Peak District

From toasting Jaffa Cakes on the campfire to heading up, what felt like a mountain to such a great view.

 This was such a wonderful camping trip away in Daisy. 

Am so lucky to have stayed in touch with about 40 gals from a birthing board, which started out on BabyCentre. When first finding out your pregnant, this is a great place to meet other women, who are all due around the same time as you. Being one of the first people out of my friendship group to have a baby, this was a huge support to me. The first facebook group I joined from this baby due month club, am still in, 5 or so years ago I joined! 

A few off us, who liked to babywear and co-sleep, created a small little group of around 30-40 of us. We all meet up for days out and camping trips. This was the second trip which I have managed to make, and wow, am so lucky. Its like meeting up with family, some I have only ever known through facebook but we all know each other so well, its lovely to meet in real life. All our children are the same age, and some of us have older or younger children around the same age as well. 

This time there was, 8 families in total and about 17 children (hope I have counted right!)

A huge field, (we had almost taken over the whole campsite) and children running free, with kites, footballs and having the best time with all their new friends. A huge family! 

It was really nice to get away with friends who have children the same age, as they understand that bedtime may take longer etc. It was great, someone would get the camping fire going while others played with the children, we shared out little jobs without having to think about it. We all worked as a team, picking out places to go or leading the way on a hike.

 This was only about our 5 time out with Daisy, and we are already all planning a trip to France next year! It was great to see the mix, of tents, campervans and caravans. 

The campsite: 

Mount Pleasant Glamping

Lovely area, really nice owners (let me use their WiFi) big field for the kids to run in. The electric hook up was really handy to run Daisys new fridge on. They also had a supply of logs if we ran out for our campfire. The washing up bit was well laid out, small but everything there and got to chat to people while I waited for the sink. 

I nice little campsite, with a small farm, pigs and horses, which the kids loved! It was very windy, this was a bit of a shock for me, having come up from the coast to a windy hill! 

The only downside to this lovely campsite was the showers. 50p per coin was fine, I didn't mind paying extra. My first shower ran out while I had shampoo in my hair, I was sure it wasn't 6mins. The second, I took all 3 children, I know, and used two coins - 12mins. 

I spent most of that trying to get the temp down from boiling! I, who likes hot showers, felt burnt and the kids where screaming. It was not fun and the shower was still powering away while we all got dressed. Am sure the second one lasted way over 12mins. This did really put me off but I would still go again, the area was lovely and the campsite was a nice size. The owners where welcoming, friendly and nice!

Day trip to Chatsworth Farmyard 

I've not been to Chatsworth before, and thought the £22 was ok price for a family day out (parking on top.) I always have really mixed feelings about farms, even before changing our diet I found them hard. I once walked out of a lambing barn, our friend had arranged the trip and it was horrible. Being a new mum, with my baby in a sling feeding, seeing a mother shaking with shock and fear, being podded by children/adults (very busy loud barn, full of people) was hard. I asked the farmer, if she was ok, I said that animal is in shock. He replied with 'its normal' no its not normal to be in a pen, being shuted and puded by people, then to have your baby taken off you, where you don't know where your baby is. Anyway, a farm was picked as our outing so off we went. 

It wasn't to bad, for a mini farm. I liked that the chickens where just roaming about the place, I did stay well away from the petting barn..... 

It has a nice little barn to eat lunch in if raining. I loved the mini trackers, with so many children waiting for a turn, more would be good. It was packed, the climbing frames where amazing! So many different things to try. 

When we first got there, all the children ran in different directions, and it was really hard work. It was so busy and easy to lose sight of them. So after lunch I said, lets take them all on a big walk. 

You can get your hand stamped and head out to the forest (this is free, so after parking up you can head to the woods for no extra cost.) It was such a beautiful woods, the waterfalls where breath taking. 

It was a real hike getting to the top, I wouldn't do it after rain as the steps where scary (there are other paths to the top) but wow, it was worth it for the view! 

