I can’t believe it’s only A WEEK till Christmas!!! I am so not ready yet!
This was the week that I was going to plan and prepare all the food for next week. That hasn’t happened yet :/
When we went shopping last weekend, Lil’ L and M put some chocolate tree decorations in the shopping basket. I swiftly put them back on the shelf and said that I would make some raw chocolate tree decorations. Still haven’t got round to doing that either!
I was planning to make a home-made treat for Lil’ L’s school teacher. Well, that hasn’t happened yet but I’ve still got till Friday 
On the plus side, I have bought most of my Christmas presents and I did write and send a few cards today (most of my lovely friends are going to get ecards this year from Care2.com … far better for the planet and at least they’ll reach them in time )
While I can’t share any festive treats with you yet, I do have some yummy eats from yesterday to share along with a recipe 
So, with no further ado, let’s join in Jenn’s WIAW virtual foodie party.
- Hot water & lemon (pre school drop off)
- Glass of my ‘Breakfast Hot Chocolate’. It contains a few secret ingredients that boost its protein & omega 3 content, and make it the perfect ‘breakfast in a glass’ for chilly mornings. Recipe posted yesterday.
Lunch
1 pitta bread stuffed with falafel, sweet pickle and chopped tomatoes. This is one of my current favourite lunches. Sorry for the lack of pics, but I’m sure you can imagine what this looked like
Drinks & Snacks
Black coffee; Bettle tea; Berry smoothie; Water
1 tangerine (I’m loving these at the moment!)
Dinner
Sausage & Apple Casserole with Root Veg Mash.
This is my child-friendly version of the classic British sausage and cider casserole. It’s really yummy and perfect for this season The sweetness of the apples and root veggies pairs so well with the sausages. Lil’ L loves this casserole … apart from the apple slices (no surprise there!) To him, apple is a ‘dessert’ and shouldn’t appear in your main dinner. The apple slices work so well though in this dish that I’ve left them in. I’m sure other children will be fine about them
Here’s how I make it:
Sausage & Apple Casserole with Root Veg Mash
Serves 4
Hands on time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
8 vegetarian sausages (we like Linda McCartney Red Onion and Rosemary sausages in this dish)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium parsnip, sliced into thin disks
1 medium carrot, sliced into thin disks
Large handful of kale, finely chopped with thick stalks removed
1-2 apples, cored and sliced (leave the skin on)
½ tsp dried sage
½ tsp dried thyme
250 ml / 8½ fl oz / 1 cup apple juice
250 ml / 8½ fl oz / 1 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with a little water to make a paste
Root Vegetable Mash
1.2 kg / 2½ lbs white potatoes and mixed root vegetables, peeled and cut into small chunks (I use 4 medium white potatoes, 2 medium carrots, 2 medium parsnips and some celeriac or swede (rutabaga))
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6 and prepare a large pan of boiling water.
- Prepare the mash. Place the vegetables in the pan of boiling water and cook for 25 minutes or so. When tender, drain thoroughly then drizzle in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mash using a potato masher.
- Meanwhile, prepare the casserole: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole or lidded frying pan (skillet) and sauté the onion until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, parsnip, carrot, apples and herbs, and gently cook for 5 minutes. Add the apple juice and stock. Bring to the boil then cover with a lid and gently simmer for 15 minutes or so, until the parsnip is soft. Stir in the cornflour paste to thicken the sauce.
- While the casserole is simmering, oven cook the sausages (according to the instructions on the packet).
- When the sausages are cooked, add them to the casserole and gently stir to coat them in the sauce.
- Place the mash on warmed plates, spoon the casserole on top and sprinkle with chopped parsley. This meal can be served immediately, or prepared in advance and gently warmed through.
[This recipe was submitted to Ricki Heller's #WellnessWeekend]
Enjoy the rest of the week everyone! xx
Do you feel prepared for Christmas yet?
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The casserole sounds delicious! I love parsnips. The breakfast hot chocolate sounds good too!!
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don’t Count recently posted..WIAW~Happy 100th!!
Your casserole dish sounds incredible! Thanks for sharing the recipe xoxo
That casserole looks amazing! I’ve yet to add apples to a savory dish, but I keep seeing recipes for butternut apple soup, and now this!
That casserole looks very delicious and filling…I would eat it apples and all.
I am with you on making the gifts, although don’t over burden yourself you want to be sure to take time to enjoy the season as well (because way too quickly it will all be over).
I hope you are able to get everything done, and by the looks of your yummy eats you will at least be sated while you work.
Have a great Wednesday Sharon!
Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family recently posted..Brownie Biscotti with Peppermint
Christmas is sort of passing me by this year. I’m nearly sorted with my shopping though, just a few things to get!
That casserole looks yummy, I really enjoy the Linda McCartney sausages.
Sarah recently posted..Holiday in the USA (Part 4)
Mmm, now I feel like getting some root vegetables!
Wow, everything looks and sounds amazing! Especially that casserole…
Olivia @ Liv Lives Life recently posted..Less Than a Week!
The casserole looks super tasty!
I’m sure you’re not alone with not being ready for Christmas yet either!!!
Casserole; sticks to your bones and keeps you warm in the winter. Perfect.
‘Sticking to your bones’ seems to be a popular description of Winter warming dishes. I wonder where the expression came from. Sounds a bit uncomfortable to me
The breakfast hot chocolate looks incredible. I’m headed over to get the recipe as soon as I finish writing this comment!
Good luck on getting all of the things done on your to-do list before Christmas. And, whatever you don’t get to, don’t stress it. Just forget about it and enjoy the holidays. 
Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family. May you have a wonderful holiday. XOXO
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Yum, that dish sounds incredible! I used to love veggie sausages years ago but it is hard to find any here that don’t have an ingredient list a mile long and include some questionable items. But I love cooked apples in savory dishes like this. I still have your breakfast cocoa bookmarked and can’t wait to try it. I just need to remember to get a couple of ingredients from the store!
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