Vegie Smugglers

First ever VS weekly menu plan (with a pretty shopping list)

March 8, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, News, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged feeding the family, mealtime, parenting, vegetables

At the risk of sounding very ‘organised housewife’, this post is a menu plan for next week. Despite urging emails, I’ve always avoided posts like this because they sound… so… well… bossy, really. You know, it’s YOUR house and eat whatever the hell you like, I say. But nonetheless, I’ve had enough requests now that I’m GONNA DO IT. And knowing how much I love a free printable, I’m even including a complete shopping list (complete with a key so you know what to buy for which meal).

Main problem devising a meal plan for strangers is that I don’t know your schedule. But I’m assuming that you’ve got a couple of days a week at home, and a few afternoons a week that are crazy busy and I’m suggesting dinners that you can move to whichever day fits best.

So here goes…

SATURDAY

Family dinner, or friends coming over? What about this Sang Choy Bao? It’s a messy, fun, communal dinner. Don’t know about you, but my mess tolerance is better on weekends, when I’m not trying to combine dinner with homework and tired children. And it’s a quick cook too, because you’ve probably spent the day at birthday parties or sport or (god forbid) Bunnings.

Lettuce delights for your munching pleasure

SUNDAY

Nice healthy Fish Pie tonight.

Mmmmmm, cauliflower

And while you’re hanging about the house in cooking mode, also make up a batch of Spag bol. It makes heaps so you can divide it up and pop some in the freezer for next week, and some in the fridge for Monday night.

I freeze this, pasta and all, in kid-sized serves

MONDAY

Spag bol.

TUESDAY

Another crazy day ahead? In the morning make up the mix for these Vegie & bean quesadillas.

Onions, carrot, capsicum, tomatoes, kidney beans, avocado. YUM.

Then they’re easy to whip up once you get home from swimming or tennis or dance or whatever other activity you’ve just sat through (as if you have nothing better to do with your time than sit on an uncomfortable bench or wait in the car for the afternoon). Of course, if you meat-free Monday, then you really should have cooked these yesterday.

WEDNESDAY

Got a moment to cook today? What about this chicken & vegie pasta soup?

vegie smugglers chicken pasta and vegetable soup

Pasta, chicken and bacon amongst the vegies...

Maybe you’ve been feeling excessive love for your little gorgeouses today and have indulged them with these berry and oat muffins… awwwwww mum… you’re the best!

Ready for this arvo & tomorrow (if there are any left).

THURSDAY

Use up all the soggy vegies in this Vegetable Slice. Leftover are good in wraps for lunch on Friday.

Working the soggy contents of the crisper drawer.

FRIDAY

Zzzzzzzz…. What! Sorry! You want dinner AGAIN? See I’ve lost interest tonight, which is just what I discussed last week in ON THE SEVENTH DAY. Toast, pizza muffins, something else will do.

And here’s the shopping list to download. Best thing about the list is that it shows you just how many vegies your kids are going to eat this week! Hope this helps.

X
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Don’t forget that you can buy an e-book of meal plans at the shop.

Comments (9) »

Hot, happy buns this Easter

March 6, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, News, Sweets & treats · Tagged brunch, celebrations, cooking techniques, feeding the family, fruit, recipe

The other day Miss F asked me why it is that Hot Cross buns are so cranky.

Fair comment really. And not one that reflects on my poor teachings of Bible fundamentals (I send them to scripture each week, after all). No, I’m going to cut myself a bit of slack here and blame the supermarkets for the collapse of Christian teachings in our society.

So maybe I never did mention the significance of the whole ‘cross’ thing on hot cross buns, but how on earth are my kids supposed to link these treats just to Easter when they’ve been on sale since last New Year’s Eve?

Still, I do like the idea of a fruit bun with attitude, don’t you? Just sitting with friends in a plastic bag, being angry and dour.

Of course I promised to rectify the situation and create some hot happy buns to balance out the emotional quid pro quo.

The cheeriest (and most secular) hot cross buns.

Hot Happy Buns

Don’t be afraid of cooking these – they actually really easy and fun. A nice thing to do throughout a weekend day with the kids.

1¼ cups warm milk
2 x 7g dry yeast sachets
¼ cup caster sugar
4 cups plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp salt
60g butter, melted
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 cup sultanas
¾ cup other dried fruit (I like a mix of currants and dried apple)

Paste:
2 tbsp plain flour
1½ tbsp water

Glaze:
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp boiling water

In a small glass bowl or jug, whisk together the warm milk, yeast and sugar. Leave for 10 minutes somewhere warm and draught-free.

