Whats For Dinner Tonight with Schwartz 2In1

Whats for Dinner tonight? Its a question I now slightly groan at, I consider myself a good 'from scratch' cook, its a hobby not a chore and I often wandered shops looking for different ingredients, look at prepared meals and working out  how to make it myself. 

Now I am crazily busy, drop dead exhausted most days, I care for my Grandma as many of you know, I adore cooking and before was often making meals from scratch. But I have to prioritise what I do and often making a big meal is abandoned.

Now I like to spend my time with my Granny and I have resorted to easier meals, sometimes just faster home cooked faves,but I also use packet mixes.

With my broken finger and just being told yesterday its going to be a minimum of 8 weeks with my hand out of full action, its definitely the time I need easy options.

Schwartz have always been in my cupboard, from herbs to spices, I love it when they come out with a new range, the new 2in1 packs really appeal. So when I saw the Britmums challenge to use them and feature here, I thought I would have a go.

Тhe new 2in1 range offers easy to use recipe mix sachets in one handy pack: one sachet flavours the main dish whilst the other contains а seasoning for a complementary side dish or topping. With 5 different varieties to choose from, and an easy recipe on the back of each pack, it’s a great way to try out new dishes or transform an existing family favourite.

I decided to start with the Garlic and Thyme Roast Chicken with Crispy Roast Potatoes,I could manage this one more or lesson my own, Chris did the peeling of potatoes and I was good to go. The seasoning is mixed with oil and spread over the chicken.

I decided the chicken breast and part of the legs should be skinned, I ditched the brush and used my hand to really rub in the mix, I then left it to infuse.None of these are needed if you are in a rush.

Chicken ready to pop in the oven,foil to cover for the first half, and then my trusty sous chef was left to peel the spuds! 

I parboiled the potatoes for 10 minutes then mixed the potato seasoning with oil, I used Extra Virgin oil as I find its fab and more healthy then popped into the oven to roast. 

The aroma that fills the kitchen is great, we were ravenous by the end. The chicken reminded me of a blackened chicken recipe I make, mine did look dark,but it was perfect.

The roast potatoes were done to perfection.
Just had to plate up,we ate this midweek meal with salad as we were also roasting in the summer sun.

This got an all round seal of approval, Paige said the only thing wrong with it was that she did not have two platefuls! The chicken was succulent,the seasoning being rubbed in and left to marinate really makes for more tender meat, I believe. The potatoes really crispy and just melt in the mouth fluffy inside, I use Maris Pipers for roasting, they just are delicious.

We had enough chicken for a few sandwiches next day, with a nice garlic mayo, just right for lunch in the garden!

On to the Mediterranean Chicken Pasta and Cheesy Crumb Topping, again Chris prepped the chicken and peppers needed for the mix, opened the can of tomatoes and did my heavy lifting, (I could get used to having an assistant for food blogging!)

The method again was simplistic,the grill was switched on to preheat, meanwhile the chicken is fried, I added the peppers after 7 minutes. Then the Mediterranean mix was stirred into the water and along with the chopped tomatoes added to the pan.

I decided to simmer this mix for about 10 minutes,this was to sweeten the tomatoes a little more. Then I mixed in the pasta, giving it a good stir, being a Mediterranean dish I popped in some left over Feta and a few olives just to add more flavour.
Then the final touch before grilling is to sprinkle over the Cheesy  Crumb topping and the grated cheese,being a fan of cheese I used more than suggested.

It looked and smelled really good,I am glad I added the extra cheese it gave it a boost and the cheese nicely melted through the tomato base.

We gave this one a thumbs up too, loved the chicken pasta base, the crispy Crumb topping had an strong ingredient that I could not quite work out and if I could, I would like less of it, it left a not awful but pungent aftertaste,it was possibly the onion powder, but I was the only person who felt this. 

I will make again and next time add red and green peppers to give a little more colour, maybe some courgettes as well.

I loved trying the range and am keen to make the other mixes now, see the link below for more details.

 “This post is an entry for BritMums ‘What’s for Dinner Tonight?’ sponsored by Schwartz. Find out more about the new 2in1 mixes here”

 www.schwartz.co.uk/Products/Recipe-Mixes/2-in-1.aspx.

Pampers Add a message to the Royal Baby Blanket

Pampers is encouraging the nation to celebrate the birth of the royal baby by sharing their good wishes and messages of support  via Twitter #babyblanket and http://www.pampers.co.uk/royalbabyblanket over the next three weeks.  

Pampers will be knitting these messages of support into a baby blanket for the new parents, and are hoping to create the largest baby blanket composed of best wishes from people like you and your readers.  

