Vegan Banana Berry Sundae

Banana Berry Sundae

Just because you are vegan or if you are following a dairy-free or no added sugar diet, it does not mean you don't want to enjoy a delicious frozen sundae.  Using nothing more than fresh, ripe fruit, a freezer and a food processor, I made a banana berry 'ice cream' and then stewed up some berries in their own juices to make a berry compote. I layered them up in a glass and I topped it with walnuts.  Delicious and pretty damn virtuous.

Freeze until just firm, which takes just a few hours.  If you have a sweet tooth, add some maple syrup to the compote as it's naturally a little tart, but I like tasting the real flavours of the fruit.

You can keep the ice cream in a tub in the freezer and when you need it, just defrost in the fridge until softened.  

The kids loved this dessert too, so it's a healthy alternative for pudding time, which contributes to their five a day.

My Fooodie Review Round Up - Wahaca, Brioche Pasquier and Ilumi

Wahaca Sauce

Wahaca is bringing some Mexican heat to my cooking, with their range of Smoky Chipotle, Fruity Habanero and Fiery Arbol chilli sauces.  Created by Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers, they are made with carefully selected chillies to create a versatile sauce for marinading, drizzling or cooking.

I used the Fiery Arbol Chilli sauce to add a kick of heat to my Quorn and Vegetable Satay (made simply using sugar and salt free peanut butter and coconut milk).  It added a lovely warmth to the dish.

Brioche Pasquier 

My children are big fans of French bakery items, which bring back many happy memories of holidaying in France. When they were sent some Brioche Pasquier items to try out they were eager to tuck in!

The individually wrapped Pains as Chocolate and the new Pitch chocolate brioche rolls are perfect for snacking on the go or for lunchboxes.  The Pains au Lait are deliciously soft rolls  that little ones will love.

The kid friendly Pitch rolls are available in Chocolate, Choc Chip, Lemon, and Strawberry flavours.  The chocolate ones are filled with a dark chocolate centre. Kizzy absolutely loves them!

All Brioche Pasquier products are free from artificial preservatives and colours, and are made using traditional, authentic recipes and techniques.  They bring a taste of France to breakfast, lunch and snacktime.

Ilumi Vegetarian Range - GF, dairy free and nut free.


Ilumi is a range of allergen free ready meals, sauces, soups and rices which are lovingly created using natural ingredients to enhance wellbeing.  They contain no nuts, no milk and no gluten making them great for people with allergies or for those trying to cut down on dairy or follow a GF diet.  Coming in convenient pouches, they can be enjoyed at home or eaten anywhere where they can be reheated.

The ingredients lists are clearly displayed on the front of the packaging and read like a homemade recipe. No nasty additives or chemicals, just real food, herbs and spices.  Ilumi have recently expanded their vegetarian range and I was sent a few samples to try out.

I was delighted to see that the dishes were all vegan as well as being GF friendly so they fitted in perfectly with my latest healthy eating.  They are convenient for those days when I have been too busy to make something completely from scratch.

Vegetable and Chickpea Jalfrezi - medium hot curry sauce covers butternut squash, chickpeas and peppers in this dish.  Perfect served with rice.
Geng Gari Curry with Butternut Squash - with coconut milk, sweet potato and butternut squash blended together in the sauce this is a sweet dish offset by the use of lemon grass and lime juice. This tasted authentically Thai with its sweet and sharp flavours.
Spicy Harira Soup - lentils, chickpea and tomato combine to make a spiced soup. Great if you like your food a bit spicy! A big hit with my husband.
Vegetable Biryani - a mildly aromatic rice dish, packed with vegetable pieces.  It's nice and moist and tasty with nice chunks of vegetable throughout.

You can shop online at www.ilumiworld.com where the soup costs £1.75 a pouch and vegetarian main meals cost £2.75. There are lots of choices for vegans and vegetarians.  Ilumi is quality convenience food at a reasonable price.

