About Me

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Im 30 yrs old very happy married to a wonderful man (Nathan) i have a 7yr old son (Lochlan) and one on the way! We live in a town called Davistown. Im an aussie that use to live in the states! But have recently returned back to Australia! And im VERY passionate about cooking and my family!

Blog Archive

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Week 21 Up Date and a Recipe!

Recipe for this YUMMY Simple Dish at the end!


Week 21

Size of Baby:
Aj is the size of a Banana! That doesn't seem big according to Loche lol :)
Movement:
Movement is here and there really some nites Aj kicks up a storm preventing me from sleeping and sometimes i don't feel a thing and i get so worried!! But Aj does respond to daddy's touch and daddy's voice :)
Gender:
Everyone still thinks its a girl I'm just hoping for healthy and happy! And ok yes I'm secretly hoping for a girl as well ;) have u SEEN some of the cute things out there for baby girls!!
Sleep:
Sleep MM how i miss it :D but like usual i end up passing out when i am exhausted! Napping when i can, sleeping is getting harder as i cant find a comfy position and i already take up more then half the bed with pillows! Poor Nathan!
Cravings:
SPICEY i can NOT get enough spicey food LUV LUV LUV anything spicey at the moment! Indian Beef Vindaloo has been a huge craving :) and spicey noodles with lots and lots of chili peppers!! And i also have a gross craving of Pepsi...I REFUSE to give into this nasty craving!
Symptoms:
Lower back pains, fatigue and tender sore hips... and my boobs r driving me nuts...they r super heavy...and I'm not even half way threw this!
Belly Button:
In still no sign of popping out :) so i think i shall remove this question!
Maternity Clothes:
Yes...no longer in normal clothes havent been since the end of last week....all maternity stuff now! You all will get a glimpse of how much i am actually showing... :)
What i miss:
The lack of boobage! lol... i REAAAALLLLYY miss sleeping on my tummy...i dream about it even...lol when I'm not dreaming of crazy things like giant size lamingtons the size of a boat with super size shark teeth screeching at me and chasing me around the back yard trying to eat me!! Yup gotta love those pregnancy dreams!
Taa Daaa.. Yep there's the Bump i was telling you about.... I have only gained 3pounds since falling pregnant.... So go figure! :)

Now for a Recipe!

Zucchini and Potatoes!

1 medium size onion sliced thinly
1 medium sized potato (cut in smallish thin slices)
2 decent size zucchini (chopped or diced to bite size)
1 Tablespoon of Garlic
Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
 1/3 of a cup of red wine
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of chili powder
2 teaspoons of dried marjoram
a dob of butter and a lil olive oil for the pan :)

Heat your oil and butter in a fry pan then add your onions, garlic and your salt and pepper to taste, cook the onions down. If they start sticking add some of the stock at this point toss in the potatoes let them simmer for about 10 mins. Now add your marjoram and chili powder to the potatoes. Mix threw then pour the rest of the stock and red wine over the top. Preheat the oven on high your stock and wine should have cooked down to a nice thickish sauce. Toss the zucchini threw the potatoes and sauce. Empty the zucchini and potatoes into a casserole dish and place in the oven to finish cooking the potatoes for about 20mins! We served this with lamb chops! YUMO!
Super simple and oh so tasty!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Happy Australia Day!

While Nathan was finishing up his school work last night we were watching channel ABC (its nothing like the one in the states mind u :) its usually documentaries and old movies and alot of British TV) and some guy came on asking "What IS Australia Day?" and so began a half an hour show about him going around asking Aussies what Australia Day is to them! He considered himself to be an Comedian Documentary journalist! He was born in Egypt and he became an Australian Citizen a few years ago and has wondered since then exactly what Australia Day is! It was very entertaining he hit the beaches and the streets and asked locals what Australia Day meant to them! Anyway here's a lil history behind Australia Day;
Please check out the link joined to "Australia Day" to read what a Dr Elizabeth Kwan had to say.


Here is something i found on the net and totally have to agree with :)

"Australia Day is “the biggest day of celebration in the country and is observed as a public holiday in all states and territories.

On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what’s great about Australia and being Australian. It’s the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation.

It’s the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future.”



