Create You Coaching

Learning and Fun at home

I hope that you are all well and safe?! This week passed in a whirl and here we are, weekend again. We have been keeping busy with some classes for the little ones and exercises for us adults too. There are a few classes that we now truly cannot live without, in the development of our little humans.

On Monday mornings start your week off with a nice relaxing kids yoga class with @glowyoga_studio, last week was a Safari themed class and even though Austin and Aria weren’t following the class they loved being able move freely, play with Mommy on the yoga mat and learn the African animals.

Joe Wicks, not only has you offered us delicious Lean in 15 recipes, Wean in 15 recipes, but now the morning workout P.E with Joe. I thought this was for school going children but tuned in to it one morning as it is all over the news but turns out, it is quite challenging and lifts your heartrate and focuses in on those muscles! We were very impressed, and the kids played around me while I was doing it.

Mini Music Makers is just great! The presenters engage the children and are good singers and it is enjoyable for all. They really make it fun for the children and parents offering an upbeat and musical class. There is a definite focus on learning, and it has a wonderful, I’m just going to say it… not ‘annoying’ vibe to the class. There are only so many sing-along classes you can sit through, hoping its not just me on that one!

I did make mention of Dantastic Productions last week, but they do put on a good show and they include some props that you can gather from bits you have around the house. This one requires a bit more from you to set the tone/ fun element for the children, but it is like being at a children’s party, so good for them.

What I found is that if you have a few Ace’s up your sleeve, aka online classes then you will be fine. When you feel you need a break from play/entertain let the experts take over and your children will enjoy it too. We ended the week on a high with @SophieEllisBextor and her Kitchen Disco!! Who can feel low after a disco boogie we can’t wait for next week and will find some sparkly clothes for it too! She released her album Familia just after giving birth to baby in 2016, what an amazing, fun woman.

Some others that supported us this week were; @ettiebettybaby for sing and sign and Wiggle and Rhyme. Momtalkpodcast has been super kind and put the live classes together on a handy spread sheet that you can go a grab from her Instagram.

Mumtalkpodcast – https://www.instagram.com/mumtalkpodcast/

If you find any more classes or activities that are worth following or checking out please share them below in the comments or message me? The time really does fly if you keep busy.

Versatile Meatballs

It has been a few days since I last posted, to be honest it has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. The reason I am making mention of this is because we are all being put into situations out of our comfort zone and it helps to know that you are not alone at this time; even if you technically are. You will have ups and downs but don’t let the downs consume you. I committed to do yoga today and make time for my writing, as I know those things will lift my spirits.

We all need to plan at the minute, this will also reduce some anxiety or stress that you may be experiencing. I have drawn on some of the food prep we did before having the twins. In the weeks before going into labour I made a huge batch of meatballs and froze them, 50 meatballs in total. You can use them with tomato sauce and pasta, with noodles for an Asian twist or in a wrap with houmous. I mean there are probably more you can do but the above ideas demonstrate their versatility.

Ingredients:

Pack of Mince (we use Turkey or Pork, but you can use Beef in you prefer)	Honey
1 Small – Medium Onion finely chopped	Soy Sauce (Reduced salt or regular)
1 slice of bread soaked in milk	Sesame oil
Fresh or dried parsley finely chopped	Coriander leaves
Paprika	Sesame seeds black and white
I didn’t add more spices, but you can add some cumin, graham masala	Dried Chilli flakes
Broccoli florets and carrot ribbons	Pepper

Cupboard condaments in the right column

This is a very straight forward recipe; feel free to add other flavors with spices or garlic powder if you prefer. You can also add some hidden vegetables such as red pepper, carrots or spinach. These are for the entire family and we will be using them in different meals so I kept it simple for us.

Method:

Add all the ingredients together in a bowl; the mince, bread, paprika, teaspoon of sesame oil and soy sauce and grind of pepper. We didn’t add salt as there is plenty of flavour without it and the glaze we used for the adult meal was salty enough. Mix it all with your hand until combined. I set it in the fridge until I had time to make the balls while Aria and Austin ate later in the day.

