Cruising for a Celebrity Chef Experience AND an amazing family holiday

When you hear the word cruise, you immediately envision a sense of relaxation, of peace, warm sunshine, cool breezes, exciting cocktails, sarongs and time slowing down.

You can hear the kids giggling as they play and imagine the endless amounts of amazing food and entertainment.

Ok, some parents (insert grin) might also smile in glee at the thought of kids happily entertained in kids clubs so they can enjoy some adult relaxation too like restaurant eating and deck lounging with a good book, going to the gym, walking about deck, having a nap without, "Hey mum, mum can you, mum look at, mum she hit me... every 3 seconds haha!!
Going on a cruise is like the ultimate family holiday I am sure, something for everyone packaged into a really safe way to travel where everything is taken care of for you, you don;t have to worry, you don't have to cook, you don't have to wash up, you don't have to rush, you can de-stress.

3 years ago we went on a holiday to spend some time with family on the opposite end of the country, and this was wonderful but this also involved for me as a single mother, a 2 hour car trip at very, very early hours of the morning, then airport navigation carrying a little one on one hip and one hand on another one and organising tickets, luggage, drinks, snacks, kids entertainments, jackets, shoes, toilet stops, Then a long flight with one child screaming for at least 40 minutes, both getting restless, one putting stickers on the sleeping man next to me, frequent toilet visits in that cramped space, drinks spilt, that was followed by another 5 hour drive to our destination which involved about 2 hours of crying from a fed up toddler, a few lovely days spent with family before doing it all in reverse but throwing in a flight change and a 30 minute window to dash from one connecting plane to another and onto a final plane with no entrainment causing cross kids and then waking up kids to get them off planes and drag them on another road trip home after so much rushing about already. I came home stressed, delighted to have spent time with my family, but stressed and realising wow, travelling with young kids is full on...

This is why honestly, myself, my kids and my mother are planning on taking a cruise ourselves soon as my kids next big holiday experience, I think travel wise it is going to be a holiday we can actually relax on and it leaves from Sydney which is just a short flight away! Yay
I know from friends that have done them with kids that a cruise is going to be perfect and is one where we can spend time just laughing, eating, having fun and relishing the moments. Where the kids are completely catered for and have the best time, which means happy kids = relaxed mum!

Going on a cruise.

It feels like the perfect holiday already, but imagine combining all of that with the utter thrill of a celebrity chef restaurant experience too...where do I sign up???

YES, that's right.

As if going on a cruise wasn't enough fun already now, with cruise agency you can actually book into a celebrity chef restaurant experience while on your cruise!

From Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant to Salt Grill by Luke Mahon to Share by Curtis Stone

Food is one of the biggest memories you take away from you when you travel.

I have often heard it said that one of the things people tend to remember most when they go on holiday, travel is the food.

I absolutely love the idea of not just enjoying a family holiday but having something like this to look forward as a special highlight, imagine, Jamie O's Italian food!!
I'm hungry just thinking about it!

Have you been on a cruise?

Bek xo

*images courtesy of Cruise Agency.
*Sponsored Post, Opinions my own. especially about going a cruise, I have literally been working on manifesting that and planning my deck lounging outfits ;)

Family Movie Nights & Vege Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love a family tradition.
There is something so wonderful and warm and loving about them.

We don't have all that many of them in our family so my girls and I started a few of our own and one of our absolute favourites in our Family Movie Nights

Every Friday night our little group of 3 get excited about our Friday night. We plan it all week.
We pick our movie, and a lot of thought goes into this. Sometimes it a beloved classic aka Disney, sometimes it's a family fave, sometimes its a recent release and sometimes it is blast from the past!
(these are the most fun for me - recently we watched The Aviator!!)

I always make a big batch of organic homemade popcorn seasoned with pink himilayan salt and a tiny dash of olive oil, usually something like Pink Lemonade or my kids favourite Coconut Water, coconutty water as my youngest calls it! (and mummy might have a nice wine - especially if it is say a Barbie movie!)

