It’s been quiet in this little blog space of mine lately – but that is a clear indication that it has been anything but quiet in “real life”. The kids have their ever-growing array of school and after school / weekend activities and the hubs and my work schedules have been pretty jam-packed. So it’s probably no surprise that we feel as though we are always running from one thing to another.
Oh yeah, and then there was the big family trip we took to Japan! But more on that in another post…
Needless to say, I have quite the growing backlog of recipes that I want to share (if not, at the very least, to remind me of some of the delicious eats we’ve had recently).
Take this Red Lentil Dahl (or is it Dal or Dhal?)for instance, that made its way to our dinner table a few months ago.
Back when the morning frosts were still going strong, and the daylight hours were short. I popped the ingredients in my slow cooker before I went to work, and was rewarded with not only a glorious aroma when I returned home later that day, but also the ability to get dinner on the table in a flash. From memory – C & J had swimming after school on this particular day, so the hearty and belly-warming dahl was a welcomed hit when they walked in the door.
I served the dahl with rice and coriander, and although not pictured, I’m pretty confident I also added a dollop of natural yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
A perfect meal to warm us from the inside out (with leftovers for lunch the next day too!)
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- 3 cups red lentils rinsed and drained
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 800 g tinned tomatoes
- rice, coriander, yoghurt and lemon juice to serve
Ingredients
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- Place all ingredients (except for the toppings) into a slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover - and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
- Serve with steamed rice, coriander, a spoonful of yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Why is it always the case that during the school week I have to (sometimes literally) drag the kids out of bed, yet on Sunday – when we can all sleep in – they are up at 5.30am and ready to start the day!?
Flour, grated cheese, ham, milk, egg and olive oil. Kept very simple on this occasion as I plan to use them in the kids’ lunch boxes this week (and anything ‘green’ or ‘unusual’ is likely to be met with disdain at the moment).
While I measured the ingredients, the girls had fun stirring them and dividing them amongst the cases. Into the oven for 20 minutes, and we soon had ourselves a tasty morning tea.
Packed with wombok, brown rice, tomatoes, pineapple and fresh herbs, and jazzed up with toasted coconut and sweet chilli cashews, this salad sure packed a punch.
I used 
Hearty and delicious! With a great yield too so we had lots leftover for lunch and dinner the following days.
2. Grab a pan and heat a little oil over a medium heat (with the help of a grown up of course!).
3. Add your ingredients, heat and stir.
4. Serve and Enjoy!
My little budding chef and her grand creation. And I’m told she did beautifully in presenting her project to the class also (proud parent moment right there!!)
After realising that I can be a bit of a frozen puff-pastry hoarder, I’ve been looking for ways to make sure we use up the packets before they are lost in the depths of our chest freezer. Sausage rolls, in the traditional sense, have been baked in abundance for this reason, and are definitely a ‘go to’ for parties and entertaining. As are my favourite 
We tend to have at least one meat-free day a week. It isn’t necessarily ‘planned’, as such, it just tends to work out that way when we are deciding what our dinners will be for the week. Be it tofu, or perhaps beans, the choices seem to be relatively endless.
And not only were they tasty, they were oven-baked – meaning that they were a healthy version too.
We served the felafels with wholemeal pita pockets and salad, with a good amount of natural yogurt and hummus on the side- resulting in a rather tasty vegetarian dinner. 
I’ve been back at work for around 6 weeks now, working 3 days per week in the office. Slowly but surely we are working out what is to be the new ‘normal’ – with the 3 days I’m in the office being referred to by the little members in our house as the “rush days”.
I poached chicken breasts in chicken stock, with some peppercorns, ginger and garlic. Shredded then added to a coleslaw salad, made with mesculin, shredded purple cabbage, carrots, spring onions and a little corn I had leftover in the fridge. Dressed simply with sesame oil, soy and lemon juice, and finished with sliced red chilli and a good amount of coriander.
Easy, fuss-free and healthy. Not to mention SPEEDY – giving us more time to prepare for the rush day ahead.
We are really fortunate to have made some great friends in our street. Two couples who have kids of a similar age – living only a few houses away. Despite all being rather busy with work, and life, we’ve been making a point of catching up when we can. For playdates here and there, or for family-friendly lunches on the weekend when the kids can run amok while the adults catch up on the happenings of late.
