Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 29th February 2016

Last weeks meal plan went more or less to plan. I was expecting to have some leftovers from the stew but everyone had second so there were not any! The curry did get changed from a chicken curry to a fish curry. We have been enjoying less meat and just fancied fish instead of chicken.

Last weeks healthy eating did get abandoned. My depression medication is in the process of being changed. The doctor put me on one type which lead to an increase in appetite which was not great timing. But they have been changed today to a different type which should not have this effect, so I am hoping that I will be eating as normal this week. 

We are still enjoying more vegetable based meals and the children are becoming more adventurous with what they eat. Last week Isabella discovered that she loves kale and even though Taylor takes a long time he is eating well. Even fussy Joseph is doing really well!

This week I have gone back to receiving a weekly vegetable box. I find that getting these boxes encourages me to try new dish and experiment a bit more with our meals.

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

Week Commencing 29th February 2016

20th February - 27th February 2016 - One Picture Everyday For One Year

Last week I posted my Project366 a little earlier as we were celebrating the twins birthday last Saturday. This week I am going to post Saturday to Friday again. I have found this to be an easier way to post my project366. Doing it this way has allowed me more time with my family and less time on the laptop.

This week has been a tough week but I am hopeful that it is the start of things getting more positive. Here is my week in pictures...

Saturday 20th February 2016

Saturday was the twins birthday! They turned four, my babies are now four! For their birthday we enjoyed a family meal celebrating. I will be telling you all about our lunch out next week so keep an eye out for that!

Sunday 21st February 2016

On Sunday we had another birthday meal at my mum and dads. They loved getting a second birthday cake and blowing the candles out again.

Monday 22nd February 2016

I love seeing the twins interact together and on Monday they were so loving to each other I simply had to capture it. Taylor was snuggled up with Isabella watching her play on her Kindle. They played lovely all afternoon, which these days, is a rarity!

Tuesday 23rd February 2016

Tuesday was one of the days I do not look forward to in the year. Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of loosing my Nanna.

Wednesday 24th February 2016

On Wednesday I had an appointment with the doctor. My moods and depression has been bad again so I went to see someone about it. My medication is in the process of being changed, with this, I am hoping to see a difference.

Thursday 25th February 2016

On Thursday I was busy taking photographs outside while it was lovely and sunny and I noticed this feather. I know it is just a bird feather but I do like the saying that an angel was near by.

Friday 26th February 2016

On Friday I went shopping to by some products in preparation of fair trade fortnight and when I saw these beautiful fair trade roses in Aldi I simply could not refuse them. Flowers for a blog post, why not!

Oregano Prawn Spaghetti

When it comes to herbs and spices I like to keep it simple. I like to use the best quality and not over power foods. It is all about finding the natural balance and combining herbs and food. Using herbs and spices can transform a meal if a second.

This recipe is a simple recipe, there are not a large number of ingredients but the go perfectly together and make a deliciously light meal that is not just tasty but is also a healthy meal.

This is what I did...

January Degustabox - The Contents

Each month I look forward to seeing what delights are inside my Degustabox and January's box was no disappointment.

As you can see below it was full of a variety of foodie treats from breakfast cereals to snacks, from Chinese new year inspired products to drinks. There really was something for everyone.

So far I have created one recipe using the products. That was my Baked Apple Oat Crumble which I made using Clarks Carob Fruit Syrup. Carob fruit syrup is a way to sweeten food the natural way. I am also planning a couple of recipes using the Amoy curry sauces and a dip which is going to be perfect with Finn Crisp sourdough rye cracker breads.

Let me tell you all about the products that were included in January's Degustabox.

Action Storage - Ideal for Packed Lunch Foods and PE Kits

When I was challenged to use a school locker as a storage place for school items I immediately knew that being the foodie that I am it would be an ideal opportunity to use for packed lunch items. Next year Joseph goes up to high school, which is a huge step for both him and for me. It will be hard to accept that he really is growing up. With growing up comes more independence.

We have recently started to give Joseph more jobs to do to increase his independence. His jobs in the morning are to finish packing his lunch box with snacks and fruit and to prepare his PE kit. I prepare his sandwiches the night before and he adds the extra bits in the morning. These always get left until the last minute and when I am getting both the twins and myself ready for the morning the last thing I need is Joseph shouting and asking me where his trainers are or where his drinks are. This is where my locker from Action Storage, who supply lockers in schools, comes in. 

The locker is a two door cabinet which enables me to separate his packed lunch extras from his pe kit and other items such as hat and gloves. This way everything that he needs to get is all in one place. This makes it easier for him to locate all of his things and makes life less stressful for me in the mornings.

Healthy Spinach and Ricotta Style Cannelloni - Slimmerseekers Thursday Week 7

For this weeks Slimmerseeker Thursday I thought that I would share with you a super healthy recipe. I don't know about you but I love ricotta cheese, especially with spinach. But with Slimming World ricotta equals syns. So I thought that I would have a go at making my own syn free version of this much loved, cheesy dish.

In the past I have used cottage cheese as a lasagne topping so I thought that I could substitute the ricotta for fat free cottage cheese and it worked perfectly!

This is what I did...