Aldi Mamia is awesome

We've talked about going to Legoland since Brown Bear was teeny tiny. His (girl)friend Attie went when she was two years old and ever since then it's been his ambition. So we made a deal that he could earn a birthday visit using a reward chart for ten weeks and he did a fantastic job. As if it wasn't enough to have a brilliant day out planned we also received a delivery from Aldi Mamia to help make our day out even more special.

With epic timing we received this fab hamper from Aldi Mamia filled with lovely delicious organic goodies for the boys to enjoy. I always take healthy snacks like organic rice cakes for car journeys and the fruit pouches make a great pudding on the move so this was ideal for us.

On any special day out there is the initial excitement of being there and after the boys have run around and worn themselves our we have to stop and refuel. As it was a day of rain showers and sunshine we were on the move a lot and I wanted to make sure the boys didn't get too thirsty or hungry with all the fun stuff to do.

Just as the boys need regular refuelling Mummy is powered by tea so we made a stop for a hot drink and decided to break into the snacks. Blue Bear wasn't too impressed at having to share the mini rice cakes, but as we had two different flavours I got away with it. I also got them to share the apple and blackcurrant drink - no mean feat I assure you !

The fruit pouches are a big favourite in our family and the boys - somewhat reluctantly - let their baby cousin try some of the tasty organic fruit and veg pouches. I always found these invaluable when I took Brown Bear out as a baby so he could have something tasty and healthy on the move. I know we all plan to prepare everything from scratch for our babies, but how many of us really do that ? And if we do how portable is it really ?

As well as the lovely organic snacks and drinks the Aldi Mamia range includes nappies. I've been using Mamia pull ups and wipes for Blue Bear for a while now and they are great value. It's not just about sensible spending though, they really are good products too. I'm a recent convert to Aldi and I think it's fair to say I'm a big fan. After trying these snacks the boys are now as well.

So overall how was our day out at Legoland ? I think it's fair to say that everything was awesome :) 

This post is an entry for BritMums #MamiaDaysOut Linky Challenge, sponsored by Aldi Mamia.

Let's do lunch :)

I used to cook all the time. 

I'd lovingly prepare food for me and Hubbie and then when we had Brown Bear I weaned him with fresh fruit and vegetables and meals made from scratch. Of course when he resolutely refused to eat I was left wondering why I'd bothered and in recent years I've noticed how little I actually cook from scratch and it amazes me that I've come to this. 

I take feeding my family seriously and am super lucky that all the boys love fruit and veg as much as they do. We have a constantly topped up supply of apples, grapes and bananas in the house and the boys love seasonal fruit like mangoes and strawberries - which is a blessing. 

Eating outside the home was initially a bit of an issue as I would have to take food with me for Brown Bear as he wouldn't eat sandwiches so that made it a bit of an effort. I'd have to find alternatives that he would eat and would often just keep plenty of snacky type bits - apple fingers, halved grapes,  rice cakes and breadsticks - for him to nibble on. 

Packed lunches have always been part of our meal preparation. It was me who persuaded Hubbie to take a packed lunch to work every day instead of spending upwards of £7 daily on an unhealthy array of food. I started off making the sandwiches for him an assembling the lunch then slowly he did it himself and now it's so established that sometimes he even prefers taking his own lunch to eating out. 

It was because Brown Bear was such a fusspot that I had to try alternative ways to get him to eat lunch. I've tried making wraps, mini bread rolls, flatbreads and ever dairylea dunkers to get him to eat protein and carbs. It was on a long drive one day after school that he finally gave in to sandwiches. I'd made a box of cheese sandwiches for him to eat and as he sat in the car for over 2 hours he chomped his way through them. Since then it's been a much simpler task as when we go out I can make rolls or sandwiches for him and Blue Bear. In fact I bring a small sandwich box with me when I pick up Blue Bear from pre-school and he eats them in the car. He loves flatbreads, mini rolls and breadsticks too. he takes a packed lunch twice a week and I always put in a sandwich or roll, some fruit or raisins and a fruit based drink. He likes to have a snack so I'll pop in a rice cake or two. I also find crunchy foods appeal to the boys so these snack cucumbers are ideal as they are fresh tasting, not too big and cute in the lunchbox too.

