My Favourite Vegan Soup Recipe

Just to clarify, I am not vegan! I'm not fully vegetarian yet either - I eat a mostly vegetarian diet but still eat meat perhaps once a week, but I'm phasing that out too. However, it is my sons birthday on Thursday, and I'm having three vegetarians, one diabetic, and one vegan, amongst the majority of meat eaters. When I have people round I like to be able to cater for everyone, so I have been busy trying to whip up a menu that can suit everybody attending. 

I do this vegan soup for mine and my sons dinner at least once a week because it's my favourite comfort food and it's incredibly cheap to make, and tastes so good! 

Warming Tomato and Paprika Soup

Ingredients:

8 fresh tomatoes

1 and a 1/2 L vegetable stock (Vegetable Oxo cubes are vegan)

1 heaped tbsp tomato purée 

A small diced onion

Two finely chopped garlic cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

1 heaped tbsp ground paprika

Method:

I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and leave it for around four hours on high, before using a hand blender to blend it just before serving. Alternatively, you can just chuck all the ingredients into a saucepan, leave it to simmer for half an hour before putting it into a liquidiser! If you have a soup maker (I do, and love to use it on lazy days!), then I find it's best to set it for twenty-five minutes on chunky, and then fifteen minutes on smooth as it cooks it through perfectly!

This recipe can make two to three large portions of the soup, which doesn't last for long in my house! It's packed full of flavour and is a real crowd pleaser. I guarantee that if you try this at home, you won't be dissapointed! Please excuse me now, as I have a steaming bowl of this beautiful soup right in front of me and a very hungry tummy! 

Write soon,

Sammi x

Messy Play for Babies

So, we do a lot of messy play in our house. My son Rhys is ten months and three weeks, so I like to encourage a lot of sensory play. 

A lot of parents freak out at the idea of messy play - I did too at first! But it's really simple to keep it easy, and I promise it doesn't get that messy! 

Tips:

1. Always use a wipe clean mat (you can pick these up fairly cheaply on Amazon, alternatively you can use a wipe clean tablecloth, I bought ours in Dunelm)

2. It's good to also restrict the mat (and the child) to a room with a wipe clean floor, like the kitchen!

3. You can pick up a few basics really cheaply as well, I bought A3 pastel coloured paper sheets and a pack of three tubs of knock-off play-doh in Poundland, as well as managing to get two bottles of poster paint for £1 each in Tesco. I also picked up a value washing up tub to be used as a play bin.

4. If you're worried about your young child putting everything in their mouths (as mine does), I would recommend using food as a sensory play. It sounds bizarre, but you can use bright gungy orange baby food as an alternative to paint you can use pasta, rice and flour in the sensory bin for them to touch and feel, and both corn meal and flour are great to use in the sensory bin as a sand box, just add in some scoops for the baby to play with!

5. It's good to strip the baby to their nappies for messy play, and then run them a warm bath after!

6. Have cleaning cloths, wipes and sponges at the ready 

7. I also like to play cheery pop music, like Taylor Swift or Katy Perry, in the background to make it more fun.

One of the easiest things I've done with Rhys is to lay a messy play mat on the floor and fill an old paint tray with water and some water-friendly toys for him to play with, it was really simple and he loved it!

Something else we've done was make up cookie dough, and I got Rhys very actively helping me to mix it up. He was having so much fun with it he got tired half way through so I put him to sleep in his cot before baking them and making them up the icing. He then woke up in time to help me chuck neon icing crystals on them (I demonstrated and he copied me), and then we had some homemade cookies for dessert later that evening.

I've also made up homemade play-doh from water, flour, oil, food colouring and food flavouring. Where it's not particularly good for him, it is fine for him to ingest and safer than actual play doh. This is what we'll be playing with tomorrow, and I'm also going to lay out one of the pastel paper sheets and blob on some poster paint for him to play with and inevitably get everywhere. 

