Freezer inventory's & Meal planning

I meal plan most weeks for our meals not really because of budgeting but because I was throwing things away because I had forgotten what I had bought & of course saving money is always a bonus :-D. Anyway tonight I have decided to do a freezer inventory so I can see what I have got , I have 2 freezers , an under counter freezer & a chest freezer which I keep in my outhouse. Turns out I have loads !!! enough for at least 3 weeks meals possibly more I need to try and run my freezers down a bit at least . I have written everything down and just meal planned for this week as I shop from Thursday to Thursday anyway meal plan is as follows:-

-Thursday - Cheesy veg pasta ( just me and kids as the other half working so quick meals until Saturday)
-Friday- veg fingers , alphabet letters & sweetcorn
-Saturday- Omelette's & salad
-Sunday - Roast chicken dinner
-Monday-Fish in butter sauce with mash & veg
-Tuesday - Gammon in coke with garlic fondant potatoes & green beans
-Wednesday - Left over gammon , poached eggs , potato wedges& beans

Mostly I do cook from scratch  but I do have a few items that I keep for 'emergency' quick dinners as with 2 small children sometimes something crops up , sometimes I forget to get the meat I want to use out of the freezer oops or sometimes I just can't be arsed ! , but this blog is an honest blog about my life as a mummy so I'm not going to make myself sound like a domestic goddess when I am most definitely not !.

More meal plans to follow next week along with more recipes.

Z x

Summer work wardrobe Dilemma

It is soon becoming that time of year which I dread with a passion as the office I work in is like a sweat box literally !! there is no air con and I distinctly rember one year when it was so hot they hired portable air conditioning units for the office only they were massive and very very noisy , it was like sitting in a launderette we lasted 2 days before they were gotten rid of and now every year when it get's very hot we have dress down days and the company buys us ice lollies and ice creams to keep us going hee hee.

Anyway back to the topic of summer office wear , the dress code in our office is smart though us ladies border more on the smart-casual front one of the benefits of being female in our office is we get away with a lot more dress wise than our male colleauges. I usually wear a dress to work usually with opaque tights &  knee high boots but when the summer comes round I am stuck as I really hate bearing my legs and so I end up wearing linen trousers which I usally purchase from Next as they are a) the only one's I have found that are not see through ( I have no desire to flash my knickers to the entire office thank you very much !) and b) they are a good length as I am one of those people who is not petite in height but not tall and seems most shops do not cater for people like me an in betweeny as I am only just over the height to wear clothes from the petite range. This year however I fancy a change I am not sure what yet possibly just v thin nude tights with a pencil skirt & top maybe ? who know's I am still debating and if anyone has any ideas let me know ! .

Slow cooker recipe - Gammon in coke

This was originally a nigella recipe that I have adapted for the slow cooker that is miles easier and frankly less faff. We all enjoy this and it is a quick bung in the slow cooker in the morning and forget about until tea time type affair

Ingredients
 - Gammon Joint ( whichever size you prefer)
- 2 litre Bottle of coke / diet coke / or cherry coke tastes nice with all free I never used branded just supermarket own brand

Method

Put joint in slow cooker pour coke over and cook on low for approx 8hrs you could also cook on high for 4 hrs if you wished depending on what time you put slow cooker on. Once cooked trim all fat off joint and shred/slice as appropriate ( chuck away liquid). I usually serve this with garlic fondant potatoes recipe can be found here http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1794/garlicky-fondant-potatoes or just bog standard new potatoes & green beans.

Enjoy !

Z x

Tandoori chicken recipe

I love this recipe from Fay Ripleys family food cook book this can be bought on amazon ( which is where I got my copy from ) or similar book shop / website . I will give you the exact recipe from the book but in fact I alter it a bit sometimes and don't use the yoghurt and have also been known to use curry powder or korma paste so basically curried chicken and just use enough to coat the chicken have also done it without the onion as well and it tastes just as nice  , I also buy a pack of casserole chicken from sainsburys approx £4.49 and this has 2 big quarters , about 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks more than enough for us with some left overs , I usually serve with corn on the cob & potato wedges. I will also say I usually leave the skin on and hardly ever marinade over night I never thinkl that Far ahead !

