Tag: Woolworths

Mothers Day 2020 – Making the most of lockdown

Mothers Day 2020 – Making the most of lockdown

Posted on by Rebecca

For many of us Mothers Day will not be the same this year as a result of COVID-19. That familiar hug and brunch with the family will be replaced by Zoom calls and smaller, more intimate family traditions.

Most shops are still shut, but if you have budget to shop there are a couple of options out there to look at to make Mothers Day during lockdown an extra special occasion.

Go Traditional

Woolworths has their winter pyjama range out, which is always an annual Mothers Day gift in our home. Spoil mum with some of their PJ’s, some slippers and a super soft fleece blanket to snuggle up with. Or, if you are anything like me then the last 40 days have been spent living in sweatshirts and hoodies. Netflorist has a great range of personalised hoodies, gowns and cute socks to make mums day. Perfect for the colder weather we are heading into! I also adore this Charlotte Rhys scarf set which adds a little luxury back into life.

Shop Online

Why not stock up mums pantry for an online cooking course, or if you are living at home you can whip her up a MasterChef style 3 course meal.
You may not be able to take mum out for lunch or breakfast, but you can still support business by ordering through your favourite Restaurant through Uber Eats. Breakfast in Bed with croissants from Fournos or get some lunch delivered from our favourite Polpetta restaurant.

A pamper hamper is always a winner and thankfully bath and body products are considered essentials. Have a look at Netflorist’s range here for some super indulgent bath time treats. The Body Shop and Lush South Africa are also allowed to sell selected ranges.

Get Cooking

Top on a lot of mothers wishlists’ is an Instant Pot, and trust me when I say this is one gift that will make her life a whole lot easier! Spoil the special mother in your life by getting her one from YuppieChef and while you are there you can shop for more Level 4 goods, including some specialised tea and coffees!

Get Creative

Most households have had to tighten the belt financially, so if you are looking for a few more homemade options why not consider a “home spa”? Have a look at our homemade bath salts, with a little essential oil added in these are such a wonderful bath time treat. Pair them with some homemade bath bombs for the ultimate pamper experience.

If bath products aren’t her thing, have a look at these 3 easy DIY alternatives, with a few basic craft supplies you can create some wonderful keepsake treasures for mum.

Say it with flowers

Flowers have always been a traditional Mothers Day gift and the incredible Fields of Colour has the most exquisite, freshest flowers in town! They are open for delivery and for every Mothers Day order you place, they will add in a free face shield to keep mum safe. Now that’s innovative thinking! Available for Gauteng only.

Upgrade her home office

I think we can all agree that lockdown has turned our houses into home offices. Suddenly we realise all the supplies we need at home that make our life easier. Printers, computers, stationery. Logitech has a sleek addition to add to mum’s desk with this portable Pebble Mouse. It’s a modern and sleek mouse that fits into your lifestyle wherever you go, perfect for throwing into your handbag when you need to work remotely. This slim mouse comes in three pretty colours to suit any personality off-white, graphite and rose pink.

Cherishing the memories

You may not be able to have a photo shoot to mark the special day, but why not book one for the future? Robyn Davie Family Lifestyle Photography is running a promotion on the most exquisite photo books that would make an incredible gift, or book a shoot for a future date with Kate Rankin Photography.

Happy Mothers Day to all mother figures out there and up in Heaven. 2020 is certainly one for the books, so lets make the most out of every moment!

Ultimate Lunchbox Tips

Ultimate Lunchbox Tips

Posted on by Rebecca

Whether you are ready or not, the new school year is upon us, and with that approximately 197 lunch boxes to pack! Yep you read right, the average school year had 197 days in it. I don’t know about you, but I always start off the year strong, with a nice variety of options and creativity and then it dwindles with fatigue and exhaustion as the year progresses. Two heads are better then one, so “Mommalikeme” and I decided to get together and write about our top lunch box ideas, some of our store bought favourites and a few hacks to make your life easier throughout the year. Be sure to check our her blog post here.

I also have two other Articles that you can refer to for inspiration, find out all about my original lunch box inspiration here and check out some healthy options here.

My kids tend to “snack” more, and between all the playing at break time, bento style boxes work better for us, so most of my boxes are smaller portions with more options.

