TGIF: Week in Review

Left: Catching a quick workout while Chloe naps.          Right: We finally figured out the sling! She's still not crazy about it, though.

This week has been a pretty good one; we're starting to get into a rhythm with Steve's new job; he's pretty much self-employed now, so we had to figure out how to run smoothly on the days when he has to work at home. After all, there's not much room in this 1 bedroom flat for an office, and I don't want to be confined to the bedroom all day with Chloe when he's set up our dining table as his 'desk'. It's a new, exciting chapter for both of us and we're just making it all work as he's getting things rolling. Short term sacrifices = long term goals, or something like that.

I went to Costco and picked up the only decent bagels I can get over here, so it's been bagels for breakfast, bagel sandwiches for lunch, bagel "pizzas" for dinner... almost a bagel a day in one way or another.

Broke my new yoga mat in this week since I got the all-clear to start working out again from the doctor. I actually just downloaded three new pilates/workout apps yesterday, so I'll be trying those out (and probably reviewing them in the next MM Approved post) in the days/weeks to come.

On the Chloe front, she smiles and reacts to things more and more every day, and her babbling skills are developing more as well. I just cannot get enough. We tested the waters with dairy again, at the suggestion of our GP, and poor little angel did not handle it well, so I'm still avoiding the cow. We have discovered, however, that goat/sheeps' milk/cheeses are just fine, so I've found a brilliant soft goat cheese with herbs that I've been using as a cream cheese substitute on my bagels. Happy mummy.

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, @munchiemummyd!

MM Approved: Nursing Covers and Chocolate (The Necessities)

This week totally covers the basics of motherhood: pretty nursing covers and good dark chocolate. Oh, and a bonk-proof phone cover (we hope).

First up, the nursing covers. As a breastfeeding momma, I've wanted one of these discreet little accessories for practical reasons. I briefly considered making one, then decided that I couldn't be bothered, since the only time I would be able to is during Chloe's nap, and the sound of the sewing machine would probably wake her up, so that idea quickly went out of the window. I've seen nursing covers in baby shops for up to £30 (!) so the idea of paying that much for a glorified apron was not going to fly. So I hopped on over to Amazon to have a look on what they had to offer, and ended up ordering two. I thought I'd return one, but as you'll see below, they both have different pro's so I ended up keeping both!

Pink Mum Udder Breastfeeding Cover

£6.60

This is my favourite of the two covers, because it's large, has a pocket on the front (to pop a binkie, nipple shield, lanolin, my phone, etc into), a toggled back strap to help keep the sides closed for extra modesty, wiring in the top so that it stands out and allows you to look down at baby, and it's just plain pretty with that pink and green paisley print. The fabric is a really nice quality and has a nice handfeel to it and it comes with a little matching bag, so it folds up neat and tidy in my changing bag. The only downside to it, as I mentioned on my Amazon review, is that the fabric doesn't seem to be very breathable so I can imagine it might get hot under there in warm weather. But otherwise, it's brilliant. Click here to buy.

MultiWare Baby Breastfeeding Cover

£3.99

Even though I only gave this cover 3 stars, I still kept it because it's a really no-fuss product, and you can't beat it for the money. Unlike the other cover I ordered, this is a nice lightweight 100% cotton, but thanks to the dark black print (which is pretty, too!) it's not sheer.  It does lack anything fancy, like wiring or boning in the top, a pocket, or anything more than a neck strap. It's not too long, either, so I imagine it might not completely cover a taller person (luckily, I have a really short torso). But it covers what needs to be covered, and is quicker to throw on than the other one, and is nice and lightweight for use in the summer. Plus, free shipping (in the UK at least). I don't think you can really fault it for the price, so I'm pretty happy with it! You can buy it here.

Shockproof 360° Silicone iPhone 6+ Case

£2.99

I finally bit the bullet and upgraded my old iPhone. I mean, I walked into an Apple store and came face to face with a rose gold iPhone 6 plus, and I lost all self control. The last thing I want is for my pretty new [ridiculously expensive] phone to come to any harm, so I wanted to get a really good case. Save splurging on a bulky waterproof one, I really wanted something that covered both the front and the back of the phone. Amazon turned up no luck, so I moved on over to eBay. I'm always a bit hesitant to use eBay because you can't read reviews on specific items, but since this was only a few quid it turned out ok. I'm really happy with this silicone case - it fits perfectly, and the holes over the speaker/camera/buttons are exactly where they're supposed to be (which is not always the case with cheaper cases from China). I like silicone cases because they're shockproof, and this one covers the front screen as well without inhibiting the touch screen or the fingerprint reader on the home button. It's not thick or bulky, either. I really like it, and if you want one, here's the link.

