Healthy Kids Food For Your Fussy Eater

Sam is a Mumma and Chef for The Little Unicorn Honeysuckle

When Sam Rolands had her bub she discovered a love like she’d never known but also a very fussy eater!

If you’re like us and you get anxiety over cooking for young ones only to have them turn their noses up at it rejoice, we’ve found Sam. Sam is a chef at The Little Unicorn Early Education Centre on Honeysuckle (where all your bubs meals are provided) and also has her own Facebook page you can follow to help ease mum cooking anxiety here.

Sam is going to share her wonderful recipes with us regularly and we hope you enjoy them.

MUFFINS FOR ANYTIME

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

2 cups self raising flour

1 1/5 tasty cheese

1/5 grated carrot

1 tablespoon peas

1 tablespoon corn kernels 

Handful baby spinach chopped

1/5 teaspoon baking powder

Add all together in a bowl

Whisk

1 egg

1 cup milk together

Add to mixture

Place in muffin tray and bake on 180 degrees for 25- 30 mins (until browned) 

SWEET POTATO COOKIES



INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

3/4 cup cooked mashed sweet potato (about 1 large sweet potato)

1/3 to 1/2 cup whole milk, as needed

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits

* Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet (with butter, oil or cooking spray).

* In a small bowl, whisk together the sweet potato and 1/3 cup milk. Set aside.

* In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with your hands, a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sweet potato mixture and fold gently to combine. Add the remaining milk a little at a time until all the flour is moistened. The amount of milk you will need will depend on the moisture of the sweet potato.

* Sprinkle a small handful of flour on a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead lightly 2 to 3 times with the palm of your hand until the mixture comes together. Pat the dough out into a 1/2-inch-thick round.

* Using a 2 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut the dough into biscuits. Gently reroll the scraps and cut out more biscuits. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden brown and firm to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve these fluffy biscuits warm or at room temperature.

FRENCH TOAST

Perfect for the bubs that don’t eat egg!

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

2 eggs whisk with a table spoon of cream in bowl

Thick whole meal toast

Dip toast into the egg soaking both sides

Fry on pan with coconut oil

Top with your choice. I use a tiny bit of coconut sugar and berries 

A Mumma's New Year

Sarge and Bec from NHM

It’s been an extraordinary year, so many parenting challenges mixed with incredible highs and lows and this, coupled with the launch of NHM - I GOT IT FROM MY MUMMA Podcast for The Little Unicorn Early Education Centres, our NHM website and socials has left us absolutely exhausted.

Our heart’s however are full of gratitude for all the support we’ve been given and we’re excited about the year ahead both as parents and career women.

In the show below we talk about what we want to do next year to work more efficiently so we can spend more time with our kids as well as ways to improve how we do things to achieve a better result.

New Years these days looks nothing like it did 10 years ago for us! In the show we lament on New Year’s celebrations and talk about fun ways you can enjoy New Years as a proper adult.

Happy New Years Mummas, Thanks for your support, Bec and Sarge xx

So New Years these days looks nothing like it did 10 years ago for us! We lament on that plus talk about fun ways you can enjoy New Years as a proper adult. Also another year done, babes, business, what have we learnt and how do we hope to improve everything we do to live our best lives in 2019!

The good and bad of the Christmas season

Yesterday I drove up to Taree and did the dreaded drop off of my three kids. I really shouldn’t complain, I was lucky enough to have the kids all over the actual Christmas days until the 27th and then they’ll be coming back on the 30th. Everyone has said, relax, enjoy some you time, make the most of it etc etc. But it’s Christmas and everywhere you turn are smiling happy families and little children off having fun. The last thing you feel like doing is having some ‘me time’ at this time of year. The kids on the other hand, were absolutely thrilled at the realisation that they would be getting two Christmases and potentially two separate Santa gift deliveries. What kid wouldn’t be excited at that?! So they literally jumped into Dad’s car after a quick kiss to me. I’m happy for them and I’m happy that he finally gets to see them because I know it was hard on him not having them on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

So this holiday season, appreciate your beautiful family and spare a thought for a friend who may be a little bit lonely for a few days or even longer. Call them round for a Christmas drink now, my friend did last night and it was so appreciated.

Bec

xxx

A Mumma's Christmas

A handmade decoration of baby Summer’s first bath, sure to embarrass her in years to come

Celebrate A Mumma’s Christmas with NHM we chat about how Christmas has changed for us now as Mummas compared to when we were kids. Also how do you handle Santa’s arrival? And what Mummas see special in Christmas Day, it has nothing to do with receiving gifts from loved ones and everything to do with the smiles on our children’s faces and spending time with those we treasure most!

Merry Christmas Mummas!

Love Bec and Sarge xx

Christmas looks a lot differnt for us these days as Mummas. We now realise why our own Mummas seemed so stressed all those years ago. We talk about how Christmas is differnt as a Mum, how we deal with Santa's arrival and the babes Christmas morning and what we enjoy about Christmas, none of it is about recieving either.