Australia Day to me this year, technically my first in 9 years :) is being spent at home in the comfort of the A/C unit as its REALLY hot this year! But what you would find alot of people doing is heading out on their boats or heading to the beaches, what you will find alot of people doing while out and about by the seashore or on the water will be Bbqing with their coolers and they are usually filled with booze, grilling meats like Lamb, Beef, Chicken, Sausages and Steaks, fresh fruit, pavlova, lamingtons, and you cant forget about the piles of prawns! And other tasty seafood! As for those who aren't in the mood to cook will end up with a tasty meat pie or some fish and chips from their local take away or bakery! :)
I have no pictures to share with you all but i did gather some photos i got from google that i thought i would share with you all! We do however have lamb out marinating for the grill later this evening and fresh fruit waiting to be piled high on a bloody beautiful Pavlova! MMMM :) Enjoy the borrowed pics yummy! 

Friday, January 21, 2011

Pregnancy Diary

So i have been keeping little sticky notes on my mac book with little notes about things happening in my pregnancy and it wasn't until one of my friends in bloggy land whom has also has some hard times with miscarriages fell pregnant as well has started doing a pregnancy log :) so here are my little updates id like to share with you all!


Week 18


Size of Baby:
the baby is the size of a sweet potato so I'm told lol
Movement:
Ive been feeling movement for a few days now!
Gender:
unknown
Sleep:
Well this baby is bouncing around all night keeping me awake.. But i nap when i can..
Cravings:
Watermelon...like you wouldn't believe! And anything choc chip mint...
Symptoms:
Sore lower back...and lower back pains, fatigue.
Belly Button:
In no sign of popping out :)
Maternity Clothes:
Yes...been in them a couple wks now...for some reason the baby bump has appeared alot sooner then later!
What i miss:
Sleep! Cold cuts of meat! sleeping on my back.... :) Fitting into smaller size clothes!


Week 19


Size of the Baby:
Bubs is apparently the size of a mango!
Movement:
Oh yes :) at night... during the day it seems to be still....but come bed time....this baby is on the wrong time zone...
Gender:
Well if you held a gun to the ultrasound tech she would say its a girl...SO even tho everyone is happy theres a big chance its a girl I'm still not rushing out to buy pink stuff! :)
Sleep:
sleep? what is this thing you call sleep?? I know of napping that's for sure! But as for a good nights sleep....i am most definitely lacking in this....
Cravings:
Watermelon is still my major craving :D and well fresh fruit in general! Still enjoy something choc chip minty once in a while as well!
Symptoms:
tired :) lower back is still a lil ache but that's about it!
Belly Button:
Still in :)
Maternity Clothes:
Yep bought a few more new pieces! Loving maternity tights so comfy! Need to buy new bras tho :( I'm totally dreading doing this.... as i use to have plenty of bras the size i currently am...but after loosing weight i lost alot of boobage :D and went down in size alot! Ive gone from 38C to 38DD...and I'm almost half way threw... yuck!
What i miss:
I miss miss miss sleeping on my back! Lol i hate sleeping on my side..i have a body pillow but it just doesn't make it as comfy as i could be :)


Week 20
WOOHOO half way there!

Size of the Baby:
Aj (bubs nickname) is the size of a rock melon / cantaloupe!
Movement:
Not so much this week lil movements here and there..
Gender:
Everyone is saying Girl I'm still not buying pink!
Sleep:
Not so much not even napping really lots on my mind this week...
Cravings:
Not so much haven't really been to hungry at all this week..
Symptoms:
Fatigue and right lower side hip pain.
Belly Button:
Still in don't think that will change.
Maternity Clothes:
Yep bought a dress the other day that should be good for the whole pregnancy.
What i miss:
i really really miss sleep! I miss my old slash new body... i worked hard to loose the weight and now even though i haven't gained more then a couple of pounds this pregnancy my belly is popping out alot! Along with my boobs...lol...


So there you have it that's all i have so far and with the couple of things that are going on our end baby wise i have been taking it easy and trying my best to stay stress free and relaxed as possible! Hope everyone is well!


Here's what our future looks like! :)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Untitled and then some...

Yep you read right...This post is untitled...why? Cuz I've no clue what to title this post... I'm in btw emotions and I'm not even sure why or what to blog about? 
So we had our follow up ultrasound to have the final measurements taken for bubs and the tech thinks but shes not 100% sure but "thinks" its a girl! I'm happy but i also want 100% confirmation dang it! We also have to go back in 3-4wks time for another ultrasound i wont go into it just yet only close friends and some family members know why.. all i can say is everything looks fine and the baby is growing at a good rate... and when we have had the next ultrasound i will talk more about it with you all!
I haven't done much cooking lately so nothing new on that front...but i have been sewing! HAND sewing as i don't have a sewing machine here..yet.. :) i have been making flowers! Bright colourful fabric flowers! I am hoping to make a few and sell them on etsy and at our beauticians salon! I will post a couple pics, tell me what u all think pls :)