Moser Roth Mint Dark Chocolate (Aldi)

£1.19 (I think)

I lost my receipt so I'm not positive about the price, but I can promise that it was less than £1.50. I've been having major chocolate cravings lately, and my dairy-free-ness has denied me some of my greatest chocolatey pleasures. This is a great milk-free dark chocolate (did you know that some dark chocolates still have milk in them? because until I started reading labels on everything for dairy, I was not aware!). It's super creamy and mellow, not bitter at all for dark chocolate, and if you have 0 self control, they've portioned it out into 5 mini bars for you (but no one will know if you eat 3 in one sitting). My new favorite chocolate, hands down. 

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me for a new chicken recipe. She was bored of the same old, same old, and also wanted a refreshing new take on a dinner salad. Have no fear, Dani is here - with a new recipe. I would've posted sooner, but little one decided to get a cold (not my fault at all that I had one first and probably gave it to her) so we had a few sleepless nights last week and naptime had to be mummy's naptime too instead of blogging time.

I found Jamaican Jerk rub in the international foods aisle at Tesco, so have a look in the Caribbean section of your supermarket. When rubbing the chicken, if you don't have rubber gloves in the house (does anyone?) I used a plastic sandwich bag as a makeshift "glove" to rub the chicken - it will leave a lingering burn/tingle if you happen to rub your eyes (or change a diaper!) later, and nobody wants that.

So, start by rubbing the chicken with the Jerk paste, then squeeze the juice of 1 quartered lime over the chicken. I chose to use drumsticks, because we had a big pack of them in the freezer. This would work great with thighs, too. I suppose you could use chicken breasts, but I think that meat on the bone tastes so much better in this kind of recipe. It would be absolutely stellar if you were able to grill the chicken as opposed to baking it, but baking means that it can be made year round (as it's not quite barbecue weather at this time of year). Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 3 hours; I prepped the chicken in the morning and baked it off in the evening.

Bake at 350F or 180C until the chicken is fully cooked - this will depend on the size, quantity, and cut of meat you're using. A good telltale sign I've found for chicken drumsticks is to watch for when the meat pulls away from the bone at the 'skinny end' of the drumstick, then cut into one to check that it's fully cooked.

For the salad, I shredded red cabbage, 2 spring onions (scallions), 2 carrots, a cucumber, and a red & a yellow bell pepper. If you have a mandolin, it makes chopping everything quick and easy, and you could add or substitute for other vegetables that you already have in your fridge if you'd like to do so.

Then in the food processor, I combined 2 tbsp chopped red onion, 1/2 clove of garlic, a handful of coriander (cilantro) stems (yes, stems! They have great flavour and it's a great way to keep them from going to waste), juice of 1 lime, and 1 tsp honey. Pulse and slowly add olive oil until the dressing comes together. Give it a taste and add salt & pepper to your liking.

Toss the shredded veggies in the dressing just before serving and put them atop a bed of whatever salad greens you like. I chose a red and green baby lettuce, baby kale, and rocket blend. Add the chicken on top - you can either serve whole, or we tried shredding the chicken off the bone and mixing everything in together and decided that we liked to eat it best that way. Sorry for the dark photos - it was night when we finally ate this, and the photos were taken on my phone. I hope you can still tell how yummy it was!

