Morning Glory #MorningStories

Tea sets me up for the morning.

Mornings can be the busiest time of day , in fact it is like a military operation getting everyone washed , dressed fed and washed and the hands of the lock hurtle towards 8 am. I love to get the most out of my mornings it sets me and the rest of the family up for a productive day.





My tops tips for getting organised in the morning are:


1. Early riser ( be a ) whilst that sounds horrific it's not once you get used to it , try setting your alarm a little earlier . Mornings are the most productive times of the day , mornings will often see me boredom baking and doing housework whilst they are baking.!


2. Good breakfast ( have a) I'm not really not much of a breakfast person but I have come to realise of late , what an important meal it is , I read somewhere that you should have breakfast within half an hour of waking up. The food we put into our bodies becomes the fuel on which it runs.

3. List ( make one the night before). We all have projects, work and situations that require our time and things that we need to accomplish ( like getting that lunchbox for your child finished !). Most likely your to -do list is longer than the Great Wall of China certainly more than you can accomplish in one day. T o make the most of your day , choose one big thing on your list and do it first. Then if you finish this move on and do the next one.

4. Exercise this may not sound practical if you have a toddler trying to put their potty on top of their head or your reception child losing their shoes for the umpteenth time but hopefully it will as you become more organised. It all takes time and once you are organised you can take part in some exercise together : have fun in the mornings.

5. Do something you love. I do one thing I love each day and this might see me going for a walk early on ( this is easier for me as my son is a teenage ) or boredom baking or a spot of ninja weeding or going to see Brian the compost bin. Do one thing you love each day , live it love it embrace it.

6. Preparation this goes hand in hand with makes lists really , such as preparing school uniform the night , polishing shoes , organising lunch boxes.

7 Rest (make time) , resting is a productive as planning , don't feel guilty about it, rest is essential to our well-being .

8. Distractions , distractions , distractions .. Oh look a butterfly . 

Distractions can be a waste of time , I have to admit that I get overwhelmed with distractions such as social media. I always think of the phrase "don't put off today what you can do tomorrow"  When talking with people look them in the eye, I find this hard to do but I am getting better at it as people really do appreciate eye to eye contact.

9. Give a kindness , open a door for someone , help someone with a task , listen to a troubled friend etc . Giving is a much fun as it is receiving.

10. Reset as they say "Tomorrow is  a mystery , yesterday is history " Each new start has potential and opportunity to be seized . I love a quick 5 minutes to clear the clutter in the evening though aim for 10 so then your home will be refreshed.



This past week I have been trying out belvita biscuits as part of my breakfast , the only breakfast biscuits proven to slowly release carbohydrates over four hours as part of a balanced breakfast. belvita biscuits contain at least five whole grains ,are rich in cereals, a source of fibre and contain a selection of vitamins. Available in convenient portion packs. they are recommended to be enjoyed as part of a balanced breakfast for example with a banana and cup of tea.

belvita breakfast biscuits are now available in three tasty ranges : belvita Breakfast Biscuits, Yogurt Crunch, Duo Crunch and new Crunchy

My son took the chocolate with yogurt filling on his rugby tour alas he took no photos or posed with them but he said they were nice = in teen speak they were blooming marvellous.


My outright favourite was the Breakfast ones ,I could sit on my decking in the morning and have a cup of tea and watch Mr blackbird hop hopping across my lawn awwwh lazy days = me time .


"This post is an entry for the #Morningstories Linky Challenge sponsored by belvita Breakfast. 

History Whispers At Your Footsteps

"Oh the places I will go "

History whispers at your footsteps.


Does history whisper at your footsteps? , are you amazed by where you live ? I am .

For if Swarkstone bridge had been crossed by Bonnie Bridge Charlie then our history could have been so so very different , I am amazed and in awe of where I live and I love it. 

Swarkstone Bridge is at the end of  Swarkstone causeway , it was built in the 13 century to cross the river and surrounding marshes. The ancient bridge crosses the river Trent 6 miles south of Derby (England)


The bridge is just under 1 mile long and has 17 arches, In 1745 during the Jacobite rebellion

Nearby is the Jacobean grandstand called Swarkestone Hall Pavilion and walled area, formerly connected with Harpur Hall, where it is believed they used to bait bulls. The pavilion is attributed to John Smythson who also designed Bolsover Castle, and is Grade I Listed.It was repaired and is now owned by the Landmark Trust who maintain it and rent it out to holidaymakers.

I love secret little invitations to walk and seek and explore :

I am a seeker of the hidden

I am seeker of those who are gone

I am a seeker of a door that beholds

I am a seeker of adventure

I am a seeker of me

I am a seeker of you

I love the countryside around where I am.

The countryside and the woods are amongst my favourite places and spaces.

The Go To The Walk

Life if you don't stop once in a while and look you'll miss it .

To love life you have to live it.

Watching canal boats go by I see one that is called "Memory Maker" what a beauty in the pure simplicity of a name.

