I cant believe it's (almost) vegan smoothie

I am trying to be healthier this year but I still want to give the kids (and me...) treats and smoothies tick both boxes.  Also making a smoothie is a great way of using up fruit that has started to be a bit old.  A great tip is to pop the fruit into the freezer until you have enough to do something with. 

This smoothie was made with banana's and strawberrie (some fresh, some frozen). I added the left over coconut cream from a curry a made last week and the end of Mango Nice Cream.  It was whizzed up with a bit of hunny and some oat milk to get the right consistancy.

I served it up to the whole family for morning tea and it was good.  The coconut cream really gives it that creamy taste which makes it super yummy and honestly you wouldnt have known it was almost vegan.  

Thanks to Vegan Vixen for pointing out my earlier claim that it was vegan was incorrect as I used honey to sweeten. To make it completely vegan you would need to use another sweetner like agave syrup or even maple syrup would be yummy.

Thanks for stopping by

Barbs x.

Cleft Camp

I dont normally talk much about the fact that our youngest was born with a unilateral cleft lip & palate.  It's not that I have a problem talking about it, just that it is no longer much of an issue for us.  So this year it was interesting to hear from her that some of the new kids in her class have actually commented on her scar and for the first time she is having to talk about it.

A selfie by Bear

Bear is an amazing kid with a real matter of fact attitude and when she got the opportunity to
be a day visitor for the first ever Cleft camp run by Cleft NZ out at Camp Adair in the Hunua ranges, we lept at the chance.  The camp was for 12 - 17 year olds but the invited the 8-12 year olds for two activities and lunch on the Saturday.

The day started off with a skype call to Carmit Bachar of The Pussycat Dolls fame (dontcha wish your boyfriend was hot like me).  Carmen was born with a cleft (not that you would ever know it to look at her) and has made a successful career in the entertainment industry.  She is now using her high profile to raise awareness of cleft and is an ambassador for Operation Smile.

Carmit talked to our young people about growing up with a cleft, about bullying, and about making it big and following your dreams.  Whilst most of it went over Bear's head, I thought it was fantastic to hear from someone who has made it big despite having to overcome many obstacles in her life.  It was interesting to hear her say she never really felt like there was anything different about her until she went to school.

The Skype call was followed up by a ride on the superfox.  First Bear had to be harnessed in and climb the 13.5 metre high pole and then have the courage to jump off the platform and ride what is one of the highest flying foxes in NZ.  Now my Bear is a bit of an adrenaline junkie and a
natural climber.  She was the second person to do it in our group and I think she impressed most of the leaders and other kids  with her confidence.  Bear was the second youngest there and definitely the shortest.... And she was up the pole in a matter of seconds, hopped off when told and did the ride confidently.  Even managed to figure out the tricky bit of clipping and unclipping at the end whilst dangling in the air.

Getting strapped in a tiny platform 13.5 meters off the ground

Unclipping at the end

It was a great hour we spent with these teens and the leaders, talking about how cleft has affected them, their hopes and dreams, and watching them achieve (It was a seriously challenging thing for them to do, and there were many other activities they did as well as this one).  There was really great conversations with cleft kids, cleft adults and the families that came for the day.  Everyone had a different story to tell, was at a different stage in their journey.  After lunch,  there was an orienteering course, in which Bear and two other cleft kids ran for miles with grins on their faces, looking for letters on trees and fence posts determined to be the first back to the camp (competitive - much).

I'm a big fan of camps and putting kids in challenging situations and this was a marvellous experience in so many ways.  The next camp will probably be in 2-3 years and Bear cant wait to go again.  She hopes she will be allowed to stay for the next one.  There are so many positives to come out of this for Bear and other cleft kids.  Meeting up with others affected by the same issue as you have can help you to deal with it.

The day after the camp Bear had one of her besties over.  It was really cute to see her showing off her baby photos and talking about her surgeries and the ones she still has to have.  Her friend was really interested in how the cleft happened, how they fixed it and what they still had to do to Bear.  Awareness is being shared after just one small experience.  It really does bode well for the future - both personally for Bear, and within the whole cleft community.

It really was one of the most positive experiences I have had the priviledge of being part of.

Thanks for reading

Barbs x.

Loving Jamie

I've always loved Jamie Oliver ever since he started on the telly.

For Christmas I got his latest book -Save with Jamie.




Hubby & I have been competing to cook recipes from it.

One of the things we love about this book as all his ideas to use up left overs.  One of my goals for this year is to be more organised.  I've always been pretty good at using things up but last year was a shocker for our family in many ways and this book is going to be my go to cook book for the year.  In fact when we needed a plate to take out to a friends surprise birthday party last night, the first thing hubby said is "Better check Jamie then".  It is almost like he is becoming a member of our family.  Even if we dont end up using his exact recipe, he has fantastic ideas and is a great place to start.

In order to be more organised, this week I put a beef bolar roast in the crock pot just so I could make his Tagine recipe.  It is a simple combination of beef, dried fruit, chick peas, tomatoes and spices.  To serve, you pop the tagine onto a bed of couscous and then top with a simple carrot, mint and orange salad.  Hubby made this at christmas time with all the correct ingredients, I substituted the dried apricots with dates as that was all I had in the pantry.  It was probably a bit sweeter this time, but still so very, very yummy and so easy to make.

The thing I love most about Jamie is his take on simple healthy eating and this meal has it all.  And when you go back to the more basic ingredients these stunning foods become safe for my allergy kid.

Joing in with Things I'm Loving this week.

Thanks for Reading

Barbs x.

The times they are a-changing.......

In the beginning there was a kid full of eczema and allergies.

That girl is now a full blown tween-ager and heading off to intermediate next year.