Action on Stroke Month - Not Just a Funny Turn

Every year, some 46,000 in Britain suffer a mini-stroke for the first time.  The symptoms are much like a stroke but they last for less than 24 hours.  The risk of going on to have a stroke in the next few days is very high, and symptoms should always be treated as a medical emergency.  Mini-strokes should never be dismissed as being just a "funny turn".  If treated in time 10,000 serious strokes could be avoided.

The FAST test can help identify the signs of a mini-stroke:

FACIAL weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?

ARM weakness: Can the person raise both arms?

SPEECH problems: Can they speak clearly and understand what you say?

TIME to call 999

And remember strokes can affect people of any age.

Never dismiss symptoms as being just a 'funny turn'!

To highlight this campaign and to raise awareness of mini-strokes, a host of British comedians have come together to share their favourite jokes to support Action on Stroke Month.

          

The campaign has been launched by the Stroke Association (supported by Legal & General) to raise awareness of mini-strokes, thus preventing people going on to suffer a full stroke, saving lives and saving the NHS £200 million annually.

For more information on mini-strokes and this campaign visit:  www.stroke.org.uk/tia

Saving Money as a Morrisons Mum

I was recently invited by Britmums to be a #MorrisonsMum. I was gifted with £80 of vouchers so I could do my Bank Holiday grocery shopping.  Morrisons is my regular place to shop, as we are lucky enough to have a reasonable sized store in our little town, but with their new permanent price cuts on over a thousand of their most popular products, I was interested to see if I would be able to cut the cost of my weekly bill.

Armed with my vouchers, my trolley and my trusty shopping sidekick Ian, we hit the store on Saturday morning, our usual shopping day.

You enter the store and walk straight into the Fruit and Vegetable aisles.  Being on a bit of a health kick, I went a bit mad stocking up on the 3 for £1.50 and 2 for £3.00 fruit and veg offers.  With carrots, melons, sweet potatoes, bananas, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, apples, mushrooms, peppers, grapes, cauliflowers, avocado, spinach, pears, salad, dates, cucumber and a coconut in our trolley we had made sure we'll be getting our five a day for days to come.

I am always impressed with the quality of the fresh produce in Morrisons.  I also really like the 'Stores Seconds' section, selling the odd loose bits and bobs for cheap.  I found a huge punnet of raspberries and one of strawberries for just 85p each.  They obviously needed eating on the same day, but that was fine for me and my berry loving brood.

Looking out for the new yellow stickered 'I'm Cheaper' products, which are clearly identified in store, meant I was able to save on a few everyday essentials.

I was really pleased to find Shredded Wheat permanently reduced by 40p and wholemeal bread down to 59p a loaf. Both things we buy regularly, so this will represent a genuine saving week to week.  Frozen Quorn mince, sausages and pieces have also had their prices cut, along with Heinz tomato ketchup, own brand ready meals, fresh soups, washing up liquid, Marmite, baby products, cereals, fresh produce, frozen goods, pasta, rice and toiletry products.  On average, prices have been slashed by 17%.

In addition to these permanently lowered prices across the store, there are also a host of special offers including half price Quorn sausages and burgers.  I love it when vegetarian food is on special and I tend to stock up. The BOGOF and half price offers are always a  big attraction, and I work my weekly menus around what is on offer each week.  My multisave offers saved me £4.26 off my bill on this shop. 

We had a trolley filled up with lots of healthy fruit and vegetables, vegetarian staples (such as Quorn and Tofu), wholefoods (such as Quinoa), tinned foods and frozen items.  We also bought Cushelle loo rolls and some toiletries.

I was delighted with all the shopping we bought, which is enough for a whole week of healthy eating, with some extras for the store cupboard and freezer.

The first meal that we enjoyed over the Bank Holiday weekend was an indoor barbecue (Ian had unknowingly used up all last year's coals)!  For the kids, we did Quorn burgers in a bun with salad and fried potatoes. The price was:

Quorn Burgers £1.12 for 2
Large Bread Rolls £1.00 for 6
Salad 99p for 2 bags
Potatoes 50p (part of the 3 for £1.50 deal)
Heinz Tomato Ketcup 700g £1.99

So each plate would cost just over £1.  Much cheaper than a fast food restaurant - and much better too!

