{Recipe} ::: Grandma Zoe's Casserole

I've bee meaning to share this recipe with you all for awhile now. It has to be one of my favourite meals to make in our house, not only because it tastes AMAZING, but it is also packed full of vegetable goodness, and makes such a large quantity it easily feeds our family for lunch and dinner for 2 days, sometimes more!

My mother-in-law has been making this for a long time, and gave me the recipe a few years back now. It is one of those really hearty meals, and I remember being amazed when I saw the recipe was so simple, thinking how on earth can this taste SO flavoursome...but it just does. It does take a little while to prep it all, but once it is done, it will be so worth it!

Play around with the vegetables you put in, and the quantities too, until you get it just the way you like it. I love the pumpkin the most in this dish, so I tend to use more pumpkin than the other veggies!

The recipe is below - so have a try and let me know how you go with it! Hopefully it will become a family favourite for you too!

Grandma Zoe's Casserole

500-700g beef stewing steak, cut into chunks

2 Tbs plain flour

Salt & Pepper

2 x onions, chopped

4 x cloves garlic, peeled

4 x carrots, chopped in bite size pieces

3 x potatoes, chopped in bite size pieces

4 x sticks celery, chopped in bite size pieces

1/2 pumpkin, chopped in bite size pieces

2 Tbs vegetable stock paste (optional)

Herbamare salt (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Place the steak in a plastic bag with the flour, salt and pepper and shake until well coated. Heat some oil in a large frying pan and cook the steak until browned through. Remove to a large casserole dish.

Put onions and garlic into the frying pan, and stir until soft, translucent and fragrant. Add in the rest of the vegetables and cook until all vegetables are well softened - don't skimp on this step. I let mine cook for a good 20 minutes or more, sitrring in between every so often. If you don't let them soften up as much as possible, they won't melt in your mouth at the end!
Add a little more oil if necessary.

Place the cooked vegetables on top of the meat in the casserole dish. Add a little water to your frypan along with the vegetable stock paste (if using) and rub the base of the frypan with a wooden spoon to release all the delicious juices and bits. Pour this liquid on top of the casserole, and top with a little more water if needed (until the liquid level is almost to the top of the dish). *The vegetable stock paste and herbamare are asbolutely optional. The dish still tastes fantastic without them.

Cover with foil (or a lid if you have one) and pop into the oven for 2 hours.

We find this quantity makes 8-10 serves, easily. If you aren't keen on eating it over the course of a couple of days, it freezes really well also.

xxx

Figuring out what is most important to YOU

It has been a really, really busy couple of weeks.

We had seen that our friends (originally from Perth, but they had moved to Sydney) were on a road trip and would be passing through our little town! So we offered to them to stay with us whilst they were passing through. They had 2 young girls and a little baby boy. Our house was full of life and love and chaos for 5 nights.

However, in this time, I truly learnt some valuable parenting lessons, and also asked some questions of myself and Matt about what we are truly doing here.

Our friends who stayed with us have quite an amazing story. He was accepted into the Navy (just like my Matt), but was training to be an officer. Everything was going to plan, until one day, out of the blue, he got hit by Meniere's disease. This disease took all of their hopes and plans and dreams right out of their hands. He was just about to pass over as an officer when he was discharged from the Navy and was told he would only be able to work in a role similar to someone at a McDonald's drive-through. Not quite the life they had planned for themselves.

They sunk themselves into a fantastic church in Sydney and enrolled into Bible College, and he has just recently been ordained as an Anglican Pastor. The reason for their travels through our humble town were that the were relocating from Sydney to Shark Bay to pastor the Anglican church there.

They live off a pension. It wouldn't be much. We would most definitely be on a fair wicket more than what they are. Yet we still complain, we still struggle to make ends meet. Yet they are content.

It really made me question what our purpose was on this earth. One night, as I was speaking to Tam, I had mentioned to her how when I was in highschool I had always wanted to go on a missions trip to Africa. Always. I had had prophesies over my life that involved ministry and speaking in front of thousands of people and impacting people's lives in that way. As I spoke to Tam, and laid down my shortcomings in this area, she humbly reminded me, that even though I may not be living out ministry in the way I had hoped or dreamed I would, that I was still capable of ministering to so many by just doing what I was doing....hosting people, praying for people, donating to people in ministry. Just because I haven't yet been called to ministry myself doesn't mean my life is any more insignificant.

I sometimes feel like we are always chasing the money. Always chasing to earn that little bit more to make ourselves more comfortable. To pay down our mortgage quicker, to be able to provide better for our kids, to enjoy our lives that little bit more. But when is enough, enough? Who knows what tomorrow may bring? For tomorrow may bring the end of everything you had planned and dreamed of. It may bring the death of a loved one, your husband, your children. It may be the end of a career. We should be living in the now, and making the most of what we have. And for Matt and I, i felt very humbled to be content with where we are, where God has placed us. To not worry so much about money and where it may come from. Obviously, to live smartly (and not past our means) but to live with purpose. Supporting those that we can, and trying to better ourselves in the process.