HOW TO: A Relaxed, Modern Christmas Day Feast with Mama-P

How about a beautiful Christmas day? Where you weren't stuck in the kitchen the whole time but everyone was raving about the modern menu with a twist of tradition?

Enter Mama-P Newcastle's coolest Mum foodie Kylie Pheils. If you're a seasoned cook (pun intended) like Bec or you're a dunce in the kitchen like Sarge there's something in this show to make your Christmas WOW. From an easy and inspiring drinks menu to creative salads and never been seen befores, this episode will leave you inspired. Even if your list of things to do is making you feel weighed down! Sponsored by The Little Unicorn Early Education Centres, Explore, Play, Discover, Grow enrol now here. 

How about a cool Christmas where you weren't stuck in the kitchen the whole time but everyone was raving about the modern menu with a twist of tradition? Enter Mama-P Newcastle's coolest Mum foodie Kylie Pheils. If you're a seasoned cook (pun intended) like Bec or you're a dunce in the kitchen like Mel there's something in this show to make your Christmas WOW.

Bec and Sarge's Christmas Meal Plans

Our next Podcast release is a special on Christmas meals and we were lucky enough to get some expert tips! So in the spirit of giving, I thought we should share our own meal plans. Now, we are certainly not experts in this but we have family traditions, tried and true so here goes!

BEC

Mum’s Famous Ham:

No matter where the ham is from, it hasn’t failed yet! Grab a half ham, score it and put cloves into the join, rub american mustard all over. Then on the stove top combine orange juice, bitter orange marmalade, brown sugar, five spice powder and baste this on your ham. Pop it in the oven until it’s cooked and keep some of your sauce to pour over later. AMAZING!

My Layered Salad:

Ok, so this isn’t my recipe but I’m famous for it in my family, and it looks sensational on the table. You can prepare it the day before and just polish it up on the day.

Bottom layer: shredded iceberg lettuce.

Next layer: Frozen peas

Next layer: Boiled eggs, pushed through a sieve, combined with chopped mushrooms

Next layer: Grated cheese

Next layer: Combined sour cream, french mustard, lemon juice, shallots and mayonnaise.

Then I would leave it and pop covered in the fridge overnight.

Next layer: Crisp, fried bacon

Next layer: Tomato wedges, sprinkle over parsley

Wolah! And so pretty!

This year, we are also doing a roast pork with crackling, because well, crackling. I’m also considering grabbing a turkey and stuffing it with a herb and pancetta homemade stuffing. Someone else is bringing dessert this year but I’m super keen to try out a peanut butter trifle I saw in the latest Coles magazine.

SARGE

Sarge plans on serving up sticks of haloumi and watermelon. I’m keen to see how these work so expecting a message on Chrissy day! She’s also on cheese platter duties and is leaving the rest up to her mum! She says she feels guilty but in true mum style, says she wants to do it!

So ladies, put the diets on hold over Christmas, the food doesn’t get much better does it!? Also, feel free to share your own meal plans, we’d love to see them!

Unexpected Exit - Newcastle's Escape Rooms

Have you tried out or even heard of the Escape Rooms? Friends and I gave it a go last week and it was 50 minutes of hilarious fun. There’s a few different rooms you can try, although a word of warning they seem to book out fairly quickly. One is meant to be almost impossible to solve and another is intended to freak you out more than be a problem solver. Think, being featured in Paranormal Activity - I gave this one a miss!

We tried out the Blast Radius room. We had 50 minutes to get ourselves out of the room we were in by cracking codes. Make sure you go there with people you like because it can be a highly frustrating 50 minutes! Overall, it’s totally worth a try!

Out of ideas for Elf on the Shelf? Try these

Elf on the Shelf keeping kid’s accountable this Christmas

Our family have started the Elf on the Shelf tradition this year.

We’ve had quite a lot of family changes, including blending families, so I thought starting some new traditions would be a good way to go to have all the kids excited about something new together. I’ve always wanted to give Elf on the Shelf a go, so this was the year!

If you don’t know what Elf on the Shelf is all about, it is based on the idea that you ‘adopt’ an Elf, and he/she reports back to the North Pole each night with the behaviours of the kids in the household. Upon his return, he is found in a cheeky pose or doing something entertaining. Basically this shows he has moved and gone back to Santa. The Elf is accompanied with a beautiful book to explain his story to your kids when you adopt him.

So we’ve done many an entertaining thing with our Elf, snow angels in flower, hanging him from all sorts of places, he’s quite the acrobat as it turns out and my kid’s love him! My biggest challenge is as a tired working mother. Most nights, I’m up late working so by the time I get into bed I’m so tired, I drag myself into bed and then think, Oh no The Elf!

