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 ;)

Cooking in Bundy - Pink Lemonade, Haloumi Salad, Spinach & Kale Rolls

Recently I was invited back to beautiful Bundaberg.
Bundy, as the local's affectionately call it will always be close to my heart.
I turned 21 in Bundy, had one of the most enjoyable jobs of my life in Bundy, managing the Bunnings Warehouse plant nursery section, even had a stint with my own gardening show on community radio and created a garden club for Bunnings, and designed and wrote it's monthly newsletter along with all it's events.

I have my very own Bundy Belle, my oldest, Lily who was born there.
I wrote my first book In Bundy and was shown so much support there from the local newspaper and it's journalists, the council and the mum's there who read my book.
I found myself dazzled to be on the front page of a newspaper there and filmed, twice on A Current Affair
and sign my first ever book deal, with Random  House and officially become an author.

My Bundy Belle - Lily

I will never forget opening that box of books that came, what a moment.
A huge moment for me in my life as I have been writing stories since I can remember and had my first ever story published, in a newspaper, in year 1, yes I was a 'square' as they called it back then - I still proudly have the school certificate for that, as you do!

I found myself in Bundy, walking along the sunkissed shoreline in Burnett Heads breathing in the salty breeze with my girl and our pram each day.

I didn't just lose a lot of weight after having Lily in Bundy, I found my healthy self and there is a huge difference. I not only made peace with body there, I for the first time became in tune with it.
I was very fit, strong and so healthy and stayed that way for 5 years before being blessed with my second bundle of joy and moving to the Sunshine Coast.

So I was delighted when asked by Move it to come up to Bundy as part of their 3 month healthy living campaign and teach a cooking class and be in a community pram walk.

We stayed at the lovely Park Lane Motel which I would highly recommend to anyone, it was very

comfortable, we had our own mini kitchen facilities which was great, it had an excellent sized bathroom, a very cute pool, which the girls swam in even though they were cold!

And it's position was perfect!

You could walk easily into town, which we did one night to hear the rainbow lorikeets in the trees, it was surrounded by eateries and the beautiful riverside park and Alexander zoo was

 directly behind it, literally just a short stroll so perfect if you have kids with you, each day we walked over so
they run around and burn of all that amazing energy kids have so they weren't stir crazy in the hotel room!
They were very impressed with the park and of course the quoll's and emu's!

                                  

                                                Kitchen Confidence owner and celebrated chef Wayne Bryans

My cooking demo was held at the gorgeous and very funky cooking school ,Kitchen Confidence 

If you live in or around Bundaberg, I highly recommend checking this cooking school out!!

With Crystal from Move It Bundaberg and all the fresh ingredients as supplied by Hinkler Centra

Me and Sonia aka the famour Natural New Age Mum

What a fantastic group of women it was and it was including one of my absolute highlights of my trip the incredible woman that is Sonia aka Natural New Age Mum, put the kettle on and take a second for yourself
to go check out her page and blog!

As a big fan, how excited was I to have NNAM eating my food!

What did we cook? Using fantastic ingredients sponsored by Hinkler Central we made:

Pink Lemonade

Haloumi & Spelt Sourdough Croutons Salad

It was a very hands on cooking class with everyone getting involved, whirring up the juicer, frying the cheese or the croutons, chopping ingredients, mixing and making the rolls!

And Spinach, Kale and Feta rolls

Spinach, Kale and Feta Sausage Rolls

Ingredients

·        

3    2 cups fresh silverbeet or spinach, finely chopped and firmly packed in (or 1 pkt frozen spinach, thawed and drained well)

      1 cup fresh kale, washed and finely chopped

·        1 pkt feta cheese

·        ¾ cup grated cheese

·        2 sheets puff pastry ( I use butter puff pastry or wholegrain when I can find it and sometimes gluten free puff pastry)

Method

·        Pre heat oven to approximately 180`c

·        Combine spinach, kale, feta and grated cheese together

      Semi defrost pastry sheets

·        Cut each pastry sheets in half to make two long rectangles

      Line each one down one side with a long strip of the mixture 

·        Pinch the two sides of pastry together right along both sides to make it an enclosed ‘parcel’ or roll over on to itself to make a roll shape.

      Chop up into desired sizing rolls

·        Brush top of pastry with milk

·        Bake them in the oven on baking paper until golden and pastry is visibly cooked

·        Serve hot with fresh salad

Notes

·        For a more ‘adult’ version you can add lightly sautéed onion, chilli or spring onion.

      Perfect for school lunch boxes

      Freeze rolls before cooking for ready to go meals and lunches

Toddler Tips

·        Make them half the size again so they are handy toddler sized sausage rolls.

·        Serve with a toddler friendly salad of things like cheese cubes, avocado cubes, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, capsicum slices and carrot sticks.

     

     The following day we topped off the visit (and walked off the food)  with a big community pram walk along the foreshore from Nielsons beach to Kelly's beach.
I got to meet so many lovely ladies during this walk too including the fantastic group from Baby Bods - Personal Training and Stroller Fitness and even had the absolute delight of an attendee and just beautiful woman from the previous day's cooking class finding me half way en route and bringing me a beautiful thank you card and a jar of her incredible home-made mango chutney!
Talk about making your day.

      If you haven't ever had the chance of visiting Bundy maybe you should put it on the to do list

Happy Cooking - Bek XX

Gee I love a farm side stall!

Under $10 not organic but unbelievably fresh!! 

Recipe (c)RebeccaMugridge2013