When forming the balls, I did a mixture of coating my hands with olive oil but then also wet them with water during to keep the meat from sticking to my hands. Take a spoon and scoop an amount that you are happy with and try keep it the same throughout. Ours were about the same as a 50p coin in diameter.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, this reduces the amount of washing up and the balls will not stick to the tray. I also did a light spray of non-stick but that is not strictly necessary. Place your balls on the tray as you shape them, we chose to cook them all before freezing but you can also cover the tray with cling film and freeze them before bagging them up. With the babies we often need the food quickly so heating them through in a pan once defrosted works better for us.

*Meatballs once I had turned and drained the liquid halfway through cooking*

Heat the oven to 190 degrees and cook for 15minutes, I turned mine and drained/ dried the juices halfway through, so they weren’t too wet. When it was the babies time to eat, I warmed them in the microwave and served with broccoli and Potato wedges. Confession a little bit of tomato sauce is a tasty treat now they are a bit bigger.

We made our dinner later and flash fried them in a pan to warm through. Put a bit of sesame oil, soy sauce and honey and chili flacks in a small pot and reduce till it becomes a sticky glaze, I rolled the balls in that and set them aside and mixed pre-prepared wholewheat noodles through the remaining glaze. Serve this with stir-fried carrots and broccoli or just plain. Top the noodle with our glazed meatballs and garnish with coriander and sesame seeds. It was super delicious and quick to prepare one the babies had gone to bed.

Keeping busy with kids

Keeping busy while at home with Aria and Austin has not been hard, any Mom will know there is loads to do, but keeping the littles one entertained is another matter.

On Friday we went for a walk with Daddy to Tooting before the baby’s lunch and lovely nap. During their nap I did a quick ab workout and had some lunch. We missed the live broadcast but played the Dantastic Productions Toddler Party recording for them later in the afternoon. It was more of a workout for me, but they enjoyed the activity around them and it took us through to dinner.

We are trying to think out the box and it turns out an egg carton and some cut up straws provide hours of fun. The babies ended up just chewing the straws, but they were happy and are still finding them and carrying them around. We bought this fabric tunnel a while ago, I fold it away mostly and then bring it out for a while every once and a while when Austin and Aria need entertainment. Our playpen came with a bag of balls that turns it into a fun ball pit.

Bath time we have always done super quick as I have two to wash and keep from going under. Now that Daddy is at home, we can enjoy it much more, we ordered the below fun toy from Amazon. I added a little food colouring to the bath water to make it extra special and Ill be getting bubble bath next time I brave a shop.

There are so many classes going live on air now my Twin group (Wandsworth Twins Club) have been sharing some great ideas. If you are a parent of twins this is such a great way to link up with mothers of twins a similar age to yours. When things are running normally there is a playgroup on Wednesdays, coffee mornings, Girls night outs and talks on various useful topics. Currently it is almost more important as Moms are sharing ideas and offering support and comradery.

Please comment on the post if you have any different classes you think is worth a share? I will be working my next post sharing handy delivery services that have become available. Happy playing everyone!

Useful links:

Sensory Land

Weareteachers Where authors are doing online read out load

Peloton are offering 90 days free for there online fitness classes, so the entire family can stay fit

Google ‘live zoo cams’, this links to Zoo webcams around the world

Facebook Groups:

Busy Toddlers and Beyond

Wriggle and Rhyme Story Times London

Tumble Tots

24 Hour Kids Party hosted by Captain Fantastic Children’s Entertainment

Hallo Corona…

To be honest I haven’t wanted to jump on the band wagon of Corona and what it is doing to the society that we know so well. Sadly, it has come to a point where it needs to be mentioned and then incorporated into our lives.

Today we took a walk to Tooting to see if we can find handwash, nappies and milk for our twin babies. We saw a huge que outside Iceland and on our return home there was some altercation but all we could make out is something about queuing. I mean people are scared and desperate for food. I believe it is the fear that is causing this and hopefully in a few weeks the dust will settle, and people will realize that there is food if you don’t buy it all for yourself!