What else...hmmm Nathan has started school doing his courses online so far so good he seems to be enjoying it which is good :) He seems content here in Australia which is good! Still looking for work nothing yet tho but we know why and he is going to fix that! Seems everyone hires threw job agencies here in Australia and he didn't want to join any just yet but has signed up this wk and we will hopefully start seeing results soon! His smitten to i guess u could say "almost" knowing we are having a girl hehe loves loves LOVES the idea he is so cute about it for the time being we have decided to call sleepy j "AJ" :) short for baby girls name! I still find it hard cuz I'm not 100% sure its a girl hehe... Lochlan was so excited when we got home with the news it was surprising as his always wanted from the start a "baby brother?!?!" but he was pretty excited about the thought of a baby sister! 
As for Lochlan he is transitioning ok here in Australia they start school back here at the end of January and he is NOT looking forward to that...but i think he will be fine once he gets there and sees that he wont be the "new" kid per say anymore and he is starting the year out at the beginning like everyone else! His made a few mates here on the street we live on which is good but his also had what he calls his cousin here with him :) my mums best friend has been here visiting since b4 Christmas and she bought her youngest son whom is 19 and her grandson with her and Lochlan has attached himself to said grandson :) it will be hard for him when they leave in the morning after having them here for so long :) we will miss her alot as when she returns back to Queensland she will be moving to Casablanca, Morocco where her fiance is from. My mum will miss her dearly she missed her when she moved to Queensland! I haven't seen her in over 9years and i am so glad she came for a visit when we moved back here! 


Thats it for me all my lovelies! Here is a recent pic of me :)


I will do a blog post of all the really cute frogs we have around here!


Heres a pic of the waterfront on new years eve! Gorgeous huh!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Is it a Boy?? or a Girl??


I would LOVE nothing but to introduce you all to our "son" or "daughter" to be :) BUT i will introduce you to SleepyJ we were hoping to find out today but sleepyj refused to move during the ultrasound sound asleep and yawning..barely wanted to move..sheesh! what a life!..and had its legs crossed..go figure! Its just like its brother...Lochlan was a "suprise" till almost the end...! So im guessing that this is a boy! What do you all think? :)



Monday, January 10, 2011

Super Simple Pasta! Healthy and Filling!


Ok so i have done "some" cooking here in Australia but not really that much...more so just taking a break and taking it easy! But when i have cooked its usually been some sort of pasta dish or chicken dish in the oven :) This meal is really simple and extremely tasty! To cut down on time shop/gather all your ingredients and even prepare them a couple of days in advanced! That way when its time to cook this meal you wont have any chopping to do!
This makes ALOT if you follow it to a tee! This fed 5 adults 1 child and we had a good amount of left overs!

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil 
2 pounds of ground lean Hamburger/Mince
1 Can of diced tomatoes
7 large mushrooms(sliced and diced to prevent picking out! mwahaha!)
2 large carrots(grated)
3 Tablespoons of minced/crushed garlic
2 large onions(sliced thinly)
1 can of blended tomatoes or a can of plain tomato sauce
1 small tub of Greek yogurt
1/4 of a cup of pitted olives(diced up small)
2 Boxes of Pasta i used the spiral ones 
herbs to taste as listed:
Rosemary
Ground Black pepper
Sweet Basil
Chili Pepper Flakes
Marjoram
Thyme
and Ground Fennel
I used about a Tablespoon and a half of each dried herb and some ground sea salt to taste!



I used an electric skillet to cook the meat sauce, i didn't cook the pasta until i was almost done with the sauce and i cooked the pasta al dente style so that it wasn't mushy and goopy!

Heat the oil in the skillet and add your onions and garlic, cook for 5-10mins then add your meat. Now everyones different but i like to add my dried herbs a few mins after the meat has cooked a little. Stir the herbs around and let simmer for a few mins then add your grated carrots, diced mushrooms and diced olives. Let it cook then add your canned tomatoes and tomato sauce place the lid on the skillet and let sit for 10-15mins stirring once in a while. At this point i start cooking the pasta when the pasta is almost done cooking i add the yogurt to the meat and mix it threw turning the temp up a lil. Mix it all up well then place the lid back on and turn the skillet off. Strain the pasta and place straight into a large serving dish, pour the meat sauce over the top and mix threw and place it on the table! :) And have at it family style!

This dish is great you can ALWAYS add all sorts of veggies to it the sauce really packs flavour so you can really get the kids or fussy hubby to eat anything with this sauce! I have added alsorts of summer squash to this and green beans even shredded cabbage! Also it can be served with Quinoa or couscous if your watching your carbs :)

Today i am linked up for Tuesday Night Supper Club link up! At one of my fav foodie blogs Fudge Ripple! Head on over and see what everyones been up to!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Christmas Australian Style and a recap of 2010!