We got separated from the main group, and we found these arrows-fab and fun, way of finding each other! 

It really was a beautiful wood! 

Am not great with heights, and this rock pool, with huge drop to a waterfall. Was beautiful and a little scary. 

It was just what all the mini people needed, a good run, walk and explore.

 When we returned to the play park, they all stuck together and played in one area. So much calmer! If am ever that way again, I would return. 

It was worth the entry fee for the amazing play park, I've not seen such a packed one before. There was so much for them to try, from pulling water out of the river, to the huge climbing frames!

We drove through this, wow! I love bunting but this town had gone all out! Wonderful!!

I know some people hear 'camping' and think some how it's not as fun or nice as a hotel. I would pick camping over a hotel, three loud busy mini people. Having their own space, which I don't have to worry about them playing in, the a huge world of space outside is the perfect balance!

It was such a wonderful trip, I feel so lucky to have Daisy. Yes I know we could do all these trips with a tent, but there is something really extra wonderful about pulling our little home somewhere new. 

When we return back to the campsite after a day out, all the kids shout - theres Daisy!! Hello Daisy! Our friends had lovely huge tents, which some cost the same amount Daisy did! But we went off to get petrol, and food for our next stay, they where still getting them down and the car packed. It look me no time at all, around the three mini people, to pack things away to travel, dry out towels and chairs and then hook up Daisy when we where ready. Yes ok, we couldn't go out for the day and take Daisy with us, maybe some places, and others could pack up and head out for the day. Where we went out and returned for Daisy. Still its lots of fun going slow towing her - Who would have ever thought 'car mad' me would like traveling about, under 50! I get to see the places where are driving through, its a big change but its really nice. 

We all want to return to the Dales, it's beautiful! Expiring in the Uk makes me think about truly beautiful the land we live in is. So many people save all year to jump on a plane heading off somewhere hot. But as longs as you have your raincoat and wellies, there are some amazing places on your doorstep! Yes we all need a week on a hot beach everly  now and again, but our life with our little family is much more suited to an expore through a woodland! 

Wanna see how we did up Daisy? Click here! 

Click here for all her adventures.

Homemade Christmas

Tips and tricks for a thrifty Christmas!

Christmas can be the most expense time of the year, with a little planning it can be a beautiful homemade budget occasion.

The best gifts are homemade gifts, spending time and making something with love is worth more than all the money is the world, right!? I love making things for people, it's extra joy when they love something you have made. Back in October I started making things for Christmas. The more of a head start you get, the more things you can fit in. My food baskets went down so well last Christmas, I've already had empty baskets back asking me to re-fil for this Christmas! Last year I made jams, jellies and chutneys. I made about 31 jars in total. Not only for gifts but for us to use though the year too! 

I love these homemade sacks, one for each of our three children. They look fab under the tree! We also use them when we are going to see family over Christmas, they work so well to put all the gifts in and bring home things too.  

Make your own plate for Santa, you may have seen lots of drawn plates to leave our for Father Christmas. If your going to make your own, make sure you use oil based Sharpies (this way it should stay on when washing.) I just used a plain plate, with home made reindeer food. So easy to make, (use edible glitter, if your going to be sprinkling it on your lawn) and porridge oats.

Our mini people have fairy doors in their rooms, so keep an eye out for how to make them and all the fun things we will be doing in December! 

I will be adding to this blog so keep an eye out! How to make the perfect Christmas Eve box, and lots of home made gift ideas!

Pan Fried Dumplings

I warn you now, they are not mega healthy, they are fried in oil. They are yummy, and a little fat is fine, right!?! They go prefect with my Tomato and Olives! (I make them two different ways, one with butter and one way without. This is the non butter way - I will blog the butter way soon.)

Ingredients:

2 cups self raising flour

1 cup soya milk
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Oil to cook with

Mix all the dry ingredients in together.

Then add in the milk slowly. 

Work like bread, into a dough.