We have not been stock piling anything because we understood/thought that if everyone bought what they needed then there wouldn’t be this problem. As it stands some people will be going hungry while others have more food than they need or can eat. This situation is bringing out a side to people that can’t be helped or is making them take actions that they never thought they would. If we had teenagers for example, I would be worried how to feed them for 3 months. Everyone is coping with it differently.

Back to our walk after checking Sainsbury and then Iceland being a no go, a chemist without handwash we went into the Tesco and they had a few bits and pieces, relief! We got whole milk for our babies and some Porn Star Martini’s, basic needs, right?! We still needed hand wash so tried Boots even though Matt was convinced that Boots and chemists don’t do handwash…No judgement.

We walked home having not touched anything or buying stockpile levels. We had had some fresh air but unfortunately felt rather stressed and low about the entire situation. It will all simmer down I am sure, but currently the country is in fear and panic. People have activated their fight or flight but there are no flights out of this or any at all really. Eternally positive, I am sure we will get through this and things will return to some state of normality, something less post-apocalyptic. There has not been an apocalypse, we still have luxury’s that previous generations in dyer positions didn’t have so be grateful and carry on.

Red Pepper Pasta

Last week I read that red peppers are a great source of Vitamin C. I decided to buy a large bag for £1.45 so we had plenty in to use to prepare healty meals. You can expect to see this sweet, fresh vegetable appear in quit a few of my recipes.

Ingredients:

500g Pasta Adults	Mixed Herbs
50g Pasta Babies	1 Garlic Clove
½ Punnet of mushrooms	Pepper and salt to taste
1 Red Pepper	Hand full of spinach ca
1 Medium Onion	Chorizo & Rocket to garnish
4 Spoons of Cottage cheese, great Protein
1 Aubergine cubed and roasted

I fried my peppers first as I like a nice char on them, you can use any oil you like but I use olive (not virgin). When they are the colour you like and a little soft place them in a bowl and set aside. Now fry your onion( add salt here if you want), I like using oil and then adding a little butter, when they are ready add you mushrooms and little nob of butter, herbs and a grind of black pepper. Optionally you can add the spinach now to wilt

Above is all the steps including the blended veg and cottage cheese.

At this point I stopped and just before the children’s dinner time I made a small portion for them, but you can do it all at the same time. Combine all the veg and cottage cheese in a blending jar, I added a splash of whole milk, so it blends easily. Reserve the pan you used to fry everything.

Boil your pasta, we used spaghetti, and drain once it is cooked. Set aside some of the cooking water. Place your drained pasta in the pan you fried everything in add 2-3 spoons of the sauce you prepared and cooking water till it combines well.

I cooked some Chorizo and it went too far and was crispy but turned out to be a great topping. We also grated some Parmesan, but it really didn’t need it as the flavours are intense enough without. Let me know if enjoy the recipe, put your own spin on it, this was only one combination.

Tooting Date Night

This is such an amazing area to live near! Not only for the links into London that the tube opens but the markets. If you are a local, you know all about it, but it is anything but boring to mention again. I think that it is still important to share these good experiences even though there are uncertain times ahead for us. It is in times like these that we should support each other and remain as positive as possible.

Tooting Market and Broadway Market were built in the 1930’s, similarly to the Brixton markets, these were fruit and veg, meat and fish market traders. Though there are many that have been there for fifty- or eighty-years, new traders have moved in to reflect the changing times. There is a refil shop and a zero waste bar, restaurants, coffee shops and many more. It truely does reflect the community and London right now.

My husband, Matt, and I went for a night out recently starting with a glass of wine at Hennys. We love this venue for its simple and unassuming décor, whitewashed walls and intimate seating. The hunger was calling, and I knew I felt like a pulled pork burger from The Joint. The food was delicious! We had a bit of a spread so we can taste it all, see below.

The table and meal we had at The Jointhttp://www.thejointldn.com/

The market really comes alive later in the evening, something we hadn’t see since the summer of 2018 due to being pregnant with twins and going to bed at 21:00! It could have been that the recent news about Corona that made people want to go out and meet friends and family before we went into lock down. The feeling was one of comradery and community. We stopped at Craft for an after-dinner beverage, my husband loves craft beer, he also home brews, and I don’t mind one myself. The guys serving us weren’t very happy that the Premier League has been postponed and had some opinions on what they should be doing. Everyone will have their own personal viewpoint and feelings in the time we can only be understanding of other people’s positions.

