Meatless Monday (a day late)

Sorry this is a day late, this was going to be posted yesterday but I got a bit excited about my first blog award so had to blog about that first!!

I have been following Tamara over at Mad Boastings of a Cheapskate Mom since she was a Blog of Note and look forward to reading her daily posts. She was also one of my first followers who didn't actually know me personally! One thing that struck me as interesting on her blog was that she has made every Monday, Meatless Monday and drops meat from her diet on that day.

I was intrigued and as a bit of a cook and foodie I thought it would be a great way to challenge myself in the kitchen. And then like the sieve that my brain is it went straight out of my head. (this happens quite a lot!)

That is until I purchased the launch issue of Prevention Australia Magazine. Right there on page 52 was a half page article on the Meatless Monday initiative. Here's what it said:

"One meatless day per week may reduce your saturated fat intake by 15 per cent, which can mean improved wight and heart health, report researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of public Health in the United States. The Meatless Monday initiative claims to save about 70,000,000 litres of water in the US each week (producing meat requires huge amounts of water). Try these part-time-vegetarian strategies (once a week or more) from dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner:

1. TRADE MEAT FOR HEARTY LEGUMES Substitute 3/4 cup of cooked beans, peas or lentils for each 100g serve of meat in recipes; try it in pasta dishes, soups and casseroles.



2. REDIRECT SAVOURY CRAVINGS The Japanese call that rich flavour you crave umami, which means 'savoury'. Umami is common in meat and fish , but you can also find it in aged cheeses, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and walnuts.



3. REINVENT OLD FAVES Exchange the meat in your burger for a black-bean patty, replace diced chicken with cubed tofu and substitute edamame (soybeans in their pods; at Asian-food stores) for seafood in a stir fry"

You can go to the Meatless Monday website which is in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the United States HERE. They have loads of recipes and articles so pop over to find out more.

So with that in mind I declared that Mondays, including Grumpy, Middle and Happy, be Meatless Mondays in our household.

OK. Hubby was none too pleased. Monday's are his last day at home before flying back to work and usually (if I am not too grumpy) I will cook him up whatever he wants. After 2 weeks of mine site food he loves his home cooked meals so this was going to be a tough sell.

I think he thought I wasn't going to go through with it (sucker) but then saw those dreaded ingredients come home in the shopping bag.

I thought I would start with something that I knew Hubby would like, that Grotbag would not turn his nose up at and something I have cooked before. So yesterday's Meatless Monday recipe was 'Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni'. Not the most original vegetarian meal but a start. I served it with garlic bread and side salad.

Hubby went back for more and Grotbag ate all his so it couldn't be that bad!

Now, I would have a photo for you and I did actually take a few but to tell you the truth, although in person it looked lovely, it didn't look that good in the photos so I won't post the photo.

So now I have to think of something for next weeks meal. I am thinking Vegetable Frittata because I know Grotbag will love it. Meatless Monday is certainly going to be a challenge for me to come up with new and exciting meals every week but I am up for the challenge!

So let me know if you have any good Meatless recipes. What do you think of the Meatless Monday initiative? Do you think it is something your household could adopt?

Happy Monday

Well when it gets here it seems like it came around fast but at the beginning it feels like forever. What am I talking about?

HAPPY MONDAY!

For those new to my blog I call the Monday before my Hubby comes home 'Happy Monday' as I get very excited about his imminent arrival. (He works on a roster of 2 weeks away and then has one week at home). There are 3 Monday's in my house, Happy Monday, Grumpy Monday & Middle Monday. It doesn't take much to figure out which comes where!

I tend to skip and smile a lot on Happy Monday. I usually take Grotbag to a play centre (like I did today) to have a run around and play with his mates or to a play date. Makes the day go quicker.

I have been a bit of a homebody this week which is a bit unlike me. I am usually a Social Mummy Butterfly, catching up with friends, play dates and trips to the shops every other day. Although this is great it also means I neglect things like housework, washing, and general tidying so then I have a big stress about it and spend a whole day doing all three and feeling like its just all too much and getting on top of me.