I'm always inspired when I see other people's efforts with lunch - from sandwiches cut in the shape of stars to beautiful 'bento' style lunches. It's a good way to get ideas for lunch when the same old same old just isn't cutting it any more. A Flora commissioned University of Leeds study found that only 1.6% of children in England take a packed lunch that meets the nutritional standards for school meals. Shockingly only 17% of lunches even contain any vegetables or salad. I realise that not every child likes vegetables, but surely that's low by anyone's standards ? 

Flora sent us some meal ideas including chicken pittas, pasta with tuna and herbs, couscous salad some lovely ideas for filled wraps. I have to admit that sneaking veg into my kids really does appeal and all of these recipes were tasty and simple to make. I rarely make wraps for my boys, but they do love chappatis so I spread them with something tasty and then roll them up and cut it into smaller bite sized pieces to make it easier to eat. Blue Bear likes a bit of spice in his food so a spread of vegetable korma or dhal would also go down a treat for him. I always include plenty of fruit and veg and Brown Bear loves sweetcorn so pinwheels made of slices or corn on the cob work well for him. Sliced carrots and cucumbers with a small pot of houmous in a coolbox make for a nice summer lunch option. Blue Bear also likes ham so I roll it round a breadstick or a veg stick to make it more interesting.

It's great now my boys are into food on the move as I can experiment with different exciting food combinations. Now I've also got some new ideas to add to the range of options.

This post is an entry for the #FloraLunchbox Linky Challenge, sponsored by Flora. Check out their lunch planner and recipe ideas here: http://www.flora.com/article/category/1104207/healthy-kids 

What's for lunch Mum ?

Hartley's your lunchbox 

Packed lunches can be the bane of my life during the holidays. You see Brown Bear has a hot meal at school every day so I don't have to provide a lunch for him. Blue Bear has a packed lunch twice a week when he does a longer day, so during term time it's not a regular thing for me to make a lunch. During the school holidays, however, they go to holiday camps and I make a lunch for them both every day, so we go shopping together for all the components. Their special teddy companions get to sit in the trolley and my boys can wander round randomly dropping items into my shopping that I won't usually buy. If they're lucky - or sufficiently persuasive - I might actually buy what they've chosen.

Woof Woof and Jiggles get a ride 

I used to have to find ways to get round that fact that the boys wouldn't eat sandwiches, but now they seem to be ok with them so this year I've come into my own both creatively and nutritionally. I always include a juice carton or a water bottle - recently I saw this coconut with a ring pull in it. Why a ring pull ? Who knows. I'm not sure who the target market is for this really - for one it won't fit in a normal packed lunch box and for another it's hardly a handy convenient post yoga snack is it ? I'll stick with water or juice cartons thanks. 

Coconut water - no really 

My boys have become veterans of packed lunches now so I like to include them in decision making. I like to theme the lunches and this summer we've had colour themes with two strong favourites coming out.

This is the yellow and green theme with apple juice, a pineapple jelly from Hartleys and a box of raisins and apple pieces. The sandwich thins have been a revelation as the boys will eat these with cheese spread on them. which is an improvement on dry bread which is what they used to insist on or they'd just throw away the filling and eat the bread. I've also discovered mini cucumbers that fit into the box and are waste free if I top and tail them so there's no stalk to dispose of. 

The yellow and green theme 

Personally I prefer the purple lunch - with blackcurrant drink, blueberry fruit snack, blackcurrant jelly pot and some dark cherries. I've always like the goth look and this would leave a nice dark mouth if they ate everything ;) the mini biscuit pack is a treat and a chunk of baguette instead of a sandwich goes down well.