Daily Lunchbox Inspiration

Monday

  • Pesto Pasta – I list this every year but it really is a winner with us. If your child prefers warm pasta you can buy those nifty flask type containers that keep your food warm as well.
  • Nectarine
  • Yoghurt Pot
  • Biltong Strips

Tuesday

  • “Deconstructed Pita” – Basically Pita Bread with some Meatballs, Hummus and Cucumbers served separately.
  • Grapes and Berries
  • Carrots
  • Nut Muffin

Wednesday

  • Cheese Quesadilla (I toast two tortillas in a pan with melted cheese in the middle and cut into 4.
  • Served with Avo (I have one that likes Avo and another that cant stand it, so I may omit the Avo as well)
  • Strawberries
  • Yoghurt Choobie (Yoghurt tubes from woolies)
  • Trail Mix – My kids love the one with little yoghurt drops in from woolies

Thursday

  • Chicken and Cheese Roll up Wrap
  • Watermelon
  • Mozzarella String Cheese
  • Banana Muffin – you can view my recipe for banana muffins here.
  • Berries
  • Carrots/Sugar snap peas

Friday

  • Egg Muffin Cup
  • Cheese and baby tomato skewers
  • Granola Bar
  • Apple
  • Chocolate Covered Raisins as a treat

We’ve designed an easily printable “cheatsheet” list for you. Allowing you to quickly pick out options from each of the suggested food groups to create a healthy lunch box. Grab one thing from each category and you are good to go!

Click here to download and printDownload

Store Bought Favourites

Now lets look at some of my store bought favourites. These are lunchbox fillers that I buy to make my life easier. Some friendly on the pocket, and some are definitely more of a splurge so it just depends on how we are for the month πŸ™‚

In no particular order:

  • Oven baked munchies (salt crackers)
  • Playful Penguins (South Africa’s answer to goldfish)
  • Granola and Nut Bars
  • Biltong/ Dry Wors
  • Yoghurt covered rice cakes
  • Cheese flavoured rice crackers
  • Fruit Bites
  • Kiddylicious Cheese Straws
  • Kiddylicious Coconut Rolls
  • Kiddylicious Fruity Bakes
  • Happy Kid Banana and Chocolate Bars
  • Trail Mixes
  • Nature Valley Granola Bars
  • Chocolate covered raisins
  • Laughing Cow cheese cubes
  • Mozzarella Cheese String
  • Yogi Choobes
  • “Oh My Goodness” Moon Melts

Lunchbox Hacks

Lastly here are some of my personal lunchbox “hacks”. Things that I do to make my mornings run as smoothly and as quickly as possible (and this is still a huge work in progress).

  1. Get your kids to “pack” their own lunches; “make a snack station”. Okay okay, my kids are a little young still, but this was a responsibility that I had from the age of about 12. So what I do is have a “snack shelf” in the pantry, where the kids can pull out their “store bought favs” from. Easily accessible they can choose what they would like to pack. If you are a little more organised then me, you could sort these into categories like proteins, fruits etc.
  2. Prepare what you can before hand– Pack all fruit, yoghurts etc the night before ready to go and on a Sunday night I normally prep what I can for the week ahead. For example; I will cook a whole bunch of drumsticks and sausages, ready to pop into lunchboxes when needed.
  3. Use Drinks as Ice packs – Freeze your water bottles and it will double up as an Ice Block in your cooler bag.
  4. Compartmentalise – if you don’t have a bento style lunchbox, use silicon muffin cases to hold and separate your foods.
  5. Use Skewers for small meats or cheese – Presenting things in a smaller, prettier way makes it more appealing for the kids to eat. I got some super cute skewers from Lily and Lace.
  6. Use Cookie or Sandwich Cutters (But don’t waste) – My pet peeve about using cookie cutters to shape bread is the amount of bread it wastes. Cloud and Co stock some awesome shapers that almost fit to size, ensuring that you don’t waste alot of the bread. I have my eye on the rocket ship!
  7. Make Use of a thermal flasks – again, Cloud and Co sell some super cute Thermal flasks which will increase what you are able to pack as lunch options.
  8. Send a little love note – Make use of pre-printed stickers like the ones from Tower Labels.

There you have it! I hope you have found these helpful and you use them in your daily planning. Don’t forget to head over to Mommalikeme for some more lunchbox inspiration!

Lunch Box inspiration #1

Lunch Box inspiration #1

Posted on by Rebecca

I think every single mum in the universe is constantly looking for new or different idea’s for their child’s lunch at school, I certainly know I do. This will be the first in a few series I’ll be doing on lunch box ideas for your kids. I am certainly not reinventing the wheel in any Continue reading “Lunch Box inspiration #1” →

My ultimate Christmas Wish List

My ultimate Christmas Wish List

Posted on by Rebecca

I really am not a hard person to please, I like pretty things, breakfast in bed and maybe a good sleep in.Β It is that easy πŸ™‚

December is a busy time in our household with birthdays, anniversaries, and of course, the Christmas season. So I thought I’d make it easier for those around me to Continue reading “My ultimate Christmas Wish List” →

Weekend MasterChef Experience

Posted on by Rebecca

So for my family far and awayΒ I thought i’d document my MasterChef experience.
Frame the Scene:

I got home from work at around 19h00 Friday night, thought i’d take a β€œquick nap” only to re-open my eyes at 23h00 still having to make my β€œtrio of summer desserts” eek! Menu plan was Mini Pavlova’s, Mini Strawberry Cheesecake and a Mini Vanilla Pana Cotta drizzled with Raspberry Coulis.

