Happy

Jamster + marshmallows = happy

 

There is something about sweet treats that always puts a smile on the Mini Mes' faces. Their little eyes light up at the sight of cake and lollipops or anything packed with sugar and E numbers.

 

We had a lovely meal out to celebrate Minxy turning 9 on Sunday and the jelly, brownies and ice cream made her grin ear to ear too.

 

 

What makes your little one happy?

I'm linking this with...

The theme this week is happy

 



Reasons to be happy

My reasons to be happy

With two poorly children off school with flu and tonsillitis it has been a bit tricky to think of reasons to smile this week. I guess the fact that so far the Mr and I have remained well is worth being cheerful about though.

I have a child free weekend ahead so I'm looking forward to relaxing a little without the constant need to fetch tissue, drinks and medicine! We were originally helping family relocate to Liverpool but they have altered their moving date by a day so don't need our assistance anymore -  I can relax.

We had a lovely meal out on Tuesday evening, the poorly Mini Mes went to their dad for a few hours so I didn't have cabin fever. The Mr and I went to Red Hot for a complimentary meal to review. We have been a few times but it always tastes better when their is no bill at the end!

What reasons to you have to be cheerful this week?

McVitie's Breakfast Biscuits

 I'm sure I'm not alone when it comes to skipping breakfast. Many of us have buses and trains to catch to work or long journeys in the car. We have children who can cause chaos in the morning wanting to watch their favourite shows rather than putting on uniform and heading to nursery and school. Demanding new-borns need feeds and pets need walking. With my family and work commitments, studies and efforts to lose weight I don't always have time to sit with a bowl of cereal or slices of toast in the morning.

Breakfast however is known as the most important meal of the day which is true. You need food for energy to help keep your brain functioning properly so a meal upon waking is vital. Missing breakfast can often result in naughty mid-morning snacks or the urge to raid the fridge like Pac Man in the evening. Neither of which are beneficial to our bodies!

Having something healthy, filling and convenient to take on the go would be ideal for me and help to ensure I get the fuel required to complete my daily tasks. McVitie’s have cleverly created biscuits which are easy to pop in your pocket or bag to eat wherever you may go. They are perfect for the parent, student or employee who are busy from the moment their alarm beeps at the crack of dawn.

Made with porridge oats and containing Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, D and Iron they are a nutritional alternative to the conventional breakfast. They don't contain artificial colours or flavours and are a great source of fibre. They release energy slowly through the AM hours to provide what you need to get the housework done, to workout at the gym or complete whatever else you may be doing.

McVitie's Breakfast Biscuits come in 3 flavours of Oat and Honey, Apple Sultana and Cinnamon and Red Berries, the latter of which we received. Each box contains 6 packets of 4 biscuits with each biscuit being only 57 calories and containing 1.8g of fat. I found them really tasty and handy to have. They have helped to ensure I get fed however hectic my day may be!

Sponsored Post

Heinz Hot Sauces

I do love to experiment in the kitchen and give ordinary meals a bit of a boost with lots of herbs and spices, so I was pleased to be offered the new Hot Sauce range from Heinz to review.

The sauces come in three different heat levels of medium, hot and very hot and in a variety of flavours so there is something to match every dish and to liven up your meal time.

Chipotle and garlic was my favourite. It isn't too hot but it had a lovely smoky flavour and it is great for splashing on meat for a bit of heat without being overpowering. We used this in some chilli con carne too which was delicious!

The Mr preferred the hotter versions of Green Jalapeno which is perfect to spice up pizza, pasta or soup and Yellow Habanero which we both enjoyed with stir fried pork and noodles as a recipe card supplied suggested.

Simple Spicy Stir Fry

Ingredients
250g roast pork, cut into lardons
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 carrot, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 slice fresh ginger, crushed
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
400g Annoy straight to wok noodles
200g bean sprouts, rinsed
10ml Heinz Hot Sauce - Yellow Habanero


Method
Heat the wok on a high heat and add the oil
Add all of the vegetables and stir-fry for 2 minutes
Add the pork lardons and stir-fry for 1 minute
Add noodles to the wok and toss well over a high heat
Take off the heat and stir through Heinz Hot Sauce - Yellow Habanero




We really enjoyed this recipe. Yellow Habanero is the hottest of the Hot Sauce range but it was still fine for me as only a small quantity is used. We skipped adding the celery and left the pork as diced as we prefer it that way but I adjusted the cooking time accordingly. This is a meal that we would have again as it takes very little effort or time yet is packed with veg and flavour.

