Maternity Style: 27 weeks Harem Pants

The bump is growing!! I've had a couple of people this week act surprised when I told them I was only 27 weeks, which has made me a little more self conscious about my size, and starting to get me worrying about how much more growing I still have to go.  I definitely feel bigger, earlier this time around, apparently I look it as well. I am starting to feel like that energy from the 2nd trimester is starting to fade and I'm feeling that tiredness again, I just want to nap all the time. 

  

These harem pants pictured were one of those purchases that you see on the rack and think, 'this could either go really well, or really badly.' Thankfully, I had a couple of girls at the store with me to encourage my purchase, otherwise I may have just walked away. They aren't specifically maternity pants, but the waist goes up over my belly, which is perfect. The best thing about them is how comfy they are. That is really my goal this pregnancy, to be as comfortable as possible!! Plus they will work for post-labour as well, they feel like pj's but look a lot nicer! 

I had to endure the horrible glucose tolerance test earlier this week. They are now making everyone (In West Oz at least I don't know about everywhere else) do the full 2 hour test, instead of the 1 hour. Meaning I had to fast for 12 hours and then go and chug down that horrid green sugary drink. I spent the next two hours sitting in the waiting room of the pathology place trying not to throw up. The fast food ads that kept coming on the radio were making me gag. I had this grand plan to get some blogging done and be productive, but instead I just stared queasily at gossip magazines because I didn't feel I could concentrate very well. 

I hope everyone is having a great Easter break! I know I have been feeling really relaxed and am just enjoying being with my family, more on that later! For now, for me, it is bed time. 

HAPPY EASTER

Top: Billabong found HERE
Pants: Billabong as well, found HERE

Here are a few other maternity posts I have done:
Maternity Style: Aztec Print 26 weeks
Bump Update: 24 Weeks
17 Weeks Prego Style
My Maternity Style Wish List

Karen xx

I'd love for you to follow me on FACEBOOK or TWITTER or INSTAGRAM or PINTEREST or SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER (or everything)

Spinach and Ricotta Rolls

So you may have already picked up on this, but I have a serious weakness for anything Spinach and Ricotta.  I have a really difficult time passing up any pastries that contain these two ingredients, and have a tendency to over indulge!!

So I'll use any excuse to make these babies! I've found these Spinach and Ricotta Rolls are great for toddler lunches and kids or adult parties as well. They are really easy to make, and they aren't full of potato or rice fillers like a lot you find at the shops.

Ingredients:
250 grams Spinach (I use fresh and steam it, but frozen spinach also works)
250grams Ricotta Cheese
1 egg
Puff Pastry (I think I used 4 sheets)
1/2 Cup of Cheddar or Parmesan cheese grated
Salt and Pepper to Taste (I didn't add salt, and they still taste great)
Tsp Oregano
Tsp Tarragon
1 egg yolk

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees celsius (425 F).
If you have fresh spinach you need to steam it until it is soft and mushy, then drain and chop.
Mix the ricotta, cheddar, oregano, tarragon, 1 egg, spinach, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl, and make sure it is all mixed through.
Cut the pastry sheets in half
Brush the long edges with egg yolk
Fill a piping bag, or zip lock bag with the corner cut off with the ricotta and spinach mixture and then pipe them down the center of each pastry half (as demonstrated below)

Fold the sides over so they overlap and then cut the long roll to make smaller rolls. Any size will work.
Flip them over so they are 'seam' down on a tray covered in baking paper.
Brush some more egg yolk over the top so they brown nicely.
Then put the tray in the oven for 15 minutes on 220C degrees and then reduce to 180C (350F) for another 15 minutes.
They should come out looking like you see in the picture!

 If you have a weakness for Spinach and Ricotta like me, then you will probably love this
Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna recipe too!

I hope you love them as much as we do!!


Karen xx

I'd love for you to follow me on FACEBOOK or TWITTER or INSTAGRAM or PINTEREST or SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER (or everything)

A Beautiful Day to Become an Aussie Citizen

With the Mayor of Fremantle!! 

I guess I'm going to have to change Joel's status as the 'bearded American', because now he's officially an Australian, and he's pretty happy about it. On Thursday he was sworn in as a new Australian Citizen. Hopefully now he can finally do away with that pesky American accent for good (I'm joking here, incase it wasn't clear, just chuckle and move on).

It's so nice to know that he won't have to worry about renewing Visas ever again, and of course that he can Vote!! He's excited he got it in time for the Federal election! He can also get an Australian passport, which means he can now go to Cuba!

