Annabelle's 1st Birthday - Pink Packed Lunchbox

Well, hello!  I apologise for the prolonged absence, but life has certainly been a juggle for me of late.... More of that to come in future posts.  For now, I wanted to post about the lunchboxes that I did for Annabelle's party, as I know lots of you have been waiting for the details!  So here we go....

Mango & Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing

This is one of my favourite summer salads.  It is so fresh and fun!  I know there are no quantities listed, as it is really one of those recipes where I just use what I have and gauge how colourful the salad is looking as to how much of each ingredient I add :)

I hope you enjoy it!

Boosting Breast Milk Supply - Lactation Smoothie

Firstly, I just wanted to say thanks for your patience with the blog being so quiet!!  You are all so understanding, knowing that I am investing my time and energy into being a mummy for my baby girl - who is now 20 weeks old!!  I am often on Facebook, and we have great chats over there about lots of different things, so make sure that you pop over and say hi, if you have been waiting for me to start blogging again!  I will be back regularly - I promise :)

Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe

Last week I posted a picture of this delectable pesto pasta salad on my Facebook page and there were lots of you who wanted me to share the recipe.  So here it is...

Kit Kat and M&M Cake

If you are on my Facebook page you would have recently seen a photo of this yummy cake I made for my mums 60th birthday. It was so easy and looked so effective, I though I would share a few tips with you that helped me to get it done.

Chicken & Snow-Pea Sprout Baguettes Recipe

I have a recipe to share with you today... and it is a great one for an outdoor event.  This makes a great sandwich or baguette filling, which is fabulous for a picnic or a snack that you want to make ahead of time.  It is a nice twist on a chicken sandwich, which is packed with flavour and lots of veggies too!

Chocolate Easter Nests Gifts

Last Easter I decided to make presents for everyone, rather than buy Easter Eggs.  I chose to make these little Easter nests.  These are all over Pinterest and the internet, probably because they are really simple to make, and quite cost effective too.

 

Easter Cake Pops

Last Easter  I decided to give Cake Pops a try!  I must admit that it was an awful lot of work, but they looked quite pretty and tasted yummy!

Choc-Cherry Slice Recipe

As promised, here is the link to a super easy recipe to make the delectable choc-cherry slice that I shared yesterday which I have given as my Valentine's Day treats this year.  I got this recipe out of one of my Super Food Ideas magazines - the online link to the recipe is here.

Mangoes

This year we have been lucky enough to have a bumper mango crop!  We have 5 mango trees in our yard, and after a dismal season last year, we have been so excited with the hundreds of mangoes that have popped up this year.  Anyone who we see has been given bags of mangoes, as there are so many to go around - and we like to spread our good fortune :)

For the first time, this year we bought a net for one of our trees.  Lots of the fruit get picked at by the birds, and this year we wanted to trial minimising our loss.  As it is now the end of the season, we are thrilled with how the net kept the birds off the mangoes, and will definitely be investing in more nets before next summer.

Cake Pops

Cake pops!  They are so cute... but after a late-night affair with them last Easter, I must admit I was happy to say I am NOT a cake pop maker - give me cupcakes any day!!  The baking of the cake, then the crumbling of the cake, then the mixing with frosting, then rolling into balls, then dipping, then decorating - sorry this was just too much work!

But then my beautiful sister-in-law surprised me with a Cake Pop maker for Christmas!  And I will say that I was very impressed with the outcome!  

Summer Rolls Recipe

Rice paper rolls are all the rage at the moment, and these satay chicken ones are just the best around!  I love that they are so healthy and full of veggies.  They make a great summer dinner, or a fabulous plate to take to an event - they never last long!  Thanks to my friend Mel for sharing this awesome recipe with me.  The recipe is pictured below - if you would like me to email you the printable template, just contact me :)

Baked Potatoes - Cooking Tip

I posted my favourite Coleslaw recipe recently, and mentioned how great it tastes when topping a baked potato.  Further, I thought that I would share this baking tip that I was once given by a chef... 

Coleslaw Recipe

I just love fresh, crunchy coleslaw.  This recipe was shared with me quite a few years ago, by a very lovely lady I used to work with.  I love making this coleslaw, and everyone always comments that it is delicious and refreshing!  This also makes a great summer meal, when you bake a giant potato and then top it with sour cream, cheese and a big serve of this yummy coleslaw :)

Lemonade Scones

I made these quick and easy scones yesterday morning - they were light and fluffy and yummy!

A Super Salad

I love making salads!  They are so tasty and also so healthy.  There are so many different ingredients that you can add, and I love experimenting with new salads.  I am usually the one who brings salad to a party or bbq, it has kind of become 'my thing'.

I also love experimenting with different ways to 'present' salads.  I often use large platters to serve my salads, as opposed to bowls - this allows me to be creative with the presentation.  It also means that all 'the good stuff' doesn't fall and get lost at the bottom of the bowl!  We all know what it is like digging into a salad bowl and pulling out a whole lot of lettuce, while all of the other goodies are hiding way down below!

Pictured here is a salad I made for my niece's naming ceremony/first birthday - I thought that it looked pretty special, and it was so easy to put together.

Meal Planning Inspiration

I was feeling like I was in a bit of rut with my meal planning recently.  I felt like we were having the same meals over and over, and I don't know about you, but I get tired of cooking the same foods...

Last night I decided to search for some insiration the old fashioned way - not online, but with some recipe books!  I picked out half a dozen books from my collection and sat down for about an hour of browsing pleasure!

Easter Bunny Biscuits

I know Easter is now done and dusted, but I have one last egg-cellent idea to share ;)  And since you are all probably chocolate-d out, this is a nice sweet treat that isn't chocolate.

I decided to make these Easter Bunny biscuits for something new this year!  I think they turned out so cute!

Cafe Cassadiva - Beef Wrap Kebabs

In our younger days, my husband and I always used to love getting a kebab on our way home from a night out on the coast.  We always stopped at the same kebab shop, and always ordered the same thing - beef kebab with lettuce, tomato, cheese, tabbouleh, tomato sauce and tahini sauce.  Then we moved away from the coast, and away from our favourite kebab shop!  So, we decided to make our own kebabs, and it has been one of our favourite dinners ever since... (note it has changed from a midnight snack to a dinner snack - we are too old to go out now ;)

Cafe Cassadiva - Gingernut Caramel Tarts

While I love to bake, I also love a good recipe that consists of lots of 'packets'!  It usually indicates that the process will be easy and the outcome will be delicious!  So, today I thought I would share with you how to make Caramel Tarts using Gingernut Biscuits as the 'base'.