Wednesday 29 June 2016

Take Back The Kitchen With Wren Kitchens


I'm not going to lie, as much as I love being a Mum (and trust me, I do booming love it) there are times when it can be really hard.

There is just so much to do all of the time.

There is always lots to think about, to consider, to worry about, so when 4pm hits - teatime - there are times when healthy cooking is really not at the top of my priorities list.

But those people of mine will always need feeding and needs must I suppose, but I know I'm never going to be a lover of meal preparation or cooking - I never have been and I can't see that changing anytime soon.
(I'm lucky that the Hubby is a dab hand in the kitchen and is a lover of food creating - I tend to shove him towards the cooker whenever possible)

However saying that, now that I have children, and especially recently with Willow's arrival, I find I am more conscious about what my family is eating - I want them all to be as healthy as they possibly can be.

But it really isn't easy.

Charlie was always quite a picky veg eater when he was younger and is only just starting to broaden his food-eating horizons - it was always a case of throwing any of the healthy things he would eat towards him as often as I could but for Charlie, it became boring really quickly.

And why wouldn't it, with all those other fun looking, taste tempting and visually pleasing snacks on offer - I mean what would you pick as a child - a sugar laden treat or a banana?

You see - it's all worry, worry, worry.

So when I heard about Wren Kitchens "Take Back The Kitchen" project I was relieved to hear that the foodie worries I have are not isolated at all.

Two thousand parents took part in a survey and almost all admitted that they feel their families could actually be eating better.

So in an attempt to help tackle these issues a "Little Kitchen, Big Ideas" book was produced by Wren Kitchen's which showcases recipes, ideas and top tips from a range of UK food and parenting bloggers, helping to tweek and change eating habits by offering up healthier alternatives.

Wren Kitchens want to get people cooking, to get them back into the kitchen and really begin to make the kitchen the main focal point of a household once more.


Charlie was always one to want to bake with me when he was younger - we always had some sort of yummy treats on the go...
(I mean just how cute!!)



...but these days he's a too-cool-for-school ten year old who is far too busy for kitchen type things.

Or so I thought.

When I showed him the goodies that came within the parcel from Wren Kitchens...


...his attention was immediately spiked and he promptly took the "Little Kitchen" book away and sat looking through every page until he decided that we were going to make the Chocolate Covered Banana & Peanut Butter Bites...


They looked yummy and really quick, easy and fuss-free to make.

Plus they would offer Charlie a perfect after-school snack, giving him a quick energy boost to get him through his homework tasks whilst waiting for tea.

They are such a better alternative to a chocolate bar too and are packed with essential vitamins so obviously, I was sold on making them.

And so, Charlie got to work.

~ writing us an ingredients shopping list...


~ designing his KISS THE COOK apron...
(where this kid gets his ideas from I'll never know)



~ and then getting down to business and actually making his creations.

He was a natural and totally took charge, reading the instructions and following what he had to do step by step using all the fab (safe and plastic!) finds within our box of goodies...





He absolutely loved it and said it was something we had to do together more often.

It was really nice for me too, not only watching him enjoying himself so much but also to get a little bit of "us" time - just me and Charlie.

It's so easy to get wrapped up with the urgency of getting jobs done and trying to fit everything in around Willow that I forget sometimes that I have this beautiful, eager, willing little helper in Charlie all ready and waiting.



He did a brilliant job and the idea of swapping the unhealthy to the healthy really worked - Charlie opted against his beloved Crepe & Milk "midnight feast" (his snack before bed) and picked to have a few of these with his milk instead.

~ Fabulous ~

We're even making the Chocolate Brownies and Sweet Potato Pizza from the Little Kitchen book this weekend too.

I think we really have started to "Take Back The Kitchen" now haven't we...


