Pear and Cinnamon Mini Muffins, Choc Weetbix Slice and Rosemary Salted Pecan Recipes

Rosemary salted pecans, choc weetbix slice and pear and cinnamon mini muffins.

Its been a busy few months here. I've been finishing off the games room makeover and we've had new flooring laid, and finally got a new oven! The old one was a very basic & cheap model but the door didn't close properly so it had to go. The kitchen is almost done now.

I had no stove for almost a month, so am now taking full advantage of our new one. I recently had a bulk baking day and some of my lovely Instagram followers asked for the recipes so I thought I would add them here. Sorry for the lack of step by step pictures- I didn't take any!


Pear and Cinnamon Mini Muffins

2 peeled and diced pears (soft is fine)
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/3 c white sugar
1/2 c plain flour
1/2 c self raising flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp caster sugar, extra

Grease a mini muffin pan. Whisk oil, sugar, and egg together in a bowl. Add flours and pear, stir until combined. Drop level teaspoons of the mixture into each pan hole, sprinkle with combined cinnamon and extra caster sugar. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 15 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack, serve warm or cold. 

Mr 9 waiting patiently for the muffins to cook.

Chocolate Weetbix Slice 

125 g of butter- melted
1 TBS cocoa
1 C self raising flour
1/2 c white sugar
3 crushed weetbix

Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add the melted butter and stir until combined. Press into a slice tray and cook for 15 minutes in a moderate oven. Let it cool down and then top with chocolate icing and add 100's and 1000's or coconut if you like. 



Rosemary Salted Pecans

5 cups of pecans
3 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread out on a lined oven tray and bake in a moderate oven for 10 minutes.

You could also substitute other nuts or herbs. I have rosemary growing in my garden so used that. 

Real Life

Sorry lovely people for my lack of blog posts. The last 4 months of parenting have been hard. So. Very. Hard. I feel this article sums it up rather appropriately.

These dramas include: Mr 13 starting high school after a few years of being home educated and within a space of  2 months he started experimenting with drugs, skipping school to buy said drugs and getting involved with a group of boys whose hobby was stealing cars. He turned into an angry hostile kid, lied a lot and broke our trust big time. Nothing prepares you for the wrath that is parenting teenagers. My birthday was in May and most of my friends chose to give me bottles of wine as gifts, for medicinal purposes of course *wink*.


After no help at all from Mr 13's school, we decided he would not be returning after the Easter school holidays and would be home schooled again. There was no doubt in my mind that if he remained there, things would only get worse. As you can imagine, he was really pissed off about this but at the end of the day, as parents we need to make tough decisions for the best interest of our kids-whether they like it or not. After a few weeks, of some really awful behaviour I heard of a local community school which is run by youth workers with only around 50 students and thought this would be a good option for Mr 13, so I organized an interview. During this time Miss 16 had been suffering from anxiety attacks at school and had been self harming, so we had also been dealing with that. Taking her to counseling appointments each week and talking to the school psych. The day before the interview Miss 16 and I had an argument, she took off and didn't come home that night. 

She ended up going to a friends house (who we don't know) . My hubby started texting Miss 16 and asking where she was so he could pick her up and she refused to give out the address. This "friends" mother then started replying to our messages saying she would not betray Miss 16's trust and give out the address for us to come and pick her up. Wait. What? Clearly our daughter has mental health issues and needs help, which this woman knows nothing about.

We were mad as hell.

I went to the interview the next day and put on a brave face, not knowing where my daughter was or when she would be coming home. It was a nightmare. 

On a positive note, after this Mr 13 was put on the school's waiting list. I also found out the schools fees were $300 a term and that's with a 50% concession discount. Ouch. I had just finished paying his school fees for the public high school he attended. Oh well, I thought. We will manage. Ill just write up a new budget and tighten our belts a bit.

Miss 16 came home later that morning and things just got worse. Under advice from her counselor, I took her to hospital for a psychiatric assessment. She had to stay in hospital for a week, because of her age I had to stay there with her. She was released the day before Mother's Day, and was referred to a psychologist. We were advised to keep routines "normal" so she returned back to school. 

Life was steady for a month or so. I got back into the routine of home schooling 2 boys again and Mr 13 was doing well with his work and back on track with his behavior. We talked a lot about the decisions he made and why he made them. Mr 9 was happy to have his brother home again, even if it was for a little while. Miss 16 seemed to be going OK ...Now when I say seemed, I mean to us she seemed to be doing well. We found out later this wasn't the case at all. 