DJ playing outside Craft, creating a party atmosphere.

Outside the shop the DJ was mixing and playing a trumpet along to the mix, people were dancing the passage and just having a great time. Our evening was drawing to a close and we took a walk in the direction of home.

Goldfinchhttps://goldfinchsw17.co.uk/gallery

One last stop at the Goldfinch before heading home. It is such a lovely little bar, excuse the pun as that is what it used to be called. They make a great cocktail here, but I had a simple glass of Cava for a last drink. Just enjoying a bit of a laugh and chat with Matt. It was great and felt like we were dating again pre children for the brief moments we had away from them that evening.

Country escape to Overton

We were lucky enough to have the Grandparents come stay over for the weekend to look after Aria and Austin. They did a great job and we were able get out and about without the little ones. It was lots of fun but gosh Mamma was very tiered on Sunday evening.

We jumped on the trained out of London to meet up with some friends in Overton. We travelled through Clapham Junction to get there, one of the biggest interchanges for passengers in the country and it was so empty! There had been a cancellation of a St Patrick’s Day march and possibly many more events across the capital due to the Corona virrus outbreak.

The discussion on the train was not purely about our babies, it was about moving out of London and where we could settle that would be commutable for my husband and still have enough going on to keep us entertained. M&S provided a lovely smorgasbord for lunch on the way, it was just really lovely to have an hour with my husband to sit, chat and eat together without any crying and just focus on each other. Luxury right there!

Everyone knows how nice it is out of London in the countryside so I won’t go on and on about it, but the 20 minute walk to The Red Lion pub was so refreshing. Especially considering that we are going to be under lock and key soon with the Corona virus on the loose. The pub was nicely decorated and even though we didn’t have a big lunch there the food and menu looked great. I opted for haloumi skewers, showing that for £6 and glass of wine you can have a great afternoon in the pub. Just drink a pint of water along side the wine, to avoid the sluggish effects of alcohol.

Enjoying The red Lion with friends that insisted on making it into the post. No problem guys

Doing what we referred to as a ‘pub hop’, meaning we moved from one to another. The second pub was The White Hart, what a stunning pub that looks to have been refurbished recently. It has won the best pub in the area in the recent awards and also offers rooms if you are planning on staying in the area.

We had to hot foot it back to the station and the lovely walk into town ended up being a bit of an up-hill march after a few drinks to get back to the station. Still refreshing just harder. We made it back on the train and into London. Tip if you are coming from that way, you need to change at Basingstoke! Our train went straight past Clapham Junction to Waterloo, we had to get a train back again. No adventure is without its challenges.

Transcription

Transcription was not my usual read, it was the pink flamingo on the cover that attracted me to it. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but my love of art and design just means that a lovely cover does hugely appeal to me .

It took me some time to get into the reading as its pace was slow and not gripping from the outset. It is set 1940’s during the war and shows how everyone’s lives changed during that time. People got involved in the war effort and were put in positions that would not normally be called for. Our lead character, Juliet, is eighteen years old and is placed in an apartment next to where Nazi informants meet, here the recordings of their conversation get transcribe by her. For me these transcriptions were the hardest to read as they do not make up much of the overall story. It is more the events around those recordings and the different characters that make up the story.

There are a few twists that forces you to wonder, morally, what you would have done in that position. The espionage tone of the book does make it a page turner that makes you want to solve the various mysteries within its pages.

Some of the story takes place many years after the war, with Juliet still feeling the ghosts and guilt from the war time around her. She met people from all walks of life and though she did manage to build a life for herself far away from her past, it could not unwrite the page she transcribed or the actions she took.

I did find myself sticking to it just because I wanted to know what this pink flamingo actually has to do with the plot. It does reveal itself and I am glad I kept reading as even though it was slow to start with, as it was quit relaxing to read and a nice escape without being my normal fiction and fantasy novels.