Everyone sees the world from their own prospective but sometimes your senses are blinkered.

You can be in life  automatic in like  pretty much like your camera , it really doesn't take much to overrun this reaction.

Just open the gate of your mind , you just have to find your way of doing this.

A walk by the canal leads to the awakening of all the senses , childhood days and summer sun. Reading books such as "Toad of Toad Hall" leads to waiting for Ratty and badger to coming rowing by.

The lambs of spring just frolicking in the ruins of a long last hall , lost days of grandeur returning to nature.

You know that saying about just so long as you can out run the slowest person then the bear will eat them imagine that saying but will cows . We walled across one field with cows not ordinary cows but ones that looked at me like Mad Moody from Harry Potter. I shouted Mr T 

"I think the cows are going to attack me , that one is particular is leering at me "

"Don't be silly , when was the last time you heard if anyone being killed by a cow " replied Mr T in a far off voice carried only by the gentle May breeze as he strided a good 50 ft of me , squinting my eyes I swore blind he was running.

Perhaps it was the pre summer  haze ..

Mostly likely ....

Not!.

Lazy Days.

Long Walks.

Grand Living.

The Summer House Swarkstone

Connecting.

Talking.

Finding Yourselves as adults.

Being.

Morrisons Kicking Back On a Bank Holiday #MorrisonsMum

Falafel

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and then finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped.

2tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 x 400g tins chick peas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp plain flour, plus a little extra for frying

Handful of coriander leaves ( optional)

Handful of chopped mint

Make a nice mint yogurty dip

To serve 4 pitta breads

what ever dressing you wish for, water cress and vine tomatoes.

Preparation time 5 - 10 minutes

Method

Soften the onion in 1 tbsp of the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Then add the garlic and spices, and cook for a few minutes.

Next spoon the onion mix into a bowl, adding the chick peas and flour and roughly blend with a hand blender or you can use a food processor.

Chop the coriander, if using, and add to the jug with chopped   ( personally I would love the coolness of a mint dressing) especially delicious on a lazy Bank holiday Monday.

Divide the mixture into 8 and dip in a little extra flour. Then heat the remaking oil and fry the falafel for a few minutes on each side, until golden.

Serve in a warmed pitta bread with a minty yogurt dressing, water cress and vine tomatoes 

Or just serve them up in a salad !

Costs: can of chick pea .59p X 2
           pitta bread           .49p X 2
           Cumin                  £1.45


I had salad in already and the other ingredients in already as I deem them to be stable ingredients I use all the time.

I also had an Unbreakfast meal over the Bank Holiday which we thoroughly enjoyed as a family, Morrisons low prices really brought use together as a family.



Disclosure I was sent some Morrisons shopping vouchers to do my shopping , my opinions and my recipe are my own.

Chicken And Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Curry

I am took part in a Red Tractor challenge , what is Red Tractor I hear you cry , it isn't a children story for one. What red Tractor actually is is an assurance mark that shows you that food has been produced responsibly to some of the most comprehensive and respected food and farming standards in the world. The union jack in the logo also indicates that your food has been farmed, processed and packed in the UK by Trusted producers

You can find Red tractor assurance on a wide range of UK farmed food including meat, poultry ,dairy products, fresh produce and crop based products like rapeseed oil,sugar and even beer mmmmm Beer .

The recipe below takes some of the favourite Red Tractor Assured ingredients into a tasty curry recipe for you , the slow cooker is very much like the workhorse of the kitchen it takes the strain for you and does all the hard work whist you are doing other activities etc.

Chicken And Sweet Potato Curry

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 4-8 hours depending on your slow cooker setting

Ingredients

1 onion
peeled and cut into half moons

3 cm piece fresh root ginger or you could use ground ginger

3 tbsp of Indian curry paste ( mine was mild which me and my son prefer thought Mr T has no fear when it comes to hot curry tastes)

Westin Gourmet chicken breasts 3 which I was using for the purposes of this challenge.

I can of coconut milk.

Juice and zest of 2 limes

15g fresh coriander ( optional)

2 large sweet potatoes , peeled and cut in 3cm pieces

100g green beans, timed and cut in half

To serve, cooked basmati rice for this dish I went with a lemon Basmati

Method

Once you have all your Ingredients together first add the coconut milk to the slow cooker then add the paste and gently stir. Next add all your other ingredients another gentle stir . after all this is done go and relax ! My favourite method is watching Mr T cutting the grass ...

If you wish to thicken the curry you can add some corn flour .

Westing Gourmet  is a unique online retailer who specialises in the knowledge that happy chickens amok for tasty meat and their farm assured chicken breasts come from Red Tractor approved farms in Yorkshire and Cumbria. meaning you can be more confident that your chicken has come from farms where animal welfare, environmental protection and food safety are all adhered to. Each hand -trimmed class A chicken breast is a whopping 225g and contains no added salt or water whack means no shrinkage!


Disclosure I was proved with a hamper of food from red Tractor and various suppliers to develop a number of recipes.