love cheese. It is such a fantastic ingredient to add to dishes and to eat on its own. So when I was asked if I would like to try making my own cheese at home I could not wait to find out more!

Cheese is something which I have never thought of making myself so this really is a new experience. The Cheese Makers Choice supply kits that contain everything that you need to make your own cheese at home. You can choose from three kits, Mediterranean cheeses, Italian  Trio or Goats Cheese.

So, why make cheese?

Homemade cheese is naturally fresher and contains less unknown ingredients. You know that in the cheese that you have made there are no artificial flavours and no artificial preservative! But making your own cheese is also a fun and a lot easier than you would expect. You do not need any fancy equipment and it really is a simple thing to make. The kits from The Cheese Makers Choice makes this possible. The kits have been designed to give you the basic equipment and some knowledge making it easy to follow the step by step instructions and making your own delicious cheese. They are a fantastic way to get children understanding how soft cheeses are made. I love my children to understand where their foods come from and these kits are the perfect way to show them the process of transforming milk into cheese!

I decided to try the Italian Trio kit. The kit that I received contains everything I need to make 12 batches of cheese! With the Italian Trio kit you can choose whether to make Mozzarella, Ricotta or Mascarpone! Deciding which one to make first was the hard choice, I love all three cheeses and they all make delicious additions to meals.