Fun in the.. Snow?

Carrying on with the frozen theme that has been hanging around the blog recently, we have had quite a bit of snow today and theres much more to come overnight apparently. We decided to have a play out in it for a bit and Calleigh had a blast! Hoping to go out somewhere tomorrow and take Calleigh sledding- doing it in the garden was fun but it isn't much of a hill. 

We also took a bit of a walk in Rockwoods yesterday hoping to see some wildlife- we didn't but it was a good walk (even if it was -10). 

Outfit of the Month: February

This month's outfit is inspired by both the weather and the show we are going to see on Friday. 

Meeting Frozen

Calleigh got to meet Frozen characters Anna, Elsa and Olaf last week at the local mall. It's actually came at a really good time because on Friday we are going to watch Frozen on Ice and now Calleigh is really excited for it! 

It was busy and we had to queue for quite a while but we got Calleigh some dinner and I sat down with her whilst she ate and Daddy kept our place in line. 

Calleigh was really happy to meet them!

Pillsbury Mini Shepherds Pies

Ingredients:

• Refrigerated pie crusts
• Frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper 
• 24 oz mashed potatoes

Method:

1. Heat oven to 400F. Unroll pie crusts and roll each into 12 inches in diameter. Using a 4 inch round cutter, cut 6 rounds from each crust. Firmly press each round into a regular sized muffin pan, making sure to go up the sides. Bake for 7-10 minutes until lightly brown. Reduce heat to 350F.
2. Microwave frozen vegetables as directed on the package and set aside. 
3. In an 8 Inch nonstick skillet heat butter over medium heat until melted. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Add beef to skillet and cook until brown. Drain excess fat. Add broth, salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Stir in vegetables. 
4. Cook potatoes as directed. 
5. Fill each crust with the beef mixture and top with the mashed potatoes. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crusts are golden brown and the mashed potatoes are lightly brown. I like to switch the oven to broil just before I take them add to get them a bit more brown on top. 
6. Serve with peas, mint sauce and gravy- perfect! 

Spring/Summer Lookbook 2015

With all the cold weather and yet more to come still I have been thinking a lot about summer and how I can't wait for that first summers day when we can go out without coats, hats and scarves and really enjoy the sunshine! It also made me start looking at Calleigh's clothes and a new summer wardrobe for her.
I have already brought a few bit in preparation for our trip to Florida in 3 weeks!

So above are a few of my top picks from Next's 2015 range!

1//2//3//4//5//6//7

Greek Turkey Burgers

It's been a long time since I posted a recipe post on here. Truth be told I got a bit lazy and haven't prepared many meals from scratch in a while. But the other week I decided to research some recipes and start preparing healthy, fresh meals for us again and I'm hoping to continue this throughout the year! 

One of my favorite recipes from the first week were these Greek Turkey Burgers. So easy to make and so delicious! The cucumber and mint sauce was to die for! 

Ingredients:

• 1lb lean Turkey
• 9oz frozen chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup fat-free plain yoghurt
• Pita bread halves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yoghurt (for sauce)
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber (for sauce)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh mint leaves (for sauce- I used mint sauce as I couldn't find any fresh leaves)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (for sauce)

Method:

1. Set oven to broil. In a medium bowl mix cucumber sauce ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Cook spinach as directed and cool slightly, drain well. In a large bowl mix cooked spinach, turkey, yoghurt, oregano, garlic salt and pepper. Shape into oval patties about 1/2 inch thick. Place patties on a baking tray under the broiler (about 5 inches from heat) for about 10-12 minutes, turning once. Ensure internal temperature is 165F. 
3. Place 2 tomato slices in each pita pocket; place burgers over tomato slices and top with sauce. 
4. Serve with a delicious salad.

And there you have it- simple, easy, healthy and delicious! 