And my favourite part is the fun dinner we put together, to go with the movie we usually have our own version of a popular takeaway so it could be pizza's, fish and chips, nuggets and dipping sauces, kebab's, burgers, noodle boxes, sausage rolls, party pies, hot dogs or something that goes with the movie!

One of our latest was spaghetti and vege meatballs while watching, yep, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! It was such a hit with the kids! I have since made it several times and the 'meatballs' themselves, also make stunning hors d'oeuvre's - make them much smaller with extra chili and serve on toothpicks YUM!

  Vege Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I made my own with spelt, sour dough bread but you could make your own with any nice bread, I would just recommend not white bread)
• 1/2 cup Quinoa crumbs (most supermarkets have these now - or you could check your local health food store)
• 3 free range eggs
• 1 can sanitarium nutmeat - see NOTES for my alternative to make your own
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan (please not the icky stuff in the tin)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• extra basil leaves
• 4 cloves Australian garlic (you could also use Gourmet Garden)
• 1/2 fresh red chili, fineli chopped - optional (You could also use Gourmet Garden)
• 1 small onion

Method

• Fry the onion in a frying pan until lightly transparent, add in the garlic, chili and thyme, stir together 2-3 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Finely chop the baby spinach leaves.
• In a large bowl roughly mash up the nutmeat until pliable, add in the breadcrumbs, eggs, quinoa crumbs, spinach, walnuts and onion mix, mix well together. 
• Roughly tear up the basil ( I love doing this the smell is always so gorgeous!)
• Mix the basil and Parmesan through the mix.
• With your hands (yes I love my hand on cooking) roll mixture into balls until you have done all of it.
• Lightly fry a few of these at a time over a medium heat in a little olive oil or oil of choice..
• Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.
• Make your favourite tomato pasta sauce here is one of my really hearty ones you can make well ahead or you can make a lovely simple one by frying some onion and garlic, add in a tin of tomatoes,some fresh basil leaves, a little thyme and chili and some passata sauce.
• Cook your spaghetti noodles of choice (we are really loving CT Fine Foods Pasta at the moment)
• When your noodles are almost cooked add the meatballs into your still warm cooked tomato pasta sauce for a few minutes so they become plump, warm and delicious.
• Serve bowls of spaghetti, topped with tomato pasta sauce and delicious vege meatballs.
• You can serve topped with some fresh basil leaves and a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan.

Notes

• These vege meat balls make incredible hors d'oeuvre's, make them nice and small, with an extra hit of chili and serve warm or cold on toothpicks with a great dipping sauce.
• For an alternative version:
  1 & 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup quinoa crumbs,1 cup peanuts, 1/2 cup cashews, 1/4 cup macadamias, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup basil, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 3 free range eggs, 2 teaspoon thyme, 2 tablespoons Parmesan,
  Bash the nuts in a morter and pestal until mostly crumby. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and follow directions above. 

Toddler Tips

• This is great for toddlers who love the tomato pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.
• Make some of the meatballs nice and toddler bite sized.

(c)RebeccaMugridge2013

Healthy & Delicious Picnic Food Recipes

There is something so magical about a picnic.

Packing a basket of lovely scrummies and heading into nature.
Basking under the sun's rays.
Breathing in that fresh air.
 Kids laughing.
Relaxing.
 Everybody slowing down for awhile and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.

It is a joyful escape from our busy schedules, a really great way to have some downtime together as a family and with friends.
To me at the heart of a picnic is also the glorious food.
I love food and I love making food so the idea of picnic is always an exciting opportunity to me to bring some lovely recipes, ingredients and food creations together and share them with loved ones, even better is when we can all bring some food creations we have made to share and bond over our food together.

Here are some of my favourite picnic food ideas X

Spelt TomatoTartAs seen in Holistic Bliss Magazine HERE

Carrot & Zucchini Rolls RECIPE (super easy)

Perfect Kids in the Kitchen recipe

 Healthy Cacao and Maca Bliss Balls RECIPE

 Sundried tomato & marinated feta savoury muffins RECIPE 

Tasty Tempeh chickpea bites RECIPE

No added sugar - choccyliscious muffins RECIPE
All the yummiest of chocolate indulgenec without the refined sugar!

