The Week That Was {06 April - 12 April}

The Week That Was Captured #1 {06 April– 12 April}

I have never done this type of post before, but I thought I would do one as we’ve just had such a lovely relaxing week and it’s one I kind of wanted to remember. 

So another week is upon us. I honestly don’t know where this year is going. The weeks just seem to be flying by so quickly! Last week we had a lovely relaxed week after Easter. We started off going to Bents Garden Centre on Monday afternoon once I’d finished work and it was the loveliest afternoon we’d had in so long. Alfie fell asleep on the way there, so Michael and I got a drink and went to sit outside. He got me the biggest hot chocolate with a huge pile of cream on top and marshmallows underneath it – not good for the waistline at all! We had the most gorgeous view over the lake and the fountain. I could have stayed there for hours. 

It was an absolutely glorious day and really warm, so it was lovely to sit out in the sun and fresh air and it’s definitely made me excited for summer. We are in the process of transforming our garden so initially went to get some ideas, but since we last went, they’ve extended it, so there is now a food hall, a children’s boutique and a crafts area as well as the main area which was there before, which sells loads of beautiful things from home wear to garden furniture, cards and gift and clothes. It’s definitely a place I can see us visiting a lot over the summer as they’ve also a large outdoor park which will be idea for Alfie if he gets bored with shopping. That said, once he’d woken up from his nap, we got him out of his buggy and took him on the park but he wanted to come and walk around with us. He is normally a nightmare if we go anywhere as he wants to run off, but he held one of our hands at all times and he seemed to be really taking it all in. We even spotted little frog which had lost its way, so the boys rescued it and took it back to the lake.

Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s are my half days in work, so when I finished at 12 I had the afternoon’s free with Alfie and we were able to get outside and play in what we have of a garden – when we moved in back in January, the garden was a path from the back door to the gate as parking is at the back, then the rest of the garden was large pebble like stones. Great for a low maintenance garden, but not at all practical for a young family or for a  2.5 year old to play on, so we are planning on getting rid of all the stone and putting turf down and some decking with a little table and chairs so we have somewhere to sit in the warmer weather. 

The garden as it is at present - not at all practical

Thursday was a work day and a full day for me. We picked Alfie up from nursery at 5 then I went and got some food shopping whilst the boys went to the bunny shop (Pets at home) and we ended up having a naughty treat at McDonald’s!  

Friday was another lovely day weather wise, but it was very much a wasted day as I had to wait in for a plumber who was supposed to come between 12.30-1.00 but didn't arrive until 2.15 and was there for 2 hours, so we didn't get chance to go anywhere. Although we didn’t really do much, Alfie was an absolute dream on Friday. He’s going through a bit of a naughty stage at the moment. He’s not overly naughty as such, but he certainly has his moments and is smacking or paddying when he doesn't get his own way. I put it down to the terrible two’s, but Friday was totally different. He was so polite and well-mannered all day, he ate all his meals, played really nice, there was not one crossed word said. I even got some paints out and let him have a little paint which I thought was a great idea, until he painted my table cloth – luckily it’s only a throw away one ;) 

Saturday, we had a chilled morning and early afternoon my best friend Amy, came to visit. I haven’t seen her in sooo long, so we had lots to catch up on. She hadn’t even seen the wedding album, so it was lovely to re-visit the pictures and chat about the wedding again and have a good long catch up. We stayed at mine, so the boys went out for a couple of hours. I was grateful for Michael taking Alfie out for a while as I wouldn’t have been able to chat to Amy properly if he’d been there. She also very kindly picked me up this book from her slimming world group which I’m really looking forward to using. 

My home made slimming world chicken tikka masala

Sunday I worked in the morning and when I finished at 12, we went to town for a few bits. The weather was awful as it was pouring down and really cold. I can’t believe only 6 days before, we were sat in glorious sunshine in t-shirts. Good old British weather hey! Later on, we went for a meal for my mother in Law’s birthday with the biggest Yorkshire pudding I’ve ever seen. It was delicious!

The biggest yorkshire pud I've ever had!

 And that was our week.

Here’s hoping for another good week J

*linking up with Hannah at makedoandpush.co.uk

                                                         

Meal Planning Monday #4 {13 April}

                                   

Monday again, meaning another meal planning Monday  post. 

We have done really well this week as we haven’t needed to do a big shop. We called at Tesco on Easter Saturday and got four packets of meat in the reduced section for £10. We bought a pack of pork loin steaks, some chicken breasts, a packet of mince and some sausages which had all been heavily reduced. I was really pleased to get all this for a tenner! 

Saturday nights in the past have very often been take away night where we will either order a curry or buy something from the supermarket such as a pizza or nacho’s (my absolute favourite), but this weekend I decided to make a Slimming World chicken tikka masala (recipe here: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/chicken-tikka-masala.aspx ) and it was so delicious and definitely a meal I will be making again! Plus, it’s a much healthier option, not to mention saving us some pennies! 