A Week Away

Two weeks ago I received some really bad news and it ended up in an emergency trip back to England for me. I decided at the time that it would be better (and less expensive) for me to go alone and leave Calleigh here with Daddy. It was such a hard decision as I have never been away from Calleigh for that long before and I was really worried about travelling alone and how much I would miss Calleigh. I also felt really bad about going to England and not taking Calleigh for the families to see, I know everyone misses her so much and would have loved seeing her.

Well I'm happy to report the travelling went well and I found it so much easier to travel alone than I thought it would be. Calleigh gave me some of her ponies to take with me so we could be together. On the flight over I had the whole row to myself which was a dream! I was able to lie down and relax, it was amazing! 

The only problem I en counted was a last minute cancellation on my flight back from Newark to St Louis which resulted in a lot of sorting out to get on a different flight and an overnight stay at Newark (plus more expensive!) and another day until I was able to see my Calleigh beans!

It was really great to go back and see family again, even if the circumstances and the reason for my visit were not the best. I spent the week at my sisters with my mum, her boyfriend and their extremely large, excitable puppy Shadow! 

Because of the short notice of the trip I didn't take much money back with me but everything I did take of course got spent on treats to take back for Calleigh! I couldn't visit England without bringing her back some Pom Bears, which she got a taste for on our last visit in September. She also ended up with a load of ponies, turtles, magazines and clothes haha! 

It was hard to spend the time away from Calleigh and I did miss her so much, even though sometimes it was nice to just do what I wanted when I wanted without having to worry about Calleigh. I spoke to her and Daddy on FaceTime when I could, although there was a few days when she refused to talk to me because she was angry with me for not being with her! 

I think Paul enjoyed the whole experience too- he worked from home whilst I was away so he got to learn more about what Calleigh likes and her routines and got to spend a lot more time with her than usual. It was a real week of Daddy-Daughter bonding! 

Overall I really enjoyed my week away but was definitely ready to go back to my baby girl. When I got off that plane in St Louis and came walking down to baggage reclaim I saw Calleigh and Daddy standing there waiting for me and once Calleigh saw me she came running over shouting "Momma, I missed you, I missed you". It was so sweet! I couldn't have asked for a better welcome home! 

We stopped off for some food on the way back (I was starving!) and when we finally got home I walked into a little welcome home party they had set up with banners and balloons and presents for me. It was so nice!

Calleigh couldn't wait to get into my suitcase as she knew I had presents for her and she was so excited every time she saw something for her. "Oh wow" "Oh my goodness" "I love it" "All this for me" were just some of what she said bless her.

Rock The LunchBox Vox Box Review

I was so excited to be selected to review the Rock The LunchBox Vox Box from Influenster. Having such a picky eater it can be hard to find healthy foods that Calleigh will eat so I was really happy to have the chance to try out some goodies from some awesome brands!

Included in the box were coupons for Annie's pizza bagels, Annie's Bunny Grahams, Rudis, Applegate Half Time lunch packs and Honest Kids juice drinks.

 

Calleigh's favourite were the Annie's Bunny Grahams. I chose the Honey, Chocolate and Chocolate Chip mix and she loves them as a snack in between meals or as a side with some lunch. My favourite product was the mini pizza bagels- Calleigh is not a big pizza fan but I love them and find them great for a little something when you can't decide what to eat!

We used the Applegate Half-Time lunch kit when we went to the zoo. It was a kind of last minute decision as it was such a nice day and I didn't have time to make something before we left. I don't like buying Calleigh a meal when we are out in places as she very rarely eats it and it's not exactly cheap so this was great to grab on the go. She enjoyed the crackers and the cheese but didn't really touch the turkey.
The Honest drinks have been great too- Calleigh likes them and they are really handy for taking out with us when we are out and about.

We haven't yet had chance to use the Rudis English Muffins, they are in our freezer, but I know Calleigh enjoys English muffins for breakfast every now and again so I'm excited to try them on one of those days!

All in all I really, really loved this box! I love it when I can try new things with Calleigh and discovering new products is great!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.