He's been adapting more and more to Aussie culture over the years, at the Citizenship Ceremony I even caught him yelling 'Oi' at Ezra when he was doing something naughty. But there's still a few things about Aussies that he doesn't quite understand yet. Like the fascination with Holden Commodores, the Aussie hatred for Root Beer, the apparent lack of peanut butter and Hershey products and why hotdogs have red plasticy skins on them. But, for the most part he gets us, I loved his hilarious and way more authentic (ha) version of the Australian Citizen test that I blogged about back when he sat his test (How to become an Aussie)


Needless to say I was a pretty proud wifey. I feel very blessed that he loves my country so much that he wants to live here forever, and isn't pining for US soil. It is hard living in a country that is not 'your own', I'm so glad that now Joel feels like he is Australian, and not a foreigner living on Aussie soil.

They put on a lovely afternoon tea full of lovely treats for all the new citizens and guests. Of course, Ezra is not one to shy away from a table full of food. He pushed his way to the front of the line and nabbed a chocolate slice before Joel or I even knew what was going on. The chocolate remnants that covered his face gave him away!

A delicious table full of treats

Such a beautiful day and beautiful place to Celebrate

He was happy as long as he was on his banana phone

Linking up with Jess for #IBOT today!!


Karen xx

Maternity style: Aztec Print 26 Weeks

Finally the weather has cooled down a little here in Perth, so I can wear my maternity capris, and I can give my one pair of denim maternity shorts a day off, they aren't going to hold up much longer at this rate. I have also become rather obsessed with this top since I bought it when we were away, you may have noticed me wearing it in my last couple of posts.  I'm really liking the Aztec Print at the moment, and it it nice and bright and just makes me feel good! 

I'm starting to feel heavier, and I'm getting a bit lower on energy, or perhaps it just feels that way because of one very high energy toddler who always makes me feel a billion steps behind. Day naps are marvellous when I get the rare opportunity.

This morning I woke up really early just thinking about how I need to write a list of all the things we need to prepare for this bubba, there is still so much stuff this time around. Car seats, bassinet, a better breast pump, baby monitor, girls stuff (yaaayy!!!), double pram attachment, and the list goes on. I thought the 2nd child wasn't supposed to cost so much? Well at least that's what the Government is telling me with the expected reduction of the baby bonus for the 2nd child. My due date is about a week before the cut off date so I'm praying this baby isn't a late arrival like Ezra.

Capri Jeans: Jeans West
Top: Billabong
Shoes: Havaianas
Sunglasses: Ray Ban Cat Eyes

I'm going to do my best to do a maternity style post once a week, on Fridays, so stay tuned for the next one!

Here are a few other maternity posts I have done:
Bump Update: 24 Weeks
17 Weeks Prego Style
My Maternity Style Wish List

Have a wonderful Friday, and I hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend!!


Karen xx

Posted with Blogsy

Family Dinner: Veggieful Quiche

Surprise, Surprise!! I have yet another Vegetarian meal for you. This Quiche is quick and easy to make and great for the whole family (including toddlers: mine had no problem digging in). Even the pastry is so simple. I had actually never made Quiche pastry before trying this one, so if I can do it! You can to. I made a big one so that we would have leftovers for lunch the next day. Even though I post a lot of recipes, I actually don't enjoy cooking as much as some. I like simple things, making the minimal amount of meals a week, and if don't have to think about lunch the next day, then thats even better!

The thing I really like about this recipe is how much flavour the quiche has, and there isn't very much salt and no butter! But, look how stuffed full of Veggies it is!! YUMMMMM!!


Ingredients:

Base:
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil (I used grape seed oil)
1/4 cup cold water (from fridge)

Filling:
1/2 red capsicum (peppers)
5 button mushrooms
Handful spinach
1/2 onion
Garlic
1/2 zucchini
Splash of milk
6 eggs
1/2 cup of cheese
Handful coriander leaves (cilantro)
Pepper

Method:
For the base, (really, really simple!)
Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
In a separate bowl add the olive oil and cold water, and then whisk it. It gets thicker!
Then add it to the flour and salt
Stir it in a bit, and then I gave up with the spoon and just used my hands to make a ball of dough.
I rolled it out with a rolling pin, and placed it in the quiche pan and pressed it firmly around the edges.

For the filling:
Add the 6 eggs to a separate bowl, and just hand whisk them for a couple of minutes
Chop all the other ingredients (minus the cheese and coriander) and add them to the eggs
Pour this whole mixture into the quiche pan, on top of the pastry.
Then place the coriander and cheese on top
Stick it in the oven at 180 for around 35-40 minutes or until it is cooked through, and browning a little on top.

I'm linking up with Stacey at The Veggie Mama for Meatless Monday too!!

Have a great day, come and visit again soon! Please! 

Karen xx 

Posted with Blogsy

Family Holidays at Cabarita Beach

If you follow me on Instagram (@yellowdandy), or you've read some snippets here and there on my last couple of posts, you would know that we went on a holiday last week. This was a holiday that we had booked a long time ago, before we even decided to sell the house, and all the chaos that came with it. We had some frequent flier points saved up, and some really cheap return tickets became available, so we decided to head over to northern New South Wales to celebrate my Nephew's 1st Birthday. I only have one nephew, and we had only ever seen him twice before this trip, so needless to say, we jumped at the opportunity to go and visit our east coast family, who live in the idillic town of Cabarita Beach. Even though the lead up before the holiday was pretty chaotic, it turned out to be pretty good timing for a trip, I'm so glad it didn't happen before we had settled on the house.

