JulieBhosaleAchive

Winter brings with it lovely surprises in the form of ills and chills…you know the drill! A healthy immune system is our body’s natural army to defend us from invaders. There are certain nutrients which can really boost our immunity (keep our immune army fighting strong) and humble Vitamin C is one of them. What it Does Vitamin C is an antioxidant. This means on a mirco-level it combats the free radicals in our body which threaten our cells and consequently weaken our defences. This vitamin also assists the body’s natural healing process which means when we do get sick, it helps us get back on our feet quicker. Food Sources To get this germ-fighting vitamin into you and your monkeys these best foods are your citrus fruits so stock up on lemons, kiwi-fruit and oranges. Berries, while not a citrus fruit, are also a powerful source of vitamin C and other antioxidants. You may also be surprised to know that your green leafy vegetables (everyone’s favourite right!) are also really high in V...

When pregnant with my first son I remember being terrified of the sleep deprivation that was to come. I knew it would be hard and I also knew that I did not know just how hard it would be. I have had two babies now – gone through the crazy sleep deprived newborn days twice. I am not going to say I have mastered that time. Far from it. And I still struggle with sleep deprivation. What I do have is hindsight – beautiful, wonderful hindsight - that this time, which seems to have no end, won’t last forever and you are stronger than you believe you are right now. So here are a few things that I wish I could say to a fellow mum deep in trenches of sleep deprivation. Mummy - the first few days are the worst. You have just given birth, are learning to breastfeed/feed and are trying to recover yourself while getting to know this little person you created. Your hormones are all out of sorts, it can be overwhelming and sleep is basically non-existent; maybe an hour or two at most in a row. You ma...

Please stop. The blaming. The shaming. The hatred. If you have a c-section you just were not strong enough to cope with birth. If you have a natural, home birth you put your baby's life at risk. If you breastfeed you are exposing yourself. If you formula feed you are causing your child lifelong damage. If you make your own baby food you clearly have too much time on your hands. If you buy brought baby food you get publicly shamed. If you put your children in daycare you clearly don’t want to look after them. If you stay at home with your children you have no ambition. If you have a night out with your husband, your children will require counselling (even though they are asleep). If you never go out, your children have clearly taken over your life. If you give your child chocolate at 10am they will get diabetes. If you don’t give them any chocolate ever, you are depriving them and setting them up for lifelong eating disorders. If your child falls into a gorilla enclosure at the zoo ...

When I asked our Facebook community for advice and tips on preparing for a baby one of the areas which came up a few times was insurance. This is something I also strongly recommend looking into. I can hand on heart say medical cover was a godsend for both of our boys - who required seeing a specialist for ear infections and asthma symptoms at a very young age and thanks to medical cover this was all possible! (You can read more tips on preparing for life with a baby in the previous blog here ). Nicole Dellow is a mum of two and runs Lifestyle Cover - I meet Nicole when pregnant with our second baby and she was a HUGE help in making sure we were fully covered and had the best insurance deals possible - and not just medical cover, Nicole also looked into our income protection and life cover which we had done in a hurry as our first baby arrived early. I have a guest blog from her on the importance of private medical cover for your new baby! Why to Arrange Private Medical Insurance for ...

Being prepared for life with a new baby is crucial – crucial for your overall wellbeing, crucial for your mental and emotional state and crucial to help you adapt to this major life change. Being prepared is not just about having the right pram and the nursery decorated. While this is important and a natural nesting process it is also about what I call ‘the big stones’. Prams can be brought in a matter of minutes and your baby will actually be ok if you don’t even have one. While not everything will go according to plan, there are some big topics, which if discussed and looked into BEFORE the baby comes, will really ease the load especially when you are exhausted and time is non-existent – plus they will help safe guard you and your family when you need it most. I asked our wonderful Facebook community for their advice on this – the response was just incredible. Not only did mums share their 'big stones' advice but also wonderful messages of support in self care and being prepa...

An Old-School Superfood Liver and other organ meats are such a powerful source of nutrients in our diets. Beef liver in particular provides high concentrations of Iron B-Vitamins, especially B12 Vitamin A Folate Protein These nutrients play an active role in maximising our energy levels and are really beneficial to those that are pregnant and for babies/toddlers. Personally, I am one of those unique individuals that really likes liver, always have actually. My favourite way is with creamy mushrooms and bacon. I suspect part of this is also because I know how nutrient dense it is, I feel like it’s providing an ultra-boost for my body which adds to the pleasure of eating it. However I know this is definitely not the case for everyone especially kids! How to Eat It?! The secret here is to neutralise the liver to remove the smell – you can see this in my YouTube vlog (watch Facebook tonight) and the easiest way to introduce liver is in ground beef or mince. Try these simple steps below. 1....

Liver is one of the most nutrient dense foods available. Packed full of iron, B-vitamins and folate plus a great source of protein. However, it can be tricky including this in a meal the whole family will enjoy! This recipe is a great way to sneak in liver in a tasty yet simple way - with hidden vegetables as well! Just allow time to prepare the liver (either over night or a few hours prior).   Ingredients 100-200g Beef liver 1/2 Lemon Olive oil 500g Beef mince 1 Onion 1 Tb crushed garlic 2-3 Tb paprika 1 Carrot, grated 3-4 Button mushrooms, chopped Dash of Worcestershire sauce 3 Tb pasta sauce 4-5 Sheets of flaky puff pastry Milk (for pastry wash) Directions: 1. Prepare the liver by neutralising with lemon (over 6 hours) and process to resemble the same texture as the mince (see my previous blog for more details if needed.) 2. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a tray with baking paper. Prepare the vegetables in bowls (to be able to add to the pan quickly). If the pastry is...