For every message sent to us for the blanket, Pampers will be donating a nappy to family support charity Home-Start UK (aiming to reach a quarter of a million nappies).

Just been to have a look and its wonderful ,some great messages already being knitted in,I love how everybody can be involved in wishing the Royal couple and the new arrival a personal message.

I just added mine.I wish 'Peace, happiness and to find true love'

You can keep up to date with how the blanket is progressing  by viewing a live stream from next week at http://www.pampers.co.uk/royalbabyblanket. They’ll also be knitting live at Westfield Shopping Centre (Shepherd’s Bush) between 18 - 21 July, and then will be unveiling it at another location to be confirmed later this month!  

Once the blanket has been completed, Pampers will be donating framed sections of the blanket to a number of children’s hospitals across the UK.

Dairylea Mighty Mature and Springy Onion Review

Dairylea for me was a child hood favorite, back in the days when it was only sold as a triangle of foil wrapped yumminess.
I was a very poor eater, hated veg, disliked milk, luckily for my bones, I adored cheese.

I spent ages peeling off the foil and spreading it onto toast,Granny often made me a morning snack of Dairylea triangles and sliced apples.

When the tub version came out,I happily tucked in,its just an easier way to get to the spread.
I love it when yummy food faves come up with new ways to eat the product and even more so when they introduce a new flavour.

Mighty Mature and Springy Onion, they sound fun already. I believe the names will be popular for children, great for the lunch box, however the names appeal to my daft childish side too. 

But taste is the part I am most interested in.

The Mature Cheddar is good, Dairylea has all natural ingredients ,it tasted as such. The richer mature cheddar flavour has instantly made it into my new favourite lunch of the week,so good is it, I was off to buy more pots of it to keep up with the craving. Its fab on a granary roll, yummy on a baked potato. Can't wait to try it melted into pasta. 

The Dairylea Springy Onion was a complete surprise, when I opened it, I saw it had a different consistency, not as solid as Dairylea spreads normally are, it calls for dipping items, carrots, celery, bread sticks. I could taste the spring onion and blended with the cheese, it makes a lovely change on a roll.

Well Dairylea took a long time adding new flavours and it was worth the wait for this mad cheese fan. 

Dairylea has been a firm favourite on family shopping lists for over 60 years and the new recipes mark the latest step in the brand’s journey to provide the best possible taste and nutritional credentials for families across the UK.

The new flavours are the first in the Dairylea spread range, and have been introduced following the brand’s move to an all-natural recipe which simply consists of cheese, butter, skimmed milk, sodium bicarbonate and lemon juice!

New Mighty Mature and Springy Onion are available in 160g tubs at all major supermarkets with an RRP of £1.36. 
For more information visitwww.dairylea.co.uk or www.facebook.com/dairylea.

I was supplied with vouchers to buy the Dairylea, I received no other payment or incentive to talk about the range, my views are my own.

P&G Everyday Waste Savers campaign

The P+G Everyday Waste Savers campaign is a great one, I am all for sustaining the resources we have in the world, I like it when it actually saves me money too. 
I think for a lot of people its not just about recycling to do your bit for green living,its about sustaining the worlds resources. Its been levelled at me,by friends, that it costs more to be green and buy green products,but I am finding it actually is more cost effective for my purse,turning down the thermostat, using green products and great products like lemon,vinegar and bicarb is cheaper and often less money.

Now the big brands are wising up and helping me and others to save money.

You may remember, I took part in the Ariel’s ‘Turn to 30’ campaign – I actually wash at this temperature all the time,with a good washing powder it has no effect on my clothes but saves energy and money.

The Everyday Waste Savers campaign is run by Ariel, Flash and Fairy and supported by leading sustainability experts the Energy Saving Trust, Waste Watch and Waterwise, which aims to help households save hundreds of pounds each year, by sharing easy, innovative ways to do everyday things that also help us to be a bit greener too. 

But did you know there are lots of ways to clean at lower temperatures in order to save energy and money? Mrs Moneypenny, the star of Channel 4 show Superscrimpers, has also joined  P+G to help inspire people to save money by being a bit more environmentally friendly.

Figures show that every home can save an average of £100 off their annual energy bills and a further £50 off their water bills, just by doing a few simple things such as switching off at the plugs, turning down the thermostat and not filling the kettle up for one cuppa – significant savings at a time when we’re all watching our pennies. 

Furthermore, 24% of a household’s heating bill is from heating hot water, costing, on average, £150. Stats show that about a third of water usage is wasted – money down the drain every day.

