growing veges

We've finally got our own little vege patch! After a lot of work fixing a retaining wall and laying bricks to make the garden bed, laying the timber frame and filling it all up with a vege organic compost mixture, our first lot of edibles have been planted! We have blueberries, strawberries, mini watermelon, zucchini, cucumber, snow peas and cherry tomatoes in. This is what it looked like on the day we planted.

And below is what it looks like now...

I can't believe how quickly it has all grown in a few weeks! It's amazing! Yesterday I tasted my first blueberry off the tree and I'm patiently waiting for the cucumbers which look like they will be ready next.

It's all very exciting watching it unfold and the kids love it too.

Do you have a vege patch? What are you growing? Let me know your favourite websites for backyard vege growing!

today i love....

this

and this

and this

keep calm...

I really need to start paying attention to this piece hanging up in my kitchen. I know the mantra has been done to death, but it's a good one. With 5.44am wake ups from the 1 year old (yeah, I know, it could be worse) and days of non-stop school and preschool madness with the 5 and 4 year old, mountains of housework, Christmas shopping still not done, cash flow looking VERY unhealthy. sigh. I'm a bit exhausted with life, can you tell?

Just breathe. Gotta breathe and take baby steps. And keep calm, and carry on.

building fairy houses

I wonder if the fairies will come and like their new house?

naked chocolate cake - yum!

I've been getting into a little baking lately, and trying to make things that I will love as well as the kids. Things I might be able to use in the lunch box too, so I can completely stop buying snack foods. The more I've been reading about nutrition and what's in our food and the products we use, the more horrified I'm getting! I'd love to be able to make everything at some point, including bread, but I'll need to work up to that.

Anyway, I came across The Healthy Chef blog recently. It's great, as it's Australian, and all the recipes I've come across so far are super easy, and super yummy! I noticed the Naked Chocolate Cake last week and was determined to make it. I've made it three times already! It's really, really good, and not an ounce of sugar. The only sweetness added to this is through the pure maple syrup. This is the type of thing I'd be more than happy to put in the kids lunch boxes, knowing exactly what is in it, and it really isn't all that bad either. It's also gluten free, and can be easily adapted to be nut free, which is also great for the kids taking to school.

There's not much to it either, so it's quick to make and it was a great one to do with Zoe who LOVES cooking and baking with me.

I've been eating it with my new favourite yoghurt, Barambah Organics natural yoghurt, and I don't feel guilty at all eating it! Win win!!

i won i won i won!

I spotted this Papercookie giveaway last week on Facebook. I don't often click on things to enter on Facebook, but this one looked GOOD! And it was only open for a few hours. First thing this week I decided to check back just to see who had won.....there was my name staring back at me! It was just the pick me up I needed too. I've still been feeling mostly low and out of energy, and lacking inspiration due to all the kids still taking turns being sick and a non-sleeping-at-night, certain 10-month old. Low funds around these parts, too, has meant very little impulsive shopping for me, so this was a great treat!

Here's what I bought:

 

 

Love You Bear card | Hello Bear print | Love You Cheeky Monkey card | Washi Tape Hooks

What do you think?

Can't wait for it all to arrive now. The two Love You cards I plan on framing and putting on in each of the kid's rooms. Just a little friendly reminder of how much I love them, even when I'm a cranky mama bear.

And now, I'm looking forward to a (hopefully) relaxing weekend.

Adieu!

coconut flour banana muffins

Little Miss Zoe loves, loves, loves baking with me. So today we whipped these coconut flour banana muffins up. I've had the coconut flour sitting in the cupboard for a while, so it was great to finally make something with it and see the results!

I was happy with how they turned out. They don't look overly pretty but the taste was good. I was a bit worried at first as I put the eggs straight in to the mixture right after I had put the melted coconut oil in, and of course, the oil was still hot, and the little one couldn't mix it quick enough, so we had a few chunks of cooked egg white swirling around! When I saw it, I was a bit disappointed, and very nearly threw it out, but knew we couldn't start over as I didn't have any more bananas left. So I thought we'd press on anyway and see how they turned out. I'm surprised to say they don't taste egg-y at ALL! Next time, I'll wait until the oil has cooled a bit and make sure I stir the eggs straight away, or at least whisk them in a separate bowl before adding.

We also didn't add the walnuts in ours. Zoe decorated the top of them with a sprinkle of coconut flakes and a few choc chip bits.

The were lovely and moist and tasty, and Zoe declared them 'the best cakes I ever had!'. No sugar in these either, so no guilt with these! Perfect in lunch boxes I think or as an afternoon snack on the balcony as we preferred. Yum!