A mash up of Family/WIAW #17/Recipe no. 5

I mentioned that Paul made us the most amazing pancake meal courtesy of Jamies 15 minute meals last week.. It was so good that we had it again at the weekend. A-MAZ-ING!

Smoky maple pancetta/fluffy corn & chilli pancakes (we substitute the maple syrup and pancetta for honey and bacon!)

The batter has sweetcorn and chilli's in it

 I am so in love with avocado right now!

 SOOOOOO TASTY!

 A good meal to fuel Paul - pic from last Sunday as he set off for his first half marathon

We get veg boxes from 5aday (see here) and I think they are such great value that I thought I would share this weeks - I don't get them regularly,

 but its super exciting when I do and seeing what you've got to cook with

My sister and Leif visited, and we skyped with my parents who are still on holiday. Its my Mums birthday today - Happy Birthday Nonee!! Love you bestest x x

I took a million shots of Leif with his big cousins, but I didn't get a single decent shot!

Clanettes, Lochie has insisted I blog about his new aeroplane project. We went out with my sister whilst they were here and the Bigs spent a bit of pocket money - Bebe on some new paints, and Lochie on this aeroplane that now needs painting - a tricky job for me, a Mumma who does not hammer! However, I think we cracked it! (not literally! Phew)

Happy Wednesday, thanks for reading x x x

WIAW #17 (Recipe #2)

Happy What I ate Wednesday Clanettes! Just a quickie today, to show our dinner this evening.. Jamie Olivers 'Turkish Flats, Shred Salad, Feta & Herbs' - my second recipe review from his '15 minute meals'..

I have no clue how to express how tastey these were! We don't eat lamb because I don't particularly like lamb, but Paul has a big day tomorrow, so tonight called for a treat.. Lamb.

If you are even tempted to try a new, middle eastern recipe and be blown away, try this one! I am assured it also works with quorn mince if you are veggie. I can't find the recipe online to share with you, which is annoying, but I can tell you to buy his book! (See amazon here)

After we had devoured our turkish flats, I had lashing of yoghurt, honey, and cinnamon raisons & apples for pudding. Great meal! (Yes, I enjoyed eating lamb!)

WIAW #16

Happy day! First What I Ate Wednesday of the year for me, Clanettes.

As ever, breakfast is all about porridge. I can't sing its praises enough - wholesome, filling and incredibly cheap cheap. Even easier if you get yourself a measuring cup - my pink heart scoop is 80mls of liquid or 45g of porridge oats. Perfect for one portion. To make it up, I use one scoop of oats, 2 scoops of milk, 1 scoop of water and a couple of sweetner. I have mine with banana or dried fruit. Together with orange juice and an assortment of multi-vitamins, glucosamine and anti-inflamatory tablets from the Dr.

Can you spot the deliberate mistake?! Thechildren eating their breakfast this morning... and the Christmas table cloth is still on! D'OH!! Must rectify this!

This morning I went to the Gym, and if I am exercising indoors I always use a 'Zero' tab in my water. Its just electrolytes, which I don't seem to need if I'm outside, but I used to get really bad cramp and now I don't.. Win!

For lunch Niamh and had cheese sandwiches - I like mine with plenty of grains, lashings of hummus and plenty of salad.. Niamh not so much! Although we both agree on the crisps.

Tea was all about Daal. A recipe I was given and have long since adopted.

I use enough lentils to fill one empty tin of tomatoes, then 2 tins of tomatoes and then 2 extra tins full of water. 2 teaspoons of garam marsala and 2 teaspoons of bouillon per tin of lentils.. if you catch my drift... Anyway, its super easy, super tasty and we eat it A LOT!

Happy WIAW! Go and check out what other bloggers ate today :-)

WIAW #15

What I ate Wednesday started with... You guessed it...! Porridge and banana!

With 6 days until Christmas, Lucy and I decided it was high time we had a festive treat and we took ourselves out for lunch. Not before we had been for a run though, obvs! Niamh had a nap in the pushchair whilst we ran at a very wet Hill Head. We then got changed and got our nosh on. Yum!

Lucy had a curry, Niamh had fish, chips and peas and I had a butternut squash bake with salad and chips and most of Lucys naan.

This afternoon I had a herbal tea, and I am really enjoying this Chai range. These were a gift from the Good Food show and I have loved trying them.

For tea we had what I term as Cottage Pie (for Paul's sake!) but it is really whatever veg and leftovers I can find, cooked up with tomatoes and topped with mashed potato. Paul has cheese on his. Tonight's was from the freezer and was a mix of quorn mince, pulses and grated courgette - the last one from the garden quite a while ago. Actually pretty tasty!

And remember - ALL herbal tea should be served specifically in a glass cup/tankard, thus making the drink 'special'.  Herbal tea is 'special' because it makes you feel virtuous.  I like to drink out of a glass half pint tankard, so I get to feel like a warrior in a tavern - virtuously obv.!

WIAW #14

Today it's all about Chicken Noodle Soup. We are into our second week of being ill, and last weeks virus has become tonsillitis.. It's dragging on and we need to up out game. Upping our game calls for homemade chicken soup and lots of echinacea tea. Take that, you illness you!

I started with a whole, uncooked chicken, inspiration from Masterchef Australia (I love that programme!) and a link to a Jamie Oliver recipe (here).

And I set about poaching a whole chicken. Scary stuff!

 As per Jamies suggestion, I just covered it in cold water, with carrots, rosemary, onions and garlic and brought up to boil. After 1hr 20mins of simmering, I switched it off (At this point it was time for school pick up, so the chicken must have then sat in the hot water for another 45 mins at least)

Whilst the chicken was cooking, I made lunch. I had a spinach, carrot, cheese and houmous wrap.

 And another cup of echinacea, ginger and lemon tea - in a tankard obvs!!

 I can't even begin to describe how good it smelt!

 Reserving the poaching stock, I shredded the meat

 Making a quick salad for tomorrows lunch in the mean time

I split the poaching stock into three portions (roughly 1litre in each portion) and froze two portions for another day. Split the chicken into 4 portions (two for the soup, one quickly devoured by the children and the fourth for tomorrows lunch)

And there we have it. I put the shredded chicken back into the poaching liquid, added more seasoning, noodles and sweetcorn et voila. AMAZING.

And I swear I feel better already!

And remember - ALL herbal tea should be served specifically in a glass cup/tankard, thus making the drink 'special'.  Herbal tea is 'special' because it makes you feel virtuous.  I like to drink out of a glass half pint tankard, so I get to feel like a warrior in a tavern - virtuously obv.!

WIAW #13

A bakers dozen Clanettes! I took a break from WIAW because I couldn't think of a new way to present porridge, but this week its back with a vengeance - porridge rules my world and doesn't need presenting differently to be cool!

So, with that in mind, today's food in pictures goes like this...

Orange juice, porridge with banana and dried fruit & seeds, then a little while later a coffee.

There is no picture of lunch. Lucy took me out and treat me, we had jacket potatoes and tuna (Niamh ate most of mine despite me having a packed lunch for her) with salad, together with a latte. Yummers.

Grapes and ryvita with cheese this afternoon - but I didn't have time for a much needed herbal tea in a tankard! There is always tomorrow.

Lochie is 6 on Sunday, and he was very excited by the bunting I made my Friend Emma a couple of weeks ago (see here) and requested the same for his birthday. My pleasure Lochie Behr xxx

I have been a very lucky girl today and Paul sorted tea! We had fishcakes (tartare sauce ahoy!) with my fave selection of salads.. Cous cous, coleslaw and edamame and peas.