You can use the sauces to enhance your every day meals by splashing a small amount over your food or you can use it within recipes to compliment the flavour. A little goes a long way as you only need a very tiny amount. The colours of the sauces are really attractive and the bottles allow you to measure or splash the sauce on with ease.

I'm looking forward to trying these with family in an upcoming Mexican night with fajitas, salsa, nachos and various dips. I'll see just how much heat they can handle!

*We received a food shop and the Heinz Hot Sauce range for the purpose of this review. The opinions given are honest and our own*

Meal Planning Monday

The weekend goes too quickly boo! But there is only this week to go at work and school before half term arrives, which is definitely something to be pleased about.
The planner this week was selected by the entire family again with each of us picking atleast one meal each...

Pasta bake

Toad in the hole with mash, veg and gray

Jacket potatoes with cheese and beans or chilli

Kievs, potatoes and veg

Fajitas

We are child free next weekend and we have some of my family over for a takeaway on the Saturday before heading to town for Halloween drinks, in costume. The Sunday will be something light and quick, as no doubt we will be slightly hungover!

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

Lamb stew and dumplings

After a reasonably successful slow cooker week, the lamb stew in particular was heavenly, I've decided to let each family member pick a meal that they would like for dinner this week....

Meatball bolognese - selected by Minxy.
Fish, wedges and carrots - selected by Jamster.
Salmon and gnocchi bake - selected by the Mr and we have guests over too.
Curry - selected by the Mr (apparently it's National Curry week!).
Lasagne - selected by me.

The weekend we are child free as they will be with their dad so we are off to my parents Saturday for a Greek night! Sunday will be something selected on the day depending upon what we get up to.

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

I really enjoyed a few days away camping last week and some delicious food. Friday we had a BBQ consisting of tandoori shish kebabs and burgers with some fresh salad from Morrison's deli counter - yum! Upon returning home Saturday we headed to one of our favourite Italian restaurants Papa Cino's with my parents for a great meal too. I had my usual stromboli and carbonara but skipped dessert as I was stuffed!

For the next two weeks I won't be eating the same as the Mr and the Mini Mes. I'm reviewing a meal replacement plan from today and hoping to lose some weight! I'm hoping it gives me a boost and a kick start into eating better. I snack way too much! However the family must still eat normally and here is what's on the agenda for them....

Monday - Fajitas

Tuesday - Lasagne

Wednesday - Pizza, salad and garlic bread 

Thursday - Fish, wedges and veg

Friday - Toad in the hole with veg

We don't currently have plans for the weekend as yet so there will probably be a roast chicken involved and a buffet style dinner, although this may change if we go out (I'll still have my "Paks" to eat).

What is on your menu this week?

You can add your planner or view more for inspiration over with At Home With Mrs M

Have a good week!!

Meal Planning Monday

With the Mini Me's friends over to play and then them heading off to their dad for a few nights, this weeks meal planner is a little different to usual and based around fast, simple meals... and eating out.

Monday - Pasta Bake (heading to a family gathering afterwards)
Tuesday - Pizza, salad and garlic bread (the Mini Me's friends are over)
Wednesday - Going to the Harvester for dinner with the Mr as the Mini Mes are with their dad. I think I'll be having steak medium rare *mmmm*!
Thursday - Lasagne
Friday - Salmon and gnocchi bake (the Mini Mes are with their dad friday until sunday)

Saturday we are meeting up at the pub with family so we will probably eat there and Sunday I'm thinking jacket potatoes with lashing of beans and cheese as I've fancied one for ages!

What's on your menu this week? 


Head over to At Home With Mrs M to link up or to view more planners.

Have a good week.

Meal Planning Monday

I really enjoyed a bit more variety last week with the meals but with a busy weekend consisting of Ice Age 4, shopping, lunch out and a hen party I didn't have much time to sit and plan or go through recipes this week. We literally thought of a few dinners on the way back from town quickly before Tesco shut at 4pm!

Monday - Fish cakes, potatoes and veg

Tuesday - Chicken tikka masala

Wednesday - Lasagne

Thursday - Garlic kievs, southern fried wedges and peas

Friday - Pizza and garlic bread (heading to a wedding reception in the evening so something quick)

Saturday and Sunday the kids are with their dad so we will probably have salmon and gnocchi bake then eat out the other day.

Minxy making last weeks lamb koftas

For more meal planners or to link up your own you can pop across to At Home With Mrs M

Discovery Fajita Kit Review

Fajitas are often on the menu in our house. Not only are they delicious, simple and fast to cook, they make food fun for the kids which generally encourages them to eat more vegetables! We love adding peppers, salad, cheese, mayo and onion to ours and when the Mini Mes can construct them themselves they enjoy meal time even more. It's an ideal family food.