In a large bowl, sift the flour and mix in the spices and salt.

After 10 minutes the milk mixture should be frothy (if it isn’t your yeast may be too old). Mix in the butter and egg. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the fruit as you go, until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm and draught-free place for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until doubled.

All puffed up and gorgeous.

Grease a large rectangular baking tin. Punch the dough (yes, truly, punch it) to deflate it. Knead for another 2-3 minutes. Divide into 15 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and pop it into the tin.

Give them a bit of breathing space – they’ll rise more.

Cover, return to your warm spot and leave for 30-40 minutes until they’ve plumped up again. Preheat your oven to 200C.

In a small bowl or mug, stir the flour paste with water. Scoop into a plastic bag, snip off a tiny hole in the corner and pipe a face onto each bun.

So yes, the paste is basically glue… papermache with leftovers?

Cook for 10 minutes at 200C then reduce to 180C and cook for another 15 minutes.

Turn them out after cooking and immediately glaze by brushing them with the combined caster sugar & boiling water.

MAKES 15 delicious, gorgeously home-made buns.

If you like my food philosophy, you’ll love my digital cookbook full of essential family recipes!

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ON THE SEVENTH DAY (A serious case of the ‘can’t be bothered’s)

March 1, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, Ham/pork, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged eggs, feeding the family, parenting, recipe

A dinner to cook when you're not cooking dinner.

A while back I surveyed a few of you to find out more about your cooking habits. Admittedly, it was probably completed by those of you who enjoy being in the kitchen (so is statistically a total sham), but I thought it was interesting to see how often each week you make dinner.

Not a single family reported that they cook every night of the week. Most reported cooking (in some semblance) 6 nights with a takeaway on the 7th (which was usually pizza).

I think this is an outstanding effort! Well done all of you who manage to put a homemade meal on the table 6 nights a week!

This fits the pattern at my place. ON THE SEVENTH DAY I have no motivation or intention to cook anything. For us, that night is Friday night. At about 4pm I come down with the most severe case of ‘I’ve-been-cooking-all-week-and-all-I-will-reach-for-from-the-fridge-now-is-wine’ and the children’s hunger becomes extremely uninteresting to me.

But the pesky little rascals still need to be fed.

Seeing as we submitted to the mega-mortgage last year, any decent takeaway is a bit too $$$ for the budget (and despite my temporarily uninspired state, I still can’t face giving them the nasty takeaway options on a regular basis) so I opt for the cheap and cheerful ‘cooking when you’re not cooking’ options which can be made in 10 minutes from start to clean up.

High on the list is toasties. Multigrain bread, cheese, avocado, a bit of whatever vaguely slimy cold meat is left from the week and I’ll even sneak in a bit of tomato.

Muffin ‘pizzas’ are popular too, and even a bowl of baked beans/spaghetti combo with toast soldiers.

But ever since our trip to the country, but kids are HUGE fans of eggs. I have embraced them like a new best friend.

So pretty they are, full of protein, minerals and iron (and cholesterol – but kids don’t need to worry about that). And they’re so easy to cook. Boiled with soldiers is always a hit, and when I’m feeling a bit fancy, I roll out these…

Ham & egg yummies

2 slices ham, chopped
4–8 cherry tomatoes
100g roasted capsicums and/or zucchini
4 eggs
Handful of grated cheese
Parsley leaves

Divide the ham, tomatoes and capsicum between four shallow ovenproof dishes. Crack over the egg (whisked or whole is up to you). Scatter with cheese and black pepper.

Preheat grill to medium and cook for 3–4 minutes until the egg is set. Serve with parsley and fresh bread or toast soldiers.

MAKES 4

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Don’t forget the daggy ingredients

February 28, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, Chicken, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged chicken, cooking techniques, feeding the family, parenting, recipe, vegetables

Do you own some?

We’re all so terribly well educated when it comes to food these days, aren’t we? We’ve all sat on the couch and watched enough Masterchef to know that there are two different types of truffles (best not get them confused), we know that fois gras comes somewhere from inside some kind of poultry and a jus needs to be made with ‘exemplary’ stock.

Armed with this knowledge, we live our pre-kids lives throwing fabulous dinner parties and drinking way too much wine. But once the wee children arrive on the scene and tell us to shove our gourmet ingredients up our bums, we find ourselves ill equipped for the challenges of feeding a family on a daily basis.

Do you find your cooking style has changed considerably these days?