This week we had two play dates but they were here at home and I only made one trip to the shops for food so most of the week has been spent at home. And what a difference! I have managed to some things on my To Do list which has made a difference and made me feel like I have actually accomplished something. I put into place the starting of a little business idea I have had as I want to start working from home. I have kept on top of housework, although DUST is my enemy and one thing I cannot seem to control. It seems to laugh in my face every time I sweep some away and double the next time! It is a never ending battle. The washing is all up to date too and I don't have a load in the machine, a load on the line, a load to be put away or a load in the dryer ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

The boys have benefited too. Grotbag and I have played games, had chats, read books more than normal and he has loved it. Bugalugs has had lots of sleep in his cot rather than in the car seat or the stroller! So all in all it has been great. I don't feel overwhelmed just before Hubby gets home, which I usually do after being the only parent for 2 weeks. So I think I will make more of an effort to stay home a few days in a row in the future, especially the week before Hubby flies home.

So this week with Hubby being home can look forward to:

Sharing my bed again (and snoring!)
A lay in at a some point
And afternoon nap (sleep seems to be a common theme here)
Having my Hubby actually attend a social event rather than me going stag (The Wedding)
Having someone drive while I can have a drinky poo at The Wedding
Have an extra pair of hand when the 4 o'clock train arrives
And lots of kisses and cuddles (nudge nudge wink wink)

I am grinning like a Cheshire cat!!!

Another Week That Was

I have neglected my blog this week as Hubby was home on his R&R and I get the guilt's if I am stuck on the computer too long.

We had a busy week this week and after my spat about living in the house that Jack built, hubby set to work getting things fixed as soon as he came home. The tap is still the wrong way but at least I can sit on the toilet without fear of falling off!!

Wednesday saw my hosting a small dinner party for my good friend B who was over from London visiting his friends and family. B & I went to school together here in Perth, and then later, in our 20's, house shared for 18 months with another friend Ho, in a place we liked to Club 180. Good times, many parties, lots of tears and funny funny moments. He was also MC at my wedding which I will cherish forever and it really was the funniest and heart felt speech I have ever heard, and Yay it was about me!!!

I really miss him when he is in London, especially as he refuses to go on Facebook. So it was great to see him and cook for him and hear all his news, good and bad. In fact writing this blog has made me sit and reminisce about Club 180 so will have to put that in a post for another day!!

Me & B Circa 1997

Wednesday also saw the start of poor Bugalugs struggle with constipation for the first time. Poor little fella. After prune juice and baby laxatives (who knew?) Thursday night I couldn't take any more of his screaming and ended up taking him to Emergency. Where of course he pooed while we were waiting! The good news was I was being a complete over paranoid Mother and the constipation was not diagnosed as severe (apparently he would be vomiting as well) but the bad news was he had got a small infection through straining and so a round of antibiotics were dispensed! Sigh.

Friday saw Bugalugs having some physio to speed up his development for rolling and sitting and Saturday night we had the night off and went to Mum's for my Step dad's Birthday dinner.

Sunday saw me hosting a lunch for friends with an international flavour. There are 3 couples and we each pick a country and cook two meals, a combination of entree, main & desert, and bring them along. Now I normally love to cook up a storm but I just couldn't get motivated. So I cheated. Gasp! My country was Sweden. So I went to Ikea. Swedish Ikea Meatballs and Swedish Apple cake for all. I got ribbed for it but figured that was my one pass out!

Grump Monday rolled around way too quickly and saw me (finally) get my Wii Fit out of the box and Hubby, Grotbag and I had a lot of fun before I cooked a yummy "last night" dinner for me and Hubby.

And then today Hubby was gone before I knew it and the long 2 week stretch starts again.

Still means I can at least get some blog time in the evenings! It's good to be back!

How has your week been?

Masterchef & Sunburn

How cute is this? My friend in Sydney got this made for Grotbag (also known around here as Oliver - yes named after Jamie Oliver!) as she knows that he is a huge fan of Masterchef (who isn't?). He loves it and now we have to make Banana & Chocolate Muffins tomorrow for him to Christen it! My friend is also a big foodie and I am very jealous of the fact that she has been to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Restaurant in London and Matt Moran's restaurant Aria in Sydney and met both chefs and has lovely pictures to prove it.

