Amsterdam For Teenagers

I Amsterdam sign.

Amsterdam has its cultural side to and is not too much over an eyebrow raised or overload for teenagers too , teenagers can perhaps get a little over awed as can anyone when going round museums but plan your day right then your trip need not be a problem. And you'll enjoy Amsterdam as a family together with not a grumpy teenager in sight or sound .

Bicycles and Canals in Amsterdam.

1. Anne Frank Museum

No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a visit to Anne Frank's House . Anne documented her experience of life in hiding from the annex of this house during the Nazi occupation. The location of the Jewish Frank family hiding place during WWII. Teenage Anne documented her experience from the annex of this Amsterdam house, over 1 million people visit this museum each year so booking before you come is highly recommend . We visited early in the morning and before hand visited the little cafe down some steps to the left of the building for a continental breakfast coffee and hot chocolate. Online booking us easy and really not expensive at all but be prepared to keep looking as the tickets get snapped up quickly . I recommend that you keep looking each day till you see the tickets as it seems the tickets are released in batches , and an early morning sets you up for the rest of the day in Amsterdam.

A typical continental breakfast.

Coffee in Amsterdam.

2. Canal Cruise

The iconic Amsterdam canals are suitable for all ages not just teenagers. The magnificence beauty of the iconic buildings and canals will enthrall any teen. There are many canal trips available out there and you can getbamboozled by all the choice out there , we took advantage of an offer we saw while having breakfast to the left of Anne Frank's house which was 14 Euros for an hour and a half tour , which I thought was quite reasonable. There is a 100 km of canals which to explore which you can either explore on a tour or on one of the hop on hop off canal boats. Characteristically the Amsterdam canals are lined with tall, thin skinny buildings that do have a rather unnerving lean but this is to allow the building to remain undamaged when items are hoisted up and down via the hooks you'll see on buildings. It is fascinating to see the mix of accommodation along the hotel from the house boat accommodation of the 1960s and 1970s to the posh hotels that the likes of pop stars and royalty , politicians stay at.

A relaxing Amsterdam Canal cruise.

No problem if it rains as the canal boots have retractable roofs!

The beautiful tall buildings of Amsterdam.

Canal cruises are relaxing after a lot of walking in Amsterdam!

3. Bicycling

The bicycle of Amsterdam are iconic and they definitely seem to outnumber people , I think that Amsterdam is the bicycling capital of the world 

Bicycles there are more Bicycles than people in Amsterdam !

4. Van Gogh museum is evidence that my teenager does actually pay attention probably more than I do , the museum has a light and airy feel to it which the whole family will love. I was wondering at the museum why the sunflower painting was here as I thought it was else where in the world so how could it possibly be here ? Seems there that Van Gogh painted 5 versions of this so it pays to read the information labels .

5. Museumplein The museum is in an area called museumplein it's a beautiful open area in a city that is short on green space , it is the pinnacle of sophistication and it is 19th century. To the south of museumplein is Vonderpark . It is here in Museum square that will you will find the iconic "I Amsterdam " letters along with everyone else who is looking for them and subsequently finds them ! They are defiantly a must on your photographic click about Amsterdam though if you want to get there and actually see all the letters tourist free then I suggest you go early in the morning and I mean early !

Museumplein is selfie central in Amsterdam!

Have a Jellytastic Picnic and Lunchbox Treat

I love Jelly and it's the perfect picnic treat and lunchbox friend. A healthy lunchbox is must and obviously well balanced and there is so much you can out in it.

Healthy doesn't have to mean boring though there are plenty of foods that you can add to a lunch box /picnic that will add colour and interest as well as importantly being tasty.

Hartley’s Jelly Pots unite the family as everyone who is everyone loves a wibnky wobbly jelly !

Jelly to me screams party fun !!

Jelly Pots are the perfect size for children’s lunchboxes, providing convenience and a wide range of flavours to keep the youngsters ( ps adults as well  ) happy.

Hartley’s are offering consumers of their jellies the chance to collect 12 special edition green lids from across the No Added Sugar Jelly Pots (115g), to claim a free Hartley’s lunchbox and stickers.

Perfect for those adventures and we all know the best adventures end in a jolly picnic !