Fast forward to July and a place became available at the community school for Mr 13. He starts there and really enjoys it. The learning is quite hands on and informal which suits him well. That week we start getting calls from Miss 16's school asking us to pick her up as she's had a meltdown and trashed an office. This starts happening more and more frequently, 3-4 times a week. The self harming starts up again with her scratching her skin in areas so bad it looks like burns. We hear about this from the school psyc and end up taking her to the doctors as the wounds shes been hiding are now infected. I start to think school is a trigger for her, but I don't know for sure.

Life at home becomes like treading on eggshells. She refuses to talk about how she feels and anything can set off an outburst. I love her so much and its' hard to see her like this and not know how I can help. Things get worse and it is advised she be admitted in to a dedicated youth ward for mental health at a large hospital. She stays there for 2 weeks and is diagnosed with anxiety and put on medication. I suffered with depression and anxiety in the past so it's hereditary they tell me. We go to visit her and she seems better and is attending the group sessions they have there which is progress.  It is a good day when she comes home. We are happy to have her back and she is happy to be home. She missed my cooking :)

So that brings us mostly up to date. I've been in contact with Miss 16's school in regards to transitioning her back in but get told she hasn't submitted any assignments this year- which again is news to me- and it is highly unlikely she will be able to graduate Year 11 this year. I'm floored by this. At this point I'm exhausted, sad and angry. During these past few months hubby's chronic pain has increased and he is spending more time in bed. So I have been trying to keep up a brave face and getting through all the day to day jobs which need to be done. I find a quiet spot and lose my shit. It is the straw that breaks the camel's back. I break down and cry my heart out and afterwards I just feel really pissed off that the universe won't cut us a break. The last few months have been an absolute roller coaster with way more downs than ups. I feel like heavy bags keep being placed on my back and they are just piling up. I cant carry them anymore.

Eventually I stop crying and take a look around and think of the things I'm grateful for. A husband who is still able to have good days, in spite of increasing bad ones, a stronger and more communicable relationship with Mr 13 and a new start for him in a great school, awesome mental health staff and free health care for Miss 16 in a world where many people  don't have this luxury, the freedom to home educate Mr 9, a roof over our heads, comfy beds to sleep in and food in our bellies. 

Honestly finishing Year 11 for her is not the end of the world, we have a meeting with an education officer next week to discuss Miss 16's options and at this stage she wants to study at TAFE.

Things are looking up. 

After all, smooth seas never made a skilled sailor. Right?























 

Spinach Quiche Recipe

Today I'm sharing a really cheap and simple meal which I cook at least once a month. It is very quick to make and a healthy meal served with a side salad.

You will need:

2 sheets of packaged puff pastry
7-8 eggs
A handful or 2 of baby spinach
A cup of grated cheese
Salt and pepper

Defrost the sheets of pastry and then layer them in a pie dish. I cut off the extra pieces that are hanging over with a sharp knife and use them to fill in the gaps on the sides. A bit like patchwork! It doesn't matter if it looks a bit rough, rustic is good.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and add around 100ml of water, then beat well with a whisk or fork.

In the pie dish, layer the spinach over the pastry and add some salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mix over the spinach, and then sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
Bake in a 180 degree oven for around 30 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and brown. YUM!

Homemade Stain Remover

Image courtesy of:  morguefile.com.

Because I only like to go grocery shopping once a month, I need to be organized to ensure my family are stocked up with items that are regularly used so we don't run out. You can imagine my annoyance when Mr 13 presented me a white tee shirt which had been hiding in the bottom of his wardrobe for quite some time with a big dirty stain on the front. I reached for my stain remover to find only a dribble left...nooooo! I  decided to consult with my friend Mr Google for a homemade stain removal recipe and found a cracker of one! This was originally posted as an answer on the Thrifty Fun  website. Honestly, this stuff works far better than any other stain remover I've used, even the high end brands. It even works on old stains. Best of all I already had the ingredients in my laundry cupboard.

You can purchase spray bottles for around $1 at a hardware store or I just washed old my old one and poured my homemade liquid in there. This recipe will make about 400ml of stain remover.