And do you know what, it feels brilliant

* box of goodies sent free of charge in order to help us Take Back The Kitchen - words, makes & photos 100% my own
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Tuesday 21 June 2016

Wokooshii - A Japanese & Korean Food Extravaganza


"Food glorious food"

And oh how glorious the food was that I sampled a few weekends ago when I headed on over to Manchester for the day.

Now the reason for our Manchester visit came about when I received an email from the lovely people from intu at the Trafford Centre.

They asked if my ten year old son fancied being a part of their kids food review team and would he pop along and offer up a few opinions and thoughts about some of the food establishments they have to offer.

Charlie being the total foodie that he is (well he is my son) jumped at the chance and we were all swiftly booked into the Japanese and Korean restaurant, Wokooshii.

Now I have to admit that at one point we were all a little dubious at whether we would actually like any of the food on offer because we've never tried a Japanese or Korean dish before but we decided that it was high time we did so we agreed to go and give it a try.

And let me tell you - we are so blooming glad we did.


As we entered Wokooshii we were immediately shown to our table and without hesitation the owner, Gerry, came over to speak to us.

He was so welcoming and friendly and really couldn't do enough to help us.

Without having to be asked (because we were going to have to ask) he helped us and went through each section of the menu explaining what things were, how they came to be on the menu and how he and his chef had made little tweeks to some of the more traditional dishes to make them appealing to the UK market
(like not using a raw egg in the Bibimbap dish as would be traditional to do)

And although we were there to review, it was clear to see that Gerry and all of the staff were just as attentive to the other customers as they were being to us - we weren't getting any special treatment - it was obvious that they really care about the people walking into their restaurant and this is what I love about family run businesses.

No-one minds doing that little bit extra to make the customer's experience as spot on as possible.

And spot-on it was.

We actually found out that Wokooshii is now the only non-chain restaurant within the Trafford Centre and that's got to speak volumes really hasn't it - to be able to stand the test of time, and even expand, when facing some very fierce chain-business competition is really rather impressive.

The restaurant adjoining Wokooshii (which is also owned by Gerry) - Yang Sing Cathay - serves Chinese food and has actually been in business now for eighteen years.

Gerry explained that four years ago it was decided that the majority of Yang Sing Cathay's bar area should be adapted into a restaurant too and here, within this new space, Wokooshii was born and both businesses have continued to thrive ever since.

So - time for us to order and I really liked the idea that traditionally, Korean families order their dishes but will place them in the centre of the table allowing everyone to share and experience everything - and this is what we decided to do.

However actually picking our dishes was proving a rather more difficult task that it should have been so we turned to our expert Gerry who very kindly obliged, picking a variety of dishes out for us.

...although we did tell him first that none of us are raw fish or prawn fans....

And here is what we were presented with...

For starters we tucked into...

~ Yakiton...



...which are pieces of sirloin beef wrapped around spring onions.

~ Simply amazing ~

Even Charlie - who, bearing in mind, hates onions with a passion - could not get enough of these and said they had to be his favourite dish of the day...


But I'm not surprised really because they were packed with flavour and were cooked to perfection.

~ Chicken Katsu & Sesame with Teriyaki Sauce...


Now this for me had to be the ultimate dish and when I visit Wokooshii again - because I will be back - this is the starter for me.

The rice and the outer sesame seed layer were delicious and I could have easily eaten this whole plate to myself and maybe even another one besides.

~ Salmon Skewers...


Even my fish-hater (unless it's chip shop bought and battered) Hubby ate one of these and thought it was really rather nice.

The sauce had a real spicy kick to it too but it complimented the fish to perfection.

Stuffed and full of compliments, our mains were then quick to arrive to the table and they consisted of...

~ Teppanyaki Fillet Steak and Rice...


~ Can we just take a moment to appreciate the best tasting steak I have ever eaten in my life ~

Honestly - it was fantastic.

The small, bite-sized pieces were tender with quite a smokey, flame-grilled taste...but with something more

I just loved it.

~ Chicken Guksu...


...strips of chicken and fresh vegetables which were cooked right in front of us at our table in a hot stone bowl and then soba noodles and a yummy spicy sauce were added...