Packed Baked Beans

Named such because they are much more interesting than the version from a can but also packed with nutrients. This one is straight forward; it’s one of my ‘throw it all in a pot’ and simmer ones. Ill break it down a bit, but at its care that is all it is. Double the recipe if you want to freeze some, as I guarantee you will want some for your lunch and I found that one tin wasn’t enough.

Ingredients:

Tin of haricot beans	2 tsp Tomato paste
Baby spinach finely cut (½ hand fulls)	1 Tbsp BBQ sauce
Small onion finely diced	Pepper, salt to taste
¼ punnet of mushroom	1 teaspoon paprika
300ml water, this is not exact, judge how much you need	Pinch of thyme
Grated cheese and yogurt

Method:

Fry off the onion in a bit of oil, once brown and soft add a small nob of unsalted butter and add the mushrooms. Once they are cooked add the beans, spices, herbs, water and spinach. The beans are sometimes a bit hard straight from the can, I checked mine and decided how much water I’d need.

This is wahat it looks like once you have added the herbs, spices, spinach and water.

Now add the tomato paste and BBQ sauce and simmer, I had to add a little more water and reduce for 10 minutes on a simmer. You are looking for the consistency in the image below if it is still a bit watery reduce more. I mashed the beans slightly and then added cheese and yogurt for the children.

For my lunch I topped a bag of rice & quinoa with cheese and the beans with a dollop of yogurt. Very delicious!!! Just waiting for the energy boost. If you have coriander you can top it with some or some avocado on the side. Put your own spin on it.

Thai Pork Mince

This is a delicious recipe that is so easy you can prep it while babies eat a snack and the key is that it can stand this your guest arrive or your husband gets home. One pack of mince makes 2 portions for the babies and one dinner for my husband and I. you can do half and half and have a smaller dinner and freeze more for more children meals.

The final dish, garnished with cariander and sesame seeds

I can’t actually remember where this one came from but it is definitely inspired by soy and Thai basil pork mince dish we ate and loved in Thailand when we went there in 2017 and improvised a little to make it work for the entire family. The image shows the condiments we use but it just what we have in and can be substituted.

Ingredients:

Pork mince (you can substitute with turkey or chicken if you prefer)	Fish sauce
½ a Red and green pepper	Reduced salt soy sauce
4 Spring onions chopped (you can use any onion here)	Thai green curry paste, to taste
Washed spinach shredded/ finely chopped	Peanut butter optional
Optional ½ grated carrots	Sesame seeds
Chopped coriander	Coconut oil
½ can of Coconut milk	Lemon grass if you have any
	Thailbasil if you have this it will be delicious

Method:

Fry the spring onion in the small pan and the peppers in a larger pan using coconut oil, you can use any oil you have here. Once the onion and peppers have chard slightly and soften separate a little into the child’s pan and a larger amount into the larger adult’s pan. I blended the onion and peppers as the babies don’t much like eating pieces of pepper and it integrates nicely into dish then too.

Once you have fried the onion and pepper blend it with a handblender before adding your currypaste, this step is optional

Now add the curry paste to each I used my tiny teaspoons as seen on the chopping board. One un-heaped for the child’s portion and two heaped for the adults, you can add more but it is more for flavour than heat. Stir till they become fragrant and add the mince ¼ for the child’s portion or 50/50 if you want to freeze some portions. Brown off the mince and add the spinach at this point to wilt.

Use a seperate small pan for the children so you can add less curry paste

Once the mince is cooked add the coconut milk and flavour the adult portion with fish sauce and soy and the children’s just with a little soy sauce. Add coriander to taste but save some for the top of your dish, I only added a tiny amount for the children so they can get used to it, but it is a strong flavour for them. If you are only serving this later, I stopped cooking it now and just brought it back up to heat and reduce before serving. If you are eating it straight away added a teaspoon of peanut butter and reduce, taste and serve when you are happy. We serve ours with rice, Thai rice or basmati but what ever you enjoy or have in is fine. Garnish with coriander leaves and sesame seeds. Enjoy!!!