Quick & easy spicy lentil soup

Oliver is at home this week with a virus and I need a pick me up after a few bad nights sleep, this is my go to recipe for a healthy delicious lunch. It's quick, easy and if you have a hand blender to chop the vegetables it can be prepared in less then five minutes

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

400g can chopped tomatoes

25g split red lentils

1 vegetable stock cube

1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs

1 small onion

1 small red or green pepper

1 teaspoon of Tabasco or 1/3 of a fresh chilli deseeded

600ml of water

Chop the onion, pepper and chilli

Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan

Bring to the boil

Simmer for 35 minutes

Don't forget to let me know how you enjoy this soup and please share with your friends...

Enjoy! 

Michelle x

Celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary at South Lodge

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Celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary at South Lodge: Our anniversary breakfast may have been coffee & toast watching Disney Cars at 8.00am but after dropping the children off to auntie Lisa & uncle Michael we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary (18 years together) with lunch at the beautiful South Lodge hotel. Upon arrival Ben ordered two ice cold glasses of Perrier Jouet Champage which we enjoyed looking out at the beautiful views from the terrace whilst reading the menu. We decided to try The Camellia restaurant, The Sunday lunch menu is £29.50 & even as a dairy free diner I really was given a lovely choice of dishes, which to be honest doesn't happen in many places. Our meal was faultlessly delicious, beautifully presented & made even more special when the head chef Steven Edwards (who had recently won MasterChef: The Professional 2013), popped out to say happy anniversary & serve us our main course. The staff were very lovely, attentive & also very accommodating when we wanted to take our coffees on to the lawn & soak up the sun rays on the deck chairs, we really had the perfect day! I don't often get much time alone with my hubby during the day as we are so busy with the children, but I have to say it really was fabulous to have some special time for us. A special thank you to my sister & Michael for looking after the Children & to our gorgeous friends Will & Cherry who bought me a South Lodge voucher for my birthday, we had a wonderful time! Michelle X

Mastitis, ouch!

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Mastitis, ouch! The good news is that Charlotte is finally sleeping through again (Thank you Lucie for the pep talk), the bad news is that I became very engorged when Charlotte didn't wake up for a feed & didn't express & ended up getting mastitis, ouch! I first noticed a hard lump in my breast which I assumed was because of the engorgement but it became more & more painful as the days went by. I eventually popped to the doctors & a quick examination confirmed that I did have mastitis. The doctor prescribed a breastfeeding friendly antibiotic & advised me to continue feeding through the pain, which has luckily helped. I must admit I didn't expect to get mastitis 9 months into breast feeding but apparently it's quite common if your baby starts suddenly sleeping through.

I have found hot & cold compresses really soothing & someone recommended sleeping in Savoy cabbage leaves but I've been quite exhausted & haven't quite made it to the shops to get one yet. It's always advisable to see your doctor if you suspect you have mastitis or notice any lumps in your breast. I found some great information on the baby centre about mastitis which is well worth reading.

What is mastitis? Mastitis is an inflammation in your breast tissues. The inflammation may quickly become an infection, which means that bacteria grow in the inflamed tissues. You may notice that areas of your breasts are: red hard sore hot swollen

You may also feel a lump, called a blocked duct, though it isn’t caused by an actual blockage. It's the build-up of milk in your breast that causes the tissue to become inflamed.

If you have a blocked duct, the hard area on your breast will probably feel wedge-shaped because the duct, and its nearby ductules and alveoli, will have become inflamed.

You may also have flu-like symptoms, such as: chills a headache a temperature of more than 38.5 degrees C exhaustion

About one in 10 breastfeeding mums get mastitis, and some bottle-feeding mums do, too.

Having mastitis can be a miserable experience, but with the right approach, it can be cleared up quickly. It's usually only in one breast, but it's possible to have it in both breasts at the same time. Unfortunately, you can get mastitis more than once.

To read more about mastitis click this link: The baby centre

If you have any tips you would like to share I'd love to hear them! Thank you in advance, Michelle X

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Sudocrem facial

Sudocrem facial Every girl should have a personal tub of Sudocrem in their cupboard. When Florence was a baby I bought it in bulk for nappy rash (for Florence). I read a great article in Cosmopolitan magazine a few months ago and it suggested using on you face if you have a breakout of spots. So after a heavy weekend I grabbed the tub and plastered it over my face. I left it on all evening and like magic by the next day my face was clear and smooth! I couldn't actually believe it. So now even after a day in the sun I apply before bed and my skin feels refreshed by the next day. You can buy it pretty much everywhere, perfect for a busy mummy who dosen't have time to go to the salon and won't break the bank either! Give it a go Daisy x

Swap olive for coconut!

Swap olive for coconut! I am addicted to Coconut oil at the moment. I use it for all my pasta sauces, soups and you can even by it as a spread instead of butter. Perfect for those on a non dairy diet! It is solid when you spoon it out but as soon as it is over heat it turns into the most beautiful oil. I did not opt for the odurless one because I personally love the taste. But for those who don't then at least you have that as an option. Michelle has had to avoid dairy whilst breastfeeding because Charlotte had terrible refux and the doctors suggested it. In 48 hours there was a dramatic change so now with weening this would be a great supstitute for baby meals. The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune system, proper digestion and regulated metabolism. It also provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer, while helping to improve dental quality and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities. Coconut oil is used extensively in tropical countries especially India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines etc.,which have a good production of coconut oil. At one time, the oil was also popular in western countries like the United States and Canada, but there was a strong propaganda campaign in the 1970s spread by the corn oil and soy oil industry against coconut oil. Coconut oil was considered harmful for the human body due to its high saturated fat content until the last decade (2000s) when people began to question the claims of the propaganda.

You can buy it in most good wholefood shops and you will find it in most supermarkets aswel.

Enjoy!

Daisy x