Her big brother is a handsome teenager and heading off to Grammar.

The cute little sister is going to be a senior at Primary school.

Change is good.  I am loving that my kids are growing up, finishing chapters in their lives and about to open new ones.  Ones with new challenges, new friends, new activities.

Things can never stay the same.

Things that seemed certain just a wee while ago are now uncertain.

Friends that you always thought would last the distance have a hiccup that who knows how long will last.

The healthy child suddenly has something go wrong with him.

Love that the music blasting around our house is Taylor Swift, Lorde, One Direction, Stan Walker, and lots of other current hits that I can enjoy as well.

No longer the Wiggles or High 5.

The girls old enough for me to take them to their first rock concert (Well actually just barely old enough), but what a blast.

And that finally there is a product on the market to make summer fun for my allergy kid - I cant believe she can now join us when we eat ice-cream (Ice blocks just dont cut it really)

Thank you Tommy and James - their Nice Cream is dairy and soy free, made from coconut cream.  The chocolate one is oh so rich and chocolatey - it just may be my new favourite for the summer too.

Linking up with Things I'm loving for the first time in a long time (coz this is my first post in a long time)

A long time between posts or an ode to my hubby

Hi

This year started off full of promise as all years do, however we knew at the start of the year that this one would be sad.  On June 12th my gorgeous mother-in-law lost her battle with cancer.  A battle that had consumed my husband for much of the last 18 months.  My MIL had decided long ago that she wanted to stay at home until the end.  And my wonderful husband, who can work from absolutely anywhere, decided that he could help his mum attain her last wish in her last days.  So for much of this year I have been solo parenting whilst hubby spent time in Raglan with his mum.  He pretty much nursed her for the last 6 weeks of her life.  He left us on ANZAC day, a day that is particularly special to his mum, as she was a WRAC during the second world war and only returned home for a brief respite until after her funeral.  He thanks me for running the home through this time, but really it is him that needs the praise.  There aren't many men who would drop everything and go and look after their parent.  But things are different for my hubby.  His dad passed when hubby was only 7 and his dad only 56, his mum had celebrated her 90th birthday last november.  His mum was an amazing lady and I would never, ever change the decisions that were made that meant he could look after her.  Hubby missed out on a lot this year with us and I missed out on a lot too, but what he gained and our children gained by what he did is irreplaceable.

So this year really has been tough for me.  Maybe tougher than I let on to most people.  Things have slipped at home, read total pigsty :-( , read routines that were shaky at the best of times turned to mush, read kids not achieving as well as they should do, read not in a good space at all, read maybe more wine has been drunk and more chocolate has been eaten than is really good for you, read too much computer and tv and not enough connecting, read takeaways happening too often and no healthy eating.  Yup it has been a rubbish year so far.

But here we are at the end of the school holidays in which we have all been sick.  Our delightful Emma brought the cold virus home on the last day of term and kindly shared with the rest of us (except Bear, who had surgery on her ear in the last week of term and made a remarkable recovery and avoided the cold).

So this weekend we went down to Raglan and had an amazing time.  We went for long walks each day and talked, we started to connect again.  And this term we are getting back into our routines, we are getting back into our jobs, and hopefully, we will start achieving again.  And maybe I'll start getting back into my blog.

Thanks for reading

Barbs X.

Loving....Late summer days

I cant believe just how beautiful it is today, after a week of rain, soup and heaters, today was gorgeous.

We took the opportunity to take the dog (who was so fed up with rain and not getting out for his good runs) down to the beach.

Now I think I live in just about the most perfect spot in the city.  At low tide, you can walk the whole way from NarrowNeck beach to Takapuna and that is just what we did.  Walking in the sun, looking out to Rangitoto with numerous yachts in the channel.  Yep, just perfect.

And I just love the rock formations around the beach here.  Forgot my camera but got a few shots on my phone.

Such fun to blow away all the cobwebs that had grown over the last few weeks.

Also loving the fun between big brother and little sister.

Thanks for reading.

Linking up with Things Im Loving this week

Barbs x.

It's so much harder with allergies

"It's so much harder with allergies"

That's what my 12 year old son said this morning.  

I was preparing them to go to the movies by themselves whilst I popped into work for a couple of hours (just a couple of minutes walk from the theatre).

They packed snack packs to eat and took water bottles.  I asked Dan if he knew what to do in case Emma had a reaction.  He got a real concerned look on his face.  I know the chances of her having a reaction were minimal, the food I packed was all safe for her, but you can never be 100% sure that there hasn't been a slight cross contamination somewhere.   You can never guarantee  that people next to you aren't eating choc-nut icecreams (double bad for Emma) or just munching away on nuts.  I know the risk of anaphylaxis to this kind of exposure is minimal, but there is always a chance. You can never be 100% sure of her safety, never.

I went through the emergency process with him.  If she complains she cant breathe get her out of the theatre at once, give her the inhaler, lie her down, call me, check for hives and swelling, give the anapen if needed, get someone to call an ambulance.  He went through how to give her the anapen.  

After his initial shock at maybe having to deal with an allergic reaction, I was amazed at how much he actually knew.  

Emma was really frightened at the thought of having a reaction when I wasn't there and offered not to eat during the movie!  She did have some biscuits (least risk) in the end, but saved her crackers and lollies until I picked them up.  And she didn't have a reaction.

But it brings it home, the constant worry of having a reaction.  

Something as simple as a trip to the movies turns into something so much more.

12 year old's know things that most kids their age don't even have to think about.  But they are growing up.  They are cutting those apron strings.  They want to do things by themselves like their friends do.

And it is so much harder with allergies...

Thanks for Reading

Barbs x.