Matt and I spoke about joining a bible college for ourselves. And we would absolutely LOVE to be able to connect into a church and home group that really stretches us and challenges us. That is what is most important to us at the moment. As when we are trusting God and following his calling, and working on our relationship with him....everything else kind of becomes a blur and our focus on what is important sharpens. And when that happens, everything else falls into place. 

After our good friends left, I had another very busy weekend of makeup in town, 18 makeup applications over 2 days and 1 makeup education session. We were hosting a makeup artist in our house at that time too, and Matt was working the whole weekend, so the girls were getting watched by their Aunty and one of my friends alternately. It was mayhem and as much as I loved getting out and being involved in the makeup (and I was SO, so proud of doing it all on my own), it was very emotionally and physically draining in so many ways. All i wanted at the end of it all was my family. I wanted my girls back home with me, I wanted my house empty of guests, and I wanted a HUGE cuddle from my Matt, my rock. I needed to take solace in my family. 

I learnt alot from both weekends about staying true to yourself, and what your values are, but in the process, valuing yourself and not letting that be taken advantage of.

So, if you take anything away from this, I pray it would be this:

:::Stop apologizing for yourself, for your downfalls, for your family, for the state of your house.
::: Be content that you are doing what you need to do to survive, to get by, to be happy.
::: Trust that you are where God wants you to be at this specific moment in time.
:::Be kind, be generous, be giving, but don't let anyone take advantage of you or your family.
:::And above all else, forgive, and let go.

Keep on keeping on. Keep being kind. Keep praying for others. Keep supporting others. Don't forget who you are at your core. Don't forget your maker. 

Be encouraged, but don't lose sight of what is really most important in this life.

xxx

You can't win every battle

I have been feeling a little flat today.

Everything I do as a mother, is for the good of my girls, and my family. So much of my brain space is devoted to this....it is what keeps me up at night. I don't sleep well because I constantly think about how I can make the girls lives better, keep them healthier, heal their skin...etc etc.

We have been on a gluten and dairy free diet for DD2 for over a year now. We implemented it for her, but as a family, we all took it on. So it has effected all of us. It has been a really rough journey, but the results have been amazing. We know it works. It has worked. But over the past month or two, her eczema has started to rear its ugly red head again. It is by no means bad, or as bad as I know alot of people have it. But it is there. It is present. It affects her. She scratches it constantly. Therefore, I worry about it. I don't want her to have it anymore. And then on top of that, both of them now have Molluscum Contagiosum (what a name, huh!?) DD1 has had that for nearly a year now. I will put a post up about that awful and taboo topic in the near future, I promise.

I have lost track of how much money and time we have spent researching and changing diets/supplements/medications to get on top of it. In fact, I don't even want to know. But, when its benefiting your children, you would go to any lengths and pay any price to see them healthy, wouldn't you?

So what then happens, when you are at the end of your strength? Or when money starts becoming tight? What happens when the ailments come back and you don't know why? What happens when every time you go to a party or catch up with family or friends, and everyone else is eating cheescake for dessert, but you have to tell your young children, sorry you can't have that? 

It kills you inside, that is what happens.

We decided, a few nights ago, to let the girls have some gluten and dairy (sparingly) again. No, I didn't go out and by coco pops, and tiny teddies and cupcakes galore. I let them have a vegemite and cheese sandwich (on normal bread) for lunch. I let them have some greek yoghurt with passionfruit as a snack and tonight they had 3 squares of cheese in their side salad for dinner.

You should have seen the girls that first day! They hadn't even set sight on a piece of cheese for so long! DD1 was over the moon! And DD2, scoffed that sandwich right down like she hadn't been fed for such a long time! They have been SO happy to eat some "normal" food again.

I had emailed our specialist a few days ago, just before we started reintroducing the food. She is the one who has been helping us all immensely on our journey to health. In my email I just told her, I am exhausted. It is getting too much. 

Her reply came through last night and it knocked me for six and now I basically feel like I have 2 choices here. One, is to continue on with our gluten and dairy free diet, to keep DD2s gut health at its optimum. Because as far as we know and understand, those elements she is intolerant to are flaring up her gut, which, down the track, may lead to other complications, such as IBS, depression, anxiety, etc. Or, I can chuck the towel in and just do as I have been doing the last few days. Give them bits of dairy and gluten here and there and she can reap the repercussions when she gets older. Let me pose this question to you all...what would you do in this situation - as I feel like I am on a death sentence....ignore and let her eat happily and she MAY down the track really suffer from it, or stick to it and struggle financially, and let them miss out on eating normally on occasion with family/friends and miss out on those foods that your childhood is made up of?