Here's an ingredient list if you want to go shopping for this recipe:

• Chicken thighs or drumsticks, 6-8
• Jar of Jamaican Jerk paste
• 2 limes
• olive oil
• mixed salad greens
• red cabbage
• carrots
• 1/2 clove garlic
• cucumber
• 2 bell peppers, preferably red and yellow
• coriander / cilantro (fresh)
• honey
• red onion
• spring onions / scallions

MM Approved: Nappies, Oaties, Laundry and More

I've decided that my first MM Approved post was flawed; I need to have some sort of a rating system, because I'm not going to love everything that I review. I'm going to work on a 5-star rating system, meaning, I'll give products 1 to 5 stars (5 being best) based on my own review of them. I also decided to do a side-by-side comparison this week, because we bought so many biscuits recently that it's possible. So, without further adeiu, here are this week's reviews:

Lidl - Toujours Nappies 

£2.49 for 44 (size 2)

I was surpremely disappointed with these nappies, especially after I had been so pleased by Aldi's. I guess I just assumed that they would be similar? I don't know. Anyway, they felt stiff and papery, and leaked two nights in a row, just from normal wetness, and don't we all love a 3am full clothing change? Sorry Lidl, these get 1 star and I won't be buying them again. In fact, I didn't even finish the pack we bought - went back to the Aldi ones (which are the same price, in case you were wondering).

Aldi Oaties vs Lidl Oaties

35p

Aldi

Lidl

Oaties are totes my fav lately (Did I just say those words? I think I'm having a midlife crisis and trying to "keep up with the young people"). Plus, I've been told that oats are great for breastfeeding, so these Hobnobs knockoffs have been next to me for every cup of tea over the past 6 weeks. Aldi are by far my favorite - more oat-y, slightly salty to balance the sweetness, crispy and fantastic, and are extremely simliar to their branded cousin. Lidl gets points because they have chocolate covered Oaties, but they just don't taste as... oat-y? I can't put my finger on it. I suppose the ones from Lidl seem more like a sugary crispy cookie type biscuit, while the oaties from Aldi are really flavorful and you know you're eating oats. I can go through about a sleeve a day if no one stops me (please don't try to stop me, you might lose some fingers).

Asda Little Angels Washing Powder 

£3 for 30 washes

I'm really pleased with Asda, because they're the only supermarket that makes their own label of 'baby' washing powder. I'm wary of the heavily-scented Persil and Ariel, plus, this has a light smell that just screams "baby" and makes you want to sniff everything. Dermatologically tested, we've had no issues with eczema or rashes from this powder, and it keeps whites super white, even when washed with other (light) colours. This will definitely be my go-to washing powder (or liquid, or gel, which they also make!) for baby clothes.

Waitrose Toilet Roll 

£3.50 for 9 rolls (240 sheets per roll)

Ok, call me crazy, but I'm really picky about toilet paper. Like, really picky. I had one type I liked in the States, and it has taken me about 18 months over here to find one that I liked. Too thin, too rough, too plush (which means you don't get a lot on a roll!), the reasons I have for disliking toilet paper go on and on. In a pinch the other week, Steve had to run to Waitrose, which is our closest supermarket, to pick some up. He came home with the store's own brand - I scowled a bit, and then I totally changed my tune. It's not quilted but it's super soft, it's not thin but you feel like you get a lot on a roll, so it seems like a great value too. Much cheaper than the branded alternatives, and I like it so much more. 5 stars without hesitation. And, I made it through the entire review without making a poop pun. Win.

Going Green Smoothie Bowl

It's a really rainy, dark, dreary day. Not that that's surprising weather for England, though.

I woke up this morning with a case of the sniffles, and decided to bust out the Nutribullet and make something really vitamin-packed for my breakfast so that I could nip these sniffles in the bud. I keep seeing all of the hype surrounding smoothie bowls; I'll admit, I didn't really understand the concept of eating a smoothie out of a bowl until now. It makes perfect sense now, though - it's all about the toppings. Sort of like eating soup with croutons, I suppose. You get the contrast of textures and flavours, instead of just blitzing everything together into the smoothie. I didn't buy anthing especially for this smoothie, just looked around the kitchen for things I always tend to have on hand (organic baby spinach, fruit of some sort, cucumber, etc) and voila! Smoothie bowl.

Spinach: High in niacin and zinc, as well as protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese.

Bananas: High in dietary fiber and potassium.

Pecans: Contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B, and E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus,potassium, and zinc. Just one ounce of pecans provides 10 percent of the daily recommended intake of fiber. Pecans are also rich in age defying antioxidants.4

Chia seeds: Protein

Cucumber: A good source of copper, potassium, manganese, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, biotin, and vitamin B1. They also contain the important nail health-promoting mineral silica.