 Pineapple & Sweet Corn Mini Quiches RECIPE (Super Easy)
Great Kids in the Kitchen recipe!

Smoked Trout, Avocado & Pomegranate Salad RECIPE

Mushroom and Brie Cheese Strudel RECIPE

Chocolate zucchini and chia seed cake RECIPE

Spinach, Pesto and Feta Savoury Scrolls with Quinoa and Avocado Oil RECIPE

Moist Carrot and Ginger Cake RECIPE

And by popular request from FACEBOOK
My Mushroom and Quinoa mini pasties

Ingredients

• 200 grams fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 cup Quinoa flakes
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons garlic (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• Himalayan salt to taste
• 2 sheets puff pastry or your own homemade puff pastry alternative
• 1 free range egg
• 1 free range egg yolk

Method

• Pre heat oven to 180'c.
• Line two baking trays with baking paper.
• De - frost pastry just slightly. 
• In a frying pan saute the leek and garlic together until lightly transparent.
• Add in the turmeric, stir through.
• Add all the mushrooms, stir together over a medium heat until all the mushrooms are lightly collapsed.
• Remove from heat, mix mushrooms mixture with the quinoa flakes and whole egg until all well combined.
• Lay a sheet of puff pastry out on a bench. Cut into 16 small squares.
• Place a small amount of the mixture in the middle of a pastry square.
• Pick up two opposite corners and bring together, then do this with the other two and you should have a little square parcel. Pinch the edges together.
• Continue with all the pastry squares, placing them onto the trays with baking paper.
• Lightly whisk the egg yolk and use a pastry brush to brush the little pasties.
• Bake in the oven until they are golden brown.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• Serve.

Notes

• These are really quick and easy, tasty and perfect for picnics and lunch boxes.
• You can really increase the garlic in these to give them a great, rich flavour and cold fighting power!
• You can use normal quinoa, pre cooked and cold if flakes are unavailable.
• Use bigger squares to make bigger pasties.

Toddler Tips

• These are excellent for toddlers due to the great little hand friendly sizing.
• Add some cheese to make them extra tasty.

Happy Picnicking!!

Rebecca xx

Recipes, photography and text by Rebecca Mugridge
(c) RebeccaMugridge 2013

Beautiful Buderim Ginger

Recently we had a family fun day out at Buderim Ginger !

I was invited out there to taste test two new cordials they are producing.

I can't tell you much about them yet other than they were beautiful and I would highly recommend watching that space! Especially if you are a foodie like me and maybe also if you are a healthy food loving foodie too...

I really like their well established Buderim Ginger Refresher Cordial, have you tried it?
It really stays true to the natural flavours and real, quality ingredients.
You can can tell from the first sip that it comes from actual ginger and is not synthetic.
I was very intrigued to learn they were developing new lines in this area and my taste buds were very excited to be invited out there to taste test and I discovered they were both impressive and most of all were really interestingly different from each other and also the refresher.
They had developed them to be similar enough to compliment each other and yet strong with their own flavour edge.

I liked them both very much but one in particular I really liked and literally can't wait for it's release!

My inner foodie was on fire with ideas.
I really like Buderim Ginger products, not just as a Sunshine Coast producer but because the flavours are real, fresh and invigorating.

I have used Buderim Ginger refresher in recipes like this carved watermelon fruit salad perfect for parties, hot Summer days, a healthy dessert, taking to school instead of muffins for your child's birthday or just for fun!
I also used it in this Mango, Macadamia Trifle,
Which will really impress your dinner guests and is fantastic for Christmas time when mangoes are in season. It can also easily be made dairy free if you have allergies - see recipes notes.
When we revealed the trifle at the Maleny IGA taste testing event before Christmas last year everyone did a big Oooh when they got to the ginger refresher flavoured cake layer, it just added this zing of taste sensation.