The gift was also very apt as yesterday I went to the Perth Good Food & Wine show where I saw Gary Mehigan & George Calombaris, two of the judges from Masterchef Australia & Matt Moran "do" their shows cooking live on stage. I went with my mum and we had a fantastic time, quaffing wine and sampling yummy food - especially because I was sans children! Hmm no diet or counting points yesterday! I am going to try a few of the recipes out so will feature them in future blogs.

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As today is Happy Monday and was a beautiful 21 degree Winter day I took Grotbag to the park to meet another friend of his and his mum. It was gorgeous sitting in the sun and I preened like a cat at the warmth. Glorious...until I got home and noticed the sunburn. Now, although I am originally from the East End of London, I have actually lived here in Perth for 24 years, since I was 12. You would think that I would know to put sunscreen on when out in the sun. Some lesson are hard taught.

But fear not, my children were armed with slip slop slap including Bugalugs who had to wear a toddler hat too big for him because I picked up the wrong one!! I just seemed to miss myself out!

So now tomorrow I will greet my Hubby at the airport with owl eyes and a bright red neck and arms that are only half red! He will just shake his head at me and I will give him a look that says "I know I know...24 years!!!"

Middle Monday & Banana Muffins

I am a day behind but yesterday was Middle/Hump Monday. I only mention it because I have mentioned the other two Monday's in my life and didn't want Middle Monday, like a middle child, to feel left out.

Middle Monday marks the half way point of me being the only parent and only a week to go to Happy Monday and Hubby coming home. Middle Monday this week was also the start of the school holidays, something I am still coming to terms with. I went back to work 3 days a week when Grotbag was 10 months old and up until the first term school holidays this year I had not had him 24/7 since he went into day care. I was beside myself and also had a new baby to boot!

Still day 1 of the school holidays this time was spent at home as the weather was cold and rainy. We played Play Doh which is a treat in my house and something that I keep back to make it a bit special. However, it ended in disaster when Grotbag mixed the blue and green together. A pet hate of mine. I know...I should just let it go!!! Then I made Grotbag help me clean the bathroom....holiday memories he will cherish!!

Today we went to an indoor play centre with some other Kindy kids and then something I do not do with two children very often if I can help it....food shopping. When we got home we were both exhausted but Bugalugs had a sleep (rare) so grab the opportunity so spend time alone with Grotbag we made some Choc Chip Banana Muffins. He loves cooking with me and pretends he is Sam on Masterchef. I have a secret wish for him to be a great cook. He just wants to lick the bowl!

I have shared the recipe link below which I got from taste.com.au as it is a good one, most regular bakers would have the store cupboard ingredients to hand without having to venture to the shops. I always have a few brown bananas hanging around and the recipe is easy to alter depending on what is in the cupboard.

You could easily swap the banana's for other fruit combinations and I used Wholemeal flour and white chocolate buttons today as I had no dark chocolate ones. I have also used broken bits of Easter egg chocolate in the past and substituted the sugar with low GI diabetic sugar when I had gestational diabetes.

They taste great, and for those of you who have read my weight watchers blog they are 5 points a muffin - 3 points if you leave out the chocolate!!!

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/15298/choc+chip+banana+muffins

Enjoy!

Our batch of Banana Muffins

Grumpy Monday

Yesterday was Grumpy Monday.

After my blog last week about Happy Monday I got thinking more and more about Grumpy Monday so when it came I was ready for it.

Yesterday was Grumpy Monday in the trio of Monday's because Hubby flies back early hours of Tuesday morning for work which means Monday is his last day home. I am Grumpy because I will be the only parent again for 2 weeks, Grotbag is Grumpy because I will be the only parent again for 2 weeks and Hubby is Grumpy because he has to go back to work. Usually we will be snappy at each other all day (this is sometimes and understatement!). The day is spent either not doing much or Hubby doing all the things I asked him to do at the beginning of his week home that he has left to the last minute and therefore making me even more Grumpy.