Roll it out on a floured surface. 

Then separate equally sized balls, and flatten a little in your hand (so not perfect round.) They should double in side so allow space in the pan!

Heat up the oil (you need it hot be careful, not smoking but sizzling) 

Drop in the balls. (Carefully) 

They will start to brown, check them before flipping over to cook the other side. 

Flip very carefully. 

They sometimes need to be put on their side of very thick, to make sure they are cooked through.

Wipe off excess oil and serve! Amazing!!

Yum!

5 Bean Chilli

I love a chilli, it's easy, it can feed lots of people for a dinner party or round a campfire! You can have it with jacket potatos or rice, salad or everlything. It also freezes really well, so perfect as a mid-week meal! 

There are lots of ways to cook it, from on the hob, oven or in the slow cooker. No matter which way you are cooking it, fry up the celery, pepper and onion first then slow cook from then on. Be that in the oven or slow cooker. (Depending on how much time you have.)

Ingredients:

1 tin of the following-

Hariot Beans

Butter Beans

Black Eyed Beans

Cannelloni Beans

Chickpeas 

2x tins of tomatoes (and one refilled tin of cold water.)

1x red onion

1x celery stick

1/2 a green pepper

Chilli powder and black pepper. 

This is a very simple dish, you can add herbs and spices too. I often use a glass of red wine when frying the onion but I've run out ! ;)

Fry up the pepper, onion and celery. Add depending on taste, 2-4 teaspoons of chilli powder. (With a little oil.)

Fry!

Make sure you keep stiring it so it doesn't stick and that its all coated in the chilli. 

Rince all the beans in cold water and add to the pot-once the onions have started to brown. 

Add the tomoato and refill one can once with cold water and add. 

I heated this up on hob in an ovenproof cooking pot. 

 

Cook in the oven till reduced, I cooked at 180-200 for about 30-45mins. Yum! 

Stacker Sandwich

Here's my current favourite sandwich/roll.

So easy to make your own rolls, check out my 'lovely buns.' I made them double the size and then sliced into it twice.

Base layer had, cherry tomatos, avocado slices, green pesto and vegan cheese.

Top layer was avocado slices and a dribble of sweet chilli sauce!

It was amazing!! 

Meal Planning

To really save money and have exciting new dishes on the table each week, the best way is meal planning.

It does take time, but once you get into doing it, its fun to pick out what meals you want to cook and gets quicker.

Now you need to work out first what meals you need to plan, who has breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks on what days? Not everyone will need lunch on all the days. Keep weekday breakfasts and lunches really simple, but filling. That will save you money. The cheapest and most filling is porridge, different toppings will make it more exciting.

Try and work out what your basics are, what do you use every week. Some things you may only need to buy once a month. So work out your main monthly items, bleach, loo roll, baby wipes, back up nappies, sandwich bags, and bin bags. Are our main non food monthly costs. So the first week of the month will be a higher cost. Food items which are most likely monthly costs for us is flour, seeds, nuts, rice, seeds, and pasta.

Now meal planning means you only buy what you need for that week. So I try and pick meals which have a few of the same ingredients. So say I have had to buy mustard, to make a meal, I will pick other meals that week which also need that item. It's easy to make a hugely different meals all week, with lots of different ingredients and you won't see a saving. As you will end up with half used jars of different things. Even though am saying pick similar ingredients lists, try not to do three pasta dishes in a row or you will get really fed up. I mean like cottage pie with rot mash on top (with a little mustard mixed in the mash) and then a simple pasta dish with lemon and mustard the next day. A same ingredient but very different dishes. You don't want to spend out for a jar of mustard, for it to sit unused in the fridge for weeks. (Mustard is a handy item to have but still you get my meaning.)