Through this campaign P+G and Mrs Moneypenny are looking to inspire and enable people to contribute to a cleaner, greener future whilst also saving money. For example, the cleaning power of P+G brands, Ariel, Flash and Fairy, can save up to 30% on energy usage, which can add up to significant monetary savings:

·       

  By turning from 40° to 30° with Ariel

·         

When using "Short Cycles" with Fairy Dishwashing tablets (50°/55° /Eco dishwasher cycles instead of intensive cycles)

·         

When using cold 20° water instead of 40° hot water with Flash

Mrs Moneypenny, stars in a short video to help us all save cash - and is P+G also offering householders the chance to win £3,000 towards their annual energy and food shopping bills, in return for sharing their tips on how to save energy and water around the home. People can enter at

www.pgeverydaysavings.com.

To help launch the campaign, P+G sent me a nice little cleaning hamper to get me started,the good news is they are also offering one of my readers the same! Woohoo!!

Just fill in the Easypeasy Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARE YOUR KISSES CRUELTY FREE?

ARE YOUR KISSES CRUELTY FREE?

International Kissing Day Saturday 6th July 2013

We Believe in #crueltyfreekisses

In celebration of International Kissing Day on Saturday 6th July 2013 Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics are attempting to set the new Guinness World Record of the most lip prints collected in 12 consecutive hours.  And we want them to be cruelty free, as we believe all kisses should be! Head to your nearest Lush store on Saturday 6th July 2013, from 11:00am, to take part in this record breaking attempt!

Customers will be able to prep their lips in-store with our cruelty free and preservative free range of products. Start by scrubbing away any dried skin with a Lip Scrub (£5.25); choose from three flavours but each with a gentle exfoliating base of castor sugar and softening jojoba oil. Then moisturise lips with one of our new preservative free and aerated Lip Balms (all £5.50), choose from the classic Lip Service; chocolate orange Whipstick; the vanilla, peppermint and honey flavoured Honey Trap; or the vegan None of Your Beeswax.

Then pucker up for some long-lasting, moisturising colour from the Emotional Brilliance range. Celebrating its first birthday in July 2013, Emotional Brilliance offers a range of lip and eye colours (all £14.50) that offer emotional support as well as show-stopping colour that’s actually good for your skin.

The Liquid Lips collection is 100% vegan and has a super moisturising base of jojoba oil, candelilla wax and rose wax. With 13 colours to choose from, we Believe (matt pink) in being Passionate (florescent pink) about #crueltyfreekisses and it’s our Ambition (roaring twenties red) to Drive (mauve, liliac) as many people as possible to feel as Strong(ly) (a coral red) as we do. We are Confident (beautiful wine berry) that you will!

LUSH is a proud supporter of the Be Cruelty-Free campaign run by animal campaigners, Humane Society International. Be Cruelty-Free is the largest global campaign to end animal testing of cosmetics worldwide, combining awareness raising with political lobbying and scientific outreach to create a world where no animal has to suffer and die for the sake of cosmetics.

Wendy Higgins, HSI’s Be Cruelty-Free Communications Director, says: “We’re delighted to pucker up with LUSH for International Kissing Day and urge consumers all around the world to make sure their kisses are cruelty-free. A kiss symbolises kindness but there is nothing kind about testing cosmetics on animals so let’s join together and kiss goodbye to cosmetics cruelty”.

Come and help us beat the record! To find your nearest Lush store and for LUSH Online contact 01202 668 545, or visit www.lush.co.uk

Follow @LushLtd on Twitter and tweet your pictures of our Guinness World Record attempt #crueltyfreekisses

Follow the Humane Society International on Twitter @hsiglobal #becrueltyfree or visit www.hsi.org/becrueltyfree

Competition to win a right royal baby prize

Just wanted to alert you to a fun competition being run by Plum 

Royal baby fever is hotting up with some media sources speculating that Kate could in fact be due a week earlier than announced. 

Plum, who make delicious organic baby food fit for a prince or princess, is running a fun competition to guess the gender, name and arrival date of the new addition, with a right royal prize up for grabs for the person who gets the most right answers.

So have a go and good luck!!

It will be interesting for me if you add your predictions here.

Mine are think its a girl,born 14th July(my birthday)11.25am

Named Elizabeth or William and most take after William,those royal ears genes are strong!!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R5F52TD

Ilumi gluten-free foods review

Quite often I review easy foods along with a smattering of my own recipes, I really do need some fast but tasty meals now. I have just added to my very busy home life, hubby,teens and a lovely Grandma I care for permanently,by breaking my finger. Sounds really slight but it is torn ligament and broken bone, it will be along time mending and I am not allowed to use the whole hand.