So, this is what we are eating this week: 

Monday: We are out for tea tonight as it’s my Mother in Law’s birthday, so we will be eating there

Tuesday: Toad in the hole with mash and veg

Wednesday: Nando’s chicken – lemon and herb for me and peri peri for Michael with rice and veg

Thursday: Spaghetti bolognaise with side salad

Friday: Chicken breast wrapped in bacon stuffed with cheese with slimming world chips

Saturday: Slimming World chicken tikka masala with pilau rice 

I rarely plan for Saturday’s and Sunday’s as we usually have a treat tea on  a Saturday as I work on Sunday’s, Michael usually cooks what I have planned the night before! However, because we both enjoyed the curry I made on Saturday, we are going to have it again this weekend J

This week’s meal I’ve never made before is toad in the hole. I’ve eaten it many times, but never actually made it. I can’t wait for it.

What's on your menu this week? 

                                                            

*linking up with athomewithmrsmcom

Meal Planning Monday #3 {06 April}

Hello! 

Firstly, please excuse the absolutely awful quality of my photo. I have no idea how to fix it, so I'm just going to have to roll with it for now :(

So, that aside, I'm back for the 3rd week with my Meal Planning Monday. This week's meal plan was done whilst sat in Tesco on Sunday afternoon whilst Alfie slept. 

Before we left the house on Saturday, we made sure to check what meat we already had in. I'm terrible for not actually checking what's already in before we go food shopping! As it happens, we had 3 packets of mince, some chicken breasts, diced beef, sausages and some salmon.

So this is what we are eating this week: 

Monday: Fish Pie - this was last minute as we were supposed to be out, but it was cancelled

Tuesday: Lasagne, sw chips and side salad

Wednesday: Cottage pie

Thursday: Beef stir fry

Friday: Salmon, new potatoes and veg

Saturday: Home made slimming world curry

I am really enjoying meal planning as it's handy to know what we're having in the week, however I am finding that I'm chopping and changing what nights we have meals on depending on what mood I'm in. 

If you read my post last week, you'll know I've challenged myself to make something at least once a week which I've not made before. This week it's the beef stir fry and the slimming world chicken curry. Fingers crossed they turn out ok. 

What are you eating this week? 

*linking up with at home with Mrs M

Me and Mine (March)

                                                        
Oh March, you have definitely been my favourite month of the year but I can't believe it is April tomorrow! This year is flying by!!

We have had lots of much needed family time, we celebrated my husband's 30th birthday and finally got the downstairs of the house unpacked (we've lived here since January and still aren't fully unpacked... Ooops)

At the start of the month, we had a four day weekend and  went away for a long weekend to a lovely little holiday cottage in Bridlington. Michael didn't want a big fuss for his birthday, as he was absolutely dreading turning 30, so we decided that we would have a few days away. And I am so glad we did. The holiday cottage we stayed in was absolutely beautiful and the best part was it had a hot tub! We arrived on the Friday and left on the Monday. I have to be honest, we didn't really do very much, just pottered about the local town and went to the beach. It was so needed though, to just be together and enjoy each other's company. With the shift I work, it means we usually only have Saturday's as a family day because I work Sunday to Thursday and Michael works Monday to Friday, so Saturday is the only day off we have together. It's hard. I hate it, but right now, there's no other solution as I need to work. This means that I really treasure any time off we have together. There is nothing I love more than spending time with my boys. We didn't want to come home from Bridlington, we all had the best time and those few hours we had in the hot tub in the evenings when Alfie had gone to bed, were just so lovely. I can't remember the last time we talked for hours well into the night, with no technology and just each other for company.

The following weekend, we celebrated my hubby's 30th. I really wanted to spoil him and make a big fuss of him, but he really didn't want that, so I respected his wishes and instead we just had our immediate family round and had some food and drinks at ours, then we went out for an Indian together in the evening. We had a really lovely day and it was so nice to have all the family round to the new house. I love it when we all get together. We had such a good laugh, especially as I bought some photo booth props off amazon, so there were lots of funny pictures, which I'll share in another post. Thankfully, despite me not going too OTT, Michael had a really lovely day and did really enjoy his birthday! This was the day I'd planned to get our Me and Mine photo and planned to use said props, but would Alfie play ball? Would he heck! We did manage to get one photo of us and as much as I like it, I am disappointed it wasn't the photo I wanted but I'm just happy we even managed to get a photo of the 3 of us as Alfie was in a really funny mood that day. I think he gets overwhelmed when everyone is here and it all gets a bit too much for him. He's not used to the house being so loud and there being so many people here. I used to get really stressed when I couldn't get a specific picture I wanted, but I've learned to go with the flow more now. I need to remember he's only 2.5 sometimes and if the boy doesn't want his picture taking, he's not having it done and no amount of bribery and chocolate treats will make him back down! Here's a few from the day.

                                       

And here's the 3 three of us in March on the day my Michael turned the grand age of 30! (I may have accidentally on purpose colour co-ordinated our outfits ;) )

*linking up with Lucy at dearbeautifulboy.com

Meal Planning Monday #2 {30 March}

This weekend was a busy one, on Saturday I went for an early afternoon tea with my Mum and sister and just before lunch time, afterwards, the boys picked me up and we headed to town so I could sort my contact lenses out and get Alfie some much needed new clothes, then on the way home we did the food shopping, as well as going to my Mum and Dad's and my in-law's, so we had a really busy day. 

