the harvey circus

August 2, 2015

Adventures In Thermomixing : Sunday Baking

I try and bake at least one or two things for the Clowns lunch boxes on a Sunday. It makes everyone’s lives heaps easier and a little more organised in that crazy weekday morning rush!

So today I decided to make a few of Leilah’s (AKA Thermomumma) super easy and delicious recipes. If you are looking for anything bread related, her recipes have always worked beautifully for me and they taste great!

Starting with Leilah’s Cheese and Bacon Rolls, which I made into baby sized portions. That way I can use them for snacks as well as lunches. I have made this recipe loads of times, and it is always a winner with the Clowns.

Finger Buns were next on the baking list. Again, super easy to make. I made them a bit smaller too as I don’t think my kids lunch boxes need a normal sized finger bun for their morning tea!

Lastly, today I tried out the Blueberry and Choc Chip Muffins. Except I replaced the blueberries with raspberries. They smell aaaahhhhhmazing!

That should keep the Clowns happy for the week!

Happy baking!

July 31, 2015

Guiltlessly NO!

Do you? Do you say no to things, completely (or almost) guilt free? I used to be in the Say Yes to Everything! camp. And it was stressful. For me. And usually ONLY for me. Over extending and putting unnecessary pressure and stress on myself, just so I wouldn’t have to say that dreaded word…. And if I did have to say no, I had to have a mega super important reason why. So I could justify the No….

Ridiculous…. Right?!

Ridiculous because the recipient of the No doesn’t really need to know the why or the why not, nor need understand your choice.

So I had a little pep talk to myself (please tell me I’m not the only one who does this?!) and took my own advice. And I started saying Guiltlessly No! when I saw red flags for me and/or for the rest of my family.

So I have said Guiltlessly No! to a few kids parties that were going to stretch out a fun day to a really long and tiring day/night, or we had overlapping commitments. I have said Guiltlessly No! to volunteering for a few school projects, one big one being the biannual carnival. I have said Guiltlessly No! to family events, especially ones that really don’t suit our routines come Sunday afternoon/evening. I have said Guiltlessly No! to some recent girls nights out, which are usually great and fun and good therapy for the soul, however they also impact everyone else in my family. Probably the biggest Guiltlessly No! I have said is to the Clowns going to our school carnival, endless cues and crowds and Clowns who weren’t really keen to take part in their class performances (all not compulsory) meant we chose to miss it this year.

And everyone is still OK!

Do you know what? Life around the Big Top is calmer and a little less hectic for all my/our Guiltlessly No! calls. And I am really happy about that and I can see the Clowns and Marc are too. Slower weekends mean more productive Clowns during the week. We are getting more little projects started (and finished!) around the house. Monday mornings are not so hit and miss now.

I have stopped feeling the need to explain my invitation declines. But this was hard in the beginning!! I have hardly any problem saying no to something that I know immediately is going to mean me running around like a crazy person trying to fit everything and everyone in. And if I’m not sure, or want to check with Marc first, I can happily and comfortably state this to the person and get back to them with a response. Before, I would have committed to the thing without hesitation and without thinking it through first. And then just made it work. Somehow. Crazy, I know!

Saying Yes! to commitments and people has also become easier. We now have clearer priorities, workable boundaries and windows of time to play with (hello Google synced calendars!!). Happily Saying Yes! has been an unexpected byproduct of my Guiltlessly No! project.

Guiltlessly No! has made a big, positive difference for us. Do you think it would help your family too?

July 29, 2015

Adventures In Thermomixing : apple crumble

We here at the Circus love love love apple crumble!

I finally thermomised (totally a word!!) my recipe and thought I’d share it here with you too!

Apple Crumble

Ingredients

150g whole almonds

110g brown sugar

90g butter

1tsp vanilla extract

150g self raising flour

1 large tin of pie apples

Method

Set your oven to moderate or around 180 degrees, depending on how hot your oven runs. You don’t want your crumble to cook too fast and burn!

Add the almonds to your Thermomix, then 8 seconds on speed 8 (or whatever you usually grind almonds to almond meal).

Throw in all other ingredients and blitz on the Turbo 2 second option for two or three times, depending on how crumbled you like your crumble.

Then you’re pretty much done!

Just spread the apples in your favourite crumble baking dish and pour the crumble over the top.

Bake for around 20 minutes or until you can smell the crumbly goodness!

We like to serve the crumble with custard and/or icecream, and eat it while it’s still warm…. And then sometimes I may have some of the leftovers with yoghurt for a way too delicious breakfast!

Enjoy!

May 25, 2015

Choc Protein Balls

This is a super easy and tasty protein ball recipe that one of my PT friends shared with me a couple of years ago.
I have tweaked it a little to suit my tastes since then.
It’s one of those combinations that will hit the sweet spot, if you are looking for that hidden chocolate stash 😉

Choc Protein Balls

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons peanut butter

60 grams almonds

2 scoops protein powder

1 cup rolled oats/quick oats

1 tablespoon honey/rice malt syrup

1 tablespoon milk to bind

Coconut for rolling (optional)

Method

Process the almonds into meal consistency in your Thermomix or food processor.