There are so many dishes that I’d never made before children – cheese sauce, muesli bars, pasta bake, sausage casserole (!) etc etc etc.

And there are so many ingredients that I wouldn’t have bothered with either. In the past, my curries would have been made with spice pastes and a million added extras, but these days they’re a milder affair to suit the very discriminating palate of Miss F. So I’ve gone back to curry powder. And so gorgeous it is in its cheery little tin. And so good at introducing a bit of flavour in a friendly way.

A good saucey serve of this curry on a fat bed of rice with a beguiling papadum and my kids are in heaven.

Some adults might secretly prefer this creamy mild flavor too, but those who crave a little more heat can add a big handful of fresh coriander and some chopped up fresh chilli on top of theirs.

Easy to make and delicious for everyone.

Mild (& creamy) chicken curry

1 tbsp olive oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, excess fat removed, cut into 4-5 pieces
1 onion, peeled, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled, diced
1 finger eggplant, diced (peeled if your kids hate the skin)
1-2 tsp curry powder (depending on your kids)
400ml lite coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups pumpkin, peeled, diced
1 cup peas

Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the chicken pieces and brown all over (takes 4-5 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onion and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the carrot and eggplant. Stir regularly for 3-4 minutes until everything is starting to soften. Sprinkle over the curry powder. Stir until fragrant and everything is well coated.

Pour in the milk and stock. Add in the pumpkin and return the chicken (plus any juices) to the pot. Mix well, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, add the peas and simmer another 5 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with rice and papadums.

Serves 2 adults & 2 kids.

PS: I cook my papadums by spraying them with canola oil spray (optional) then chucking them in the microwave on HIGH. Watch them CLOSELY, they suddenly sprout and are done in a matter of seconds. – They’re not as delicious as traditional ones, but they’re quick and easy and an essential lure for getting the kids to happily tackle this curry.

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When good food styling turns bad

February 21, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, Sweets & treats · Tagged cooking techniques, ideas, recipe, treats

I need to be careful with this post and word things very delicately indeed, just so that Google doesn’t relegate my entire site to the ‘smut’ category without realising that I am just reporting on a pretty average food styling day in the kitchen.

Things started out well enough – first round testing on some new recipes. Always a risky endeavor, the first go at a recipe is rarely perfect and often needs quite a bit of tweaking. Also rare is photographing a recipe at this stage, but for some reason on this occasion, I decided that I would. So the camera was all set.

Inspired by nut cake recipes, I’d decided on devising some little nut ‘puffs’ – cakes in patty pans. And with walnuts and other good ingredients, these are a treat with a bit of fibre and not too much sugar.

And the little things turned out quite well. Yummy straight out of the oven – quite bready and not too sweet. But deciding that they could be more ‘special’, I decided to ice them – something rarely done in my kitchen due to the hassle, the sugar factor and the impatience factor as both I and the kids are keen to get stuck in. Still, combining icing sugar mixture and lemon juice together is hardly a bother and away I went. Deciding on a ‘rustic’ finish to suit the look of the cakes, I splashed the gooey white stuff about. Standing back to examine my handiwork I could immediately see my error of judgment. Instead of ‘Donna Hay’ gorgeous rustic, my cakes look like soiled props from some nasty adult film. Bless those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about.

Hmmmmmmmmm

Dismayed, I decided that leaving them as is would only lead to much mirth from my best friend (and much humiliation for myself) – the only thing that could save them (and me) now was chocolate. So my healthy little nut cakes ended up with not one icing, but two! Still the kids were happy enough and I must say they tasted pretty good.

Dark chocolate and lemon icing nut puffs

Better.

But as with all recipes, a second go at them made the world of difference. A bit of mixed spice to jazz up the flavour and I’ve given the cum icing a miss – just some dark chocolate melts, melted and spooned over, then topped off with a pecan. Despite their soft-porn history I refuse to rename them, thus here are my dark chocolate nut puffs. Enjoy.

Take two – delicious.

Dark chocolate nut puffs

1 1/2 cups self raising flour
2/3 cup almond meal
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (or hazelnuts)
1/2 cup oatbran
1/4 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g softened butter (if you’re not scared of fats, they’re even better with 75g)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 cup full fat milk
Pecans or almonds (optional)

Heat the oven to 180C. Grease 24 patty pans.

Sift the flour into a bowl then mix in the almond meal, walnuts, oatbran, spice and baking powder.

In another bowl, use a hand held mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the dry ingredients. Mix through the egg and milk. Divide between the pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Eat warm with some sifted icing sugar sprinkled over the top, or top with melted dark chocolate and pecans or almonds.