It is one of those products that are so versatile they can be used in many different ways and equally enjoyed as is.

Another great product they have is their Naked Ginger which I use in these Moorish Macadamia Biscuits ( GLUTEN FREE)

I love how ginger has so many great health benefits too.
I slice it up fresh into my teapot for a herbal tea and I use it in all my juices like my pink and orange juice pictured here.
 I even have a large pot of ginger growing at my home!
Ginger is the star of my delicious and extremely popular
Moist Carrot & Ginger Cake with Citrus flavoured frosting

A cake that is perfect for entertaining and birthdays. A fresh twist on a beloved classic!

This was my first visit to Buderim Ginger, even though I do live on the Sunshine Coast and I already can't wait to go again. I was very surprised at the extent of the place and how much there was to see, do and taste. It was also extremely kid friendly which gives any place top marks in my book.
Oh and the shopping there!

I have always had a real thing for ornamental ginger plants too and have been fortunate to own and grow them over the last few years so I loved seeing these here too!

The whole place is very open and user friendly, the first foyer you walk through is a visual feast of goodies and products.
The food court is really well set up (and had great coffee - and I like my coffee!) and the grounds are really easy to follow around and all edged with beautiful gardens.
The ornamental ginger plants are breathtaking (also a big favourite of mine) and you can even buy plants there too. To my (horticulturalist) delight many species were labelled so my 7 year took great delight in discovering their names, giving the day an educational slant as well.

My kids absolutely adored the train ride, OK I'll admit it, I loved it too!
Haha, maybe even more than they did!
It was so much fun, ducks even came up alongside
the train as we passed to be fed, just  like being in a live Disney movie, the girls were captivated.

As you drive around you hear about the history and you see all the old tools, and of course a great view of the gardens.

Did I mention I loved their gardens? :)

But for the kids I think one of the greatets highlights are the giant life size gingerbread men!

Yes. We had a ball.

It was absolutely pouring with rain that day (hence my very wet hair do!) so I can honestly say it is also a really great place to take the family sunshine or rain.
Which is great for such a fun tourist attraction.

They also have a boat ride and kids can make their own ginger bread men!

A definite must visit when on the Sunshine Coast.

Below are some snapshots I took of our visit.
Thanks for reading and if you get a chance I would definitely recommend heading out there and having a look, but allow plenty of time to look around and experience it as there is lots to see and do.
You can buy the beautiful Buderim Ginger Refresher and other products by them like their Naked Ginger that I used in the Gluten Free Moorish Macadamia Biscuits and collect the recipe cards from the Maleny IGA and you can find out more about the Buderim Ginger Factory HERE and LIKE them on Facebook

 Rebecca Mugridge x

(c)RebeccaMugridge2013
NOTE: I was not paid in any way for this review of Buderim Ginger. I was invited there to taste test some of their new lines and while there given free entry and a family train ride. The opinions here are my own. 

Nature Day - Getting Unplugged

One of the highlights of every week for me is our
Nature Day
Every weekend the girls and I make a point of escaping into nature, and recharging. This could be a walk in a forest, swimming in a waterfall, a river or the ocean. Exploring a national park, a mountain, a rock formation, a cave or a botanical gardens. Somewhere in nature.

It is an unplugged outing, without interruption of computers and mobile phones.

We just blissfully enjoy being together, 3 generations of girls, Grandma, mum and the two girls and somewhere where nature is your focus and you feel free to just explore, laugh and be.

 

Life gets so busy, and so noisy.
And kids do have so many routines and so many places they go they have to be still or quiet or walk slowly next to mum and dad. It is so releasing for them to get out and feel the earth beneath their feet, run around, explore, learn new things about the natural world and follow their imagination.
It is so refreshing for all of us to step out into some natural wonder.
To stop and notice the great trees around where you live. The wild places that have still been left to just be, the flowers in the gardens you might drive past all the time, the creatures and wildlife that bring these special places to life.

Our families Nature Day is a joy each and every week.
Rebecca XX