 Couple days before Christmas my parents street had their Christmas party down on the water front :) very nice day for it, my mum made up curry puffs and jimput jimput a huge success as perusual :)
As most of you can see the traditional aussie christmas is much different then what most of you are use to :) No snow for us this year instead it was t shirts shorts and summer dresses tank tops and caprees! Santa was kind enough to drop on by the water front with presents and goodie bags for the kids :) (and a couple goodie bags for the 2 pregnant women at the party as well lol) After good eats and present opening the kids all headed for the water where they dug up crabs and other things built sand castles and dug trenches! Ending in them all swimming in the tidal pool :)







Christmas morning was fun and extremely busy for the most part :) everyone was told 11:30 and we would start eating around 1ish. The menu for our Christmas day consisted of:
Traditional Baked dinner with all the fixings as follows:
Baked legs of Lamb
Baked Pieces of Beef
Turkey
Roasted Vegetables
(carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, potatoes)
Gravy
Cold Leg of Ham
Strawberry Spinach Balsamic vinegar salad (most definitely one of my new favs!)
Chinese Cabbage Almond Soy salad of some sort
Oysters on the hlf shell
Oysters Kilpatrick
Local school prawns 
Tiger prawns 
Dips and crackers
and Nathan cooked up a heap of his Grampa's Bbq Chicken which was a hit :)
Desert was rocky road and pavlova with bananas and passion fruit and fresh whipped cream and a chocolate cheese cake of some sort.











It was all set up buffet style so everyone was able to have at it :) Most definitely be a few years before my hubby will get use to it if at all :) he couldn't get over the fact that we were eating outside, it was warm and for the most part we ate some of the food cold lol like ham :) his use to eating it hot back home :)


Now with 2010 being over id like to share some of the ups and downs of 2010 here's the downs...
  •  Although i miss friends and family back in the states i most definitely didn't miss the awkwardness that was at my husbands mothers house this year due to his younger brother whom is "dating" his step sister who is 7years younger to him... Apparently its been really uncomfortable and down right awkward to see them acting in a way that they think is acceptable,which in mine and my husbands eyes it is not by a long shot acceptable. We are not the only ones who see this as disturbing and disgusting...but are the only ones who took a stand and actually said something about it due to the fact that we have a child and we are trying to be good parents and teach him right from wrong. The whole situation has changed relationships in the family which is saddening but we stand our ground just like those who think its fine for them to act that way, stand their ground. I know its hard for my husband to see his mother list this "girl" as her "daughter" when she is by no means blood related to them at all but just under that listing on her facebook is her son whom said "daughter" is dating.. its hard but neither his brother or his mother see any wrong in what it is they are doing and we were told we should "accept" it and move on.
  • Another down... Loosing 2 angel babies this year.. but i know they are both in heaven being looked after by family members. As hard as this was for us as a family i think it has made me stronger and i most definitely have to say the relationship btw my husband and i has most definitely gotten stronger, he helped me threw alot and has really been one of my main support structures threw out this...
  • I have to say leaving my best friends behind was a downer as well... it was so hard specially seeing my best friend fell pregnant around the same time as i did... Kevin has been one of my best friends since moving to the states i really really miss him alot..
  • Saying goodbye to our pets was very hard especially Garfield our first "furr" baby it was so hard and we were late leaving the house because we couldn't pull ourselves away from kissing and hugging on him.. 
  • Leaving my house and all my things behind sucked but i had to do it and i know that Kevin has it all keeping it for us till we send for it.
The Ups of 2010
  • My son turned 7! We threw him the most amazing birthday/goodbye party we could afford! Everyone was invited from school/soccer and family. Hopefully creating some wonderful memories for him!
  • Lochlan learnt how to ride his bike with out training wheels right off the bat no help needed! Very proud of him :) It was really exciting to watch him take off with no help at all talk about gob smacked!
  • We finally made the move to Australia! Arriving to open arms and tear felt hellos! 
  • Falling pregnant for the 3rd time and doing really well threw the pregnancy so far! Due at the end of May beginning of June.
  • Learning about the wonders of fermented foods! And introducing some of them to my family! And i cant wait to start making some of them here in Australia.
  • eaching my son to make healthy decisions when choosing what to put into his growing body. 


So i hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their friends and family! And you all had a fun and safe New Years! I will post some pictures of our New Years Celebration at a later date! And i am working on posting pictures and the recipe for the yummiest cookies EVER!