For me, I had a grilled Portabello Mushroom (£1.69 for 4) topped with Halloumi (£2.35 a pack) served with sweet potatoes (£1.39 for a bag of six) and salad.

I also made some fabulous smoothies using half of both of the punnets of berries (85p) I bought in the seconds section of the fruit aisle, along with an organic banana (30p) and a cup of almond milk (£1.49 a litre) plus a handful of frozen fruit I had in the freezer.

The cost per glass of delicious Banana Berry Smoothie was just 40 p and it was delicious!

Morrisons money saving offers and own brand and big brand price cuts are definitely competing with the discount supermarkets when it comes to lowering the cost of grocery shopping.  And for me, the shopping experience, the cafe, the helpful staff (the lady who overheard me talking about not being able to find Tofu, then leaped in to assist us without having to be asked, was an absolute gem) and the other promotions (we got a voucher for 6p off a litre of fuel for spending over £40) means that I intend to remain a loyal Morrisons Mum!

Montagne Jeuneusse Face Masque Review

Being a big fan of the veggie friendly, cruelty free, natural pampering face masques from Montagne Jeunesse, I was more than happy to try out two of their latest offerings:  Hot Spring Sauna and Black Seaweed Peel Off Masque.  It's always nice to have a pamper session to give your complexion a boost!

My daughter Kizzy and I decided to have our own girls' night in pamper session.  We used the Black Seaweed Masque, which is made using Welsh Laver Seaweed and crushed Sea Buckthorn Berries.  It provides a seaside inspired detox for the skin which deeply cleans away dirt and grease.

After applying you relax for 15 - 20 minutes and then peel it away.  It came off brilliantly and resembled a thin, black bin bag once removed from the face.  It left only a little residue, mostly stuck in our eyebrows, but that rinsed off easily.

Freddy saw us peeling the masques away and thought we were aliens tearing our skin off...which I have to admit is what I pretend whenever I have a peel off masque.  It's all part of the fun!

The Hot Spring Sauna Masque is a nutrient rich, self-heating masque containing volcanic spring powder and chopped ginger. It gently opens up the pores for a deep cleanse and you feel all warm while it works its magic. Bamboo gently exfoliates and polishes the skin when it's washed off.  This masque had a lovely earthy scent and the exfoliation at the end left my skin feeling really clean and glowing.

At just £1 a sachet, Montagne Jeunesse Masques give you a wonderful spa-like facial treatment for a tiny price. It's lovely to enjoy a pamper session in the comfort of your own home, especially when you have daughters who love a pamper as much as you do!

Find out more at www.montagnejeunesse.com.  Also, if you have a Montagne Jeunesse Face Masque selfie upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #MJSelfie and you could win prizes!!

The Fabulous Blogging Conference that is #BlogonMOSI

I first met Laura a few years ago at a bloggers' event at Butlins.  Since then, I've watched with massive admiration as she has transformed herself into a blogging tour de force!  Among Laura's credits is the annual bloggers' conference Blog On MOSI, perfect for those of us north of Watford, which takes place at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry.

Yesterday was this year's Blog On MOSI.  Laura has got the formula just right, with round table discussion groups, small group Q & A's and hands on workshops, which give delegates the chance to learn new things and be inspired by their peers and the experts.  There is also plenty of opportunity to chat and mingle with the other bloggers as well as the brands that attend. The awesome bags of freebies, the incredible tombola and the huge raffle also play a big part in making the day a tremendous success.

My highlights from the day included the following things:

Learning how to use my PASM buttons!

My Lumix G2 camera and I have our ups and downs.  Sometimes I'll get a great shot, other times I do a better job using the camera on my phone.  This has been a massive source of frustration to me.  Thankfully, John Arnold was on hand to give me some top tips and advice. Now I can adjust my aperture settings and shutter speed and take control of my images.

