Mumma's fast and easy Chicken noodle

 Im nearly halfway with my third pregnancy. It has been an interesting experience this time, with nausea, vomiting and exhaustion making themselves well known. That said things have been worse still this week with me coming down with a chest infection :(   

Juggling full time work, kids and household are hard enough - throw in a bountiful belly and you have one chaotic ride!

I believe in nourishing myself as much as my children, but it can be hard when your flat out! This receipe is one of my favs as its delish, he kids eat it (thank GAWD!) and the best part is its easy peasy!.... oh and did i mention AFORDABLE... gotta throw that in there!

You will need...

1 BBQ chook from the deli (ready cooked - pull it a part and put the chicken in a bowl aside)

1 Large vegetable stock

1 large chicken stock

1 tub of leggos pizza sauce - i use the garlic, onion and herb variety

1/2 a celery - finely sliced

either a bunch of spinach or a bunch of kale - finely sliced ( i used the spinach this times, as it looked nice on the                                                                                day and we hadn't had it in a while)

cloves of garlic to suit you - finely chopped

1/3 bunch of parsley - finely chopped

2 cups of water

1/2 a pack of angel hair pasta

1 leek or some eshallots depending on whats in stock - finely sliced

Deep soup pan/pot

Method

With some oil fry off the garlic and eshallots until soft. 

Add your stock, paste, celery, parsley, chicken & spinach and bring to boil.

Turn to simmer and add Angel hair pasta. Once the pasta is cooked, you can decide if you would like to add water - i tend to as i like my soup more broth like, however it purely comes to preference, also the past can absorb a little bit of water so thats another reason i tend to add some more.

Let the pot simmer for a little while - we usually serve with garlic bread so i let it simmer while im organising that and the table, kids etc.

Serve with garlic bread or some crusty fresh goodness from your local!

It keeps well, I wack it in containers in the freezer and take it to work if i make a large batch, but generally it gets eaten.... the noodles is what does it i think... what kid can say no to noodles ;)

BR: Daughter - Jane Shemilt

Daughter

By Jane Shemilt (debut novel)

★★★☆

I picked this book up purely because i saw Tess Gerritsen gave it high acclaim. It takes a good thriller to really grab me and keep me on the edge of my seat - and this novel is not your typical thriller.

It peels back slowly and subtlety. Jane is a successful family doctor with a life one can only dream of, house, husband, kids. But her entire life comes crashing down around her in one swift night - and the story that unravels around her pulls you in.

This novel explores the notion of what lies beneath the surface, the happy family that live very different lives once you scratch the surface.

Jane's youngest child goes missing and whilst every worst case-scenario is explored its the side stories which pull you into the novel! You very quickly begin to suspect that nothing is as it first appears, and that sometimes the people we love the most are the people we hardly know.

Well written and easy to read. Especially for a first novel. Based in England the writers gives you a real sense of being immersed in the environment and the characters lives. You want to know more, you want the pieces to come together.

It took a while to get in to the 'guts' of this one - but once your there there is no turning back. I found myself getting really frustrated with some of the characters, their sense of self entitlement and lack of insight almost debilitating.

Do yourself a favour and pick it up.

Let's drink to that!

We live in Australia, and this summer has been a 'ripper'. Scorching days mean little bodies wither away easily, and sometimes keeping them hydrated can be a challenge. I'm fortunate in that my kids love the good old H2O. I know many children though that don't and it's not always the best to be reaching to the cupboard to make a jug of  number laden sweetness (cordial/koolaid). 

 This summer we have taken to using my Maxwell & Williams Olde English jug (find it here). My mumma got it for Christmas. the recipe i have been using as a cordial substitute has been a hit with the kids, and really you could get very creative and change things up depending on what you like, but here is one of our fav recipes below...

the main thing with the kids is that they love colour! And Most tea's that contain Hibiscus will give you that punchy red they crave. It can be great to include little hands to make it up, as it helps them understand and learn about what they are putting into their body.

Ingredients:

6-8 herbal tea bags (i choose fruity varieties so there is no caffeine, also you may need more depending on the size of your jug)

About 4-6 cups boiling water to steep your teabags in, plus more cold water for after

2 tablespoons raw Apple Cider Vinegar 

Stevia or Honey to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt

 juice of one lemon

Directions:

1. Add tea bags and salt to tempered jar.
2. Pour boiling water over tea bags and let steep 4-6 minutes
3. Fill jar the rest of the way with cold water.
4. Mix in vinegar and stevia or sweetener.
5. add lemon juice
6. Serve chilled over ice.

