Inspiring summer salad recipes

Sainsbury's are wanting to inspire the nation to be more creative with their vegetables after seeing a massive upturn in the sales of vegetables. Leading the way are avocado with sales up 147%, asparagus spears up 118%, broccoli up 40%, courgettes up 30% and bunched beetroot up 25%.

Sainsbury's has teamed up with raw vegan food artist and Instagrammer Amber Locke to create some gorgeous summer salads using seasonal vegetables and we were challenged to have a go at creating our own.

My daughter Megan has a plant based diet and is very creative when it comes to making delicious raw salads and vegan meals. So I enlisted her help to make a delicious salad using an array of seasonal salad vegetables, combining some wonderful flavours, colours and textures.

Megan's salad plate featured sundried tomato falafel; raw lemon, chilli, courgette & almond salad; lime, carrot, coriander & toasted cashew salad; tomato, avocado, spring onion & cucumber salsa with walnuts and home made houmous with smoky paprika. Everything is made from scratch and tastes delicious, making the most of the fresh salad vegetables available. The recipes are simple, but the combinations are full of flavour with zingy citrus or the heat of chilli to bring out the taste.

Carrot, Coriander and Toasted Cashew Salad

3 medium grated carrots
grated juice and zest of a lime
chopped fresh coriander
sprinkle of chilli flakes
small handful of toasted cashew nuts
salt and pepper

Pop the grated carrot, zest, juice, coriander and chilli flakes into a bowl and mix together. Season with s & p and sprinkle over the toasted cashews.

Lemon, Courgette, Chilli and Almond Salad

1 large courgette
juice  and zest of one lemon
half a red, deseeded, chopped chilli
small handful of flaked almonds
salt and pepper

Use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of courgette. Mix with the juice, zest and the chilli. Season with s & p and sprinkle over the nuts.

Tomato, Avocado, Spring Onion & Cucumber Salsa

4 tomatoes - various colours
1 ripe avocodo
half a cucumber
4 spring onions
chopped fresh coriander
chopped walnuts
one teaspoon each of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar and olive oil
salt and pepper

Chop the tomato, avocado and cucumber into small cubes. Slice the spring onions thinly. Combine together with the coriander, the dressing ingredients, salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over the salsa.

Serving these salads with some home made falafel, houmous and some Romaine lettuce leaves makes a lovely, summer meal for four, packed with health giving vitamins and minerals.

Freddy is 7 Today

My son. My beautiful boy.

7 years of love, pride and joy.

Happy Birthday Freddy.

This year, Freddy loves:

DanTDM

Harry Potter

YouTube

Quorn 'Gammon' steaks

FAB lollies

the whites of eggs

gymnastics

Diary of a Wimpy Kid books

his family

my made up bedtime stories

dancing in the shower after his swimming lessons

superheroes

going to the cinema on a Sunday morning

playing XBox sports games

cartwheels

mozzarella and sun dried tomato panninis in Costa

the colour purple

toffee yumyums from Lidl

That's my boy xxx

A Real Parenting Guide for the Summer Holidays

Confessions of a Summer Parent

I adore my little people. But six weeks of unadulterated entertaining over the long summer holidays can take its toll on even the most dedicated parent. At first I am all eager and enthusiastic, planning themed activity weeks and encouraging the children to keep exciting holiday scrapbooks to document the well thought out day trips and character building experiences I have scheduled.  Within a few days, however, my highly motivated mothering gives way to a slightly more apathetic approach where laptops and iPad's feature much more heavily than the eco-friendly, super creative, mind expanding art project that I had in mind. A few days of rain and a few hundred 'what can we do now' comments and we are watching Peppa Pig on a loop and eating Pot Noodles for lunch. 

So, what is the answer when it comes to balancing your sanity while keeping the children happy during the long summer break?

Simple. Trick them into having the sort of fun that serves the secondary purpose of making your life that little bit easier. They will unknowingly be doing something useful and beneficial to you, while having a good time. 

• Grab a big bucket of soapy water and a handful of sponges and excitedly sing the praises of wet play and making bubbles. Then point the kids in the direction of the patio furniture and watch in glee as one of those horrible summer jobs you've been putting off  gets completed under the guise of having some super, splashy sensory fun. If this works out well, you can escalate the 'game' to include washing the family car.

• Get them in the kitchen for some exciting pizza making. Give them ready prepared bases, tomato puree, grated cheese and a range of toppings. Throw a few Italian phrases into the mix and get them shouting out 'Buon Appetito' and 'Multo Bene' to get them in the mood, while you sit back with a glass of Italian Chianti. Bingo...they are kept occupied and they get fed in the process.  And that's one less meal that you have to prepare! Win win!

