Page 20

Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl

Morning lovely, how’s your Sunday going so far?

I hope you’re sitting with a coffee somewhere in the sun, maybe catching up on Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine or reading the many food blogs we all like to do on the weekend. If you’re not drooling over the always beautiful photographs and recipes from Local Is Lovely then you’re missing out!

I know I’m thinking about winter and what to cook tonight. Sundays usually mean I put in a little more effort to the preparations than quick mid-week dinners. We crack a bottle of red, light a few candles, get some smooth soulful tunes happening care of the lovely Norah Jones or Michael Bublé and settle in for the night over a home cooked meal. We catch up on the week that was and talk about what’s on the agenda for the coming week.

| “It’s a great excuse to down tools and reconnect without the constant interruptions of Instagram and Facebook and Twitter.”

Speaking of quick mid-week winter meals, I connected with a few blogging friends this past week to collaborate on a series of Winter Family Meals On A Budget. The lovely Money Mummy, our resident financial adviser in the blogging world, has been hosting winter warming recipes designed to keep both your budget and your belly smiling. And I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the hunt for recipes that are quick and easy that also won’t break the bank!

As well as my Jamie Oliver inspired “One Pot” Italian Roasted Chicken + Vegetables, earlier this week I shared a super easy mid-week throw together. I called it the Veggie “Super Food” Bowl, and it’s over on Money Mummy now.

“This is one of my mid-week “throw together” meals. They’re meals I turn to when I’m not in the mood to spend any longer than absolutely necessary in the kitchen. Considering that I often find myself making three different meals of an evening at work before coming home to see to my own dinner, an easy and nutritious meal is usually the best I can do.”

For more of the Winter Family Meals On A Budget, head over to see recipes from Mums Take Five, Fresh Home Cook, and Sheridan Anne.

Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter

Italian Roasted Chicken + Vegetables

Winter means I tend to feel a resurgence in the need for comfort foods and slow cooked meals. But just to make things interesting, my schedule always seems to kick up a gear. Which means even though I’m far more inclined to devote longer in the kitchen than it’d normally take to throw together a light summer salad, I simply don’t have the hours to give.

| “On those busy mid-week winter nights, I quickly become a big fan of the one pot all-in-one dinners.”

This week Money Mummy has been featuring winter family meals on a budget. Meals designed to keep both your belly and budget smiling. Today I’m joining in with the series over at Money Mummy to share one of my own winter family meals.

Winter Family Meals:
Italian Roasted Chicken + Mediterranean Vegetables

On a budget!

The best thing about quick one pot winter meals is that they’re super easy and super budget friendly! You can mix and match with whatever you find leftover at the bottom of the fridge crisper, and slow cooked meals let you get away with using cheaper cuts of meat.

A great way to keep the costs low is to freeze your fresh herbs in olive oil ahead of time. Because if you’re anything like me, a herb garden will face certain death and a bunch of store-bought always wilts before it can be used!

[gmc_recipe 2656]

Recipe Notes:
I usually use Rice Bran Oil instead of Olive Oil. For an added indulgence, serve with fresh crusty bread and a generous glass of red wine. Italian of course!

______________________________

You can see the full Winter Family Meals On A Budget Series here.

Money Mummy aims to help you make the most of your money by giving you simple, accessible, independent, jargon free information on important money matters. “Once upon a time I saw myself as a female ‘Gordon Gecko’ sort, working as a stock market analyst for a range of companies for the last sixteen years. Now I enjoy being a mum, play dough in one hand, Financial Review in the other.”

8 Ways To Squeeze Exercise Into Your Day

Exercising Whilst At Work

Finding the time in your busy day for exercise can be tough at the best of times. Finding the time for it whilst at home with kids is even more of a challenge. So it’s then no surprise that fitting exercise into your schedule whilst working as a nanny can be downright difficult.

A sheer lack of hours in the day can feel like the odds are stacked against you, especially if you’re working long hours. Scheduling your alarm for 4.30am so that you can get up and go for a run and be back and showered and off to work for a 7am start is just not realistic. Neither is trying to get to a gym class in the evening when you’ve got off work at 7pm. Because if you’re like me, you’re desperately craving some alone time, some quiet time, and some bedtime!

And yet we all know it’s important to exercise.

| We know we need to be fit and healthy and be seen as a role model for our children.

More than that, we need to be fit and healthy for ourselves; so that we can be peppy, and positive. So that we can be the happy-go-lucky people whom enjoy spending our days deep in glitter and Frozen costumes.

Right now I have a hectic schedule in the nanny life. I’m booked on for 5 days a week with 4 kids, one of which is a full on toddler with ants-in-her-pants all the time. There are days when I barely have time to stop and think let alone take my coffee out of the microwave after it’s been reheated twice. But I know that if I don’t squeeze exercise into my day, I can quickly lose control of things. Because when you can get away with wearing sweat pants and loose, kid friendly clothes at work, you can often get away with hiding a few extra-unwanted kilos too.

So here’s 8 ways to squeeze exercise into your day, even when you’ve got a house full of kids and a to-do list to stick to.