This is Rhys's messy play tub, and we add to it as we go! 

I've also been looking at some cheap sensory water beads, as they'll be a lot of fun for Rhys to feel and play with. 

So yeah! This was just a quick little introduction to messy play, and obviously you can encourage it however you want, but this is just what I do with my son. I find it's really good to encourage messy play as they enjoy it, it's fun for both parent and child, it keeps him actively thinking and guessing, and they learn so much through it that I can't recommend it enough, and there are always fun and new activities to engage them with. 

Write soon,

Sam x

A huge apology and a change of heart...

Hey guys! 

I want to start this post by saying how sorry I am that I've not posted anything in months. Initially I started this blog with the intentions of it being a beauty blog, but I have since been struggling to manage the upkeep of always buying in new makeup to review/tell you about etc, and it didn't want to let anyone down by not writing about the things I set out to, so I really didn't know what to write about. Equally I have been a single mum for a long time now (my son is nearly one year old, it seems crazy to me!), and as well as moving to a new house six months ago, I've really found it difficult to find the time to write.

However, I have decided that my blog is going to have a bit of a change around so that I can post things I do actually know about - motherhood, babies, single parenting, toddlers, the struggles, the tips, the lusts, regular updates, and all the best bits!

Thank you for putting up with me around this time and my huge change of circumstances! 

Write soon,

Sam x

Homemade Jam Brioche (Slow-Cooker Recipe)

So, of late, I've been very much in a "making things" kind of mood. Luckily for me, this works well as I'm quite a creative person, and equally I'm not half-bad at cooking. I don't think I've mentioned on here yet, but my cooker broke a couple of months ago, but instead of trying to replace it I'm trying to find ways around not needing one, which I suppose, means finding recipes that work with the appliances that I have. One of the appliances that I do have, however, is a slow cooker, and yesterday I made a jam brioche for breakfast in it, which my son loved! 

 

So, the recipe is as follows:

Mix together 3 cups self raising flour, 100g butter, 1 tsp salt, and 1 cup of milk to form the dough. Roll it out onto a floured surface, spread a filling on the inside of it before rolling it up again like a Swiss roll, and cut into pieces. Line the slow cooker with baking paper and grease it before placing the rolls in. It'll need to go on for two hours on high with a teatowel under the lid.

Once cooled, I then made an icing to drizzle over using icing sugar, milk, and a cap full of vanilla essence.

So easy, right?! Although, alternative fillings you could use are...

- Cinnamon mixed with sugar for Cinnamon Swirls

- Chocolate Spread

- Lavender Sugar

- Lemon Curd

- You could also add garlic salt and dried herbs to the dough, and drizzle olive oil and sea salt on top 

- Or you could use tomato purée in the rolls, and then sprinkle cheese on top to make Pizza Swirls (Equally, another child friendly recipe!)

This is such an easy, no fuss recipe, perfect for a birthday or treat breakfast for your little ones - though I'll also be making this for our Christmas Day breakfast! It's equally good for grown ups if you want to show off your cooking skills! It's also very similar to a cake which is also good as an after-school treat! If you've a couple of hours spare, and some basic cupboard ingredients then I highly recommend you try this! 

Happy baking,

Sammii-Jane x

DIY Jam Jar Snowglobe

Seasons greetings, everyone! So, I personally love the idea of homemade gifts and decorations and such, around Christmas. (I'm also hoping to make up some fudge for Boxing Day, and onion chutney for the cheeseboard on Christmas Day). 

Today I decided to make a jam jar snowglobe with my son, Rhys, as I personally think it's a fun thing to do to get us into the Christmas spirit, and it's also a good, easy kind of messy play for little ones! So here's our DIY Snowglobe!