Getting inspired by Capture By Lucy

Lucy's blog features the sort of photographs you wish you could take.  Combining an artistic eye with some beautifully quaint and retro props, Lucy can elevate a shot of a bottle of washing-up liquid into a work of art. I loved chatting to her and snapping some of her vintage props.  She is one inspirational lady and just as lovely as her photos.

Thanks too to Emily Leary for giving me the courage to play with the Dodge, Burn and Curves settings on my photo editor.  I was too nervous to mess around with them before!

Vitamix

For the last two weeks I've overhauled my diet.  I'm now a mostly dairy free, caffeine free, artificial additive free, refined sugar free, low carb eating vegetarian.  I've embraced my new lifestyle, losing 10 lbs, improving my skin, my general wellbeing and my outlook on food in the process.  Blog On was set to be a challenge. Cakes, pastries, cookies, brownies and flapjacks are available in abundance.  This was set to be a real test. Psychologically I thought I should be craving the sweet stuff, but when I really thought about it I was actually happier to eat the fresh fruit and drink mineral water.  It was empowering to not feel jealous of the cake eaters!

My decision was made so much easier by the lovely lady at the Vitamix stand who was using the latest Vitamix blender to make delicious green smoothies.  They were absolutely delicious and I paid a couple of visits to get a glass of grape, banana,pineapple and spinach smoothie.  The machine itself is amazing with the ability to freeze or heat the contents the blender, making ice-creams and soups with ease.  It's genius!

I met some lovely folk, and although I'm still a bit of a lone wolf, I enjoyed chatting to the bloggers and PRs I already know as well as meeting some wonderful new folks.  My favourite new face of the day was the incredibly funny, very lovely Messed Up Mum.  If you want to read a searingly honest anonymous blog about juggling parenthood, complicated family life and post baby health concerns with mental health issues, that still manages to shine with love, humour and warmth, take a look.

I may also have taken a selfie with a cardboard cutout of a Stormtrooper...as Blog On was held on May 4th...'May the fourth be with you' and all that!

I was pretty chuffed to win some prizes on both the tombola and raffle (unheard of) and come home laden with some pretty cool free stuff from some brilliant brands such as Jacobs Creek, Kelloggs, Nickelodeon, Ecover, Crushed UK, Scotch, Hotter Shoes, Bananagrams and McVities.  It was lovely to also contribute towards raising money for charity (over £700 was made on the day) and also to donate some nail varnishes to the Bravery Boxes collection.

Thanks again to the indomitable lady that is Laura Seaton aka Tired Mummy of Two - you sure know how to throw a good conference!

What Fred Said...about Dora, Dandelions and My Singing.

Freddy had worked out exactly why he was feeling tired:

I ate my Aero and it turned into lots of energy, but now my energy is used up and it has all turned into poo.

***

Freddy had a yogurt then put the spoon he had used back in the cutlery drawer.

It's OK, I licked it clean first!

***

He put his Nana into her place this week, with regards to her botanical knowledge:

Freddy: Look it's a dandelion. (He proceeded to pick the dandelion clock and blow it.)
Nana: Oh Freddy, look at all those fairies.
Freddy: They're not fairies Nana, they're dandelion seeds.

***

I think the appeal of Dora the Explorer has worn thin.  Whilst watching an episode where Dora was searching for the princess's castle Freddy could keep it in no more:

What's the matter with you Dora?  Are you blind?  Are you blind Dora? It's right there!

(To be fair, I think we all feel that way about Dora too!)

***

Whilst listening to "Wearing my Rolex" in the car (yes I listen to Wiley on the schoolrun!) Freddy deduced:

The boy just talks his words and the girl sings oddly.  Actually all girls sing oddly.  *brief pause* Except for Ella she sings good.
Me: What about me Freddy, do I sing 'good'?
No. You sing oddly.  Especially when you sing Frozen. You do that in a very wrong voice.