Throw all your other ingredients in and blend well.

Roll about a tablespoon of the mix into a ball and then roll in coconut if you choose (I don’t do this, only because I’m not a huge coconut fan) and then either freeze the balls or just pop in the fridge.

Notes

If you haven’t got a food processor, you can still make these by hand. I would suggest using quick oats and perhaps melting your honey and peanut butter to help bind everything together more easily and with a lot less elbow grease!
If you don’t like/can’t use almonds, you can replace the 60 grams with anything like coconut, or another nut or a mix of chia seeds as well. The combinations are endless!

May 7, 2015

Primary version of Mother’s Day

Today was the Mother’s Day morning at the Clowns’ school. There is an art show (awesome, my fave part!), a concert (normally skip this bit and cross the road for a coffee, yeah mum of the year won’t ever go to me!) then morning tea (in years past, this was something you didn’t want to miss).

I love seeing the art from each primary class – they are all usually really interesting and I actually want to have a browse. I love being able to pull each child out of class individually to do this. As a general rule, the Clowns don’t get a whole lot of one-on-one time with either parent so this is special regardless of what we are actually doing. And I love having the chance to catch up with some mums that I may not usually see around school, now the eldest two are out of prep. This year is also the first time I have been younger sibling free. It was kinda weird. But great. No appeasing a bored child/ren was awesome! To be able to talk, uninterrupted is still a thing I take great delight in!

Here are each of the clowns with their art for the show….

March 25, 2015

You actually bought one?!

Yup, I did! That’s my answer.

Yes, I did get the new version.

And yes, I DO love it! That’s my next answer.

I DO ACTUALLY use it daily, sometimes several times a day. Sometimes not. It just depends on the day and what we feel like and what I need to get done for meals or prepping for the week.

I have found that I prep a whole lot with it. More than I ever thought I would.

I need to convert more of our usual and familiar recipes. This is probably the one area where we should be utilizing it more.

Yes, I believe it is worth it. But you need to not be scared of using the thing. It isn’t scary. It’s a tool. Use it!! Experiment. Try a few new things. Challenge your family to try it out (if you’re game!!).

I have had my Thermomix since November last year. I do love it. Honestly! I am cooking more things from scratch, sometimes because it’s just that little bit easier and faster. Sometimes because I want to test out something new and specifically for the Thermomix. Sometimes because I have seen something on Instagram or Facebook that catches my taste buds’ attention. Marc even likes it. Whether it was the novelty of it inititally, or the ease of use and friendly instructions (hello fresh pizza dough! Made by Marc!! That is made just as fast as ordering take away…) He cooks more than he ever has, and that is a benefit that has paid for the machine in itself, kind of!!

Either way, it gets used a whole lot. And I am happy I finally invested in one. And it is an investment. I see it as an investment.

HOWEVER! We are NORMAL!

We still have ‘off’ days. You know, days where I call Marc on his way home to get take away. We still buy bread, even though I have made bread rolls and scrolls and bagels etc. We still buy jars of pasta sauce. I can honestly say that this will probaly always be the norm for our family.

And that is totally OK with me.

Mxo

February 28, 2015

Banana and choc chip miffins

I posted this recipe way back in 2010 on a recipe blog a few of us cooking-loving friends decided to put together. The blog, sadly has been neglected by us all for some time now, but I still head back to it for a few favourite recipes every so often. This is one of those recipes. No matter how many times I have made this recipe, I still, for the life of me can never ever quite remember the whole thing 🙂 So I’m bringing it back and sharing it with you all…

M xo

Why miffins? Well, instead of admitting to a typo (me?! Never!!!), mini muffins are now known as miffins in our house! As a general rule, I am not a fan of baked banana goods. Give me a real, fresh banana any day. But these muffins are chocolatey and banana-ery without having that typical banana bread taste. It may be the sour cream? I don’t know, but I’m not complaining! It’s a great way to use up those sad looking bananas that sit in our fruit bowl all on their own and just know they aren’t going to be eaten.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 small bananas mashed
3/4 cup chopped milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C.
Place flour, baking powder & sugar in a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs & oil until combined.
Fold into the flour mixture with the banana & chocolate, stirring until just combined.
Spoon mixture into well greased muffin tray, bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to stand in the tray for 5 mins.
Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins or 24 miffins

My Notes

Using 2 large bananas as opposed to the 2 small bananas as listed in the ingredients doesn’t make a difference to this recipe.
I always add more choc chips of any colour, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t!
If I have only a bit of sour cream left in the container, I add that in too. Doesn’t seem to make any difference to the end result.
For me, these muffins stick to paper muffin pans so I generally use the silicon ones if I need them in patty papers for these.

February 22, 2015

On Vegemite scrolls and balls made into squares

This rainy weekend, I decided to try a couple of new recipes for snacks and lunches for the Clowns for the coming week.

Firstly, this bread recipe from The Road to Loving my Thermo Mixer, which I made into Vegemite and cheese scrolls. I also made a few with tomato sauce, Italian herb mix and some grated cheese. Just for a bit of a change from the Vegemite. Definitely a winner, but will use pizza sauce for a bit of extra zing next time!