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What I would cook if Nigella was coming for dinner

February 15, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences · Tagged recipe, vegetables

Considering the amount of time I spend fishing crumbs off my chest, it’s probably no surprise that I’m a big fan of Nigella Lawson. Although I must say, the impact of me plucking pasta from betwixt my A-cups is somewhat anti-climactic after the last season of her TV show where she spent SO much time in dressing gowns, in bed or in pretty, busty party frocks while she hosted ‘supper’ parties.

What I love most about her, is that she is so hugely successful that she could easily turn to the director and say, ‘you know what, I don’t think I want to do the sausage in the open mouth shot’, and yet she doesn’t. With good humour she plays it up and laps it up – she MUST enjoy it, or she wouldn’t do it. I don’t care what her motivation is, I think she is fantastic TV entertainment. And bless the person who put together the nigella talks dirty video – it made me SNORT with laughter (although it does increase my phobia of ever being on TV).

Anyway, in the spirit of all things delectable, I’ve spent a bit of time contemplating what I’d pop on to cook should Nigella be on her way over for tea. My food is generally less stodgy than hers, which does tend to be a bit fresh veg-challenged from time to time. But mentally scanning through all of the TV food celebrities, she would have to be the only one that I would happily serve without intimidation – I think her best quality is how down-to-earth and practical her food is. Kudos to her and her lusty ways.

For the starter, I’m thinking the unctuous, silky goodess of this soup would appeal to her, don’t you?

vegie smugglers pumpkin and lentil soup recipe

Pumpkin, corn and lentil soup

Then I’d give her a food cuddle with these mini-chicken pies…

I'd also pop a few steamed vegies on the side

And of course I’d have to finish off with chocolate…

Chocolate & beetroot brownie

Do you think she’d like it? What would you cook for her?

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Apparently, life is all about ‘gratitude’

February 12, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, News, Sweets & treats · Tagged family, fruit, ideas, parenting, recipe, treats

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...

Gratitude seems to be the latest Facebook catch cry. I’m seeing it everywhere. How to cultivate it, how to acknowledge it, how to savour it and turn your gratitude into an endless patience and love.

As it turns out, I can’t be cynical about any of this, since I totally agree. I am always SO grateful and SO appreciate of my blessings that I’m always waiting somehow for them to come tumbling down. As I guess they will one day, although I hope I’ll be so busy being grateful for the minutiae that I won’t notice the wider catastrophes befalling me.

A couple of years back, when I was unhappy in my job and trying to find the courage to publish a silly little book about sneaking vegetables into children, I did what many women do and looked everywhere for omens and signs that I was choosing the right path rather than foolishly tossing away a well paid part-time job. I remember doing a psych test online, to determine my suitability to life as an entrepreneur. It told me that I wasn’t suited at all, because my strongest trait was ‘gratitude’, which I guess means I’m good at touchy-feely stuff, but not good at being a self-determined, small-business fascist. And perhaps they were right. I still struggle with being too self-effacing and embarrassed when it comes to pushing my business ‘out there’. But I refuse to submit to the theory that gratitude and success aren’t compatible.

It’s the simplest thing that has had my mind focusing back on gratitude (and joy) – the star stamp from the picture up top. As a girl I would do the whole ‘star light, star bright’ rhyme and WISH for a set of teachers stamps. I wished this wish OFTEN, hoping somehow Santa would hear and sort me out. But he never did. So this year when I was buying the kid’s school supplies I saw this stamp and bought it. And I can’t tell you how ridiculously HAPPY it makes me EVERY time.

With typical adult rationality I had to come up with a purpose for the purchase. Now instead of writing ‘PAID’ on the top of my bills, I stamp them. Oh, the joy of a paid electricity bill! And boy! What a time saver ;).

So what’s your joy? Where’s your gratitude? I’d love to know. It can be amazing how the simple things in life truly are often the best.

There's no simpler joy than a perfect pikelet.

Fruit Pikelets

1 cup self-raising flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
150ml milk (soy drink works well)
1 egg, lightly whisked
¼ cup sultanas
¼ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup dried apple, finely diced
Margarine, butter or canola oil cooking spray, to grease
Icing sugar and jam,
to serve

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar.

Combine the milk and egg and pour into the dry ingredients, whisking to remove any lumps.