The purple packed lunch

I like to ensure the boys eat their five a day and they love fruit so they are pretty good about it. An idea I can't claim as my own, but that I love, is fruit kebabs on a straw. Why a straw you ask, well, it's less spiky than a skewer and holds the fruit on securely. I choose fruits like melon, grapes and strawberries that I know my boys love to eat, but you can also include apple chunks or banana slices. Mine like a whole apple or small banana in their lunch so that works too.

Fruit straw kebabs 

The idea of the 'reverse sausage roll,' came about entirely by accident. I made up a lunch plate for Blue Bear with breadsticks, cucumber slices and some sliced ham in the shape of a teddy bear face - don't judge, he chose it in the shop. After watching him peer at the food for a while I decided to try something different. I rolled the ham onto the breadstick and behold he suddenly took interest and could hold it in his fist and munch away easily. I'm not sure I'd be quite so relaxed about my lunch watching me though !

Reverse sausage rolls 

I usually like to include a 'pudding' in the packed lunch - more than anything so the boys have an incentive to eat all of their lunch. They both love jelly and I often make individual portions of jelly for them to eat at home with custard or ice cream (if they're being proper spoiled). I was delighted to find Hartleys make individual jellies that are low in sugar and don't have to be kept in the fridge. Hartleys are running a collector scheme and once you've collected pot lids they will send you a fab lunch box with stickers to customise it.

Hartley's Collector Scheme 

I almost wish both my boys did take lunch to school so I could continue to challenge myself to find more creative ways to keep them interested in trying new food . I might just have to collect to get a lunchbox for myself :) 

This post is an entry for BritMums #HartleysYourLunchbox Linky Challenge, sponsored by Hartley’s Jelly

Just like honey: resolutions revisited

Come to Mama !!

You know how the new enemy is sugar ? How we keep seeing diet plans encouraging us to 'kick the habit' of sweet stuff ? Even Davina has got in on the act and her latest New Year plan is to ditch sugar in five weeks. Well I've got news for everyone that will save you the money (or you can send it to me - I'll add it to my fundraising total for Comic Relief I promise !)

I've done it.

I've broken my dependence on sugar and no longer crave it.

In a month.

In January I decided to give my body a break from the rubbish I had been filling it with over Christmas. I stopped eating chocolate, puddings, cakes, 'treats' and alcohol. Not for money, not as a precursor to going sober or anything. Just. I did it last year and lost half a stone. This year I also cut back on bread and started making green smoothies in the morning which has been a whole other journey. In the mornings I've been blending up banana, spinach, avocado, coconut water, chia seeds and random fruit and drinking them on my way to work. I'm not sure if they've had any miraculous effects on my health, but I'm pretty sure it's better for me than a latte and a pain au chocolat.

Ok, it doesn't look green, but it actually is :) 

Anyway, I digress. So, I've cut out chocolate before and what I've noticed is that everything tastes far too sweet even a few days after stopping eating sweet stuff. I don't have sugar in my tea or eat cereals and I don't drink fizzy pop or squashes either. I do, however, work in an office were there are always 'treats' around and it's very tempting. I've been out to eat with friends a few times since I started this and I've skipped desert and stuck to water or soft drinks. It's been fine. No one even notices really.

So what happens tomorrow ? Well. I had been telling everyone that I'm going to have a binge on sweets, cakes and biscuits tomorrow and I did buy a nice bottle of wine this evening. Truth is though, I'm not sure I'll want to stuff myself now I'm out of the habit. I'm now used to stopping to think about what I'm going to eat and considering whether or not I'm hungry or just bored.

The greatest breakfast there is. 

I'm not saying I'll be blending green smoothies every day of the week or that I'll eschew french pastries in favour of porridge when I'm getting into work at some unearthly hour. What I will do is try and maintain some of the momentum I've gained from ditching the unhealthy food. So there's that.

Now where did I put that bag of giant chocolate buttons ?