JulieBhosaleAchive

It is time to sprint. I have done a 4 year marathon and now I am down to the wire, and it’s time to sprint. I have missed my deadline of the 30 th  (today) - I had 3 weeks up my sleeve just in case I needed it as I didn’t know what the tail end of my thesis looked like. Maybe that’s my ‘mum-mode’ planning coming out. Regardless I do need it this extra time. Although I have given it everything, I need to refine and rework some of my final chapters. I actually have less than three weeks, as it will take a week to have my thesis proof-read so I am working to the 9 th of December. But that’s it. If I don’t get it handed in by the 18 th of December I need to wait until next year and that’s complications worth avoiding at all costs. I have been disappointed that I didn’t make the 30 th - I have needed to put off a lot of things including the release of my new recipe book which has been under progress for two years. Moreover, I have needed to reconcile with myself about spending more time

These little muffins taste like mini carrot cakes yet do not have any sugar or gluten. Super easy to prepare in advance they will make a great snack or even a dessert...my boys just love them! Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups almond meal 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top 3 eggs 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 1 ripe banana, mashed 1 1/2 cups carrots, grated 1/2 cup walnut/pecans, chopped (optional) Directions: Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases or grease well and preheat oven to 180°C In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil, and mashed banana. Then add the carrots and nuts. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin pan and sprinkle tops with cinnamon. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes on wire rack. And serve and enjoy! You can check out

Eggplant is very versatile, packed full of nutrients and a great soft food for babies to try! This is my easy roasted eggplant dish...with an Indian twist - inspired by the traditional Indian dish Bharit . Our Sumshie (10-months) tried this for the first time today and loved it! Ingredients: 2 Eggplants 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 tsp of cumin Extra virgin olive oil   Directions: 1. Roast the eggplants (skin on) - you can do this on the BBQ, stove top or in the oven. You want to roast them until soft and the skin just cracks (they will look a bit deflated and that's a sign they are ready). 2. While the eggplants are roasting, chop the onion and garlic. Grind the garlic well  in a mortar and pestle (you can skip this step it just helps to bring out the flavour). 3. When the eggplant is ready, peel all the skin off. You want to make sure all skin is removed or the dish will have a bitter taste. Just watch your fingers the eggplant will be hot! 4. Heat a fry pan on

It was both a pleasure and an honor to be asked to review such a beautiful book. There is little that can compare to the love of a child for their pet and Little Loves captures the essence of this in a way that will move your own heart to a special place. Every page is filled with the most enchanting photographs of gorgeous Kiwi children and their loyal companions; from Achiebones the boxer, Theodore Papadopoulos the silver tabby cat, to Hopy the bunny who sleeps in Max’s bed, and Spangle the bantam hen, there is a unique story behind all of them. Something you may not know about me is my own real love for animals, ever since I was little – we had every pet you could imagine at home when I was growing up, many of which we breed and raised by hand from when they were born. The only pet I never had was a puppy and I always longed for one. I will never forget the day my husband (finance at the time) brought me Chase right on the spot in a pet store, I was like a child on Christmas day. C

Life as you know for us as a family is very busy right now…well it’s always busy…just a bit more than normal. As a mum we do often go through times of pressure and things just not going according to plan. During these times we can really pile on the guilt by looking at all the things we are not doing! This definitely applies to your food choices. It can be really easy to feel down when we see other people having kale smoothies, going out for runs (hair blowing in the breeze) and making perfect home-made lunch boxes….while you are wondering if you can actually get to the end of the day in one piece! One of the strategies that I find works really well during these times is to do just one thing –take one action – that makes you feel in control of your food choices and overall health. It can be as simple as making one batch of power balls to have in the fridge or planning what you will have for dinner for a couple of days (even if it is just an omelette or something from the freezer). Cons

This is it (gulp). 4 weeks – 1 goal: A 50,000 word Doctoral Thesis. The sum total of over 10 years of tertiary education, 6 years of postgraduate study including 4 years of hard, challenging and equally incredible doctoral thesis work. I am terrified. Terrified of not making it, of failing. Terrified of letting my family down. My husband who has sacrificed so much, more than he ever imagined to get me here. My boys, my precious boys who have been nothing short of my inspiration, drive, and courage. It’s Everest Base Camp and I can’t see the top, but there is no time to rest. No time to allow my fear to enter in. I have to do this and I’m going to. I am going to give it everything I have and then some. I have come too far now, too far to give up. Too far to let anything stand in my way. I have already used all my annual leave and sick leave from work as I needed more time to write solidly. The extra time away from my teaching position has meant the team had had to pull together and carr