You should now have a nice smooth batter. Add more milk if it is too thick. Stir through the sultanas, coconut and apple.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over low heat. Grease with either margarine, butter or canola oil spray. Add tablespoonful dollops to the pan. Cook until bubbles start to appear, ease a spatula under then flip. Cook on the other side for a minute or so until golden brown.

Serve the pikelets with a dusting of icing sugar and jam, on their own, or with butter and jam.

MAKES 24

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Money doesn’t grow on trees (but you can find it in my books)

February 10, 2012 · Filed under Craft for non-crafty parents, News · Tagged craft, fundraising, parenting, vegetables

Last year Vegie Smugglers helped stacks of daycare centres and causes around Australia raise money. It’s simple. You sell the cookbooks and keep a cut of the sale price. You can take pre-orders and keep $10 of each book, or this year, I’m also offering pre-packed boxes of 20 books (any combo of VS1&2) and you can keep $12/book. How easy is that! Just have them sitting in your daycare centre or school canteen and sell throughout the year. Or get a box for your trivia night, cake table, anything that takes your fancy. Full details of the programs are on this easy-to-digest 1 page flyer.

If you think your daycare centre would be interested in the program but you baulk at saying the word ‘fundraising’ aloud (lest you are suddenly thrust the title of ‘fundraising committee’) I’m happy to contact the centre for you. I won’t even use your name (unless you want me to). I just need the centre name, the director’s name and a valid email address. As a thanks I’ll send you a free lunchbox planner (if you’ve already got terms 1, 3 & 4, I’ll put you down for a preorder on Term 2).

Of course, if you want to download the form and email it through to your centre on MY behalf, I’d be eternally grateful.

To help the healthy eating & living theme along I supply a stack of fun activity sheets that can be used in class or at home. To get a taster, here’s a couple of freebies…

vegie smugglers healthy eating worksheet

This fun worksheet will help them recognise their fruit & veg.

There’s a shopping list with pictures of fruit and vegies that your kiddie can colour, practice numbers on or stuff up their nose! And there’s also this colouring in sheet of how vegetables grow. All good info for your little ones (with a few cute critters thrown in).

On your marks, get set, GO!

And to give my 2012 fundraising launch a bit of a POW, I’m running a colouring in competition! Download the activity sheet and email me with your masterpiece and be in the running to win one of 2x $10 Bakers Delight vouchers. Easy.

So get to it! All referrals and colouring entries should be emailed to me (Wendy) at vegiesmugglers@gmail.com.

Huge thanks.
x

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The parenting F word – frustration

February 5, 2012 · Filed under All recipes, News, Vegetarian · Tagged dinner, family, parenting, pasta, recipe, vegetables, vegetarian

The new VSHQ. A spot for everyone, even the papertoy monsters.

Recently I spent two days up a ladder turning my spare little gimp room into a family office. I lovingly tended every square centimetre with 3 coats of white paint to turn the dark dump into a THING OF BEAUTY that the whole family could share. Each of us had a spot. A desk. A pencil holder. One of those cool, Smiggle 6-colour pens. We all belonged.

The result was so gorgeous that I was quite in love with myself. I wanted to just go into this room and lay on the floor and lick it. It was deliciously schmick and we all moved in.

One week later I discovered that Miss Fruitarian had decided to show Mr Meat & Potatoes the joy of splatter painting. In the new office. She had procured a toothbrush from god-knows-where, dug out her full palette of watercolours and GONE FOR IT on her desk. And since it is HER desk, she didn’t feel the need for any kind of time-wasting preparation materials such as protective newspaper.

I am of course, piecing events together in a CSI fashion, but it seems apparent to me that mid-way through her masterpiece she had second thoughts. So the ~~blood~~ paint trail changed from a fine spray to dollops across the carpet as she made a quick getaway to the back deck. And across the back deck, to the table, where the splatter-fest continued. But at some point, clean up was required, so the large water container was emptied over the railing. Which was possibly a good idea, except that below at that point, was the path, so the now browny-green water was splattered over the railing, down the side of the house and all over the stone pathway.

Now I wouldn’t have discovered this so soon if we hadn’t decided to eat outside that night. Which of course we had to do because all of the dining table chairs were being used to hold up the lounge room cubby, which was full of every single stuffed toy from the two bedrooms upstairs. Plus most of the plastics from my kitchen. Apparently the toys were whipping up dinner.

And did I mention that later that same day, Miss F went on to ‘create’ a kangaroo made from tissues, wading and reused bits of fluff from her end-of-year ‘Cats’ dance costume? Again, in the newly refurbished office.

