Just a quick post to let you know that I’m taking a break from blogging for a couple of weeks. Lil’ L breaks up from school tomorrow and M’s taking 2 weeks off work. I’ve decided that I’m going to leave the computer and internet switched off for these 2 weeks and spend quality time with the family with no distractions 😉
I look forward to catching up with you all on my return to blogging world.
I’ll leave you with a beautiful picture, drawn by two beautiful girls during my last Wednesday Workshop of the Spring term.
Hi everyone! Hope you’re having a great week so far!
For this week’s WIAW party, I’d like to share our eats from last Sunday, which was Mother’s Day here in the UK. According to the results of a nationwide survey, what most mothers really want on Mothering Sunday is a lie-in and a home-made card. Well, I can happily report that I got both, so I was one very happy mum indeed! 🙂
Check out what Lil’ L wrote inside the card. It’s really sweet (and amusing)! People that know me will laugh at pretty much all the qualities he listed, especially the last one! The only one I can relate to myself is no 3. Isn’t it wonderful though that, at the age of 8, our kids still think of us as superstars! I wonder how long that will last!
Last weekend, M’s parents came to stay, so Mother’s Day was doubly special. After our lovely lie-ins with cups of tea and coffee, we all opted to have different breakfasts. Cereals and home-made pecan & maple nut granola for M’s mum and dad, porridge for M, and pancakes for me & Lil’ L. However, when M saw how nice the the pancakes looked, he decided that he’d like some as well. Luckily, I’d made a huge batch so we had a couple spare 😉
This Sunday, we had blueberry pancakes (recipe here) made with the new Alpro Almond Milk (delicious!), topped with organic strawberries, pecan nuts, ground linseed and a drizzle of agave syrup. Both Waitrose & Tesco are selling organic strawberries half price at the moment and they are super sweet and totally scrummy!
Lil’ L was put out at first when he saw the strawberries on top, but he was willing to give them a try, with the response “I’ll give anything a try if it’s on top of a pancake”. I must remember this 😉
He ended up eating the whole lot, which is fantastic for this former fruit dodger. That’s another fruit to cross off the ‘won’t try/don’t like’ list 🙂
After breakfast, we went to visit Lacock, a village in Wiltshire just a few miles from where we live. This ancient village is a pretty special place, and has the most incredible old houses.
Lacock Village High Street (c) Ian Petticrew
It’s been used as the backdrop for a number of films and TV series, including Cranford and Pride & Prejudice. Lacock Abbey is also the setting for a number of the interior shots in the Harry Potter films.
Lacock Village (c) Pam Brophy
On Sunday, there were lots of little craft shops open for us to browse, as well as a craft fayre in the village hall. For lunch, we stopped at the village bakery for a delicious veggie pastie.
Lacock Bakery (c) Jonathan Billinger
We had a lovely afternoon at the village and are planning to return in early summer with M’s parents to visit the Abbey and its grounds. From the photos I’ve seen on the web, it looks absolutely stunning!
Lacock Abbey (c) Gary Brothwell
For dinner, we had leftovers from Saturday night’s meal, which had been so delicious that we didn’t mind eating it on two consecutive nights. We had veggie korma, coconut dhal with butternut squash, brown rice, chapattis (made by M!), and mini poppadoms.
The veggie curry was really well received by M’s parents, which was a relief as I often wonder whether M, L and I have different taste buds to people that eat ‘typical’ Western diets. I think veggie curry is a great dish to serve when you have guests (whether they’re veggie or meat eaters) for these reasons…
With the simple addition of chapattis, poppadoms, naan breads, the curry can turn into a delicious feast.
Pretty much everyone I know loves curry, and as long as you don’t make it too hot, then it’s fine for the children too. When Lil’ L was younger, I simply used to roughly blend the veggies so that they were less chunky and blended into the korma sauce.
The dishes can be prepared in advance (big advantage in my book as I don’t want to be slaving in the kitchen when we have guests!) The dishes can even be prepared the day before and simply heated through on the stove.
