#MealPlanningMonday - 27th June 2016

Last week I didn't bother with meal planning, I was too poorly. I started feeling a bit off on Sunday night so went to bed early, but then woke up on Monday to find my stomach had swollen to twice its normal size, I'm fat to start off with so you can only imagine my horror at waking to looking like I'd swallowed a beach ball in my sleep! I couldn't roll one way or another to get out of bed. Luckily Squiggle had stayed at his dad's house for Father's Day so I didn't have to panic about trying to do the school run. I initially put it down to bloating from my IBS but by Wednesday it still hadn't cleared and a trip to the doctors was needed. They confirmed I had an infection and gave me a course of antibiotics. It took 4 more days for the swelling to go down. Yesterday I finally looked like my normal self and actually started to feel a bit better.

So last week we just ate basic, simple food, that didn't require much cooking and I will admit to a takeaway or two. This week we're hopefully going to get back on track. Also this week I will be trying to kick start a diet of some description ( mainly from the horror of swelling to twice my size, and also because I have a school reunion coming up in August ). I'm thinking of just ditching the sandwiches at dinner time and filling up on salads as I always feel hungry again after eating bread!

Anyway the plan for this week is:

• Lamb, mash & peas
• Chilli con carne and rice
• Jacket potatoes with either cheese, beans or coleslaw
• Chicken Fajitas
• Thai curry

Hope you are all keeping well, and have a great week. x

My 5 quick fixes to a tidier home

I hate cleaning, so I know I'm never going to win the Housewife of the Year award, my house is cluttered with odds and sods, I'll admit to moving the mess around to dust and vacuum and then moving the mess back but at least I know it's clean.

So I'm going to share my top 5 tips for a quick fix when guests announce they will be popping over. These tips don't work if they land on your doorstep, you do need a good 5 - 10 minutes notice!

1. Vacuum 
A clean carpet can make a great difference to a somewhat cluttered room, it makes it look and smell cleaner than it actually might be.

2. Dust
Quickly dust the focal points in the room. The area by the TV is my main dust collecting area, it needs doing every day, sometimes twice, also do the mantel piece and the edges of any mirrors.

3. Box it
If you have time, grab a box and put the clutter in it, then hide the box in another room - preferably one that your guests won't be going near, such as your own bedroom or the pantry.

4. Cover it up
Throws and blankets are brilliant, I shove everything into a corner and then put a blanket over it, I then pass it off as Squiggles den!

5. Dim the lights
If all else fails and your visitors are coming at night, then turn off your lights, use candles to create a calming and peaceful ambiance, after all if it's dark, you can't see the mess!

So these are my quick fixes, what are yours?

#MealPlanningMonday - 13th June 2016

What a difference a day makes, and a week makes even more difference, who would have thought this time last week we were sitting in the garden eating a barbecue in the glorious sunshine, tonight, we're huddled up inside trying to get dry after getting soaked in the rain.

Despite all the wet weather I've had a really good week in the garden pulling out the weeds, phew, I need a trailer to get rid of them all now, there's bags and bags of weeds piled up everywhere!

Looking at the weather today, I think it's going to be another damp and wet week, so I'll need to keep on top of those pesky weeds so will be needing some good food to eat.

This weeks menu will consist of:

• Pesto pasta and sun dried tomatoes
• Lamb steaks with mash and peas
• Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
• Bangers and mash or toad in the hole
• Spaghetti bolognaise

Have fun folks, whatever you're up to.

#MealPlanningMonday - 6th June 2016

Phew it's been a scorcher today and I don't know about you but when it's hot, food and eating is the last thing on my mind and so is cooking. I eat a lot less when it's nice weather, I seem to fill up more on water and cold drinks instead.

If it's going to be like this all week, then we shall probably just end up eating salad every night. However tonight, we had a little barbecue in the garden. I bought one of the small disposable barbecues and set it up on my old cast iron table. We had a lovely time sitting out in the sun cooking burgers and sausages on the table.

Squiggle loved it, he prefers alfresco dining when the sun is shining and is quite happy to sit down and eat, which is a contrast to when we sit inside and meal times become a battle. He just doesn't want to sit still, I honestly don't know where he gets his energy from, it's certainly not from his parents!

Anyway I digress, my meal plan for this week is either going to be salad, salad and more salad, but there will be a contingency plan in case of wet or colder weather.

• Lasagne and garlic bread
• Mexican fajitas
• Cheesey pizza
• Fish fingers and mash
• Chicken Tikka Masala

I hope you all get to make the most of the weather, have a good week and enjoy x