Secondly, I tried these Honey and Almond Energy Balls from Make It Fake It Bake It. Except I was super lazy. I make it into a slice and cut it into bite size squares instead of rolling out little balls. I also didn’t add the almonds to the mix, we have one Clown who doesn’t like almonds. I just added them to the top of half the ‘slice’ so everyone was happy happy joy joy! Winning!!

On a serious note…. I haven’t been able to stop eating this stuff. It’s just the right about of peanut buttery sweetness and that pop of crunch… Ahhhhhmazing!!! And too easy not to make!

This Bacon Jam is one recipe that is on my To Try list…. mmmm Bacon Jam… Seriously delicious! Like, spoon out with your finger from the jar type deliciousness…. Am I drooling? Probably….!!

Have you got any recipes, Thermomix friendly or not, for me to try out? I am always on the look out for lunchbox friendly and freezable things for the kids that aren’t too terrible for them 🙂

M xo

February 20, 2015

Adjustmenting

* warning : there are a lot of shouty words in this post. I tried not to, but couldn’t help myself.

Yep, I’m making up words again…

Adjustmenting : the act of changing tact to cope with one’s situation

I should start writing my own dictionary…
The 2015 Harvey Edition…
6000 new and improved words to add to your vocabulary!
I’m sure I could stretch it out to a least 6001…

Any who….! Back to what I actually wanted to talk about!!

We have all three clowns at school now. Prep, grade one and grade four. And it’s been a bigger adjustment for this mum than I probably care to let on. But this is the place to talk of all things, no matter if they are the good, the bad, or the ugly… So let’s get on with it, shall we?!

Ella going into prep? The child I ever so confidently thought would BREEZE through that classroom door everyday, from day one. Yeah, well. That didn’t happen. She obviously didn’t get the memo. How can you go from practically owning the Kindy, to digging your heals in AT THE DOOR on most days, because you just DO NOT want to go to school? I don’t get it. And because I am a mean mum, I leave her there. In the care of a wonderful teaching team and she has an awesome day. Every. Single. Day. This child is doing my head in.

Grade one is just plain HARD. Hard classroom, hard homework, hard playtime, hard swimming lessons. You get the picture. Life is just hard for the middle child. And Reuben will tell anyone who will listen (or not, he’s not picky) all about his predicament that doesn’t seem to be changing to his liking. I can’t get over how much his reading has improved in just a few short weeks of grade one, even though it’s all so HARD. I think once he gets over himself, grade one will be fantastic everyday, not just on PE days.

Owen is loving grade four. The extra responsibility and independence you are allowed once you hit grade four is significantly different to grade three. And the teachers let them know just WHO is responsible, too. And that person is not me, or Marc. It’s the kid. It’s all Owen. And that has been GOOD. Excellent for him. He doesn’t need to be reminded (too much) about what he needs to get ready for the day, or what uniform he needs to wear, whether it’s homework day etc etc. I only hope that this new enthusiasm and responsibility lasts the whole year. I have my fingers and toes crossed. The workload he brings home however, is MASSIVE. I really do feel for those parents of kids who don’t or wont do their homework. Thankfully, Owen just takes it in his stride, and buckles down and just gets it done. I have heard of parents having to bribe their kids to do homework or read or practice their spelling words. So glad we haven’t had to resort to these measures. Although, if you had of asked me two years ago, I would have jumped at the chance to try anything and everything to get him to do his homework without fighting about it!!

Marc has started a new role. Which means more travel. More time at the office. More meetings. More of everything. Which is great, really it is. He revels in the challenge. We, the other four, however are used to him being home more rather than less and not having to go away so much. We have been spoilt these last couple of years so now we adjust accordingly. Dinner times are sometimes Dad-less. Nights are sometimes Dad-less. But that’s OK. We can handle it! Some days ‘handling it’ requires more m and ms or an extra coffee… But that’s OK too.

See? Adjustmenting is a perfect word to use here! We are all trying to go with the flow and fit everything in and adjust accordingly.

One day we will get it right. One day…

M xo

February 19, 2015

Pinning. It’s a disease.

I can’t help myself.

Hi, my name is Meegan and I am a Pinterest addict.

I am sitting at the computer, fresh vanilla latte in hand, the washing machine is telling my I have 38 sweet, sweet minutes before it demands my attention. So what do I do? START PINNING!
Emails that have been staring at me for a few days?
Pffft!
They can wait.
Replying to text messages and Facebook?
Nup.
PINNING.
PIN PIN PINNING…..! My happy place 🙂

That (and catching up on Lost Girl) is all I really want to do for those few short 38 minutes.

It’s a disease, I tell you!

So what have I been pinning, I hear you ask? Well, everything. New dinner ideas, Thermomixing (is so a word. I just added it to my dictionary, so it must be!) inspiration, things to help my three clowns with their homework and to keep the younger two occupied quietly while the biggest is still going on his school work, exercise tutorials, crafting things, inspiration for the house… So much!!

You can follow my pinning adventures, there it a button up on this blog to come see what I’ve been pinning.
I also share a few things on the Harvey Circus Facebook page. If you don’t already, come follow me on FB!
Would love to see you there 🙂

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