That’s ok, you say, just move it in the morning. Well, if you knew what time my kids woke up you wouldn’t be saying that! I recently read a FB post that combatted that very issue. There were a whole bunch of reasons why the Elf hadn’t moved. Things like, ‘the elf thought your behaviour could have been better yesterday so decided not to report back to Santa'.

We’ve combatted this problem for you and created several threads on Facebook that you can look up to easily seek out more Elf on the Shelf ideas here are a few.

For the most part, it has been a pretty entertaining ride as an Elf mother. I’m certainly no Pinterest mum who invents amazing Elf positions, and I’ve even seen some people knitting their Elves clothes. I take my hat off to these people! I’m the person who has been screenshotting the easy and achievable Elf tricks. Because, let’s face it, copying is the best form of flattery!

If you’d like to WIN a Scout Elf from Elf on the shelf go here and follow us on Facebook to adopt an Elf for a lifetime go here or to your local Christmas shop, Westfield or selected booksellers.

Merry Elf-Mas

NHM's Top Ten Ways to Tire the Kids - AKA school holiday activities

For some of us they’re here already! Yep, day one and I’m off to see The Grinch at the movies. Slightly concerning that I’m already using up an activity on the first day. Here is my list of trusted activities that will help make the holidays fly by!

Movies:

• Ralph Break the Internet

• How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World

• Storm Boy

Physical Fun:

• Inflatable World

• Megamania or Chipmunks

• Flip Out

• Revolution

• Ten Pin Bowling

• Ice Skating

• Tree Tops

• Holy Moly putt putt golf

• Any of the awesome pools and many have cool inflatables up over the holidays

Animals:

• Hunter Valley Zoo

• Oakvale Farm

• Blackbutt

• Hunter Wetlands Centre

There are plenty of interactive things on at The Museum and each of the libraries and galleries. I also love exploring our bushland but pack the mozzie repellant!

Whatever you end up doing, we hope you have a fun, happy and safe holidays with the kids!

xx bec and sarge

Mumma Relax

Endota Spa at Newcastle, Greenhills and Kotara is inviting NHM Mumma’s to join them

We don’t mean drink a green juice and have a prefect diet. If relaxation to you is nude on the couch downing a packet of twisties with a wine in hand so be it! Whatever helps to keep that mum anxiety at bay in this crazy let’s do it all and be the best that we can and then fall in a heap culture.

In our NHM-I GOT IT FROM MY MUMMA Mumma Relax Show below thanks to The little Unicorn Early Education Centres you’ll learn easy mindfulness tricks to calm you down and gain practical advice about getting through day to day life as a Mum without feeling like you’re going to self combust.

If you lie in bed at night after the kids have gone to bed stressed out of your mind this is the show for you!

Also by listening courtesy of Australia’s leading spa network – endota, GreenHills, Kotara or Newcastle you can win a two hour endota Revive spa package. An indulgent body massage, facial and foot treatment will relieve stress and tension while hydrating your skin. Warm jade stones heal the body while jade vitality rollers invigorate the skin. Nail care and polish complete this revitalising head-to-toe treatment. Get your partner to gift you something you want this season and mention NHM for 10% off products (excluding treatments) send this link to his inbox - Endota. Hey men aren’t technical creatures, we don’t want to make it too hard.

Mumma Relax and we don't mean have a perfect diet and sip a green juice. Learn simple breathing techniques to help ease anxiety and simple mindfulness practices that will let you observe your thoughts and prevent you giving too much time to those that don't serve you.

HOW YOU CAN HELP SOMEONE OUT THIS CHRISTMAS

What if you shared your home with children who call a home a hotel room?

Christmas is a truely incredible time of the year as a mother of a loving family with beautiful healthy children and a loving supportive partner but what if that’s not your reality? What if you’ve just left a turbulent relationship where your partner was cheating on you or you were suffering abuse? What if you’d just lost a loved one, the closest person to you in your life was gone from this planet and you had to spend your first Christmas without them? This is a reality for a lot of people this Christmas. We talk about it below and what it feels like to be in this situation as well as what other people who aren’t in the situation can do to help.

We also explore the sad reality for so many children at this time of year living without an actual home and existing in the four walls of a hotel room with carers around the clock.

We talk to one mum who gave a child a forever home for Christmas and how she’s changed a little boys life. If you want to find out more about giving a child somewhere to call home visit Catholic Care. NHM- I GOT IT FROM MY MUMMA Proudly Sponsored by The Little Unicorn, at Broadmeadow, Honeysuckle and soon to be Charlestown Square discover childhood education that supports the individuality of each child and their early learning journey -  explore, play, discover grow. 

Listen to the show below or search ‘NHM- I GOT IT FROM MY MUMMA’ in your Apple Podcasts App or on Spotify.

Are you recently split up from your partner or spending Christmas alone or without your kids? You're not alone this is the case for many this Christmas. We talk about our experinces of this. And what about Children who are alone this Christmas?Every child deserves a permanent, loving and stable home for life but that's not the reality for many.