The veggie korma we made on Saturday included my all-time favourite combination of veggies for curries. It’s quick and incredibly simple to make. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
1-2 TBSP korma curry paste (I use Patak’s korma paste)
400 ml / 14 oz can coconut milk
1 onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 medium parsnips, sliced
1 medium courgette (zucchini), sliced
4 white cabbage leaves, chopped
2 handfuls of spinach (or other leafy green), roughly chopped
240 ml / 8 fl oz / 1 cup vegetable stock
80g / 3 oz / ½ cup cashew nuts (or sub with cooked chick peas if you wish)
35g / 1¼ oz / 1/3 cup flaked almonds
Method Get prepared:
Prepare some brown basmati rice.
Chop the veggies.
Prepare the vegetable stock.
Ready, set, go!
In a large, heavy bottomed pan, mix the curry paste and coconut milk together over a medium-low heat. Add the vegetables (except the spinach) and stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender. Add the cashews and spinach, and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Season, to taste.
Meanwhile toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, stirring continuously until lightly browned.
Serve in warm bowls on a bed of rice and a sprinkling of toasted flaked almonds, for garnish.
Any leftover curry can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or for weeks in the freezer.
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For dessert, we had mango hedgehogs 🙂
So that’s what we ate on Mothering Sunday. We didn’t go out to a restaurant and pay the inflated Mother’s Day prices, but instead we stayed in and ate one of the tastiest Indian meals I’ve ever had 🙂
It’s now time for me to pop over to Jenn’s site and check out all the delicious WIAW entries. A big thank you to Jenn for hosting this great foodie party and for all the inspiration for new eats.
I’d love some more ideas for dishes to serve for a mix of veggie and non-veggie guests. I often end up serving veggie lasagna, Mexican burritos/ fajitas/ enchiladas, or veggie curry. What dishes would you recommend? I’d love to hear your ideas and please do send links to recipes if you have them.
We had a pretty active weekend, kicking off on Friday night with Lil’ L’s first experience of scuba diving at his friend’s ‘Bubblemaker’ birthday party. What an incredible treat! We didn’t get back home till gone 10pm but Lil’ L was still buzzing from the experience and not tired in the slightest!
On Saturday, the weather was glorious, so we decided to walk along the Kennet & Avon Canal into Bath, hop on the train, and spend the day in Bristol. The canal was a hive of activity, with lots of people out walking, running, cycling, boating and kayaking.
I love the way that a spell of good weather brings people outside 🙂
We did a lot of walking on Saturday. We did six miles to and from the train station, and walked for about 2 hours round Bristol. By the end of our canal walk back home, our feet were feeling a bit tingly and worn out, so we stopped at Bathampton Mill for a drink. The weather was still so good that we sat outside on the decking next to the beautiful Bathampton Weir.
Back home, we decided that we definitely had earnt a movie and pizza night 😉 I made a portobello mushroom pesto pizza (drizzled with truffle oil). Totally delish (and healthy!) I promise I’ll write up the recipe soon!
Sunday was the Bath Half Marathon. While I wasn’t competing myself, I wanted to go along and cheer on all those brave people that were running, and to soak up the atmosphere. We decided to give our feet a rest and hopped on the bikes 🙂
We found a good location to chain up our bikes and watch the race, just outside the Holburne Museum.
We watched the race on the final bend before the finish line.
I felt really emotional watching the guys running past as I could sense their feelings of agony, relief and triumph as they entered the home strait on Pulteney Street.
Well done to everyone that took part. What an incredible achievement!
After the race, Bath was totally buzzing. Such a great atmosphere! We decided to buy some food and sit in the beautiful Pulteney Gardens. Lots of people were in the gardens, making the most of the good weather 🙂
Here’s Lil’ L busy sketching in his new note book. He’s really into drawing funny little cartoon characters at the moment. Those filthy, muddy boots to his right are M’s. He’d already been out on a 2 hour mountain bike ride before we went into Bath, and was covered head to foot in mud!