Hmmm....yum...

Can I change my mind and pick this dish as my favourite...?

(... check out the video below from 3:00 minutes to see just how it was done...)



And if all of that yumminess wasn't enough, Charlie, even though he was loving sampling everything from the main menu with us, was presented with his own dish from the children's menu too - a Korean noodle and chicken dish - he loved it so much he didn't even ask to try our Guksu which is unlike him.

The meal was finished off perfectly with a specially prepared for us dessert of Crispy Cinnamon Apple Wontons and Vanilla Ice Cream...



The ice cream and caramel sauce were the perfect accompaniment to the warm apple inside of the wonton and the whole thing wasn't stodgy or heavy and over powering at all - very enjoyable.

But then again I enjoyed everything - the food was just amazing and if you are in the Trafford Centre I highly suggest you give Wokooshii a visit.

I genuinely can't wait to go back again.

Aside from the lovely food, the atmosphere was so relaxed and laid back and the attentive, welcoming staff helped make the whole experience all that more special.

Charlie even enjoyed a quick chop-stick lesson from the boss himself...


Wokooshii - You do really need to go and check this place out

* food provided free of charge, but words, thoughts, compliments & pictures are 100% my own
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Friday 10 June 2016

Baby Baker Friday - LeapFrog Interactive Goodies


So as you know, I decided that Friday's on the blog would be dedicated to my pregnancy and now, new mummy status.

I know it's not something everyone wants to read about but it is something that I really wanted to do - so I'm doing it - after all, being pregnant and having a beautiful new baby is a huge thing to be happening in my life and I really wanted to share bits and pieces of what is going on amongst these pages.

So here we go

~ Baby Baker Friday ~

~ Hello ~

Well here we are - back in action.

I think the last time Baby Baker Friday was in operation it was way back in February - a whole four months ago - and a lot can change in that amount of time, especially in the world of a baby.

Willow is now fast approaching the eight month mark (on the 15th) and I just don't know where the time has gone - it is whizzing by way too blooming fast.

She is on the cusp of crawling, she has two bottom teeth with a top one just breaking through this morning and she really is starting to get into everything.

It's very true when people say "they don't stay babies for long".

~ Wahhh ~

I have noticed a real change in Willow recently too - she is becoming so inquisitive about her surroundings and you can almost see her little mind weighing things up and processing everything she sees.

I would love to know what she thinks of everything...but because I can't (obviously) I want to help push her development and help her learning progress in any way possible.

And for little ones the best way to do this is through play.

Which is something we certainly do a whole lot of...

~ We babble away to each other all the time and hold some very riveting conversations...

~ We attend a weekly "First Friends" group which helps Willow (and me!) build up social skills by interacting with other similar aged little humans.

~ And we have toys...

So many toys.

Our already way too small house has totally been taken over by hordes of them - at the minute my usually quite organised black and grey themed living room has a huge, brightly coloured ball pool taking residence slap-bang in the middle of it.

But I can't complain - they all serve a very important purpose and it is a purpose which I am one hundred percent all for - educating my little lady.

At the moment, within her vast collection, Willow has a few favourites and I thought I would introduce a couple of them to you...

The first was a gift she received from her Auntie at Christmas and is the "My Pal Violet" teddy from LeapFrog.


I am quite a fan of the range of toys LeapFrog offer at the moment because each one is packed with a whole host of different educational aspects - they light up, they sing, they play music, they count - there's a whole lot going on in the one product.

Fabulous at keeping little minds engaged and busy - and great value for money too.



Violet the teddy is no different - she is not just cute and cuddly she is also interactive and by pressing her paws different games and song modes can be activated.

But Violet doesn't just stop there - oh no - Violet also has a unique personalisation option to her too.

By connecting the teddy to a mobile device and using the LeapFrog website, Violet can be programmed to say specific things - it's really clever actually - we currently have her talking about "Willow", her favourite animal -"a cat", her favourite colour which "is pink" and her favourite food which "is cake" (naturally).