The only thing that I was dreading about this holidays was the 5 hour plane ride with a toddler that NEVER EVER sits still. I was stressing myself out just thinking about what a nightmare the flights were going to be, and how we would be getting death stares from every other passenger on board. Thankfully on our flight over we had a row of 3 seats all to ourselves (even though we only paid for 2, I love it when they do that for you!!). We managed to keep Ezra happy with copious amounts of food and a season of Timmy Time and Shaun The Sheep on my iPad. For the most part it was a pretty decent journey, it certainly wasn't as relaxing as plane flights used to be, but we were all mostly sane by the end of it. So I call it a win.

Even with the on and off rain and storms that have been hammering Northern NSW and QLD we had a really great trip. It wasn't about sight-seeing or touristy stuff (we've been over there enough times now that we've seen most of the sights), it was about spending time with family and friends and just enjoying each others company. Ezra got to spend some quality time with his cousin, which usually meant trying to sit on him as he was crawling around, he just couldn't keep himself away. Luckily his playful eagerness was reciprocated and his younger cousin didn't mind the rough housing. He started to learn to share the attention of his Nan and Pop, and to get to know his Aunty and Uncle.

The flight home wasn't as pleasant as the flight there. We were told at check-in that a seat had been blocked for us, and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a night time flight, so I thought Ez could sleep in the middle seat and we could get some rest too. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case, the airline had ended up allocating the aisle seat and we were crammed into two seats (middle and window) with a tired boy sleeping on our laps, and a guy who stunk like cigarette smoke and booze who was blocking our exit to the aisle. Our row companion chugged 5 cans of VB, and then fell asleep, SNORING loudly, and took up my entire arm rest!! Lets just say I was not happy. . . but, with all that, at least Ez slept. We made it home safe and sound, and because of the tight quarters I managed to score some swollen feet as well!

Here are some of my favourite pictures from our trip. I love how wild and furious the ocean seemed while we were there. It is so tame in comparison over here. 

 

And because it is Tuesday, that means #IBOT and linking up with Jess!!


Karen xx

Posted with Blogsy

The demise of Google Reader

So you have probably heard the news by now that come July 1st, Google Reader will be no more.
You may have a back up plan in place, or you might be wondering how on earth you are going to keep track of all the blogs you love reading.
I am going to suggest moving to Bloglovin.
I use it, I like it. You can import your Google Reader list into Bloglovin, they have apps for your phone, and you can search through their site and look for other blogs you might enjoy.
There are other ways to manage your RSS feeds, like Feedly too! There's plenty I'm sure I don't even know about.
What are you going to use?

Karen xx

Posted with Blogsy

Avocado and White Bean Wraps

It seems to be a bit of a trend for me to be posting a lot of Vegetarian meals/recipes at the moment. I still eat meat, but I am definitely enjoying a lot more meat free meals during the week than we used to. So, with that said, here is yet another Vegetarian meal that we eat on a pretty regular basis. If you've read my blog much before you would know that I am a pretty massive fan of Avocado, especially Guacamole that you can find HERE.
So this meal is right up my alley, full of yummy avocado, beans and some cabbage as well.

Although, in these pictures you will notice some Fish, we thought we would mix it up a bit this time and add fish to the recipe. You don't need it, but it is another option if you can't imagine a dinner without meat. I think that chicken would go pretty well with them too.

The best thing I think about this meal is that it doesn't take any cooking. Everything is raw and ready to go, so if you're looking for something quick to whip up for lunch or dinner when you are pressed for time, I'm suggesting this!

This is so simple we made it for dinner while we were on holidays. Which is why you will notice the amazing decor in the background of the top picture. Classic early 90's holiday rental furniture to make your experience more enjoyable!

Ingredients:

Wraps (I prefer the Sorj ones because they are preservative free, or in the photo these are some soy and linseed organic ones I found, but they are a bit too pricey for me to justify buying on a regular basis)
3 x Avocados
1 x Can of White Beans
1/4 Red Cabbage
1/4 Green Cabbage
1/2 Cup Grated Cheese
1 Carrot Grated
Pinch of Pepper
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar

Method:

Drain and pour White beans into a bowl, then mash.
Add the Avocados and mash them in to the mixture
If desired add the grated cheese
In a separate bowl add the grated carrot, and cabbage (chopped finely). Then drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add the pepper and stir until everything is covered.




Then you are done!
So easy.
Just add some from each bowl to your wrap. Wrap it up and chomp it down!

Usually Ezra is my proof that toddlers will eat it! But, this time my nephew who just turned 1 is digging into it with enjoyment! 

Karen xx 

Posted with Blogsy