Every time I point the camera at Lil’ L, he pulls a face. You really have to catch him off guard if you want to get a decent picture. I eventually managed to get one of him laughing in between the face pulling!
See what I mean?
By the time we’d finished lunch and headed back to Pulteney Street to find our bikes, the Bath Half was completely finished. The streets were being cleaned, and the finish line banner was coming down, ready to be packed away for another year.
Time to head back home!
It has been a wonderful weekend in Bath, thanks in part to the beautiful weather. Long may it continue! 🙂
On Saturday we had glorious weather in Bath, so I took the opportunity to get out into the garden and do some tidying up. It was so warm that we even managed to eat our lunch outside 🙂
It really does feel like Spring has arrived in Bath. The crocuses and primroses are popping up everywhere in our little garden…
along with the daffodils and cute little narcissus 🙂
One of my favourite things about Springtime is blossom. Trees look so severe in Wintertime without their leaves, but come Springtime, their bare branches are covered in the most delicately coloured, beautiful flowers that are an absolute joy to see.
One of my favourite types of blossom is found on the japonica tree.
This tree is situated outside Lil’ L’s bedroom, and it’s such a nice sight to be greeted with as I open his curtains first thing in the morning.
To reach school, we have to walk up a very steep hill. Even though I consider myself to be pretty fit, I’m totally out of breath as I reach the top! But what I focus on as I’m climbing (and huffing and puffing!) is the cherry tree that marks the end of the hill. This tree is absolutely glorious at the moment…
with the most beautiful blossom 🙂
And check out how blue the sky was on the school run today!
In last week’s Wednesday Workshop (a little primary school Buddhist class that I teach each Wednesday) we read the story of the Four Princesses and the Kingshuk Tree (a beautiful story!) and I used the example of blossom to teach the children about impermanence and the importance of living in the moment. Most of us are so busy in our lives, with our heads filled with a million and one thoughts and plans, that we risk losing sight of all the beauty that surrounds us in our natural environment. When we do live in the moment, everything becomes brighter, clearer, more beautiful.
Time to enjoy the blossom… it’ll be gone before we know it!
Has Spring arrived where you live? What’s your favourite thing about this season?
Hi everyone! I hope you are having a great week so far! 🙂
Sorry for the lack of post yesterday but I was busy all day taking photographs for “the book”! My aim is to get all the photos finished by Easter, which isn’t far off considering how quickly the weeks are flying by!
So how was your weekend? For us, it was a weekend of “treats”! Lil’ L had the treat of going to stay for a night with his lovely nanny in Dorset, while M and I went for our belated Valentine’s night away at Carey’s Manor in Brockenhurst, Hampshire.
This was our first ‘date night’ in months and it was nice to go somewhere special and spend some quality time together. We reduced the costs as much as possible by staying on the Friday night (thus avoiding the Saturday night supplements), and we also took advantage of the hotel’s special free evening meal offer.
We were booked into the hotel’s Manor Restaurant for our evening meal, and I can happily report that the chef rose to the challenge of meeting my dietary requirements 😉 I didn’t take any photos as it wasn’t the type of restaurant where you can whip out your camera and start snapping the food , but here’s a quick run down of what they served me:
Entree – strawberry sorbet (M was given a white onion cappuccino which sounds bizarre to me, but apparently it was really nice!)
Starter – beetroot carpaccio with mushrooms, rocket and a balsamic dressing.
Main course – wild mushroom risotto…which they made with soya milk for me!
Dessert – pineapple carpaccio with shredded basil and coconut sorbet.
All courses were totally delicious! I really want to have a try at making both the beetroot and pineapple carpaccios as they were stunning!
After our meal, M and I stayed in the lounge until 1 in the morning chatting. We haven’t had an opportunity to do that in a long time. It was really nice! 🙂
The next day, we met my mum and Lil’ L in Burley. Every time I visit this village, I have to stop at the Old Farmhouse Tearooms for a soy cappuccino and slice of their ginger cake. That cake is dairy free and gluten free… and totally scrumptious!