It's fab.

And the toy is really soft to the touch too - I can see it being a firm favourite in our house for a long time to come.


Now the second toy Willow loves right now is something fairly new to us which again comes from LeapFrog and was very kindly gifted to us to have a little look at.

The "Roll & Go Rocking Horse" is perfect for Willow right now as it's aim is to coax little ones into beginning their crawling and exploring journey.


The horse has various different songs and phrases all aimed at helping to aid speech and language development, however the main purpose of this is to help motor development, in particular, crawling.

The slightest touch or nudge to the horse makes it move across the floor a little bit and by doing so it is the hope that baby will want to go and get it again so will begin to crawl and move around.

And it really does work too - Willow will make an attempt to go after it if it is pushed out of her reach but at the moment she does this in more of a roll around the floor style than actually attempting a crawl, but she is getting there.



I really like that the Roll & Go Horse is bright and colourful and that it has a very sturdy, chunky design.

Willow has been comping on the nose area for most of the morning (those pesky teeth are coming through) and there is absolutely no damage to her or to the horse - perfect - because one thing is for certain with babies - they sure do like to chew anything and everything.


As I said, LeapFrog are a favourite of mine and I know that over the years our home will be littered with even more singing, rhyming, moving devices from their range.

Well, there is a little inquisitive mind which needs prompting and pushing over here and when you find something you like that does the job well, why change it.

I actually do wonder how many more toys I can realistically fit in my living room though...


* Roll & Go Horse sent to us for the purpose of a review. All words, photos & images 100% my own
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Thursday 9 June 2016

Indulging in an Elemis BIOTEC Facial


If I thought my skincare/beauty/take care of myself routine was poor before little Willow came into the world then there really is no hope for me anymore.

I mean I do try and squeeze a little bit of "me time" in somewhere every day but the most I manage is usually five minutes to myself in the bath before someone barges in needing the loo.

~ Great ~

But what can ya do - there's always something else for me to be doing or somewhere else I need to be or someone that needs attending to first.

A typical story for any parent though I suppose.

So it will go without saying really, that when Elemis (the fabulous Elemis inside of the very swanky Harvey Nics in Leeds to be exact) contacted me recently and asked if I would like to pop along to see them to experience one of their all new BIOTEC mini facials that I (literally) jumped at the chance.

Anything longer than a five minute block of down time has got to be grabbed with both hands these days.

Now, OK yes, whilst my beauty regime is pritty rubbish Elemis are actually not a new brand to me, in fact they were one of the first ever skincare brands I discovered in those very early blogging days and I have loved them ever since.

So there I was, all brave, marching into Harvey Nichols on my own (which has never been done before - yay, go me!) where I was met by two very lovely Elemis ladies who immediately made me feel at ease and really comfortable.

And once the informal introductions were out of the way the scary stuff began - I was dreading it...

~ I was given a skin analysis ~

 * * Run for the hills screaming in horror * *

But actually it was no where near as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The process of having my face photographed wasn't what I was worried about at all (have you seen the amount of selfies I take!) it was all the scary, usually unseen things going on under the surface that I was a little worried about.


Just thinking of the damage I could have done to my skin during my sunbed loving days is enough to give anyone nightmares.

But...

...wait for it...

It actually turns out that I have very few skin issues


~ Yay ~

~ Very few fine lines

~ Very few dark spots


(but just how scary is this image though!)

~ Very mininimal redness

And

~ very little thinning of the skin - even around the delicate eye area

Go me eh, and because of this "lack of issues" it was a Radiance Renew treatment for me.

Now I'm not going to even pretend I understand all the beauty science that goes on - I'm rubbish and certainly am no beauty expert - but what I do get is the concept behind the BIOTEC treatments.