So the lovely people at ilumi who have just launched the range exclusively online sent me some dishes to ease my days.

Now the most important thing I can tell you is that ilumi make allergen free meals. I always worry about this, as you know I used to joke that many 'free from' foods had a 'free from' taste label in my mind. Since being a blogger and reviewing some fine brands I have had to change my thoughts. I have tried biscuits,risottos,cakes but not meals that were allergy free. So people with say gluten, dairy or nut allergies don't just have to cook meals from scratch to ensure their health.  

The second stand out feature are these meals,sauces and soups are straight from the cupboard, I love these foods,they are fab,my fridge is always overflowing and too small by far. 

My first try was the Slow Cooked lamb Casserole, this was the meal that stood out as I make this dish, so it would have to stand up to home cooked. The serving is a lovely sized portion for one person, so  if your family who do not have allergies fancy their fave takeaway or quick meal, its simple for you to have a meal without the faff of preparing.

One other benefit is camping,a simple easy warming soup or stew, again the ease of prep will make the camp meal easy, warming and tasty. I would heat it in a pan,although at home the microwave is recommended.

Its easy to heat, you just massage the pouch,I noticed though unlike some pouch meals it was  not all clumped together,I could feel chunks of meat which was a good start.
Then its a heat in the microwave for 2 mins and stand for 1 minute,just leaving time to serve your preferred vegetable.

The taste is good,I do have that second where I hope something I am trying isn't too bad, a processed or just plain strange taste. Happily its good, lovely tender lamb, thin perfectly cooked slices of potato and sweet carrots, delicately flavoured with rosemary and mint. 

As I eat I have to look at the pack as its got a lovely thick gravy,curious to see the thickening agents as most are flour, the ilumi meal is made with potato flour, rice flour and corn flour. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the slow cooked lamb,it met my expectations and went beyond for a pouch meal.

I decide I am taking these meals camping definitely,one for ease,two for storage, great when a fridge is not available.

Oh and as for 'free from' ,I guarantee it may be free from many products that certain diets prohibit,but its certainly not free from taste!

Popover to the facebook page,they have some lovely offers to try the meals with discounts too 
https://www.facebook.com/ilumiworld

ilumi products are manufactured by experts in gluten-free foods, the Tanfield Food Company, at its County Durham site. No nuts are used in the factory, or allowed on the premises, providing 100% reassurance that ilumi products do not contain nuts. The range has been developed by Annette Peters of The Food Practice, who has also worked as a consultant for M&S and Duchy Originals.

Unrivalled in the market when it comes to taste and quality, every product in the range is guaranteed to be free from nuts, gluten and milk.

Chicken Cacciatora

What’s on the menu?

Creamy soups, flavoursome sauces, main dishes and accompaniments; whether you’re planning a meal from scratch or looking for something convenient to heat up after work ilumi provides quick and delicious meal solutions. Unlike other allergen free options, the ilumi range explores world foods as well as British tastes, with soups such as the Thai flavours of Tom Kha Gai and comforting Spicy Butternut Squash, while main dishes include Indian inspired Kerala Chicken Curry and traditional Slow-Cooked Lamb Casserole. Exciting sauces such as Sweet Soyand Ginger Stir Fry Sauce and Shallot and Peppercorn (great with a juicy steak!) add to the varied range to prove that having an allergy does not mean meals have to be uninspiring.

Spanish Style Rice and Vegetables

Rather than taking the allergens out of meals, ilumi products are developed using only the best allergen free ingredients from beginning to end. The recipes are rigorous and totally transparent, so that every ingredient has a purpose. Even the packaging is designed with allergy sufferers in mind, with all the important information displayed clearly on the front of the pack. In case you need more proof of ilumi’s allergy friendly status, the brand new range will be launched at the Allergy and Free From Show, Olympia, London on June 7-9 2013.

Nutritionist Dr Janet Aylott said: “It is reassuring to see that the traditional ‘free from’ market is addressing the needs of allergy-sufferers; namely providing variety, taste and convenience, whilst providing an absolute transparency on the ingredients. Until now it has been hard to find restaurant quality food suitable for allergy sufferers, so ilumi will be  a breath of fresh air for the ‘free from’ category.”

The new www.ilumiworld.com website provides a host of information for people looking for the latest news and advice in the world of allergy-free food.  Visitors will find health tips, expert advice, cookery tips and serving suggestions, along with a weekly magazine and fantastic special offers.

ilumi products are available exclusively from www.ilumiworld.com from 20 May 2013.

Prices range from £1.00 to £3.25.

Disclosure: I receive ilumi products to try, this in no way shaped my opinion or this review.