To save money, you need to have a few basics in your cupboard, the things I always have are:

Cupboard Basics:

Black pepper

Sea salt (I always cook with sea salt, I have cheap table salt I used to make salt dough with the children)

Rosemary (plant in the garden)

Thyme (my pant is a little unhappy at the moment so had to buy some)

Mint (plant in the garden)

Sage (plant in the garden)

Chia seeds

Sesame seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Cashew nuts, peanuts, almonds and walnuts (These can be quite costly, but buying in bulk can help to keep the cost down.) 

A cheap bottle of red wine (We don't always have it but it does make sauces deeper in flavor.)
Yeast (We make our own bread, nicer, and good for you. Will save you money too!)
Plain Flour
S/R Flour

Sugar (am writing this blog at the start of the winter months so am using a lot to make jams, jellies etc.)

I haven't brought a jar of pasta sauce for going donkeys years! Making your own is so cheap and good for you. Here is a basic sauce. (I will be blogging more about basic sauces soon.)


Weekly Basics:

(Some stretch over 2-3wks.)
Soya Milk (I've worked out we use 2-3 cartons a week of soya +1 for the children and the same for us.)

Tinned Tomatoes

Tinned Beans

Yogurts

Frozen Pees (I buy a quite a lot of frozen veg, carrots, cauliflower, butternut squash etc. Great for throwing in a curry or sauce!)

Bread Flour (we use 1-2 bags of flour a week.)

Porridge Oats (amazing for breakfast, and to bulk up sauces.)

Jam (I try and make my own but I give out a lot so often just buy a basic jar.)

Butter/spread (I love and have used for as long as I can remember, vitalite. I love it on toast with sliced bananas.....)

Potatoes (one bag of cheap all round white potatoes, about half to a bag a week.)

Sweet Potatoes (we love them, from mash to throwing them in a curry. I get about 3 large ones a week.)

The veg I buy each week is, leeks, celery, courgettes, carrots, butternut squash. I always check the clearance section, as many fruit and veg can be frozen. 

Monthly Basics: 

Lasagna pasta sheets,
Pasta (shells and spaghetti)
Rice
Cous cous
Seeds
Nuts
Things like mustard, mamite and peanut butter or ketchup.
Oil 

I always start my meal planning by working out dinner for the week. I think of 5 or 7 meals, depending on if we are away at the weekend or out. I try not to repeat very similar meals or run the same type of meal two days running. So I wouldn't make spaghetti Bolognese and then the next night make a lasagna. I batch cook as much as I can, to save pennies but also time! Lunches change a little if its term time or not. I batch cook as much as I can, to save pennies but also time!

Click here for my weekly meal template Just copy and paste in your ideas!

Dinner - I try to pick only 1-2 meals with pasta in a week, 1-2 pie dishes, 1 curry and a sausage meal like toad in the whole. In the week the childern go to bed at 6pm (when my husband is arriving home) so I make an early dinner for them.  On a Friday they stay up later and we all eat together. 

Breakfast  - I manly make porridge but sometimes replace with Weetabix. (Porridge really sets you up for the day, you are less likely to grab unhealthily snacks, also perfect for the children off to school) I love my porridge, with banana slices, sultanas and pear honey. Mostly the children just like jam. I also put a spray vit B12 on it too.

Lunches - I make my own bread or buns for sandwiches. Mostly make plain jam or peanut butter sandwiches. I love vegan cheese, with tomatoes, grapes and homemade chutney (I will be adding my recipe soon.) Our two boys have school meals, so its just lunch for my husband to take to work. Our youngest is home with me, so we have the same or Avocado and Sweet Chili.


Click here for a three week dinner plan This is three weeks of yummy vegan main meal ideas. 