I am not stupid. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that gluten and dairy have a strong impact for those who are intolerant. I am well aware that for DD2 she has shown intolerances to them both. I am approaching this with extreme caution, as I know, in the past, she has developed staph infections from her eczema getting out of control. I will never let it get to that. But, in my view, the eczema has been hanging around even with her being completely dairy and gluten free. If i notice it getting bad, we will reassess and start back with knocking the dairy and gluten out again. But for now, I just have to do what I can do as a mum. And that is, survive. 

I am not perfect. I am no supermum. I have done some hard yards with the girls health, and still battle it daily. I guess the message I want to get across tonight is this: As a mum, you know what is best for your children, and your family. Don't ever second guess that. But also, don't feel such a weight on your shoulders to do it all. Sometimes, that is just not feasible or possible. If it is going to break you in the process, it absolutely is not worth it. Your children and your family NEED you. They need you to be happy...to be sane.

If your children are healthy, and happy (well....despite the odd tantrum or two), then you are absolutely doing everything right. If they cuddle and kiss you and tell you how much they love you, and how beautiful you are...you are doing it right, because they are appreciating all the little things you do for them. If they scream at you and tell you that you are the worst mum in the world, and that they want a new one...you are absolutely doing it right too, because you are setting important boundaries for them, they will appreciate them one day. If you do your best to prepare healthy wholesome food for them, you are doing it right. And if some days you just need to give them a slice of fairy bread for lunch, or you go through a McDonalds drive through, you are doing it right too.

There needs to be balance in every realm of this crazy job called motherhood. Everything in moderation (as my wise mother always tells me). Don't beat yourself up trying to do it all. I honestly believe all of my "whole food, healthy lifestyle, amazingly talented and healthy child bearing mama role models" in life don't do it perfectly every day. I follow many of them, some of them I know personally, and others I follow on various blogs. They absolutely would have their bad days. They would have days where things just aren't perfect enough for them to post about. So you will never read about them or hear about them. But just because they aren't posted, doesn't mean they are perfect..because they aren't. Nobody on this earth is. No mum has it all together. No child is the best child in the world. We are all only human trying to do the best things for ourselves and our families. 

So, when you are having a dark moment and wondering how or if you will ever have it altogether, remind yourself of this: you are doing it ALL right, mama. You know what is best. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

xxx

{Recipe}::: Quick and easy coconut vegetable curry

We are overdue for a grocery shop. Matt is on night shifts at the moment and I just cannot fathom heading to the shops to do a weekly shop with the girls at the moment. Actually....there is nothing worse I could think of!

As the day went on, I knew we didn't have any meat left, but I thought we might have enough produce to whip up some sort of a risotto.

It was around 3pm when I had a look in the pantry to discover...we had only about 1 tablespoon of risotto rice left! Darn!! What the heck were we going to have for dinner?! I thought, oh we could have omelettes, but no...out of eggs. Oh, I could make a pizza...no, I dont fancy bacon and pumpkin pizza!

I put my thinking cap on and had a look at the seemingly sad looking vegetables that were left in my fridge. I had about 3 carrots, a 1/4 pumpkin, 5 sticks of celery, a head of broccoli, a handful of sad looking spinach, and a punnet of cherry tomatoes as well as some potato and onion and garlic. I thought, hmmm its going to have to be some sort of vegetarian meal, obviously, with a whole lotta mixed vegetables!

Lets make a vegetable curry!

Luckily, I always have a good supply of coconut milk and coconut cream in my pantry as they would help this meal along alot! Here is the recipe:

Coconut Vegetable Curry

2 Tbs coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tins coconut cream (270ml each)

2 Tbs curry powder

1 Tbs maple syrup

1 Tbs Tamari (or soy) sauce

2 Tbs Vegetable stock paste 

1 cup water

1 pinch salt

5 sticks celery, cut in chunks

2 carrots, sliced and quartered in chunks

4 potatoes, cut in chunks

1/4 pumpkin, cut in chunks

1 head of broccoli, cut into pieces

punnet of tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

handful of spinach

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and stir until softened and fragrant.

Add coconut cream, curry powder, maple syrup, tamari, vegetable stock paste, water and salt and stir. 

Add celery, carrots, potatoes and pumpkin. Pop the lid on and bring to the boil. When boiling, reduce to a simmer and let sit until the vegetables are soft (approx 15 minutes).

Add tomatoes, broccoli and peas and cook through.

Turn off the heat and add spinach and stir through until wilted.

Serve with basmati rice and pappadums. Add some coconut cream or coconut yoghurt (or normal yoghurt) for the kids.

You can be as flexible as you like with this meal. Any vegetables would do: sweet potato, cauliflower, zucchini, etc. Experiment with what you have. This is a fabulous way to use up leftover vegetables in your fridge before you do a new grocery shop! If you don't have Vegetable Stock Paste, a simple vegetable stock powder would be fine. And it isn't even that necessary, it would taste just as amazing without it!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know if you give it a go!

xxx