To make one yourself, you will need:

- A clean, empty jam jar

- A christmas-themed figurine, e.g. A snowman, Santa, a Christmas tree

- Superglue

- Enough water to fill the jam jar

- Glitter

- A small piece of red gingham ribbon

Method: Superglue your figurine onto the inside of the jam jar lid, and leave to dry overnight. In the morning, fill the jam jar with water (a lot of people will use tap water, I boiled the kettle and let some water cool overnight and left it aside, to make it sterile). Sprinkle in some glitter (I used blue and silver), and screw up the lid as tight as you can. Then tie the gingham ribbon, making sure it faces the same way as your figurine. Et voila, you have made a jam jar snowglobe! (They're so cute, right?!)

Hope you've enjoyed this post, 

Sammii-Jane x

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

This is my favourite food ever. It's a Nigella Lawson recipe, (that I tweaked a little to my personal tastes), it's absolutely delicious, tastes really light but is soooo good and filling! I made it on Friday evening as it's my personal favourite comfort food, and to be honest I needed a bit of cheering up! Safe to say it's worked! :) unfortunately my picture doesn't do it justice as it was taken in pretty bad lighting with a mediocre camera, but I promise you, it's amazing!

So, the ingredients are as follows:

1l chicken stock

150g rice noodles (I use fresh Singapore noodles from the chilled section in Tesco)

200ml coconut milk

1 tsp ginger powder (the original recipe states fresh, but I prefer to have the flavour without the chunks)

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp lime juice (I use lemon juice)

I tsp brown sugar (optional, I tend not to use it)

250g stir fry vegetables (I use Tescos fresh veg pack of broccoli, mange tout, and baby corn)

150g shredded chicken

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and cut into strips

A few coriander leaves as a garnish

The method

Prepare the litre of chicken stock in a large saucepan on the hob, on a medium temperature. When the chicken stock is ready, add the noodles and prepared vegetables. Then add the spices and the fish sauce, the lime juice and the coconut milk. Stir often, and leave it to simmer on the hob on a medium temperature for about five minutes to let the flavours infuse. Serve in a bowl when piping hot, I like to have prawn crackers on the side when I make this soup. A nice chilled glass of white wine is the perfect drink to have with this meal. 

If you like oriental food this dish is the best thing to try! It is honestly so delicious and so easy to make, I really recommend you try it and I promise you, you won't be disappointed! 

Sammii-Jane x

A Day as a Single Parent

The thing is, is that no one really sees the amount of work we do. Everyone is quick to call you a bad parent at the first sign of your baby being grumpy. Or worse, they give you the really condescending phrase, "oh, the poor little boy!" (Yeah, poor kid. Having such a bad parent like me - tough life, huh?) and it is driving me crazy. So, to clarify the amount that I do actually do, I thought I would compose a list of my day to day activities of trying to keep my eight month old son happy.

7am - I am up at the crack of dawn, as this is when my child wakes. I say 'dawn', but it's actually still dark outside. The first thing I do is change a charmingly poop-filled nappy before popping on the kettle for my morning tea.

7.30 - After Rhys has gotten bored of crawling around, and of me picking him out of the cat litter tray numerous times (I can't turn my back for a second with him!), I then plonk him in his high chair and feed him his yoghurt. Which he gets everywhere.

7.45 - Rhys will have finished his yoghurt by now and I'll be cleaning him up. He gets ratty very easily but I try and keep him entertained by putting on Milkshake for him in the mornings. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But when Peppa Pig comes on at 8.15, he's a lot more interested.

8.15 - I finally get to start getting myself ready. I get ready in all of fifteen minutes, by washing and moisturising my face, brushing my teeth, putting on a scrap of mascara, brushing my hair and sticking it up in a pony tail, and chucking back on yesterday's jeggings, converse, and a fresh jumper. I then wash up Rhys's bottles and pack his changing back ready for the day: a pack of wipes, a changing mat, five nappies, 3 bottles, a small pot of milk powder, biscuits for him, water for me, his nappy cream, my purse, keys, phone, and a toy for him. 