However, yesterday I was determined not to be Grumpy and we planned a day home as we had been busy everyday. We had lots of washing as we had been so busy so set about that being our only tasks. I really wanted to clean out my pantry as it had got into such a mess and I didn't know what was in there and things were balancing threatening to spill contents all over the floor every time I opened the door. So I made that my project of the day. Grotbag was happy to be parented by the new Plasma and Disney Channel which made things easier and I put the slow cooker on so dinner wouldn't be a hassle. And low and behold Grumpy Monday became bearable Monday. I was happy to have achieved the pantry which took me 4 hours!!! Hubby was happy I was happy and he got to spend time with Grotbag, Bugalugs and the Plasma. And not a cross word was had between us!

We got to spend a few hours alone together once the kids had gone to bed and chat and talk about the week and the next time he was back. We actually agreed that the week had gone quickly but had been great and we had achieved a lot!

I have no doubt that Grumpy Monday will rear its ugly head again, but having recognised it and been open to changing it Grumpy Monday might turn into I'm-going-to-miss-you Monday instead!

Below before and after pictures of my Pantry.

Before

After

Happy Monday & The 4 o'clock Train

Monday in our house always proves to be a busy day but we have 3 different Mondays in our house. Happy Monday, Middle Monday & Grumpy Monday. But this Monday, today, marks the end of my 2 week's of "doing it all by myself". My Hubby arrives back tomorrow after working his roster of 2 weeks away, and 1 week home. So this makes it HAPPY MONDAY. My spirit's are high knowing that he is home tomorrow and I will have a week with an extra pair of hands for the kids, maybe a couple of lay in's in the mornings, be able to just jump in the car myself to quickly go somewhere, a girls night out, adult conversation and of course someone sleeping/snoring beside me at night. Master 4 goes to bed excited on Happy Monday knowing his dad will be picking him up from school tomorrow instead of boring old mum. And Hubby chats animatedly on the last phone call before he is home about the weeks events. Ah, the weeks events. We are always incredibly busy the week my hubby is home as we try and cram as much into it as possible.



By the time Happy Monday comes around I am usually burnt out from being the only parent for 2 weeks. However, it is still a Monday which means the following usually occurs. And did occur today. I always try and arrange for Master 4 to get out the house on a Monday Morning to burn off some Happy Monday energy. I usually end up at an indoor play venue, a friends house or a park and usually invite a friend with kids to join us. This also gives me a chance to catch up with a friend and have a chat while Master 4 is happy playing. Today we met a friend and her children at a local park. It was freezing but we all rugged up and the kids had a ball. I then made a trip to the local fruit and veggie market to stock up for my hubby's arrival, making a mental note of the meals I would be cooking this week. Cooking is the only thing I do not get a reprieve from. My choice. We then came home and I proceeded to tidy the mess that was our weekend and do some washing. I am not much of a cleaner. I hate it. But that rant is for another blog, another day!!



Then came, what I call, the 4 o'clock train. I don't like missing the 4 o'clock train or it can throw the whole night out!! 4 o'clock is when I start to prepare dinner. Master 4 is usually playing in the playroom while the baby is happily watching him or in his bouncer chair. Between 5 & 5.30pm we eat and about 6.15pm the boys have a bath. My baby boy is given his last bottle while Master 4 finishes his bath. By 7pm the baby is in bed (the 7 o'clock train is another one I don't like to miss!) and Master 4 is either watching his own show on Disney channel or watching Masterchef with me. 8pm Master 4 is usually in bed and I clean up all the dinner stuff, wash and prepare bottles for the morning, and because it is a Monday prepare Master 4's lunch for Kindy tomorrow, lay out his clothes for the morning to make things run smoother and then jump on the computer. The 4 o'clock train comes every night. Those that know me well, they know not to call between 4pm & 8pm for fear of derailing that train.



So here I am again on Happy Monday. I caught the train, completed my journey and here I sit preparing for another huge week. I can almost envision what my blogs will read like as I look at the calendar that's filled with stuff we are doing. I take a deep breath and look forward to tomorrow when I can pick my hubby up from the airport and we are again a normal family of 4 for another week!