To give you an idea of how I do it-

Week one:

Monday

Breakfast -  porridge

Lunch - sandwiches, crips, fruit and yoghurt 

Dinner -Cottage Pie, with lots of green veg

Snacks - fruit, breadsticks, dips 

Tuesday

Breakfast - porridge

Lunch - sandwiches, crips, fruit and yoghurt 

Dinner - Lasagna (Split into two cooking dishes and freeze one.) with pees and garlic bread

Snacks - fruit, breadsticks, dips 

Wednesday

Breakfast - porridge

Lunch - sandwiches, crips, fruit and yoghurt 

Dinner - Curry (Batch cook and freeze half.) with rice or Cous Cous 

Snacks -fruit, breadsticks, dips 

Thursday

Breakfast - porridge

Lunch - sandwiches, crips, fruit and yoghurt 

Dinner - Pie (Made all in one large pie, not minis) with green veg, carrots and roast potatos or sweet potato mash

Snacks -fruit, breadsticks, dips 

Friday

Breakfast - porridge

Lunch - sandwiches, crips, fruit and yoghurt 

Dinner - Toad in the hole, with homemade chips and beans

Snacks -fruit, breadsticks, dips 

Saturday

Breakfast - Pancakes or croissant's with fruit

Lunch - big platter to share of sandwiches, crips, fruit, dips with carrots and celery

Dinner - Italian Tomatoes and Olives (Batch cook and freeze half.)

Snacks - fruit, breadsticks, dips 

Sunday

Breakfast - Morning dumplings

Lunch - late big lunch with lots of trimmings, early large roast.

Dinner - Nut roast with all the roast trimmings!

Snacks - fruit, maybe a walk to pick berries too

Am working on a shopping list for each of my weekly meal plans to make it extra easy for you to just print out the list and go shopping! So make sure you bookmark this blog as I will be adding to it! 

Weeky Meals

A three week vegan dinner meal plan, with links to all the recipes. 

Week one:

Cottage Pie with green veg and carrots
Lasagna (Split into two cooking dishes and freeze one.) with salad and garlic bread. 
Curry (Batch cook and freeze half.)
Pie (Made all in one large pie, not minis) with roast potatoes and beans
Toad in the hole
Italian Tomatoes and Olives (Batch cook and freeze half.) perfect with dumplings or jacket potatoes
Nut roast with roast potatoes, gravy and veg

Week one Shopping list:

Cupboard -

Gravy powder

Breadcrumbs

Chia seeds

Sesame seeds

Sunflower seeds

pumpkin seeds

50g almonds

50g walnuts

porridge oats

korma curry paste

Veg stock cube pack

dried apricots

3x Tinned tomatoes

1x Tin Coconut milk

Small jar of mustard

A bottle of cheap red wine

Apple stuffing mix

Plain flour

Fridge -

Butter 1x tub

Soya Cream x1 tub

Pre-rolled puff pastry

500g soya mince

15 vegan sausages

1x pint of soya milk

1x cup of your fav olives

Veg -

White potatoes (about 4 mid to large)

Parsnips (2-3 large)

9x celery sticks

2-3 Leeks

3-4 large tomatoes

7x Red onions

8x spring onions

4x carrots

1x green pepper

3x red peppers

1x yellow pepper

About 13 white mushrooms

About 8 brown mushrooms

4x sweet potatoes

1x Apple

2x small swedes

2x butternut squashes

1x red chilli

1 large onion

1 courgette

Herbs - thyme, rosemary, black pepper

This is just what you need to make the main meals, not what you accompany them with.


Week two:

Lasagna (Last weeks which you froze.)
Mango and Sweet Potato (You can have this with cous cous.)
Chilli (with rice and or Garlic Bread)
Pie (Made as minis pies. Keep a little bit of the sausages and gravy mixer, before putting in the pie. Pop that in the fridge for tomorrows meal.) with Sweet Potato Chips
Cous Cous Burgers (with onion rings and Roasted Chips)
Pizza (Great way of using up left over bits and bobs!)
Bolognese (with pasta or potatoes)

Am working on the shopping list for you. 