8.30 - by this point Peppa Pig has finished, my getting ready time is over, and Rhys is screaming blue murder. I give him a fresh nappy change as well as a fresh change of clothes, put him in his pushchair and chuck my coat on, and we're out the door by 8.45.

8.45 - I'm taking Rhys for a walk in his stroller. This will usually help Rhys get back to sleep as he finds the movement comforting. I can take him for a fifteen minute walk around the block, or if I have things to do he'll stay in the pram for longer, and will nap until 10.00am. 

10am - Grumpy wakes up, usually grumpy. I give him teething gel, a fresh nappy change, more milk, his toys, a cuddle, whatever it is he needs to make him stop fussing.

10.30 - I discover that trying to please him isn't working, and by 10.45 we've walked over to the park. He'll play on the swings and the see-saw until 11.00.

11.00 - we'll head back home, and try again with playing with Rhys's toys. I give him one of those large bouncy plastic footballs to chase around the living room, his walker that has an interactive front side to it, his favourite toy lamb, and building blocks. I try to wait it out until 12 so I can give him lunch to fill up his tummy and get him to sleep again. 

12 - Rhys's nap time. I tend to take my lunch and do the housework at this time, sweeping up, cleaning his morning bottles, doing the washing up, putting the laundry on, and tidying the living room.

1 - Rhys will wake up again. I give him another fresh nappy change, and then decide by his mood what we'll do for the afternoon. If he's okay, we'll try and play indoors for the afternoon. Once again I'll put all of his toys on the living room floor for him to play with, and this sometimes lasts for an hour if I'm lucky. If he's already grumpy, I'll put him in his stroller and take him to the local soft play centre. He likes to watch the older kids play and likes to imitate what they do. I don't like to go here everyday as it can get quite expensive, but I do take him here at least a couple of times a week for a break for us both. I like to stay there with him for at least three hours, by letting him play for a bit, giving him a biscuit and some milk to snack on while I have a coffee, and then playing for a bit again before we go home. 

4pm - we'll leave the soft play area and be home by 4.30.

4.30 - Rhys will take his afternoon nap and sleep through until 6pm. In this time I'll do what housework needs to be done before taking a nap for myself. I hang out the washing and take the bins out in this time.

6.00 - Rhys will wake up from his nap and want to play again. I also feed him his dinner, and give him a long bath time before putting him in his cot to sleep at 8.30pm.

8.30pm - I'll have my microwave meal dinner while watching Eastenders. I'll then do the washing up from my dinner, and Rhys's bottles from the afternoon. 

9.00pm - I'll take a quick evening shower, dry my hair, and if I'm lucky, be in bed by 10.00pm, before waking up again at 7am the next morning. It's so important to get enough sleep when you've got a baby, so when I knacker myself out during the day, I sleep well at night. 

This is what I do on a daily basis. It's repetitive, it's not as straightforward as what I've made it out to be as a lot of the time when I put Rhys to sleep, he fights it and sometimes I have to let him cry himself to sleep from where he's been so grumpy and stressful throughout the day that I am too physically exhausted to tolerate his whinging, when I know he is fine. Sometimes it does get very hard to cope as I'm doing a job that was intended for two people, by myself. Rhys is at a very clingy stage at the moment as well, and I'm trying to wean him away from that, as I physically don't have enough hands to carry him at the same time as doing all the stuff that needs getting done. What I'm trying to say, is that it's damn hard, and I'm sick of being judged as a bad person when all I ever do is try to make my son happy, without ever expecting anything in return. I know this is coming off as a rant, I don't mean it to but I feel very passionately about this subject! 

At the end of the day though, I have to remind myself that I was one of the lucky ones - I have a beautiful, healthy baby boy, who at times is very hard work, but I wouldn't change one thing about him. He is the reason I smile every day and seeing his smile, is worth every second of hard work I put into him. 

Love as always,

Sammi-Jane x