To make your own stain remover you will need:

1/3 c dish washing liquid (any brand will do)
1/3 c cloudy ammonia
2 TBS bicarbonate of soda
1 cup water

Mix all the above ingredients in a jug and pour into a spray bottle. 

I tend to give this a good shake to make sure the bi carb distributes evenly, before spraying it on. 

The ingredients I buy to make this are the following brands:

Coles Smart Buy lemon dish liquid 1 litre- $1.09
Coles Smart buy cloudy ammonia 1 litre- $1.58
Woolworths home brand bicarbonate soda 500g- $1.59

Total- $4.26

These ingredients are enough to make 12 refills of stain remover, for only 50 c a bottle!

Why not try making some yourself?

Walking With A Baby T-Rex

Next month the Walking With Dinosaurs Arena Spectacular show is coming to Perth. We all thought this sounded pretty impressive until I checked out the prices, which are not for the faint hearted. I mean who could afford these tickets? Certainly not anyone on a budget!

Then I found out via social media, that the baby T-Rex dinosaur as featured in the show, would be appearing around Perth shopping centres to promote Walking With Dinosaurs. Best of all, this would be for free! Which coincidentally, is the price I can afford to pay!

We made sure we got there early to get a good view and we were not disappointed. There was also some prizes being handed out for answering dino related questions and Miss 16 and Mr 8 both won a set of cool badges each.

The baby T-Rex itself was amazing. It moved so realistically and would stalk and snap and roar at the crowd.  We somehow forgot it was a puppet and not a real dinosaur and were completely immersed in this great show.

The baby T-Rex was quite happy to be petted. Seeing this dinosaur was awesome and made me feel the wonder and excitement of being a kid again. If you have the means to do so, I would definitely recommend seeing either the free mini show at a shopping centre near you, or the arena spectacular.

Sometimes living on a strict budget can get me down. I feel guilty for not being able to afford to go to the movies or big shows such as this. We are currently saving up to get our pool repaired and leaking gutters and patio fixed and I know this will be worth it in the long run, but there are days when it is tough. We try to save up for a local holiday each year, but other than that most of what we do for entertainment is free. I do feel very grateful to live in a great city like Perth which host a cool range of free family events.

February Grocery Shop

Before I go shopping I withdraw the allocated $400 grocery budget out of the bank and keep it in a little zip lock bag. In this bag, I also keep any bonus Fly Buy coupons and my tell Coles survey which I do every month to get $5 off my grocery bill, adding up to a bonus saving of $60 a year!
I also store my receipts in the bag which helps to keep track of my spending.

If I see a great special I will buy enough to put in my stockpile, which saves money on the following months shopping bill.  For most items I buy generic brands or which ever item works out to be the cheapest per 100g. 

I used to only do a big shop each month with a top up for fresh produce in between, but by doing that I've found I've missed out on good specials. So these days if I am traveling pasta new shopping centre I will call in to check it out. A good example of this is while visiting my parents in law who live about half an hour away we had to call in to a chemist on the way home to pick up a script for hubby. I noticed there was a large oriental grocery store there, so had a browse. There I found eggs at $1.89 for 1 dozen and watermelon for 59c a kilo! Both of these items were at half the price compared to my local store and I still had quite a bit of money left in the food budget, so I could afford to buy them.

Woolworths

3 bags bi carb soda  $4.77
2 x 1.8 kg sausages (clearance)  $7.22
Polony  $2.42
6 x 2 ltrs milk (special) $9.00
Homebrand rice bubbles $2.00
Home Brand cocoa puffs  $2.00
  
Total                                                  $28.39

Foodworks

Rolled rib roast $14.86
Lamb leg roast $21.13
Pork leg roast  $13.82
Whole chicken $10.30
Chicken drumsticks $6.26
Cheese kansky $3.99
Bananas $2.95
Orange bubble bar $1.99

Total $65

Bunnings

Borax $8.20

Total $8.20


Coles

2 x 12packs toilet paper $9.00
2 x 2 litre  white vinegar $2.78
Frozen blueberries $4.50
Frozen rasberries $4.50
2x 1kg frozen corn $5.00
2 x 1kg mince $10.00
4 kg chicken thighs $25.82
Sour cream  $2.20
5x 500g butter $15.00
2 kg plain flour $1.85
2kg self raising flour $1.85
2 x taco shells $4.80
Tomato paste $1.28
Caramel topping $2.65
Wraps $6.00
Sandwich bags 50 pack $2.00
Large ziplock bags 20 pack $2.40
Mini zip lock bags 50 pack $1.90
2 x 500g brown sugar $3.38
Cling wrap $2.15
2 x marshmallows  $3.00
Cooking choc chips $ 1.75
2x 1kg dish powder $ 4.58
Hair dye $10.00
2x 500ml shampoo $3.80
Corn chips $4.32