All you need is:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tandoori paste
250g Greek yoghurt
6 (organic) chicken thighs, skin taken off
All you do is:
1. In a large bowl, mix the onion, paste and yogurt.
2. Add the chicken and mix to coat. Pop into the fridge overnight if possible, or for at least three hours.
3. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and cook at 200C (fan), 220C, gas mark 7 for 40 minutes.


I do cook mine a bit longer as we like ours well cooked  & crispy plus you have to be especially careful with chicken. Both my kids love this and so do the family members we have cooked this for.


Enjoy


Z x

I am addicted to Hoovering

Hello my name is Zoe and I am addicted to hoovering . It has recently dawned on me that I am indeed addicted to hoovering partly out of necessity having two small children means they make a lot of mess and partly because sadly I enjoy it !. Last bank holiday Monday I had realised that I had hoovered 8 times since the Friday 8 times !!! not normal I reckon but hey ho.  I hoover at least twice a day when I am not working once in morning after breakfast and then after tea but sometimes it will require a hoover after lunch depends on whether we have been in or out for lunch lately it is out at some soft play place or other. I have the hoover as above a hetty hoover which is awesome and when she finally gives up the ghost will not hesitate in buying another. I also have a vax carpet cleaner which I use regularly as I have cream carpets ( not my choice ) and a handheld hoover which at first was quite good but has become quite crap over time If I could afford it I would buy a Dyson handheld hoover for the in between jobs but alas at the moment my finances will not allow.

Z X

New bag Love !

Thought I would do a quick post about this bag I saw and admired it greatly a few days ago & as a surprise dan ordered it for me and it arrived yesterday , I love it ! it is from Next and also has an over the body strap very important when you are trying to juggle two young children and it fits loads in it perfect for my Day's off work with the children.

Quick meals

As part of my blog I shall be posting recipes , meal plans and basic quick meals we enjoy as a familly slow cooker meals will feature a lot as I am a working mummyand find this cuts out a lot of work later on in the day . My little boy is almost 3 and my little girl is 4 I also have a big kid in the shape of Dan who is very fussy and hard to cater for. Anyway the quick meal and vvv lazy meal we are having tonight is poached eggs , beans & potato waffles quick & mildly nutrious and a big bonus being the kids will eat it always a bonus !.

Z x

I Hate Ironing !

I hate Ironing with a passion it is a weekly chore that I absolutely hate ! , my partner has been doing it of late to save me the agony but he has been taking ages to do it ( sorry Dan) so I have taken over once more. I know a few people who tell me they never Iron how ? I tumble dry everything eco friendly I am not and still almost everything bar towels & underwear needs ironing , there are a few things that come out ok without me needing to iron and a few that do like pj's but I refuse to iron pj's !. Anyway it does take me a good 2-2.5hrs to do my weekly ironing pile and I really resent that time for something so mundane .

Z x

So I'm Back !

So I'm back  ! , taken a bit of a break from Blogging not really had the time yadda yadda etc. Well what has gone on with me you may ask ( or not really care ) , well I've now been back at work almost 2 years , My Little girl has turned 4 and I have lost weight and am now lighter than I was at my booking in appointment when pg with my 1st am now a size 8-10 so can wear most things.

Losing weight has reignited my love of fashion again just wish I had a bigger budget to satisfy this hee hee , I feel much better about myself and certainly I make more of an effort. I lost weight using slimming world went to two meetings got the info and did it myself from home this was mainly cause the sw leader gave the impression she couldn't give a shiny shite what I was saying & was more interested in those who had loads to lose. Anyway I may post more on this at a later date for now a brief  re intro and I hope to post lots even if it means I am talking to myself most of the time which in reality is what happens in real life.


Zoe :-)