Kiwi: An excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K as well as a very good source of copper and dietary fiber.

If you have some on hand, try using orange juice instead of water (or fresh pressed apple juice, which is what I used because it's what I happened to have in the fridge) in your smoothie. The vitamin C in orange juice is great when you're under the weather.

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied (and really full!) from my smoothie bowl. I can see what all of the hype is about, and I'm excited to make it again. Have any favourite smoothie bowl recipes? I'm looking to try some more, so let me know!

Monday Musings: On Going Dairy Free

I spent my entire pregnancy dreaming of the wheel of Camembert that I would eat as soon as I came out of the delivery suite. And I did. Literally. Steve went to the supermarket the morning I gave birth and brought me a fresh baguette and my favourite bleu, Camembert, Brie, and butter and I stank up the postnatal ward with my beloved and much-missed cheeses. But in the midst of my funky-smelling bliss, I was completely unaware that I was wreaking havoc on my precious little girl's digestion.

Chloe didn't have her first bowel movement until she was 2 days old, and was growing increasingly fussy and colicky by the hour up until she finally was able to. When she came home, the pattern continued and she went another 4 days without a poo. At a week old, she developed jaundice and looked like she'd been smothered in Fake Bake. Then she had another 4 (or was it 5?) days of constipation and increasing discomfort, breaking my heart to see her so unhappy, as ourselves and the midwife became increasingly concerned. 

Fresh pressed apple juice and prunes became my new go-to snacks, and we were eventually able to get Chloe pooping regularly by 2 weeks old. On a hunch, I decided to cut dairy out of my diet. I had noticed that her fussiness increased after I had eaten cheese, and sure enough she was feeling better within a few days. After a week without dairy, I had milk in my tea, and the problems started again! I conferred with the health visitor at our next appointment and we decided that it was best if I continued a dairy-free diet until she's a bit older (most babies grow out of a dairy sensitivity before 1 year old). 

So, it's almond or soy milk in my tea, and avoiding cheeses, and reading labels (Waaaa! Nutella!). I posted a recipe last week where I made pasta without using Parmesan, and for snacks I've opted for fresh fruit (kiwis are in season, somewhere, according to their sudden presence and low prices in every supermarket) and the Aldi equivalent of Nature Valley granola bars. I really want to use my Nutribullet more this week, but I've avoided it thus far because Chloe is usually asleep when I'd like to make a smoothie and it sounds like a jet taking off. 

Here are a few more dairy-free meals I've made this past week (and yes, I was a little heavy-handed on the Asian theme; it was Chinese New Year, after all):

Left: Roasted potatoes, radishes and chorizo with baked eggs and salad. Right: Chili and lemongrass salmon and prawn fishcake (from Aldi) with salad. 

Left: Korean beef bowl over rice, with steamed broccoli and courgettes in a soy dressing. Right: Homemade roast pork ramen with mushrooms and spinach.

Left: Smoked haddock risotto with asparagus, courgettes, and an egg. Right: Thai red curry chicken and veggies with sticky rice.

I mentioned my struggle to find a dairy-free butter alternative, so I gave this one a try: 

And it's ok. I say ok, because I don't really know what I was expecting, but I felt a little let down by the lack of creamy buttery-ness. I guess I just assumed that it would taste like margarine? I don't know. Maybe I should have opted for the not-so-healthy looking one (Flora now makes a dairy-free spread) so perhaps I'll give it a try next time. After all, if I'm being naughty and smothering something in "butter", I might as well have the one that tastes most like butter. This does the job for now, though; I'm not saying it's bad, just that it's a bit light in flavour for my liking. 

If you'd like me to post any of the recipes from the meals above (except the fishcakes, obviously), let me know! And please feel free to comment if you have any tips or stories about living dairy free :) 

Baby Stuff: What I Really Use/Need

Everyone has a thousand suggestions of what to buy as soon as you announce that you're pregnant. It can be super helpful, or it can be incredibly overwhelming. Actually, it's usually the latter. Pretty much always the latter. That's why I'm making this post - to add to your all-consuming anxiety as you create a baby registry. No, but in all seriousness, I truly hope this helps. Every baby is different, though, so you might find that your list ends up being completely different. You can leave me a comment below to add any thoughts on your baby must-haves (or things you think are totally unnecessary). I didn't include super obvious items, like clothes and diapers/nappies, because you already know that you need those without being told.