All of the treatments are designed to target a specific problem - blemish control, skin resurfacing, line erasing - and they provide a way to help  "turbo-charge the skin from within", to wake it up and help re-energise the cells making the skin surface look and feel new, fresh and re-booted.

Sounds brilliant really doesn't it.

So into the little treatment area I went, plonked myself into the amazingly comfy "I'll-massage-your-legs-and-feet-too" Elemis chair and then the treatment began.



First my make up was removed with an Elemis facial balm and then my skin was cleansed and massaged before refreshing, cooling gel masks were placed onto my face.

I was even given some cooling under eye gel patches too in an attempt to reduce my ridiculously dark eye bags.
(those mega early feeds!)

Then I was given a lovely scalp massage whilst the masks worked their magic.

Once this was all complete, I was moisturised and then it was time to leave my lovely little relaxed bubble.

I could have quite easily spent hours there being pampered and preened let me tell you.

And so, whilst I may have left Harvey Nichols minus my make up and my two matching 'brows (so sorry to anyone in Leeds who may have spotted my troll like appearance) I felt so relaxed, at ease and my skin felt fabulous.

It was a little tingly for a while afterwards and it felt so smooth to the touch and really clean - even the Hubby noticed I was "glowing" and it's not like him to pick up on things.

I think regular facial visits may be a little out of my price range but I wish they weren't because my skin did feel lovely for days afterwards and I found, particularly the day after the treatment, that my make up applied so much better than usual.

They are certainly a luxury worth paying for that's for sure.

And the time they take is brilliant too especially if you fancy squeezing a bit of relaxation into a lunch hour or before you drive home after a particularly stressful day at work.

I was really impressed with the results anyway, but then again this is Elemis and they are quite fabulous.

Happy Relaxation everyone


* treatment provided free of charge. All words, opinions & images 100% my own
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Wednesday 8 June 2016

Baker Bunch?..Vlogging...? What? Why? When?


So here I am, sitting down, attempting to grab a few minutes on my laptop whilst I can (Willow is currently napping) but ignoring the fact that, once again, the blog plan I had for last week didn't go as I'd hoped.

But life just got in the way - my Mum was taken into hospital for a few days so every spare minute was spent either there, sorting her house out or trying to entertain/feed/water two kiddies.

A nightmare week really.

Which is why I'm just letting the "plan fail" slide and am moving on.

And so - Hello, I hope you are well.

Today I wanted to mention, just really quickly and really briefly, something that I've started which is a little bit different to anything I have done before.

As a family, the four of us (well three because Willow doesn't get a vote yet) have decided to begin a new little "family venture" consisting of a new blog which will have attached to it a YouTube Vlogging channel where we will upload, maybe once weekly to begin with, allowing the world to see the exciting lives we lead.

~ Ha ~

Obviously by "exciting" I just mean very normal and usually not very exciting at all.

But hey-ho, we are doing this.

But why?

Why now?

Well I think the question should really be "Why not?"

We actually first spoke about starting this whole process - more as a joke really - way back when, when I was still pregnant.

Carl and Charlie had filmed videos before and really enjoyed doing it and were both really keen but the whole idea was totally new for me and I tried to shove the idea away before anything solid became of it.

I agreed it was new and could have been really fun but having to hear myself speak on camera whilst feeling all awkward and self-conscious wasn't all that high up on my list of priorities.
(squeaky Yorkshire chipmunk anyone?)

But the Hubby being the person that he is just went on and on, prattling away about it all until he had managed to sort out our domain, had sourced some pictures and original music and everything was good to go - he was a man on a mission that's for sure.


And then, before I knew what was happening, there we were last weekend, all set to enjoy some food in Manchester, but with a plan to actually vlog...

...and I was the one holding the camera...

...I was the one trying to keep my hand steady and I was the one speaking...

And do you know what - none of it bothered me in the slightest.

OK - filming in public is going to take a bit of getting used to
(people really like to stare don't they!)

But who would have thought it eh - me - giving the vlogging lark a little go.