8 ways to squeeze exercise into your day

Get your Buda on | pull out the soft mats in the playroom and do some yoga with the kids. They’ll enjoy it as much as you do!

Jump high | join the kids on the trampoline for a quick but intense cardio session

Embrace your Beckham | instead of watching from the side-lines, join the backyard soccer game

Walk the dog | by taking the dog out for a half an hour walk each day you can get some fresh air and sunshine, keep active and teach the kids about caring for their pets

Hit up the local park | if you find yourself usually stuck inside, schedule time into your day to get to the park. Grab a Frisbee or play a giant game of hide and seek with the kids

Invest in a running pam | running prams are expensive. But they pay off big time! Most prams can hold children up to the age of 8years, so there’s no excuse not to clip them up and head out for a solid run.

Dive into the pool | swimming is a great activity and an essential life skill for Australian kids. Be sure to remember your 1-piece and get swimming!

Boot Camp | if you’ve got littlies, book into a small closely run exercise class that has an onsite crèche. That way you can get in some exercise whilst the little one benefits from some much-needed socialisation and interaction.

________________________________

How do you fit exercise into your day? Do you exercise with kids?

This post is linking up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT

6 Ways To Keep Kids Warm In Winter

Keeping kids warm can be a mighty challenge. During the winter months in the nanny life, almost every morning is a battle between practical adult and whimsical child over the contents of their wardrobe. Whether it’s a coincidence that I often find myself working with strong-minded children, or perhaps as a nanny I mould these strong-minded children I don’t know. Either way I tend to find myself debating the merits of jumpers verse cardigans and summery sandals verse practical winter boots. Not that I want to quash the 4 year olds’ idealistic goals of magical dress ups and summery floaty princess dresses, I simply just want them to be warm. Because in my opinion, being stuck at home all day with sick kids during the winter months is truly worse than a friendly negotiation to insist upon practical clothes. If only so that we may enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and the playgrounds all-year-round.

Over time I’ve come to develop a few tactics that help persuade my strong-minded children to make sensible choices with their fashion. Usually we come to a compromise.

| “Yes you can wear the princess dress but I’d like to you put a warm top underneath, and boots are a non-negotiable.”

Sometimes we go round in circles, and things escalate to a level of UN worthy negotiations. Because you know, “boots don’t go with princess dresses and ball gowns”. Then I pull out my Taylor Swift photos and the points more often than not swing in my favour. Here’s 6 tried and tested ways I manage to keep kids warm in winter.

6 Ways To Keep Kids Warm In Winter

1. Onesies + Jumpsuits

When I’m dressing super little kids – bubs + toddlers – I usually throw fashion and style out the window and stick with all-in-one pieces. Jumpsuits and onesies are great because they keep your little one properly covered and snuggly warm. Suits that clip or zip mean little tummies aren’t exposed to the cold air every time you pick them up. Plus, as they begin to start scooting around and become more adventurous, little toes and sensitive parts are protected from the risk of insect bites and other nasties.

2. Layers + Warm Knit Tops

For active little girls (that also have a keen eye for dress ups and pretty clothes) I usually try to keep them well layered during the winter months. As with the benefit of all-in-one pieces, a jumpsuit or a heavy knit top underneath a hardy winter dress means they’ll keep the heat in. Especially when they’re in and out of cardigans and jumpers and insist of wearing that very summery Elsa dress-up costume.

3. Tights, Leggings + Stockings

Leggings are always favourite winter pieces. They can layer underneath skirts and dresses and allow the little ones to get away with wearing cute little Mary Janes instead of clunky boots. And if you’re thinking, “leggings are all well and good but what about the boys,” Pretty Little Treasures has some great examples of gorgeous tights and leggings for boys too!

4. Wet Weather Boots

During the cold winter months, boots are usually the best choice when trying to keep kids warm. Especially if you don’t know what the weather is doing. Leather boots, gumboots and even high tops keep little toes warm and dry and protected from any hidden dangers lurking in sandpits, playgrounds, footpaths and bushy football fields. Just remember to take their shoes off before you come inside if you want any chance at containing the spread of sand!

5. Vests + Sweaters

Vests are the perfect winter fashion choice for kids. As I’ve said before, vests keep your core warm whilst not restricting arm movement. If you’ve got highly active and always on-the-go kids, or just kids who don’t like bulky and scratchy layers, vests are always an easy way to keep them snug and warm.

6. Winter Warmers + Accessories

Scarves, beanies and leg warmers over stockings are all fun ways to jazz up a winter outfit. But if like me, you have a hard enough time convincing them of the need to wear warm winter clothes in the first place, then good luck keeping little fingers in little gloves. Extra layers can be a hard sell! Instead, I always try to find winter jackets and coats that have a built-in neck warmer or hoodie.