Notes: and option can be to throw in some mint leaves as well, it all depends on taste preference.

Herbal Tea. Herbal tea has a variety of health benefits, such as providing antioxidants, stress relief, promoting healthy sleep habits, and many other benefits.

Stevia. As ZERO calorie natural sweetener this herbal plant has many benefits such as lowering blood pressure, as well as preventing diabetes... but the list goes on 

Local Honey. Local honey is believed to help with seasonal allergies.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Supposedly, apple cider vinegar is practically magical and helps with energy, weight management, pH balance, cleansing of the lymph nodes, and a ridiculous list of other things.

Lemon and Salt. These items are used purely for electrolyte purposes. During summer, it’s very important to keep your body hydrated. 

Creating an authentic life?

Last year was one of the hardest years our family has worked through. Despite raising little babies and study and re-homing over the course of our little family’s life, 2014 was a big year for us.

In January of last year we bought our first home, a little cottage near the water in a rural coastal town, and as sweet an adventure as that may seem, it was quickly overshadowed by the daunting year that unraveled before us, as both my husband and I worked full time for the first time since we had our babies.

Graduating from university was a bittersweet moment, for the anticipation of endeavoring upon my career as a registered nurse, is was fraught with the notion that I would also have to undertake this year at a full time workload as per the requirement of my ‘new graduate’ position (an unfortunate con of living rural means limited options). The only reprieve from the onslaught of a constantly untidy house, tiredness, tantrums and takeaway meals was the knowing that come February 2015 I would be able to find a more appropriate workload. It was only a year.

2014 saw our family unravel, the grounding was gone and all that mattered was getting through the day; we all suffered as a result. Routine went out the door, as did the quality family time we so enjoyed. Stress was on high and the simplicity of life was no longer present.

We held large discussions again and again, but the footing never quite stilled, and so we continued on relentlessly aiming for this year, we welcomed 2015 with open arms.

One pay off for all the hard work was a double income. For the first time in years we had a disposable income, which most times was spent on the children, either in outings or gifts, if only because we had never the opportunity previously to do so. The problem with this however is that as the year ensued, their little minds became accustomed, and so now as a family we find new issues to deal with; issues of want and expectation.

These are easy fixed however. This year, 2015; will see us return to a basic, simple and authentic state of living, where time is a gift not to be overshadowed by objects. I’m excited to share with you our happenings over the year, a mix of moments and tid bits as we re-craft a simpler more authentic life.

Just over a year ago - before the move, before full time, before the chaos.

2/52 - summer dayz

Its the holidays, and we are spending  our days out and about. The perks of living among Australia's finest beaches means that there is always somewhere to go and explore. One of our favorite things to do though is to head to the local, where lately im enjoying a pot of peppermint tea to settle the tum, and then off to the local park. its surrounded by green grass and rich canopy with just enough dappled light to let us know the day is gorgeous, yet protecting the babes from the harsh nature of the Australian sun. 

This week in a midst the frolicking and beach play, my husband made a difficult decision. To hold our youngest back another year. It was a hard decision, only because really he is quite bright. what sealed it in the end though was his emotional and social abilities, which will probably be fine in a few more months, but we just didn't want to take the risk that they might affect his foundation at school. Jett only just turned 5 so there is no rush, and he is looking forward to staying home with mumma and the baby, he already can't wait to swaddling 'her' (we don't know what we are having its too early but he wants a sister) and helping mumma. I must admit i am looking forward to it too.

Linking in with Jodie and the 52 project 

This kid is too cool for school

       

 
        Its hard not to smile in his presence

1/52

well 2015 has finally arrived. Last year i attempted the 52 project, but being my first year out from uni, working full time, i wasn't able to keep up, and it disappointed me because i loved  the idea of being able to look back at the year and see what it brought, the highs the lows, the changes.

Towards the end of last year i decided that i would attempt the commitment once more. This year i am able to drop down in hours at work and as a result ill have a little more me time. I,m looking forward to capturing the memories we make.

This week see's us celebrating the first week of the year! the very first day in fact see's us celebrating my baby's 5th birthday! it was spent in the pool out the back and the week was hot and bothersome even, wiping us out most days and ending with us relaxing in front of the aircon. These are the summer days i love and yearn for. Living on the coast brings the privileged of gorgeous beach access, and as much as i love to enjoy the salty air and squeak of sand beneath my feet. It was nice to have a week at home in our own little world, without watches or dates.

So here it is, 1/52.

this is how we ended up most days, sitting in front of the aircon, watching the world float by

'mum, mum!... im growing a beard!'... crazy kid was squeezing his guts out lol