Healthy bites 

What about some healthy breakfast cookies to take in your lunchbox along side your jelly ?

Also you can pop in healthy bits of fruit ( make sure they're cut up , age dependant on child )

Carrots and hummus ~ is a dipping delight !

Cheese and ham wrap 

Mini pasta pot 

And of course a Hartley's Jelly !!

Kids will love an input into helping with their pack lunches be it from decorating their lunchbox with stickers to helping decide what goes into their pack lunch , who knows they might even make your pack lunch too !!

*This post is an entry for BritMums #HartleysYourLunchbox Linky Challenge, sponsored by Hartley’s Jelly

Salted Herby Chicken

This is a very easy dish to make and brilliant whatever the weather , and it was very welcome after constantly eating out in Amsterdam ; very nice to come home and eat homely food.

Ingredients 

Chicken mine was a 1.4 kg so cooking was around 1 hour 20 plus resting 

4 teaspoons of natural sea salt

Grind of black pepper

And the rest of the herbs make half a tea soon each.

Mixed herbs 

Thyme

Oregano 

Mint 

Marjoram 

Parsley 

New potatoes cut in 2 ( enough for how ever many people are having this )

Rapeseed oil,spray 

Method 

Preheat the oven to 190c

Blend the salt , black pepper and herbs together 

Place the chicken in an oven roasting dish

Spray with the Rapeseed oil spray 

Sprinkle the salt and herb mixture over the chicken 

Cook chicken for 1 hour 20 minutes but do follow the instructions for the weight of chicken you have.

20 minutes into cooking boil the new potatoes for 10 minutes then drain and place round the chicken , spraying the potatoes with the Rapeseed oil spray.

Checked after the allotted time that everything is cooked .

If you like whilst the chicken is resting you could roast your potatoes further.

Served with vegetables of your choice.

Ever Wish You Had An Exotic Name ?

Have you ever wished you had an exotic name ?

When faced with an airport delay at schipol airport I decided to amuse myself with people watching although not quite the setting of a Parsian cafe still entertaining nontheless.

Various people came and went , I sat there imagining their lives , listening to the myriad of languages being spoken . So very truely cosmopolitan is the world of travel .

Imagine my excitement at Starbucks when they got my name right ...

"Claire "

I felt like a jet set celebrity with everyone knowing who I was ! 

And there came over the airport tannoy a request for a lady called Julietta to go to the gate for her flight to Rome.

Awwh Julietta is your life as glamorous as the tannoy made it sound ?

Easy Simple Flatbreads ( No yeast )

I attempted this recipe yesterday and I have to say it went rather well , the kitchen on the other hand looked like a battleground it was hard to say where flour and countertop started or finished to be honest. But all the best creative geniuses were never tidy ...

Ingredients

150 g Plain flour ( this about will make 4 flatbreads by my reckoning , just double up to make more keeping everything the same but perhaps adding a little more coconut milk  )
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of very lazy garlic ( you could use garlic powder)
1 teaspoon smoked salt
4 level tablepoons of non fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of coconut milk/almond milk /any milk


The smell of freshly baking bread has to be one of the best smells in the world, I mean who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread gently wafting in the kitchen . And NO YEAST !

It is amazing what you can do with minimal ingredients !

I forgot how easy it to to make your own flat breads and jazzing up your meals , I have been buying my own flatbread and I have to bow down to having a lazy culinary phase but now summer is here ~ no more !

Method

1. First add the flour , garlic powder, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre next add the yogurt, oil and milk.
2. Next mix together well , cover will cling film and leave at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes .
3. Once it has rested divide into 2 . Then into 2 again . With this mixture I ended up with 4 dough balls. It was my first go!
4. flour your work surface , I used my hands to flatten the balls then used the rolling pin on the 2mm setting to roll into a round shape. It does;t have to be perfect after all rustic is the latest buzz word isn't it ?

1. Lightly grease a frying pan , 2 minutes on each side , brush with oil oil ( before you do flip over ) 
2. You can brush with all again before you serve. These can be made a little in advance and kept warm wrapped up in foil.

But wait I forgot to add the yogurt mint sauce ... basically it's a few tea spoons of mint sauce mixed with some left over non fat Greek yogurt !!