We then took a circular walk on the common to walk off our cake. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, it was warm enough to not wear a coat. Is this really February? The crazy weather continues!
Along the walk, we saw lots of this beautiful yellow gorse…
We warned Lil’ L that it’s really prickly but you know kids.. they have to find out for themselves 😉
We also came across lots of these beautiful little New Forest ponies. So cute!
All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. Lil’ L loved his time with nanny and, since M and I rarely go on dates these days (perhaps 2-3 times a year?), we really cherished our night away. M has suggested that we do it again later this year and I’m totally up for that!
As you can imagine, I did very little cooking this weekend …. but I did make a raw chocolate orange chia pudding! I’ve only recently started to buy chia seeds as they have been hard to come by in this country. Local to me, they’re now available from the Harvest Health Food shop in Bath. I also purchase them from online stores including Healthy Supplies, Elements for Life, and Earthfare. I find that the cost of chia seeds can really vary from one store to another, and at different times of year, so I always make sure I shop around.
The seeds have been eaten throughout Central and Southern America for thousands of years, and were part of the staple diet of the Aztecs and Indians. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that chia seeds have a history of safe use as a food. However, for some reason (which I’m yet to fathom out) these little seeds have been classed as a “novel food” under the EU Novel Food Act 1997. This means that when you buy chia seeds in Europe, they have a big label on the packet that they can only be consumed as an ingredient for baked goods comprising a maximum 5% of the content!
Since I haven’t read anything on the Internet about chia seeds being harmful and, on the contrary, have read time and again about the health benefits of this little seed, I’ve joined my fellow American and Canadian health foodie friends in eating chia seeds raw 🙂 If you bake them, you lose the omega 3 content which, to me, defeats the object of eating them in the first place.
And in their raw form, chia seeds make the most AMAZING chocolate desserts! Chocolate orange is my current favourite flavour, but I’m looking forward to trying mocha and hazelnut versions. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients 2 tbsp raw chia seeds
1/2 cup water (or you can use non dairy milk)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp raw cocoa powder
2 tbsp Sweet Freedom fruit sweetener (or other natural liquid sweetener, such as agave syrup)
1/2 tsp orange extract
grated orange rind and raw chocolate shavings, for garnish
Method
Mix the chia seeds and water together in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours (or overnight). The mixture will transform into a gel.
Blend the chia gel, freshly squeezed orange juice, cocoa powder, fruit sweetener and orange extract to a smooth consistency. Place in small dessert bowls, and sprinkle with orange rind and chocolate shavings. Chill until ready to serve.
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Do you eat chia seeds? If so, what is your favourite way of serving them? Please add links to your favourite recipes in the comment section below as I’d love to try them out!
What do you think of the EU law on chia? Do you think it’s right to class chia as a ‘novel’ food when it’s been around for thousands of years? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great day so far! I’ve had the most amazing afternoon making raw chocolate coconut cups whilst listening and singing along to Lana Del Rey’s album (which a certain person bought me for Valentines 😉 ) Oh, and I’ve also been acting as an assistant to the family’s principal Star Wars Lego Ship builder 😉
Anyway, this is just quick post to share some love <3. Do you fancy trying some of the raw chocolates that I made today?
They really are scrummy 🙂
There’s are five ways you can enter my giveaway to win a box of six raw chocolates. Each way counts as a separate entry. So, if you do all five, you’ll increase your chances of winning five fold 🙂
Leave me a comment below.
Follow me on Twitter and leave me a comment below to let me know that you do.
Tweet about the giveaway and leave me a comment below.
‘Like’ my blog page on Facebook (you can click the button on the top right hand side of my homepage) and leave me a comment below.
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A winner will be selected at random on Friday 17th February, 9pm GMT.
Good luck everybody!
I’ll leave you with today’s top Lana Del Rey sing along track. Enjoy! xx