Run Wild and Free; NYAN Magazine

“Run wild and free.” Today I’m sharing an article I wrote for a newly founded nanny magazine in the United States. Not Your Average Nanny Magazine is a magazine that caters to parents who employ nannies to care for their children. With articles written by nannies, it helps bridge the gap of communication and understanding between employer and employee. The magazine focuses on childcare related topics and features prominent nannies located worldwide. Founder & Editor-In-Chief, Brittney Schering, is a professional nanny herself and freelance writer.

WIDE OPEN SPACES; LETTING CREATIVITY GO WILD

The art of play is important to children, allowing them the freedom to engage a curious mind. Through play they learn about themselves and the world around them. Through play, children gain the confidence to express themselves and to test the barriers of societal customs. Most of all, it gives children an outlet to put forth their creativity, to release stresses and to process emotions.

As adults we do this too. Only gone are the dolls and matchbox cars in favour of structured uses like visual arts, dance, or music. We see these as hobbies, as extracurricular activities to enjoy when we’ve got some free time, as moments to wile away a holiday.

For children, this time honoured expression of themselves is vital and holds prime place within the structure of their day. Be it playing physically or playing with objects, symbolic play or even games with rules, they follow a pathway. It’s a pathway for children to learn and grow, a pathway to explore and freedom to try on different roles. The process of play also enables children to make mistakes within a semi-controlled environment and to learn from them.

But does this play always have to follow a structure? Does it need to be scheduled into the routine with a projected forecast of learning outcomes? Can play occur in the freedom of wide open spaces? Can free play still be as beneficial? Does it still provide avenues for the development of motor skills, problem solving skills and interpersonal skills crucial to their intellectual and emotional development?

| Can children run wild and free?

Ask any child (or adult) who grew up in the countryside and they’ll answer yes. Ask any child who enjoys regular camping or fishing trips and they’ll answer yes. Ask any child who enjoys venturing off in the morning and returning at nightfall, tummies hungry but minds satisfied, and they’ll say yes.

Why? Because play occurs within any activity, so long as you have the vision (or the magic) to see the potential.

As a child I grew up in the country. We had horses, chooks, guinea pigs, a cow and at one stage a goat named ‘Nanny’. Each day we had chores, but we also had freedom. We had wide open spaces as far the eye could see.

There was a river to explore by kayak, mountains to trek, and flats to work the horses. To visit out friends house, we walked, or rode our bikes or our horses. To get the school bus, we rode our horses bareback from one side of the paddock to the other as a shortcut. In summer we’d spend all day in the pool, and winter rugged up in the sun.

| “We made our own fun, and we played all day.”

Despite the increased risk of potential dangers, these days we’d probably do the same. Except we’d have a cell phone for emergencies and not be so quick to jump in the back of the neighbour’s ute to give us a lift up the hill.

Not to be misconstrued, we had plenty of toys too. Arts and craft were fun on rainy days and rock cakes were popular in the kitchen. It was only that these activities paled in comparison to what we could play with and engage in when out in the open, with our imaginations wild and free.

Growing up in this lifestyle, we didn’t have set learning outcomes. Although we still learnt and grew and developed. We knew the value of responsibility and time management. We also knew of the fun to be had and of our own ability to occupy and amuse ourselves.

Creativity ran free. We had the benefit of free play and discovery. We had the freedom to express ourselves and forge our own paths.

As summer is in full swing for the US, and we here in Australia enjoy crisp but generally pleasant winter weekends, there are many possibilities to get the kids outside. Opportunities to let them explore their creativity outside in the wide open spaces. And whilst the notion of coaxing potentially unwilling kids out into the big unknown may be daunting, I’m willing to bet they’ll be more than happy after a few hours with their unleashed imaginations!

So here’s a few ideas to get the kids into the outdoors to run wild and free:

lace up | grab your hiking boots and head off to the mountains for a day of bush walking. For the truly adventurous, put together a scavenger hunt of ‘must find’ landmarks or items whilst out on the trails

rough it | pack your camping and fishing gear and head to your nearest dam, lake or waterway for a night spent under the stars. Bonus points if you catch dinner!

go country | load up the car and make your way into the countryside. Maybe even do a weekend farm stay if you’re feeling brave. Introduce the kids to life in the country and farm work. If you’re game, I can assure you they’ll soon be taken with the fun to be had on off-road four-wheel motorbikes.

picnic luncheon | collect some delicacies into a picnic basket and set yourselves up for a day in the park. Take a football and a frisbee and engage in a little friendly competition.

sea change | if you’re lucky enough to be by the coast, hit the beach for a day in the sun. Just don’t forget the sunscreen and sun hats! Take a camera to photograph or a notebook to draw the different eco-systems you find living by the beach. More bonus points if you go home and research them later. If that’s not your thing, take the surfboards, boogie boards or snorkels and explore the water – Marco Polo sees a new level of difficulty when encountering rolling ocean waves.

And for those times when big, wide open spaces simply aren’t available (or for the car journeys en route) remember to pack a “busy bag” of child appropriate activities to keep their creative side flowing and plenty of free-play happening. And most of all, have fun yourself!

This article appeared first in published and digital print in Not Your Average Nanny Magazine, July Issue, 2014.