We were sent a Fajita Kit to review from Discovery and the first thing I noticed was the size of the packaging. Alternative branded kits usually come in huge boxes which can be hard to store away in the cupboards but the Discovery packet is considerably smaller due to the tortillas being rolled. I think this is a great idea!

The kit contains 8 plain flour tortillas, a seasoning sachet and medium salsa. It should easily feed a family of four and is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. If there are more hungry tums that need filling you can buy extra tortillas seperately or you could maybe make a salad or some wedges to go with them.

The instructions are simple to follow and you only need your meat/quorn, peppers and onions to to go with the kit. Cooking time is approximately 10 minutes with the veg and turkey (in our case) going into the pan to cook through and the tortillas being warmed through in the microwave for a few seconds. The mexican aroma was amazing!

The tortillas were a good thickness and we were able to fold them with ease around the filling without any tears. The salsa was full of flavour with a kick but without being overpowering and the seasoning was also very tasty. There were empty plates all round.

For more information on Discovery and their products you can head to their website

Meal Planning Monday

Last weeks meals were spot on what we planned bar Friday, which turned out to be a turkey lasagne cooked by the Mr. The fish cakes we had purchased fresh for Friday were actually out of date, naughty Tesco, so we had lasagne as an alternative.

This week is a little different to the past few weeks. I actually had a look online for some inspiration in meal ideas and have come up with this as the planner:

Monday - Moroccan Lamb Kofte with spicy tomato sauce and cous cous

Tuesday - Fajitas (we usually have this but it gets the kids eating lots of pepper and onions so I don't object!)

Wednesday - Homemade chicken and ham pie, mash and peas

Thursday - Garlic kievs, new spuds and carrots

Friday - Hunters chicken with mixed veg and jacket potatoes

Saturday - Kids are at their dads and I'm off to a chinese buffet for a Hen party!
Sunday - Undecided but we will probably eat out.

What are you eating this week? You can head over to At Home With Mrs M to view more planners or to link up your own.

Meal Planning Monday

We have been managing to stick to our planner so well the past few weeks and I'm really pleased with the kids efforts at eating their veg and potato (neither really like any form of potato, including chips!).

The Mr did the food shop again this week with a little input from the Mini Mes and I. He asked us to pick a meal each which we did and then he got some pizzas in as well which is a fav for everyone.

I'm still after a few slimming world recipes but I guess that needs organising in advance which I am yet to do. It gets to Sunday and I'm a bit 'errrm' when it comes to having the ingredient list ready, oops!

So what's on the agenda this week?

Monday - Meatball bolognaise

Tuesday - Pizza and salad

Wednesday - Salmon and Gnocchi bake

Thursday - Turkey fajitas

Friday - Fish, new potatoes and veg

Nothing particularly exciting on the menu and it's also quite similar to last week too but if it has meant I've avoided being rammed by trolleys in Tesco at the weekend I don't really object too much! I shall have a slightly more interesting planner next week... promise!

To link up your own planner or to check out some others you can head over to At Home With Mrs M

Tilda Kids Review

It can be a struggle to get your child to eat vegetables at times so when products you wouldn't expect contain 1 of their 5 a day it's always a great bonus! Tilda's new rice for kids is not only delicious but it contains 1 of your child's portions of veg and is a perfect accompaniment for their meals.

Each pouch contains natural ingredients, are full of goodness without unwanted additives, are convenient as they can be heated in the microwave or on the hob, full of flavour and they contain vegetables in pieces and/or puree.

We were sent some Tilda rice to review and we were pleased with the product.





The packaging features cute animals which makes the product fun and attractive for children. There is a crocodile called Charlie, Monkey called Rupert, Jasmine a Tiger and Lottie a parrot. The base to the packets is transparent so you can see the rice before you buy it you fancy a nosey at what it looks like.



The rice comes in 4 flavours:

Mild and Sweet Curry 
Sunshine Vegetable
Sweet Vegetable and Wholegrain
Cheese and Tomato





It is very easy to cook, you simply tear the top slightly and heat in the microwave for 40 seconds (800w) or heat on the hob for 3-4minutes with a small amount of water. I was concerned that the rice would be dry but it was moist and fluffy as rice should be and it tasted very good. The kids enjoyed it with a variety of dishes, I had it as a snack and I feel it would be great to pop in your bag for work or to take on day trips to heat up whilst out and about with the family.

Nutritional bit
Each pouch is around 200 calories and is high in carbs - perfect to give your little people lots of energy!



Thumbs up all round!