• When the Lego box has been tipped out for the umpteenth time and the paraphernalia for the teddy bear's tea party is strewn across the floor mixed in with the felt tips, crayons and colouring books that had kept the kids quiet for five minutes earlier, you have two choices. You can scream and shout and pull your hair out as you survey the extreme mess that has been generated or you can unleash your inner Mary Poppins and make a game out of tidying up. As Ms Poppins so rightly said "in every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun and snap! The job's a game!" So instead of turning the chaotic scene of playtime devastation into a parenting warzone, give the kids a challenge. Who can pick up the most toys and put them back in the right box the fastest?! Hum the tune of  a "Spoonful of Sugar" as you watch your mini-mes compete to be the fastest tidier upper! Dangling a carrot (well maybe not an actual carrot, maybe a biscuit would be a more appropriate treat) and the whirling dervishes of destruction will put their energy into something useful. If they are really enjoying their tidying, extend the fun by popping a duster in their hand and watch as they do the housework.

• Sometimes, you just want some peace and quiet. But kids need to let off steam and get physical or they'll be up past their bed times hyperactive and twitching with unspent energy. So it's time to have a silent disco! Headphones on, iPods playing, listening to Britney or Bieber or 'Let It Go' on repeat, the kids can dance as manically as they want to in absolute silence. (Remind them of the no singing rule before embarking on this or you'll have a cacophony of tuneless, overly loud voices, shouting their way through an assortment of songs simultaneously. No one ever needs to experience that!) They will wear themselves out in a noiseless fashion just in time for bed.

• During the summer holidays, other parents can become your greatest allies. They are going through the exact same situation as you are and will be crying out for a hand of friendship and assistance to help them through the six weeks of child juggling. This is the perfect opportunity to initiate an unofficial childcare exchange. Invite some of your little one's pals over to play one afternoon. Prepare well for the onslaught of extra kids, providing some garden based activities and an outdoor picnic (keeping them outdoors means less tidying up indoors and the birds will eat the crumbs from lunch!) Then sit back as your good deed is repaid by way of future play date invitations from your little guests' parents. So that one afternoon of mayhem could be reciprocated with four or five child free days over the next few weeks. A fair exchange by anyone's standards!

• Never underestimate the power of bribery! We can all strive to do our best, but we also have to be honest when it comes to our limitations. Sometimes we need a bit of leverage for ensuring the desired outcome when it comes to parenting. Kids love the concept of being rewarded for doing good things, most schools adopt a reward system, so embracing this idea at home can be a great tool for the summer. Get a nice jar and a big pack of marbles and tell the kids that whenever they have been super good they will be rewarded by popping a marble in the jar. (Naughty behaviour can also result in the removal of a marble if you want to exert maximum power!) When the jar is filled with marbles they can get a treat such as a cinema trip or a day at the zoo. The visual effect of the jar filling with shiny, colourful marbles will capture the kids' imaginations and hopefully inspire best behaviour. What the kids don't know, is that you would probably have taken them to the zoo or the cinema anyway (anything to get out of the house!) but if you can use this bribery reward scheme to your advantage, then why not!

However you cope this summer, I hope you all manage to have some family fun and make some wonderful memories together. Come September, we will hold on to the magical moments and all the bad bits will be forgotten, as we pack our little ones off to school, and we may even shed a tear from behind our rose tinted glasses.

"This post is an entry for the BritmumsConfession of a Summer Parent Challenge sponsored by Anchor."

Celebrate July the 4th with Heinz

Heinz launch New York deli style Yellow Mustard

The 4th of July is a great excuse to get out the barbecue and cook up some hot dogs and burgers (all vegetarian for us of course!) and enjoy an all-American meal. Accompanied by some fries, salads, slaw, ketchup and mustard, this is a great summer time alfresco treat that the family will love.

Heinz have a brand new Yellow Mustard that is inspired by the authentic taste of the mustard served in New York delis. Heinz Yellow Mustard is available in two flavours  - Mild and Honey - and comes in a squeezable bottle to make it easy to use. 

This great tasting American-style mustard has been specifically created to offer a mild flavour that the whole family can enjoy. The result is a deliciously smooth and creamy mustard that’s perfect for squiggling over sausages and burgers or adding a gentle kick of warmth to dressings and marinades.

Freddy loves a veggie hot dog topped with a squirt of ketchup and mustard so this is perfect for him. He loves the mild variety for adding a dash of colour and sunshine to meal times. The mellow Yellow Mustard is a great addition to the condiments we use daily.

Heinz Yellow Mustard is available in Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Waitrose and Ocado, with RRPs from £1.69.