By the end of the day I was ready to kill. My best friend and I did paper, scissors, rock to work out who got the enviable task of dishes and cleaning the entire kitchen and who was going to be in charge of getting the kids washed, teeth brushed and into bed. I won and spent a delightfully quiet half hour cleaning up all of the breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes….ahhhhhh bliss…

Did you read the Huffington post article about parenting recently? Summed it up nicely, the dichotomy between overwhelming parental love and the tedium and hell of the every day. There is SO much work and slavery and boredom in being a mum that it really does grind you down. I can totally see how various pressure points compete and healthy food gets shoved further down the list in favour of sleep, silence and compliance.

The trick is though, to realise when food is actually the answer to the other problem areas as well. Well fed children, full of nutrients tend to behave better. They have full tummies, steady sugar levels and enough (but not too much) energy. They will play without crashing but sleep well at night. They get sick less often too. So perhaps it’s the times when you’re in your parenting lows that you need to stop, focus and rethink things, find the motivation to take on the food battles and get some healthy food into your little lovelies and see what difference it makes.

But trust me, they still make mess, regardless. It appears no amount of vitamins can stop that – sorry.

Here’s a nutritious dinner that is quick to cook and sneaks in heaps of vegies – even cannellini beans.

Get through to the end of the day, no worries.

Quick pasta bake

250g pasta (shell or penne is good)
1 cup broccoli florets
400g can chopped tomatoes
400ml bottle tomato pasta sauce
400g can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained
½ red capsicum, seeded, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled, grated
125g can corn kernels, drained
Handful of basil or parsley, finely chopped
2 cups grated cheese (cheddar/mozzarella mix is good)

Preheat oven to 200°C. Cook the pasta according to packet directions. Drain and set aside.

Place the broccoli in a microwave-proof dish with a drizzle of water, cover and zap on high for 1 minute or until just tender. Feel free to blitz the broccoli with a stick blender if your kids will pick out bits.

In a large bowl, mix together the pasta and all of the vegies, sauce, beans and herbs. Season with black pepper to taste. Mix through half the cheese. Spoon the pasta mixture into an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden.

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 3 KIDS
___________________________

You might also like to try….
Baked tuna and tomato rice
Lulu’s favourite Tuna pasta bake

___________________________

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Redundancy looms (as my baby heads off to school)

January 29, 2012 · Filed under News · Tagged parenting

Good luck my baby...

The uniform has been bought, buddies met and orientation days done. We’re off to school this week.

I have a strange hole in my heart about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for Mr Meat & Potatoes who has been keen to catch up to his big sister, but I’m also feeling a little empty for myself and what this means for our little family idyll. I’m feeling now that I am no longer needed (between 9-3) and I don’t know what will happen next. Once all of the kids are at school, there’s an expectation that we need to head off and ‘get a life’ (as if we are slightly sad, useless creatures), but only one that fits around everyone else’s busy schedules – mums are never entirely free, are we?

I guess I am lucky – Vegie Smugglers has bought in a good part-time income and kept my CV interesting rather than gappy. It’s only 2 years since I worked regularly as a magazine designer and my skills are still pretty relevant. It’s not the case for many women. At the tea & coffee table on the final orientation day, I got chatting to a woman who is farewelling her third (and last) child. The others are in year 3 and 5. She was looking anguished.

“Time to go back to work?” I asked.

“But what would I do, I have no skills”, she said, “Well, maybe deep down I have some skill somewhere, but nothing important”.

I was shocked. A beautifully turned out, friendly woman who has a track record of 12 years of loyal service, compassion and strength, thinks her future is bleak since her most recent experience is just being ‘a mum’.

I can’t express how angry I am about the relegation of the most crucial role in our society. Being a financier who can fill in forms and read spreadsheets, now THERE are skills. But a woman who can mentally, logistically and emotionally hold together a family for 12 years deems herself ‘useless’.

Sigh.

Another woman recently confided to me that sending her youngest off to kindy was followed by a good 3 months of depression as she shifted to her new life.

Ironically, the transition to motherhood triggered depression for me and I’m not eager to relive it as I mourn my babies growing up and leaving me. So I’m keen to hear from wise women who’ve been through this transition and can advise how to keep it as positive and smooth as possible.

So words of wisdom… please….

2/2/12 UPDATE: Yay! First day done and dusted. All went well – a bit of a relief to get things all underway. Thanks to everyone for your lovely emails and posts. My best friend took this pic this morning without me knowing and I love it – my little boy and me both heading off into our futures…

The first day of the rest of our lives...

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