Of course we realise we are not now nor will we ever be a Saccone-Joly but it was actually really funny and we had such a laugh (and the odd cringe) looking through what we had filmed once we were back at home.

And this is what sways me more than anything to want to do this - whilst I may have hundreds (thousands?) of photographs and odd snippets of phone-filmed videos of the kiddies and the things we have done as a family we don't actually have anything longer than a few seconds of the things we have done or the places we have been.

Vlogging things - no matter how random or insignificant - will, if nothing else, give us a little collection of memories to be able to sit down and enjoy when we are older, and for that reason I'm all in.

Obviously there will be a few negative points to taking on a venture like this but what situation doesn't have them?

None.

Exactly.

We may as well just get on with it and give it a try hadn't we.

There's no point in looking back in five years time and regretting the fact we didn't start it now is there.

And for anyone that likes that sort of stuff, by doing this now at least you'll get cute baby footage.

And as if on cue, my little Princess has had her twenty minutes nap (like clockwork this girl) so I shall have to love you and leave you - Mummy Duties call.

See you soon - and if you fancy checking "us" out - 

@BakerBunch04 on Twitter

Thanks lots
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Wednesday 1 June 2016

Hello Again...


I really am trying to keep on top of my blog.

No really, I am.

I know my "missing in action" status shows otherwise at the minute, but it's just proving to be a lot harder to juggle things than I ever thought possible.

Having a seven month old is a lot more time consuming than having a teeny newborn ever was - who would have thought it?!

Not that I'm grumbling, I love my baby-activity filled days but there's no way they allow any form of sentence forming to happen.

Newborn babies tend to sleep for the majority of the day so when I had one of those little humans I had posts published, planned and sat waiting, all ready to go.

Now however, my beautiful little lady naps a few times a day but for twenty minutes at an absolute maximum.

By the time I've settled her and crept downstairs then made a cuppa perhaps she's awake again - forget even looking at the laptop.

But that's not the whole story, apart from being a Mum just where have I been lately?

Exotic holidays?
Job hunting?
Lunching with the ladies?

Honestly?

I've been on Instagram


Hardly time productive is it but ah well, it's fab and I now have a whole new appreciation for it.

I've been loving having a good old nose through all of the amazing quality photographs and equally brilliant quick snapshots that people post.

And my own feed?

Well yes, I do realise that it is currently filled with photographs of Willow in all of her cute little outfits but I seriously can't help myself.

I mean we waited a whole lot of years for this little baby and there was even a point where we resigned ourselves to the fact that baby number two was never going to happen.

But then she arrived.

And she was a she.

Of course I was going to go all OTT on the wardrobe and accessories front - she's a girl - it had to be done.

And of course I was going to simply have to share every bow, sock and headband with the world whenever I got an opportunity.

That was a given as soon as I saw the scan photo.

But I do totally understand that not all people will appreciate seeing these things the way that I do, be they acquaintances, friends, even family - but that's fine.

I get it.

But I do love it.

And having this time on Instagram has let me find other parents - mainly Mummies but some Daddies too - that want to share their sock/bow/OOTD photos as much as I do.

~ Yay ~

They get all excited over a new hair bow release and will apply for Brand Rep opportunities even more than I do.

Instagram it would seem, has it's own little community of picture posting parents.

And I've even befriended a few too.

~ Blogging friends

~ Twitter friends

~ Insta friends


I actually have more "social media mates" than I do real-life ones...

...is that sad...

Nah, not at all because everyone I've met is simply brilliant.

So yep, that's where I've been - scrolling and double tapping - oh - and Insta Shopping...

Oooh how I love that I've discovered some of the cutest, Insta-businesses around...but more on those little treasures later.

For now I shall love you and leave you, and will hopefully see you again very soon - this week hopefully - with another post...one which I was more than likely intending to publish about a month ago but fell asleep before my fingers touched the keys...

That is life though eh.

Have fun!
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