When we got to town, Alfie had fallen asleep, so I transferred him from the car to his buggy and we headed to starbucks. One of our favourite things to do when he's napping on a Saturday is to go somewhere and have a coffee together. There is nothing I love more on Saturday's than having a chat with my hubby over a hot drink!

Whilst we were there, we sat and did our meal plan for the week. We aren't eating the same thing every night like we usually do and we are trying to mix up our meals a bit. I've set myself a challenge to make something once a week that we've not had before. 

So, this is what's on this week's menu:

Monday: butterfly chicken with rice and veg

Tuesday: Chilli and rice (Michael) bacon, sweet potato and butternut squash stew with side salad (me)

Wednesday: Lasagne, sw chips with side salad

Thursday: Nando's chicken with rice or chips and veg / salad

Friday: Salmon, new potatoes and veg / salad

Saturday: Homemade curry!

There's actually 3 meals on there which I've not made before - the butterfly chicken I made tonight went down a treat and I really enjoyed it. I'm not a lover of rice and tend to stick to mash with chicken, so it made a nice change. I've also never had the bns, sweet potato and bacon stew before, but it always looks so nice when Mrs Shilts makes it (Hi Emma)! and the curry I'm attempting will be a slimming world one (time permitting), which again I've never made before. 

I do think I'll find it really difficult to stick on plan this weekend as Michael is off on Thursday and I'm finishing at lunch, so we're going out for lunch and we're then both off until Tuesday (with the exception of me working for 4 hours in the morning on Monday) and it's the weekends which I find most difficult to stick to meal plans or slimming world meals because when we are off together, I really want to indulge in yummy food. My willpower is shocking from Friday to Sunday! I really need to sort it out! 

Here's hoping for a good week. 

*Linking up with athomewithmrsm.com

Meal Planning Monday #1 {23 March}

I'm the type of person who LOVES food shopping! I could spend hours browsing the aisle's and filling our trolley with loads of yummy food. I am, in fact guilty of doing this on a regular basis. As we both work all week and I don't have the car when I am off on a Friday, we do our food shop on a Saturday and admittedly I spend way too much, which then results in a lot of wastage as we've not enough time to get through all the food before it goes off. This does tend to cause a few crossed words between me and Michael - more so because he hates food shopping and hates spending money at the supermarket. (!). 

Last week, I decided enough was enough and I needed to take control. We have had an expensive month with Michael's 30th birthday and Mother's Day, so we really had to watch the pennies. Rather than doing our normal food shop at the weekend, I decided I would go through the fridge, freezer and cupboards and plan what we are eating this week. I was actually surprised to find we had more than enough food in for another week of meals and probably more, which made me think that if I did this every week, we wouldn't need to do a food shop every Saturday, which is our only family day as I work on Sunday's and we would save money as we are throwing less away. I am also trying to adapt our meals to be slimming world friendly as I really need to shift some pounds. I've even planned my lunches which are below our evening meal plan. On Monday and Thursday I will have lunch at work, Tuesday and Wednesday's I only work in the morning, so lunch is at home with Alfie and I don't work Friday's so I've tried to adapt my meals depending on where I'll be.

So this is what is on the menu for the week:

Monday: Slimming World Spaghetti Bolognese with side salad

Tuesday: Diet Coke chicken with slimming world chips and veg

Wednesday: Slimming world spaghetti carbonara with chicken and bacon and side salad

Thursday: Slimming world cottage pie with veg

Friday: Chilli for Michael and slimming world smash pizza for me

Lunches:

Monday: ham and spinach 50/50 barmcakes with hummus instead of butter

Tuesday: Leek and Potato soup

Wednesday: Poached eggs, beans, bacon 

Thursday: Ham and Egg salad

Friday: Pasta and sauce with a side of salad

What's on your menu this week? 

                                                         

 *Linking up with Meal Planning Monday - athomewithmrsm.com

Me and Mine (February)

I'm seriously bad at blogging.

I think about it a lot and I read lots of other people's blogs, but I never seem to get round to writing mine. So much so that I didn't do a blog post for February's Me and Mine!

February seemed to be over in a flash. I honestly don't know where it went! Early in the month, I had a day off as Michael was in hospital for a small procedure.I felt so guilty having the afternoon at home when Alfie was in nursery, but we had paid for him to go and Michael needed to rest.

I tried healthy eating again and started to use Instagram as a food diary, but then knowing we had a weekend away coming up for Michael's 30th and his birthday in March, I fell off the waggon again! I seriously need to get back on it. 

The rest of the month was pretty relaxed with nothing much to report. We seemed to be so busy at weekends doing the boring grown up stuff. It's so hard to fit in quality family time as I work every Sunday, meaning the only day we have as a family is a Saturday, and I find it hard to juggle the food shop, visiting family and friends, housework and still having time to spends a precious few hours together, all in the space of a day! 

This picture of us, was taken just before Alfie went to bed on the 28th so it was very last minute but I actually really like the pictures. He had just learned to do the thumbs up which I think is so cute! 

So that was us in February!