Num Noms Series 2 - unboxing and review

The second series of Num Noms, the stackable, scented, crazy and cute collectibles have hit the UK! The range includes some savoury scented characters such as pizza, sushi, diner and brunch Num Noms, alongside some brand new fairground foods, ice cream, cup cake, jelly bean and freezie pops flavoured Num Noms. Each soft, squidgie Num pairs up with a Nom, which can be an eraser, a scented stamp, a lip gloss or a motorised base. Perfect for mixing and matching to create your own wacky flavour combinations. There are now over 5000 mix and match scented combos to make!

Mystery Blind Packs are £2.99 and include a mystery scented Num and either a stamp or lip gloss Nom. Num Noms Starter Packs are £8.99 and include three Nums and a motorised go-go Nom plus an accessory and a menu card. The Deluxe Pack contains six Nums (one is a mystery Num), two motorised Noms, a food container, accessory and menu and costs £14.99. Playsets such as the Lip Gloss Truck and Art Cart are available for £24.99. Some special edition items are available in each collection.

Freddy got to try out two blind packs and a freezie pop flavoured starter pack. The new Freezie Pop characters have scents such as Strawberry Pop, Tropi-Cali, Grape Soda Pop and Icy Berry and are made of a colourful, see through material that looks frozen. They come with a freezie pop container and a spoon for added fun.

The blind packs contain a mystery Nom and a Num. We got M.Mallow from the Cupcake Nums collection and Sugar Puffs from the Fair Food Nums collection along with a cherry and S'mores gloss-up. Freddy was hoping for a stamp-it Nom, but will at least now have very moisturised scented lips!

Num Noms are colourful, quirky and fun collectibles, each with a unique mix and match scent for some flavour combining fun. You can find out more at www.numnoms.com.


                             

The Big Co-Op Clean #BigCoopClean

With the recent events highlighting deep seated divisions in Britain, now is the perfect time for communities to unite and show the power of standing together for the greater good. Joining together to help improve our local neighbourhoods and showing pride in our communities, is a wonderful way to give back to society in a positive way, showing that we can achieve more together than we can on our own. One simple way we can do this, is by taking part in the annual Big Co-Op Clean.

As part of the Co-Operative fortnight, there are some big events planned, where co-operative societies, friends, neighbours and colleagues can come together to help clean up local areas. The next event is in Wrexham on July 1st at 10am with an organised clean up of Caia Park.

Or you can organise your own Big Clean event involving family and friends, or simply do something yourself from home to help support the campaign. There are lots of ways to help and if we all come together and play our part, we can make a positive difference to where we live.

You can help by picking up litter to clean up your local streets or beauty spot. Or maybe volunteer to tidy up an elderly neighbour's garden or help spruce up a play area. You could even have a declutter of your own home and donate your unwanted things to a British Red Cross Shop or hold a car boot sale and donate your funds directly to a Co-Op charity partner. Whatever you do, however big or small, you can be sure that you are making a difference.

You can buy cleaning products that meet the Cruelty Free Household International Humane Household Products standards and pick up a pair of rubber gloves and some bin bags from your local Co-operative, ready to take part in any big clean up jobs that you get involved in this weekend.

You can follow the #BigCoopClean hashtag on Twitter for inspiration.

Find out more about the campaign, events and ideas for getting involved at:

 www.co-operative.coop/membership/coopclean/

Minecraft Vloggers join the line-up at The Digital Kids Show

Freddy loves YouTube, where he can spend ages watching videos from his favourite gaming vloggers such as Dan TDM, Lonnie and Popular MMOS. So he has been very excited to discover some brand new gaming and Minecraft vloggers, who will be appearing at The Digital Kids Show on the 29th and 30th October at Event City in Manchester.

Latest additions to the show’s line up include Ethan Gamer, SalemsLadyM, Netty Plays and Mini Matt Smith aka MinecartMayhem who will be joining AshDubh, LDShadowLady, Amy Lee, Tomohawk and Smallishbeans.

Ethan Gamer, from South Manchester, is the youngest vlogger aged just 9, who vlogs about all kinds of gaming including mobile games, Roblox and Minecraft.

SalemsLadyM vlogs about Minecraft and Skylander. She has 140K subscribers on her channel and over 24 million views.

Netty Plays has 214K subscribers to her channel which is about her life and gaming. Netty started vlogging after she appeared in Stampylongheads sister challenge.

Mini Matt is a 13 year old Doctor Who cosplayer and styles himself on  Matt Smith with over 80K subscribers. He will be bringing along his very own officially licensed life-sized Tardis from series 5 of  Doctor Who. Revenue generated from his channel is donated to the charity Dreams Come True of which he is a national ambassador. 

They join AshDubh, LDShadowLady, Amy Lee, Tomohawk and SmallishBeans - five YouTube superstars who have clocked up over 1 Billion views and with over 5 million subscribers on their channels!

You can see the vloggers on stage for live shows and at meet and greets. Check out their Facebook page for further details and fun at www.facebook.com/Digitalkidsshow.