Week three:

Curry (The one you batched cooked in week one.)
Sausage and Sweet Potato mash (your fav sausages with your fav mash, mine has to be sweet potato. I cook up the sausages with red onion, rosemary and red wine. Fry and then put in a large cooking dish with gravy! Yum!)
Stir-fry
Winter Spicy Soup (With Bread Rolls)
Italian Tomatoes and Olives (The one you batched cooked in week one. This is lovely with mash, dumplings or potatoes.)
Toad in the hole
Butternut Squash and Chilli
Nut Roast (I love doing a roast on a Sunday, this is my Christmas nut roast.)


Am working on the shopping list for you. 

Weekly Meal Template

Just copy and paste this and add in your meals and ideas! 

Monday

Breakfast -

Lunch - 

Dinner -

Snacks -

Tuesday

Breakfast -

Lunch - 

Dinner -

Snacks -

Wednesday

Breakfast -

Lunch - 

Dinner -

Snacks -

Thursday

Breakfast -

Lunch - 

Dinner -

Snacks -

Friday

Breakfast -

Lunch - 

Dinner -

Snacks -

Saturday

Breakfast -

Lunch - 

Dinner -

Snacks -

Sunday

Breakfast -

Lunch - 

Dinner -

Snacks -

Home Made Garlic Bread

First follow how to make my easy lovely buns, click here for the recipe.

Just roll it into a long baguette shape. Slice almost all the way through, about 1.5 - 2 itches thick. 

Mix butter with very small chunks of garlic. You can use herbs too!

You can shape into small squares and chill in the fridge before putting them in the gaps or just go for it like I did ;) It's easier to do this bit on a large baking tray. 

Then cook till golden brown! 

Yummy! Tasty, easy and cheap to make! 

Vegan Pizzas

Easy Vegan Pizza!

So I had forgot to make some bread this morning for sandwiches and lunch time had come round really quickly. I had some left over pastry from making pies, so I rolled it out and just throw on what I had to hand.

Husband now wants a huge on for dinner tonight!

Sesame seeds 

Vegan cheese (I used violife) 

Pesto 

Baby tomatoes

1 spring onion

1 slice of a red pepper

You can make a like this Pastry or my favorite is a light bread mix which I will be blogging about soon ;)

Sliced up nuggets (I used quarn ones)

Sliced up vegan sausages

Made liked my short crust pastry but with s/r flour and about 6oz of butter. 

Roll out to the thickness you want (keep in mind will rise a tiny amount.) Spread on pesto or bbq sauce or tomato. Leave the edges bare and put on some oil around that. 

I used pizza tray but a thin oven tray will work (using a thick one will make it hard to get the pizza out!)

You really can put what ever you want on top. This time i chopped up small, spring onions, cherry tomatoes and red peppers. I had some sausages and nuggets leftover so fried them and sliced them up! This large pizza only needed two sausages and two nuggets. A few sesame seeds and some violife cheese. Perfect!

You really can put anything on, just remember bigger cuts may need to be cooked first.

Its a great way to use up left overs, and a mega cheap meal! 

Yum! 

Hubby's Easy Pizza

Been trying out new 'Gary' (Vegan cheeses) Here is the 'mozzarella' free from, from Tesco.......

O M Goodness - Its amazing and melts so well! This is a pizza my husband made, sliced up - peppers, onions and big chunks of sun dried tomatoes. It was so yummy! (He brought a pre-made base, make sure you check, as some pre-made bases have milk in them.)

Mega easy to make:

Pre-made base

Pre-made pizza sauce

peppers (red and green) red onion and sun dried tomatoes

Gary

Pop in the oven till cooked, melted and yummy! 

Sweet Chili Pizza

This is my favorite, using my base click here for how to make.

BBQ sauce

Sweet chili sauce

what ever toppings you want! 

Mostly I use mushrooms, sliced up sausages, nuggets, peppers and onions.

On a bed of BBQ sauce, then sweet chili sauce dribbled over the top. Pop in the oven till perfect! (No Gary needed on this one!)

So yummy! 

If you like pizza and wanna eat plant based, make sure you book mark this blog as I will be adding more!