Need - The First Month

• Muslins. Like, a thousand of them. I think we have about 30. We never used them for swaddling, because we have a wiggle worm who likes to sleep with her arms up as if she's announcing a touchdown, but we use them as burp cloths and to drape over just about anything we put baby on (bouncy swing, boppy pillow, me) to prevent spit-up from creating Mount Everest out of dirty laundry. I love the 3 Aden and Anais ones I have, because the prints are pretty, but they're fancy and expensive and I use them when we go out in public because they're huge and double as great nursing covers. The rest that we have are all multi-packs from Amazon and they do a great job, too. 
• A Good Pram/Pushchair. I sort of got into a battle with my mother-in-law over this one, because I thought I was perfectly happy with a secondhand Graco one that the car seat clips into (there is literally nothing wrong with it, and we still use the car seat), but I'm glad I lost the battle and we got a nice big one that she can lay flat in while she's still little. Here it is! We have the matching footmuff, so it eliminates the need to buy a separate carrycot pram that is only used for a short while, and then it easily converts to a sit-up pushchair, and can be either front- or rear-facing when she's bigger. But the real winning factors on this one are how compact it is when folded, how easy it is to collapse and set up, and how smooth the suspension is; it is super lightweight and easy to push, but still feels really sturdy and well-made. And that gorgeous Liberty print! GAH. It was love at first sight.
• A Swing. A lot of my family members suggested this, and I'd seen how helpful it had been when my siblings were babies, so we splurged on one (it wasn't that much of a splurge, though; here's the one we bought). This thing has earned it stripes in the middle of the night, like a thousand times over. Plus, she loves it. Turns a gassy baby into a content baby who sits still while you read to her. Must, must, must have. 
• Boppy Pillow. I got a cheap one for £10 at Aldi - as long as the cover zippers off for washing, there's no need to splash out for a name brand one. Sure, I didn't want a yellow one with brown spots, but after a week of breastfeeding I also didn't want my wrists to feel like they were falling off. You will use arm muscles that you previously did not know existed. This thing will really take a load off. 
• Pacifiers/Dummies/Binkies. There's a lot of debate about this, I think it has to do with "nipple confusion", but my baby has a Dyson for a mouth and she likes to comfort suck, so these were the alternative to having my nips fall off and be surgically replaced later down the line. We have the Philips Avent Natural Newborn ones. They come with handy dandy caps so they stay clean after you wash/sterilize them, so they're super convenient to keep in the changing bag, too. 
• Comfort Bras. Nursing bras are uncomfortable, expensive, and fiddly with those snappy things. There. I said it. Plus most stores in the UK don't carry maternity clothing, so I have to order 5 types/sizes online and pray that one of them fits, then return the rest, blah blah blah. I gave up and bought a couple of the super comfy thin-strap sports bras and just pull them up on one side to nurse. And, they're pretty cheap and you can get them anywhere (here's the kind I'm talking about, but my favourite so far is a seamless one that I picked up at Sainsbury's, though it's not online). And when milk drips/runs/gets spit up on me, which it will, it doesn't get all over my bra and leave me with soggy undergarments for the rest of the day. Win-win-win. 
• High-Waisted Yoga Pants/Leggings. Not the most practical of items, I suppose, but it helps to retain some of my self confidence with my post-baby body so I feel like they're worth their weight in gold.  I'm still wearing my maternity leggings a month later, and you know what? They're so comfy that I'll probably keep wearing them forever. They're from Target (in America) but fear not UK readers! Target now ships to the UK. Their maternity clothes are fantastic quality and true-to-size, so if you need to order maternity clothing online (which you inevitably will, since most stores here don't stock it for some reason, but that's another rant for another day), I highly recommend Target. Anyway, yeah. Back to the actual item: high-waisted yoga pants and leggings will cover up that not-so-perfect mummy tummy when you have to yank up your top to breastfeed (if you breastfeed), and thus they eliminate the need to buy special "breastfeeding" tops, and they look 'normal' enough to pop out to the supermarket without feeling like you've worn pajamas in public. 

I can go on and on, but those are a few items that I got the most use out of, so far. If you have more suggestions, please leave them in the comments!