 Total $ 136.51

Armadale Fresh

2 x coconut cream $1.98
1 ltr coconut oil $8.99
1 ltr sweet chilli sauce $2.49
2 doz eggs $5.00
Butternut pumpkin 3 for $1
Rice paper $ 1.29
Red plums $ 1.74
Mandarin and zucchini 2 bags for $1
Red and green capsicum 4 bags for $1.50 (lady only charged me for 2)
Pocky $1.99

Total $26.48

Kakulas Brothers

350 g dried cranberries $2.78
.875g Himalayan pink salt  $ 10.06
2 vanilla pods $3.98

Total $16.92


Woolworths

1 ltr shower gel $4.99
4 x deodorant  (half price sale) $13.08

 Total $18.07

Coles 

Mushrooms (clearance)  50c
2 x Vietnamese salad kit $1.20

Total $1.70

Oriental Supermarket

4.8 kg watermelon $2.86
Sushi rice $3.34
4 dozen eggs $7.56
Nori wraps $1.65

Total $15.40

Total Cost=  $316.60



 

Hula Hoop Tutorial

We recently went to an outdoor concert where we were entertained by a lovely Eco Fairy doing some hula hooping. There was a heap of spare  hula hoops for the kids to join in but Mr 8 was too shy, which got me thinking... why don't we make these at home? So that is exactly what we did!

I had a look online for custom handmade hula hoops and a large hoop which is ideal for beginners, retails for around $35! I made two hoops, one for Mr 8 and one for myself for a fraction of that price and still have leftover materials to make more!

To make a hula hoop you will need:

19mm poly drip irrigation tubing (mine was from Bunnings)
A 19mm barbed joiner for each hula hoop
Scissors or pruning shears
Coloured tape, sheet of silver book adhesive or washi tape for decorating

Unfortunately I could only find the 19mm tubing in a 25 metre length. But on the positive side, now I can make ALL the hula hoops! these would make great gifts as well.

First off you will need to measure out your hula hoop. A good rule of thumb is for a beginners hoop, the bigger the better. The hoop should come at least up to your waist when in it's on it's side.

Unwind the tubing and hold it up against your body so it reaches waist height. Mark  where you need to make the cut with a bit of tape.

Cut the tubing with some garden pruners or scissors.You will now have long length of tubing.
















 In a medium sized container pour in some boiling water and hold one of the tubing ends in the hot water for about 20 seconds. This will make the end pliable enough to attach the connector. 

Push the connector into the plastic tubing. Then repeat the process with the other end of the tube so that both cut ends are now attached to the connector.

The join in the hoop should look like this. If you just want a plain black hoop, then your DIY hoop is good to go. But if you prefer yours a bit fancy, keep reading.

I bought a pack of coloured insulation tape from Kmart. I also had a couple rolls of silver adhesive book covering that I got for 50c each last year, so I used those to decorate Mr 8's hoop as well. The stuff I have is similar to this. 

Starting at the join, and at a slight angle, wrap the insulation tape carefully around the tubing until it is all the way around. I think it looks good just like this, but if you want to add some sparkle, cut the silver adhesive into 1-2cm lengths depending on how big your black gaps are. Mr 8 wanted his to be black, red and silver so I positioned the silver tape to go in between the black tubing and red tape. This part takes a while so just take your time. 







Because you know I'm all about being frugal, everything I buy has to be as cheap as possible.
Here is the pricing for a DIY hula hoop:

25 metres of poly tubing: $14.90- works out to be 60c per metre
Barbed joiners: 75c each 
Insulation tape: $2.50 for a pack of 5
Silver adhesive: $1.00 for 2 rolls on sale

With these materials it would cost around $2.40 per hula hoop. 

I've been practicing every day but still can't keep the hoop up for more than a couple of rotations. However, Mr 8 is becoming a pro!

Happy hooping everyone!