Panna Cotta is easy breasy:

  • 2 cups cream (I use oneΒ thick cream, one normal)
  • Β½ cup full cream milk
  • Β½ cup double cream greekΒ yoghurt
  • 1 Masterfoods vanilla bean
  • 1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp gelatine powder
  1. Place the cream and milk in a saucepan. Use a small sharp knife to split the vanilla bean lengthways, then scrape the seeds from inside the bean. Add the seeds and bean to the saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat.
  2. Discard bean from cream mixture. Add sugar and return to a low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until sugar dissolves.
  3. Sprinkle gelatin over warmed milk (I pour it in a glass bowl and hold it above the steam from cream, adds to dissolving). Stir into cream mixture till dissolved, then add yoghurt
  4. Lightly oil 6 x 1/2 cup (125ml) dariole moulds or ramekins. Place on a tray and pour in cream mixture. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
  5. To serve, break the seal by inserting a small knife between the Panna cotta and the mould. Turn onto a serving plate and shake to release. Serve with Raspberry Coulis (basically just 300g raspberries plus about 1/3 cup icing sugar pureed together).

The Strawberry cheesecake is quite complex – I will need a whole blog just for that. Its got about 5 different steps from making the base, to making a strawberry syrup, to the topping (each stage needs to cool which is tedious). Pavolva is also quite simple.

Cut a long story short I went to sleep at around 05h00 am. Alarm set from 06h20 to get up and get ready to go through to auditions.

I bought a nifty cooler box on wheels from Cape Union Mart, along with around 10 ice bricks. Your dish HAD to be between 0-4 Degrees Celsius, if not then you get turned away. *Paranoid*Β I got there at almost 09h00 on the dot. The queue was INTENSE, I never thought I’d reach the front, however, I did meet some pretty awesome people in line. All of usΒ abolutely focused on ourΒ β€œIce” NOTΒ melting, trying to keep cooler boxes in the shade. My 3rd dish was theΒ Pavlova, and I had visions of getting to the front only to realise all the cream had melted and fallen off the meringue.

Props to all of the organizers of MasterChefSa, the auditions were exceptionally well organised. WoolworthsSA had people handed out free drinks and mixed snack packs (awesome thanks guys). There were some extremely theatrical ushers along the way to keep us entertained. The queue moved fairly quickly, reached the front at around 11h00. Plated up and entered the room of terror (now my hands were really shaking, did not aid me in trying to plate upΒ the dish).

The Judges give NOTHING away, you cannot read their faces at all and all they do is tick a β€œsymbol” (we are still trying to decode them πŸ™‚Β ) and thenΒ you move through to the next room! β€œCONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE THROUGH !” WOOO HOO! On to the next round! (That alone was enough for me πŸ™‚ ).Β 5 of us got clumped together and had a β€œGroup Interview”, Not going into detail from this point as KZN and CPT still need to audition but finally finished at 21h00 that night.. Looong Day.

Typical me I forgot to take pic’s of my dishes plated up!! GourmetGuys, wish you could have caught me, I would have had backup!

I will tell you what the prize is though !!

  1. R250Β 000 in Cash to realise your culinary dream
  2. Hyundai Elantra 1.6 GLS
  3. An all expenses paid trip to Italy for 7 days , including an Italian Cookery Course (read my previous blog to see how much I love Italy)
  4. A Customised Sommelier course
  5. And ….. The MondoVino restaurant at Southern Sun’s Monte Casino

Now the wait begins.. Final Results out around Christmas…Its going to be a long wait.

The Next day, Sunday the 4th was my Love’s Birthday ! YAY! I love getting a whole day as an excuse to spoil someoneΒ !

Due to the lack of sleep the night before woke up LATE and went through to Cassalinga in Muildersdrift area. Beautiful long lunches, rolling green grass and fresh, fresh vegetables. Order of the day was a combination of Pesto Lasagne, Fresh Kingklip, Baby Marrow Soup and the most divine Crème Brulee. The glacèd Fruit they bring at the end is just the cherry on top!

 

So everyone who reads this, keep sending positive thoughts my way (There is nothing more I can do except wait. Maybe if people Retweet the blog one of the producers will see it and ill get the β€œfinal” final cutΒ πŸ™‚ ). And also HAPPY HAPPY Birthday Ahmed! You are my love, my life, (and without you saying β€œpuulleaase I want to see you on MasterChef”, I would never have done it πŸ™‚

One Step Close to living MY Dream !

xx